cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The New competencies and their impact on resident training in ophthalmology

Changes in the health care environment and the evolving needs of external stakeholders have created a demand for a new set of competencies in residency training. This article reviews the forces that have shaped the development of the new competencies; defines the specific Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies; describes the tools that might be used to measure these competencies; introduces current concepts and terms in the field of post-graduate medical education; and summarizes an implementation plan for ophthalmology. Meeting the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies will require the development of a toolbox for measurement outcomes and a reinvention of the residency training process in ophthalmology. A coordinated, thoughtful, and standardized effort will be required to meet the challenge.
Psychosocial Factors Influencing Breast Cancer Risk Appraisal Among Older Women

Although the incidence of breast cancer increases with age, many older women are uninformed about the increased risk and have lower mammography screening rates than younger women. Understanding older women’s perceptions of risk might assist health care providers in offering appropriate resources that result in screening. In this study, we explored psychosocial components influencing older women’s breast cancer risk appraisal. To identify key psychosocial components of breast cancer risk appraisal, we conducted focus group interviews. Data saturation occurred with four groups (N = 36) of older Black (58%) and White (42%) women with no prior history of breast cancer. On analysis of the data, we found three themes representing psychosocial factors influencing breast cancer risk appraisal with this cohort. Our findings revealed that worry/fear/anxiety, self-regulating empowerment, and realistic optimism were psychosocial mechanisms older Black and White women in this sample used in appraising breast cancer risk.
Safety of cardiac catheterization in patients with end-stage liver disease awaiting liver transplantation.

Patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) are predisposed to bleeding complications due to thrombocytopenia, reduced synthesis of coagulation factors, and increased fibrinolytic activity. The exact incidence of vascular access site and bleeding complications related to cardiac catheterization in this group remains unknown. Eighty-eight consecutive patients with ESLD who underwent left-sided cardiac catheterization from August 2004 to February 2007 were identified. Eighty-one patients without known liver disease matched for age, gender, and body mass index who underwent left-sided cardiac catheterization during the same period were chosen as the control group. Vascular complications were defined as hematoma >5 cm, pseudoaneurysm, arteriovenous fistula, or retroperitoneal bleeding. Patients with ESLD had lower baseline mean hematocrit (32.3 ± 6.0% vs 39.2 ± 6.2%, p 9 /L, p
A hidden Ising model for ChIP-chip data analysis

Motivation: Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) coupled with tiling microarray (chip) experiments have been used in a wide range of biological studies such as identification of transcription factor binding sites and investigation of DNA methylation and histone modification. Hidden Markov models are widely used to model the spatial dependency of ChIP-chip data. However, parameter estimation for these models is typically either heuristic or suboptimal, leading to inconsistencies in their applications. To overcome this limitation and to develop an efficient software, we propose a hidden ferromagnetic Ising model for ChIP-chip data analysis. Results: We have developed a simple, but powerful Bayesian hierarchical model for ChIP-chip data via a hidden Ising model. Metropolis within Gibbs sampling algorithm is used to simulate from the posterior distribution of the model parameters. The proposed model naturally incorporates the spatial dependency of the data, and can be used to analyze data with various genomic resolutions and sample sizes. We illustrate the method using three publicly available datasets and various simulated datasets, and compare it with three closely related methods, namely TileMap HMM, tileHMM and BAC. We find that our method performs as well as TileMap HMM and BAC for the high-resolution data from Affymetrix platform, but significantly outperforms the other three methods for the low-resolution data from Agilent platform. Compared with the BAC method which also involves MCMC simulations, our method is computationally much more efficient. Availability: A software called iChip is freely available at http://www.bioconductor.org/. Contact: moq@mskcc.org
Steps Towards More Effective Implementation of MS and MIS

Our technical abilities to design and build complex management science MS models and sophisticated management information systems MIS have progressed quite rapidly in recent years. However, our ability to translate these models and systems into tools useful to managers has not kept pace. Efforts to implement MS models and information systems occasionally fail completely and often run into some sort of difficulty. This paper will review some of the steps that have been taken to increase our understanding of and, hopefully, our ability to solve this implementation problem.
Semiparametric regression estimation in the presence of dependent censoring

SUMMARY We propose a semiparametric estimation procedure for estimating the regression of an outcome Y, measured at the end of a fixed follow-up period, on baseline explanatory variables X, measured prior to start of follow-up, in the presence of dependent censoring given X. The proposed estimators are consistent when the data are 'missing at random' but not 'missing completely at random' (Rubin, 1976), and do not require full specification of the complete data likelihood. Specifically, we assume that the probability of censoring at time t is independent of the outcome Y conditional on the recorded history up to t of a vector of time-dependent covariates that are correlated with Y. Our estimators can be used to adjust for dependent censoring and nonrandom noncompliance in randomised trials studying the effect of a treatment on the mean of a response variable of interest. Even with independent censoring, our methods allow the investigator to increase efficiency by exploiting the correlation of the outcome with a vector of time-dependent covariates.
A novel computational model of the circadian clock in Arabidopsis that incorporates PRR7 and PRR9

In plants, as in animals, the core mechanism to retain rhythmic gene expression relies on the interaction of multiple feedback loops. In recent years, molecular genetic techniques have revealed a complex network of clock components in Arabidopsis. To gain insight into the dynamics of these interactions, new components need to be integrated into the mathematical model of the plant clock. Our approach accelerates the iterative process of model identification, to incorporate new components, and to systematically test different proposed structural hypotheses. Recent studies indicate that the pseudo-response regulators PRR7 and PRR9 play a key role in the core clock of Arabidopsis. We incorporate PRR7 and PRR9 into an existing model involving the transcription factors TIMING OF CAB (TOC1), LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY) and CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED (CCA1). We propose candidate models based on experimental hypotheses and identify the computational models with the application of an optimization routine. Validation is accomplished through systematic analysis of various mutant phenotypes. We introduce and apply sensitivity analysis as a novel tool for analyzing and distinguishing the characteristics of proposed architectures, which also allows for further validation of the hypothesized structures.
Contributions of the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains of platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1/CD31) in regulating cell-cell localization

PECAM-1/CD31, a vascular cell adhesion/signaling molecule that has been implicated in a number of vascular functions (including angiogenesis and the transmigration of leukocytes through endothelium) is highly enriched at the cell-cell borders of adjacent endothelial cells. To identify the mechanisms responsible for this localization, a series of PECAM-1 mutants and chimeric PECAM-1 molecules were transfected into non-PECAM-expressing cells and the ability of the constructs to move to cell-cell borders of adjacent cells was determined using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. Although neither the extracellular domain, by itself, nor the cytoplasmic domain, by itself, was sufficient to direct cell-cell localization, the combination of the extracellular and transmembrane domains with a small group of highly charged amino acids in a membrane proximal region of the cytoplasmic domain was sufficient to direct efficient localization of the molecule to cell-cell borders. Importantly, only constructs that supported PECAM-1 mediated adhesion localized to cell-cell borders. Our data are consistent with a 'diffusion trapping' model in which movement of PECAM-1 in the cell membrane occurs relatively freely until the 'stablized' extracellular domain of the molecule encounters its ligand on an adjacent cell. When this occurs, the complex is 'captured' at the cell-cell interface leading to localization at cell-cell borders.
Torture, Power, and Law: Tales of terror: lessons for lawyers from the “war on terrorism”

An astonishing feature of the “global war on terrorism” (GWOT) waged by the United States and its allies against Al Qaeda is the prominent role played by lawyers, civilian and military, representing both the US government and the people it has captured. The conduct of these lawyers has been a topic of surpassing interest to many both in and out of the legal profession since the first “torture memos” were released in 2004. It is a subject of international, not merely parochial, interest. I will discuss the “torture lawyers,” but also lawyers who represent the prisoners. Although most of these are Americans, not all of them are. Some of the leading Guantanamo defense lawyers come from the London-based organization Reprieve. One lawyer I want to discuss, Major Dan Mori, of the US Marines, became a minor celebrity in Australia through his representation of David Hicks. The laws at issue in these cases are by and large international law; and, of course, Guantanamo has become an international symbol of the rule of law and its absence, a point central to the debate. Lawyers and the torture team In 1975, Richard Wasserstrom published a paper that arguably inaugurated the modern philosophical discussion of legal ethics. The paper was titled “Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues,” and it began with the striking assertion that “at best the lawyer’s world is a simplified moral world; often it is an amoral one; and more than occasionally, perhaps an overtly immoral one.”
A general method to double the cycle simulation speed

Cycle simulation is a well known method for high speed simulation. The technique of reducing master/slave latch pairs to single latches is also known, however, only if the master/slave latch pairs are used as defined. Today's highly optimized hardware designs use master/slave latches in such a general way, that a reduction to single latches has become a challenge. This paper shows a method to reach single latch models. General simulation problems of single latch models are also discussed.
The Visual System

Visual behavior dominates early neonatal development. The wakefulness of the neonate is closely correlated with visual activity.(26) At birth, he responds to light, possesses reactive pupils, demonstrates conjugate eye movements, and opens his lids to see.
Effect of Soil pH on Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Oviposition in Potted Turfgrass

The possible effect of soil pH on Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, oviposition and early-instar survival was investigated in the laboratory. Soils were amended with elemental sulfur or dolomitic limestone to produce a range of pH levels from 3.2 to 7.9. Pots containing one of seven soil pH levels that had been planted with a turfgrass mix were placed in cages and exposed to Japanese beetle adults for 7 or 10 d. Pots were subsequently inspected for eggs and first instars. In six tests conducted over two summers, there was no significant difference in Japanese beetle oviposition preference in pots maintained at pH 5.0-7.9.
Gas Turbine Heat Transfer With Alternate Cooling Fluids

Steam or gases other than air have been proposed as substitutes for cooling industrial turbine components positioned along the hot gas path. To check the effect of coolant gas physical properties on the internal passage heat transfer coefficients, tests were conducted with air, helium, carbon dioxide, and refrigerant-12 in a serpentine passage with turbulence promoters. For the fully developed turbulent flow regions, the correlation proposed by Han et al. (1985) properly accounts for the cooling gas property changes. With respect to the external heat transfer aspects with film cooling, tests were run in a wind tunnel with a two-dimensional slit injection geometry. The film cooling effectiveness results measured with the same gases injected as a secondary gas into the main flow of air show that the correlations proposed by Kutateladze and Leont’ev (1963) and Librizzi and Cresci (1964) agree with the present data for the air/air, air/helium, and air/carbon dioxide combinations. The air/refrigerant-12 results are lower than all the correlations proposed in the literature.Copyright © 1988 by ASME
Short-term outcomes of minimally invasive versus open colectomy for colon cancer.

Abstract Background Laparoscopic and open approaches to colon resection have equivalent long-term outcomes and oncologic integrity for the treatment of colon cancer. Differences in short-term outcomes should therefore help to guide surgeons in their choice of operation. We hypothesized that minimally invasive colectomy is associated with superior short-term outcomes compared to traditional open colectomy in the setting of colon cancer. Materials and methods Patients undergoing nonemergent colectomy for colon cancer in 2012 and 2013 were selected from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) targeted colectomy participant use file. Patients were divided into two cohorts based on operative approach—open versus minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Univariate, multivariate, and propensity-adjusted multivariate analyses were performed to compare postoperative outcomes between the two groups. Results A total of 11,031 patients were identified for inclusion in the study, with an overall MIS rate of 65.3% ( n = 7200). On both univariate and multivariate analysis, MIS approach was associated with fewer postoperative complications and lower mortality. In the risk-adjusted multivariate analysis, MIS approach was associated with an odds ratio of 0.598 for any postoperative morbidity compared to open ( P Conclusions This retrospective study of patients undergoing colectomy for colon cancer demonstrates significantly improved outcomes associated with a MIS approach, even when controlling for baseline differences in illness severity. When feasible, minimally invasive colectomy should be considered gold standard for the surgical treatment of colon cancer.
Penetration of hamster oocytes by human sperm in an in vitro fertilization microchamber after insemination with unprocessed semen

Objective To determine if unprocessed human spermatozoa could capacitate in an IVF microchamber. Design Semen was loaded into an IVF microchamber with zona-free hamster oocytes, and a hamster penetration test was performed. Setting Medical School basic research laboratory. Patients Men who provided sperm for other laboratory tests. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Penetration of zona-free hamster oocytes by human sperm. Results In 12 of 19 sperm samples, hamster egg penetration was detected. In most negative cases other measures of sperm function suggested that the SPA might be compromised. Conclusions Positive hamster oocyte penetration after loading of unprocessed semen into an IVF microchamber indicates that the chamber supports sperm capacitation. Use of such microchambers thus might reduce or eliminate many steps in sperm processing.
Hemmung maligner Neoplasien des Menschen durch L-Asparaginase

88 Kranke mit malignen Neoplasien wurden mit dem ausE. coli hergestellten Enzym L-Asparaginase behandelt. Das therapeutische Ergebnis konnte bei 60 Kranken ausgewertet werden. Bei 20 von 33 Kranken mit akuter Lymphoblastenleukamie, bei 1 Kranken mit Lymphosarkom in leukamischer Phase und bei 1 von 5 Kranken mit akuter Myeloblasten- oder Myelomonocytenleukamie wurde eine Knochenmarksremission erzielt. Die Remissionsdauer betrug 1–8 Monate. Von 21 Kranken mit malignen Lymphomen, Sarkomen und Carcinomen sprach nur 1 Patient mit malignem Melanom auf die Behandlung mit Asparaginase an. Die Enzympraparation bewirkte in der bisher angewandten Dosis keine Knochenmarkshemmung. Reversible Nebenwirkungen waren gekennzeichnet durch Fieber, Gewichtsverlust, abnorme Leberfunktionsproben, Hypoalbuminamie, Hypofibrinogenamie, Hypolipidamie, Hyperlipidamie und Uberempfindlichkeitsreaktionen gegenuber der Enzympraparation. Die Asparaginabhangigkeit der neoplastischen Zellen lies sich auchin vitro nachweisen. Dieser Test erlaubt jedoch noch keine absolut sichere Vorhersage des Behandlungsergebnisses. Wenn sich wahrend der Behandlung einer primar asparaginase-empfindlichen Leukamie Resistenz entwickelte, waren die Leukamiezellen auchin vitro nicht mehr asparaginabhangig.
Neonatal Informatics: Computerized Physician Order Entry.

Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) is the feature of electronic medical record (EMR) implementation that arguably offers the greatest quality and patient safety benefits. The gains are potentially greater for critically ill neonates, but the effect of CPOE on quality and safety is dependent upon local implementation decisions.
FEASIBILITY OF THE LAKE POWELL PIPELINE DEVELOPMENT ACT AND PROPOSED WATER CONSERVATION ALTERNATIVES

In 2006, after four years of drought, the Utah Legislature was tasked with addressing the increasingly limited water supplies throughout the state. At first, state agencies decided the construction of a pipeline from Lake Powell to Washington and Kane counties would meet the water needs of a growing population in southwestern Utah. However appealing the solution first appeared on paper, many in the academic and scientific community are now skeptical of the feasibility of the project as well as its economic and ecological impacts. In addition, alternative measures to meet future water needs are numerous, inexpensive, and feasible, which calls the proposed policy into question—especially in a scally conservative state such as Utah. Using current data projections, legislative audits, and a range of reports, this paper aims to determine the economic and ecological feasibility of the Lake Powell Pipeline Project. Furthermore, this paper will review the strengths and weaknesses of three alternative policies: instream flows, rainwater harvesting, and agricultural water conversion. Based on a comparison of these various policies, this paper will then conclude with suggestions for the best outcome for the state of Utah.
Supporting Online AP Students: The Rural Facilitator and Considerations for Training.

ABSTRACTOnline courses supplemented by on-site facilitators help many rural students pursue advanced coursework, but research is warranted to better understand facilitator role and training needs. This study examined facilitation experiences, demographic characteristics, and professional development activities of rural on-site facilitators associated with an online Advanced Placement (AP) program. Themes in qualitative data collected aligned with challenges related to facilitator role that have been documented in existing literature. One theme included facilitator engagement in direct AP instruction despite the facilitator role not requiring that responsibility. Self-reported facilitator demographic characteristics and professional development activities were then compared with those of on-site AP teachers in the same state. Results showed that facilitators demographically resembled teachers but lacked similar engagement with AP professional development. The role of facilitator excludes direct instruction...
Development of the pediatric quality of life inventory neurofibromatosis type 1 module items for children, adolescents and young adults: qualitative methods

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is arguably one of the most important measures in evaluating effectiveness of clinical treatments. At present, there is no disease-specific outcome measure to assess the HRQOL of children, adolescents and young adults with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). This study aimed to develop the items and support the content validity for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) NF1 Module for children, adolescents and young adults. The iterative process included multiphase qualitative methods including a literature review, survey of expert opinions, semi-structured interviews, cognitive interviews and pilot testing. Fifteen domains were derived from the qualitative methods, with content saturation achieved, resulting in 115 items. The domains include skin, pain, pain impact, pain management, cognitive functioning, speech, fine motor, balance, vision, perceived physical appearance, communication, worry, treatment, medicines and gastrointestinal symptoms. This study is limited because all participants are recruited from a single-site. Qualitative methods support the content validity for the PedsQL™ NF1 Module for children, adolescents and young adults. The PedsQL™ NF1 Module is now undergoing national multisite field testing for the psychometric validation of the instrument development.
Relation of Iliac Artery Calcium With Adiposity Measures and Peripheral Artery Disease

Arterial calcification is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. To improve the understanding of the pathogenesis involved with iliac artery calcium (IAC), we sought to examine the associations between the burden of IAC with adiposity measures and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Participants (n = 1,236, 52% women, mean age 60 years) were drawn from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort who underwent multidetector computed tomography. The extent of IAC was quantified based on calcified atherosclerotic plaques detected in the iliac arteries. High IAC was defined based on gender-specific 90th percentile cut-off points from a healthy referent subsample. PAD is defined as an ankle-brachial index
Universal data discovery using atypicality

With the enormous amount of data generated through the internet and sensors, Internet of Things, it becomes too overwhelming for humans to examine it all. One solution is to reduce the data to a set of statistics. The perspective in this paper is the opposite, namely that most of this data is just background noise, and the interesting parts are those that deviate from background noise, the parts that are atypical. In order to find such “interesting” parts of data, universal approaches are required, since it is not known in advance what we are looking for. The paper develops new algorithms for detecting atypical data based on information theory concepts. These are applied to a number of real-world data.
Estimating decades-long trends in petroleum field energy return on investment (EROI) with an engineering-based model

This paper estimates changes in the energy return on investment (EROI) for five large petroleum fields over time using the Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator (OPGEE). The modeled fields include Cantarell (Mexico), Forties (U.K.), Midway-Sunset (U.S.), Prudhoe Bay (U.S.), and Wilmington (U.S.). Data on field properties and production/processing parameters were obtained from a combination of government and technical literature sources. Key areas of uncertainty include details of the oil and gas surface processing schemes. We aim to explore how long-term trends in depletion at major petroleum fields change the effective energetic productivity of petroleum extraction. Four EROI ratios are estimated for each field as follows: The net energy ratio (NER) and external energy ratio (EER) are calculated, each using two measures of energy outputs, (1) oil-only and (2) all energy outputs. In all cases, engineering estimates of inputs are used rather than expenditure-based estimates (including off-site indirect energy use and embodied energy). All fields display significant declines in NER over the modeling period driven by a combination of (1) reduced petroleum production and (2) increased energy expenditures on recovery methods such as the injection of water, steam, or gas. The fields studied had NER reductions ranging from 46% to 88% over the modeling periods (accounting for all energy outputs). The reasons for declines in EROI differ by field. Midway-Sunset experienced a 5-fold increase in steam injected per barrel of oil produced. In contrast, Prudhoe Bay has experienced nearly a 30-fold increase in amount of gas processed and reinjected per unit of oil produced. In contrast, EER estimates are subject to greater variability and uncertainty due to the relatively small magnitude of external energy investments in most cases.
Controlling the Intermediate Structure of an Ionic Liquid for f-Block Element Separations

Recent research has revealed molecular structure beyond the inner coordination sphere is essential in defining the performance of separation processes; nevertheless, such structure remains largely unexplored. Here we apply small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy to investigate the structure of an ionic liquid system studied for f-block element separations. SANS data reveal dramatic changes in the ionic liquid microstructure (∼150 A) which we demonstrate can be controlled by judicious selection of counterion. Mesoscale structural features (>500 A) are also observed as a function of metal concentration. XAFS analysis supports formation of extended aggregate structures, similar to those observed in traditional solvent extraction processes, and suggests additional parallels may be drawn from further study. Achieving precise tunability over the intermediate features is an important development in controlling mesoscale structure and realizing advanced new fo...
Incidence and Risk Factors for Blood Transfusion in Total Joint Arthroplasty: Analysis of a Statewide Database.

Abstract Background Significant attempts have been made to adopt practices to minimize blood transfusion after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) because of transfusion cost and potential negative clinical consequences including allergic reactions, transfusion-related lung injuries, and immunomodulatory effects. We aimed to evaluate risk factors for blood transfusion in a large cohort of TJA patients. Methods We used the all-payer California Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from 2006 to 2011 to examine the trends in utilization of blood transfusion among arthroplasty patients (n = 320,746). We performed descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression clustered by hospital, controlling for Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index, age, insurance type (Medicaid vs others), gender, procedure year, and race/ethnicity. Results Eighteen percent (n = 59,038) of TJA patients underwent blood transfusion during their surgery, from 15% with single knee to 45% for bilateral hip arthroplasty. Multivariate analysis indicated that compared with the referent category of single knee arthroplasty, single hip had a significantly higher odds of blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68-1.83), as did bilateral knee (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 3.20-3.98) and bilateral hip arthroplasty (OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 4.85-7.85). Increasing age (eg, age ≥80 years; OR, 2.99; 95% CI, 2.82-3.17), Medicaid insurance (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.27-1.45), higher comorbidity index (eg, score of ≥3; OR, 2.33; 95% CI, 2.22-2.45), and females (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.70-1.80) all had significantly higher odds of blood transfusion after TJA. Conclusion Primary hip arthroplasties have significantly greater risk of transfusion than knee arthroplasties, and bilateral procedures have even greater risk, especially for hips. These factors should be considered when evaluating the risk for blood transfusions.
The Standard by which Divine Acts are Appraised

The most natural attempt to answer the question as to how it is that a benevolent God does to people what among human beings would strongly be condemned as evil is to say that God does not have the same obligations toward his creatures as his creatures have toward one another. If I cause unnecessary suffering to my fellow man that is evil, for he and I are on the same level of creation, he is a completely autonomous being vis-a-vis me, whose person I must regard as sacrosanct at all times. But God, to whom we all owe our existence and without whose constant supervision and help we could not be sustained for a single moment, can take liberties with us which we are forbidden to take with each other.
Heterologous biosynthesis of natural product naringenin by co-culture engineering.

Abstract Co-culture engineering is an emerging approach for microbial biosynthesis of a variety of biochemicals. In this study, E. coli-E. coli co-cultures were developed for heterologous biosynthesis of the natural product naringenin. The co-cultures were composed of two independent E. coli strains dedicated to functional expression of different portions of the biosynthetic pathway, respectively. The co-culture biosynthesis was optimized by investigating the effect of carbon source, E. coli strain selection, timing of IPTG induction and the inoculation ratio between the co-culture strains. Compared with the mono-culture strategy, the utilization of the designed co-cultures significantly improved the naringenin production, largely due to the reduction of metabolic stress, employment of proper hosts for improving pathway enzyme activities, and flexible adjustment of the relative biosynthetic strength between the co-culture strains. The findings of this study extend the applicability of co-culture engineering in complex natural product biosynthesis.
Crohn’s Disease and the Young Couple: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This study explores how an individual’s diagnosis of Crohn’s disease is perceived to affect the couple relationship and young adult life-cycle transitions. Design. Qualitative interview study. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed to analyze qualitative couple and individual interviews from five young adult couples in which one partner has a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. Data was collected through both structuring and interview sessions. Analysis involved transcription and reading of the interviews; exploratory initial coding; development of emergent themes; and a final analysis utilizing abstraction, subsumption, and polarization. The systemic effects of Crohn’s disease are seen at diagnosis and throughout the course of the illness. The numerous stressors posed by Crohn’s disease can lead to couples withdrawing from one another. In order to overcome this distance, couples seek to find strength in one another as their life trajectory is taken day by day. Family therapists, healthcare providers, and researchers can better understand how the numerous physical symptoms of Crohn’s disease cause psychological and social implications for the diagnosed individual and partner. A systemic, biopsychosocial understanding of Crohn’s disease will encourage couple level clinical assessment and increase systemic interventions, promoting greater resilience among young adult couples.
Reducing Claviceps purpurea sclerotia germination with soil-applied fungicides

Abstract Ergot, caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, is an important seed replacement disease of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) grown for seed in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Current management efforts rely on multiple fungicide applications to protect flowers from airborne ascospores during anthesis, but protective fungicide applications often provide incomplete control. Applications of fungicides to the soil, with the goal of preventing or reducing sclerotia germination, can potentially reduce the amount of ascospores and primary inoculum available in the spring. Use of fungicides applied to soil to reduce sclerotia germination were compared in two in-vitro and three field experiments. Out of eight fungicides, azoxystrobin + propiconazole and picoxystrobin + cyproconazole reduced sclerotia germination and capitula formation in both laboratory trials, whereas fluopyram + prothioconazole significantly reduced sclerotia germination and capitula formation in only one laboratory experiment. Five fungicides were applied in fall, spring, and both seasons in artificially infested field plots in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Fall applications of fluopyram + prothioconazole reduced area under capitula production curve (AUCPC) values by 59, 72, and 73% in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. Azoxystrobin, azoxystrobin + propiconazole, and pyraclostrobin, reduced AUCPC values by 34–42% over three years of field trials. These results suggest that soil-applied fungicides can significantly reduce sclerotia germination and capitula production by C. purpurea and offer the potential to disrupt the ergot disease cycle in perennial cool-season grass seed production systems.
Ureteral obstruction secondary to an extraluminal myxoma in a cat

A 13-year-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat presented for evaluation of haematuria of one-month duration. Abdominal ultrasound identified a partially obstructed right kidney with mild pylectesia secondary to ureteroliths, as well as a discretely marginated hyperechoic and hyperattenuating mass along the proximal third of the right ureter. An abdominal exploration identified two ureteroliths that were treated with ureterotomy, and an extraluminal ureteral mass. Biopsy of the mass followed by histopathological examination confirmed the presence of an extraluminal myxoma. A telephone conversation 2 months postoperatively revealed that the cat showed resolution of clinical signs, and blood work showed no signs of obstruction. This is the first report of feline ureteral neoplasia, and the first extraluminal ureteral myxoma in the veterinary literature.
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Formulations for Continuous Systems and Fields

In this chapter, we develop the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of continuous systems, which serves as an introduction to the analysis of fields. This chapter is optional in the sense that it is dependent on the previous chapters, but will not be necessary for the following chapter.
Urban vs rural residency and allergy prevalence among adult women: Iowa Women's Health Study.

Abstract Background The association between residence and allergy has been well studied in children living on a farm; however, studies of this association in late adulthood are lacking. Objective This study examined the association between residence and allergy in 25,393 women aged 55-69 years in the large prospective Iowa Women's Health Study (IWHS). Methods IWHS questionnaires collected information on socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, medical history, lifestyle behaviors, dietary intake, residence and allergy. Residence reported at baseline (1986) was categorized into 5 groups based on living on a farm, rural, or urban areas and population size. Allergy was determined from four self-reported questions about physician-diagnosed asthma, hay fever, skin allergy, and other allergy. Logistic regression was used to determine significant risk factors for allergy and prevalence odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for allergy associated with residence. Results Compared to large city of >10,000 residents, those living on farm, rural and smaller urban areas had decreased odds ratios of overall, skin, and other allergy in age and multivariable-adjusted models. The multivariable ORs (95% CI) for farm versus large city were decreased for overall allergy: 0.72 (0.66, 0.78) and all allergy types including asthma: 0.87 (0.75, 1.00), hay fever: 0.77 (0.69, 0.88), skin: 0.76 (0.68, 0.86), and other allergy: 0.76 (0.68, 0.86). Conclusion This study supports a hypothesis that farm living is inversely associated with allergy, suggesting that environmental exposures may protect against allergy not only in childhood, but also in late adulthood.
The Current State of Global Child Health and Disparities

With the advent of technological advances, there has been increased travel and sharing of knowledge due to globalization (International Monetary Fund Staff 2008). This has resulted in both economic benefits and cultural exchange (International Monetary Fund Staff 2008). This increased travel has also had health implications (International Monetary Fund Staff 2008).
Semantic Web Technologies for Enhancing Intelligent DSS Environments

The next generation Web, called the Semantic Web (SW), is receiving much attention lately from the research and development communities globally, Many software designers, developers, and vendors have recently begun exploring the use of SW technologies within the context of developing intelligent Web-based Decision Support Systems (DSS) since they provide an attractive, application-neutral, platform-neutral, Web environment that operates on top of the existing Web without having to modify it. They are envisioned to provide machine interpretation and processing capability of the existing Web information. With these powerful potential advantages, there is a need for the DSS designers and developers to not only understand the SW technologies in terms of what they are and do, but also how and where they could be effectively used in Web-based DSS to enhance its environment, This study addresses that and characterizes a semantic DSS environment to assist the researchers and developers to investigate in more detail the SW technology applications and challenges within the context of DSS.
The Rich Chemistry of the Copper and Zinc Sites in Cellular Prion Protein

Research over the last decade clearly demonstrates that the function of the cellular form of the prion protein, PrPC, is related to its ability to bind copper and zinc. Zinc (Zn2+) coordination is homogeneous and localized to the octarepeat domain, with participation of the histidine side chains. In contrast, copper uptake is complex and dependent on the oxidation state of the metal ion (Cu+ or Cu2+), and its concentration. This chapter will cover a brief history of PrPC–metal interactions leading to the current structural models, a recently recognized relationship between Cu2+ coordination and inherited prion disease arising from octarepeat inserts, and new findings that suggest an electrochemical basis for PrPC neuroprotection and transmembrane signaling.
Enhancement of System Tolerance to Channel-Dependent Impairment Using Asymmetric Three-Dimensional Modulation for Short-Reach Optical Transmission

We propose an asymmetric three-dimensional modulation for multi-lane IM-DD transmission. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme enables multi-lane 112-Gb/s PAM signals to be tolerant to cumulative dispersion of −200 ps/nm and experimental results show the feasibility to $114- Gb/s/\lambda$ transmission.
Using Vision to Study Poststroke Recovery and Test Hypotheses About Neurorehabilitation

Approximately one-third of stroke patients suffer visual field impairment as a result of their strokes. However, studies using the visual pathway as a paradigm for studying poststroke recovery are limited. In this article, we propose that the visual pathway has many features that make it an excellent model system for studying poststroke neuroplasticity and assessing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. First, the functional anatomy of the visual pathway is well characterized, which makes it well suited for functional neuroimaging studies of poststroke recovery. Second, there are multiple highly standardized and clinically available diagnostic tools and outcome measures that can be used to assess visual function in stroke patients. Finally, as a sensory modality, the assessment of vision is arguably less likely to be affected by confounding factors such as functional compensation and patient motivation. Given these advantages, and the general similarities between poststroke visual field recovery and recovery in other functional domains, future neurorehabilitation studies should consider using the visual pathway to better understand the physiology of neurorecovery and test potential therapeutics.
The AAN Calculator: A Tool for Enhancing Instruction

ing is affirmed by the research literature (Suydam 1982; Hembree 1986). Nonetheless no learning tool, however general its uses and purposes might be, can serve all functions for all learners. The article The Inverse Tool Principle (Belland 1985) implies that novices often should be given more sophisticated learning tools than are needed by those who have become more expert in a field. The Approaching Algebra Numerically (AAN) Calculator is a computerbased simulation of a hand-held calculator designed with novice learners in mind. Although the hand-held calculator is a useful tool for teaching numerical concepts and generalizations, the novice learner may have trouble with certain aspects of its use. In particular, the AAN Calculator allows students who are new to, or uncomfortable with, the careful recording, reading, and revising of complex quantitative expressions to enter,
Synchrotron radiography characterization of the liquid core dynamics in a canonical two-fluid coaxial atomizer

Abstract The liquid core of a canonical two-fluid coaxial atomizer has been characterized using synchrotron X-rays. The high energy photons allow for high-speed imaging of attenuation through the dense liquid-gas jet core, resolving the internal structures that include entrapped air bubbles and the formation of liquid ligaments and bags. When the gas-to-liquid momentum ratio increases, the liquid core transitions from an intact column, where primary break-up happens several liquid diameters downstream, to a hollow crown with a downstream span comparable to the liquid diameter that disintegrates by shedding ligaments from its rim. At high gas momentum ratios (limited by the sonic velocity at the gas nozzle exit), this crown suffers partial dewetting and, when angular momentum is added to the gas, it dewets on a large section of the liquid injection needle circumference. This partial crown exhibits azimuthal motions along the circumference, on timescales much longer than the relevant flow timescales. The crown attachment to the liquid needle presents a bi-stable nature. The dramatic changes of the liquid core morphology, as the gas momentum and swirl ratios vary, have a strong impact on the gas-liquid boundary layers, which control the liquid break-up mechanisms and the resulting spray characteristics, such as droplet size distributions and the droplet volume fraction across the spray.
Warring societies of pre-colonial Southeast Asia: edited by Michael Charney and Kathryn Wellen, Copenhagen, NIAS Press, 2017, 272 pp., £22.50 (pbk), ISBN: 978-87-7694-229-8

Studying any aspect of the history of South East Asia has always been extremely difficult because of the cultural diversity of the region. Adding to that basic problem, the history of warfare has b...
Predictive value of phenotypic signatures of bladder cancer response to cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Abstract Background Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder confers only a modest survival advantage. Patients with pathologic progression on NAC have poor outcomes related to a delay in definitive surgical management. Objective To characterize the value of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) effectors and other novel biomarkers to predict response to NAC. Methods A tissue microarray was constructed from patients with clinical stage T2 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder using transurethral resection (TUR) specimens (N = 69) and case-matched post-NAC cystectomy specimens (N = 51). Patients were stratified based on pathologic response to NAC and cancer-specific survival. Biomarker expression in TUR specimens was correlated with pathologic response to NAC and clinical outcomes. Phenotypic changes in expression induced by cisplatin-based NAC were characterized in primary TUR and post-NAC cystectomy and lymph node metastasis specimens. Results Increased expression of mesenchymal markers and actin-cytoskeleton regulators, as well as low apoptosis index, in TUR specimens was associated with pathologic progression on cisplatin-based NAC. Overexpression of N-cadherin and decreased apoptosis was predictive of disease-specific mortality. NAC decreased cofilin phosphorylation and induced a mesenchymal-epithelial transition phenotype. Conclusions The epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype and actin-cytoskeleton remodeling are associated with pathologic progression on NAC. Chemotherapy induced an mesenchymal-epithelial transition phenotype and decreased cofilin phosphorylation, providing new insights into therapeutic resistance mechanisms. Primary tumors with high apoptosis rates exhibited favorable response to NAC and lower mortality rates, indicating that these tumors may be sensitized to therapy. Further validation will establish these novel signatures as predictors of therapeutic response.
Combating EPA Rollbacks — Health Care’s Response to a Retreat on Climate

Combating EPA Rollbacks While scientists tell us we have little time to wait if we hope to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, leaders in Washington, D.C., are attacking science a...
The Effects of Controller Representation on the Evolution of the Variable Speed Turn-Circle Intercept Problem

We examine the effects of controller representation on the ability of an evolutionary algorithm to develop an open-loop solution to the variable speed turn-circle intercept problem. In this problem, two agents, an Attacker and a Target, move about an obstacle free two-dimensional plane with equally bounded turn rates. The Target is restricted to turning with a constant velocity along a circle whereas the Attacker is able to move about the entire two-dimensional plane with variable speed and bounded turn rate. The Attacker attempts to maneuver into an advantageous position behind the Target on the Target’s turn-circle in minimum time. We examine three different parameterization methods to represent the Attacker’s control strategy. Each method adds or removes segments within the open loop controller in a different way, and we compare the resulting performance and evolutionary convergence time.