cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EPID-11WHO GRADE 3 GLIOMAS: CLINICAL AND MOLECULAR PROGNOSTIC FACTORS

BACKGROUND: WHO grade 3 gliomas include anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), and anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA). There is limited data on prognostic factors for this population. METHODS: WHO grade 3 gliomas diagnosed 2007-2014 were identified through the Cleveland Clinic's IRB approved database. Proportional hazards models with stepwise variable selection were used to identify prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) from diagnosis. RESULTS: Data from 199 patients were analyzed. 57% were male; median age at diagnosis was 49 years (range, 19-86); 72% had Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥80. Co-deletion of 1p/19q occurred in 19% (32/159), median Ki-67 expression was 20% (range 1-80) in 168 patients, 28% (45/160) had abnormal EGFR expression; p53 expression was 0-10% in 48% (76/159). 46% of patients had total/near total resections, 20% subtotal resections; 33% biopsy only. 66% of patients received upfront chemoradiation, 17% chemotherapy (10%) or radiation (7%) only; 16% supportive care. Median OS was 63.2 months; 2-year survival 68% ± 4%. Age ( 10%) provided additional prognostic information, which when added to CG resulted in 4 distinct prognostic groups: a very small favorable group (CG 1 and Ki-67 ≤10%, n = 9%, no deaths reported, 24.4 month median follow-up), favorable (CG 1/Ki-67 > 10%, n = 49%, 86% ± 5% 2-year survival), intermediate (CG 2/Ki-67 > 10% or CG 3/Ki-67 ≤ 10%, n = 23%, 54% ± 11% 2-year survival), and unfavorable (CG 3 and Ki-67 > 10%, n = 19%, 0% 2-year survival). CONCLUSION: Older age, poor KPS, AA and unspecified histology, multifocal disease, and positive Ki-67 expression are associated with higher mortality in this population.
Endothelial cell function, including tissue factor expression, under flow conditions.

Vascular endothelium remains a dynamic interface between blood and the vessel wall. New developments make clear that many antithrombotic and prothrombotic responses of the endothelium depend on flow conditions in an adaptive manner : duration of a certain level of shear stress matters as well as level of shear. In general, over a time course of several hours, endothelium appears to be more actively antithrombotic under moderate shear conditions (e.g., 15 dynes/cm 2 ), and more fibrinolytic under high (e.g., 30 dynes/cm 2 ). Pulsatile flow and cyclic wall stress further modify these responses. Special consideration, moreover, must be given to branch points and regions of irregular geometry (i.e., stenoses, aneurysms) in the circulation. In such locations, predilection sites for thrombosis, lipid uptake, and atherosclerosis, low levels of fluid shear stress (e.g., 0.5 dynes/cm 2 ), large gradients in fluid shear stress, and vessel wall bending stresses all become important. Preliminary work suggests that endothelial cells in such regions can become prothrombotic, leading to localized platelet adhesion/aggregation and fibrin formation on subendothelium and perhaps deeper structures following vessel injury.
Significance of Ph1-negative marrow cells in Ph1-positive chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Fifty-six of 195 Ph1-positive patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia were found to have Ph1-negative metaphases in marrow aspirates on one or more occasions. In 22 cases, Ph1-negative cells were found prior to initiation of antileukemic therapy. Five patients were in the blastic stage of the disease when Ph1-negative mitoses were seen. The finding of Ph1-negative cells appeared to be related principally to short duration of CGL and to administration of antileukemic therapy (conventional agents and doses, in most cases). Ph1-negative cells were usually not found more than 2 yr after the diagnosis of leukemia, but in a few cases, they were seen as long as 5–10 yr after diagnosis. Only a minority of metaphases analyzed were Ph1-negative, except in the case of 6 patients who transiently had 50% or more Ph1-negative cells after antileukemic therapy. The presence of Ph1-negative cells in marrow was not associated with any survival advantage in this series.
Nuclear Energy and Radiation

Rutherford’s simple experiment with a chunk of radioactive material and a piece of gold foil initiated an explosion of inquiry into the structure of the atomic nucleus. An early discovery was that the quantum world was far more complex than had been imagined. In 1932 three elementary particles were known, the electron, proton, and neutron. By the end of World War II dozens of particle were known and more were on the way. And of course, the new nuclear knowledge led to the construction of the atomic bomb and nuclear power reactors, while nuclear radiation became a bete noire.
Structural Damage Detection Using Multivariate Time Series Analysis

Much research has been focused in the past few decades on data-driven structural health monitoring based on sensor measurements. Modal parameters from system identification are the most widely studied structural state indicators adopted for this purpose; however, recent research has showed that they are not sensitive enough to local damage. In an effort to seek more effective alternatives, univariate autoregressive (AR) modeling on structural response has been investigated in several publications, where model characteristics are used as damage indices. Although these methods are generally successful, they tend to generate false alarms when the environmental conditions are varying because responses from only one location/sensor are considered. To strike a balance between sensitivity and stability, in this paper autoregressive with exogenous input modeling on measurements from several adjacent sensing channels is presented and applied to detect damage in a space truss structure. The damage feature is extracted from the residuals obtained via fitting the baseline model to data from the current structure. Also, damage localization is attempted by examining the estimated mutual information statistic between data from adjacent sensing channels. The damage identification/localization results thus obtained are then compared to those from univariate AR modeling to evaluate their relative pros and cons.
N‐protonated and O‐protonated tautomers of 1‐azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan‐2‐one: observation of individual 13C‐NMR carbonyl peaks and comparisons with protonated tautomers of planar and other distorted lactams

An earlier study fit calculated dynamic 13C-NMR spectra in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) (with added sulfuric acid) to slow exchange between N-protonated and O-protonated tautomers of 1-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-2-one. The present study reports simultaneous observation of both carbonyl 13C peaks in 40% sulfuric acid/60% TFA at −40 °C. This furnishes the only example in which experimental carbonyl 13C chemical shifts may be compared with a neutral lactam (in TFA or CDCl3) with its N-protonated and O-protonated derivatives. The seemingly anomalous upfield chemical shifts (experimental and computational) of the 13C carbonyl peaks in this N-protonated lactam (and other twisted N-protonated lactams) relative to the free bases are compared with data for unstrained protonated lactams and amides. The results are rationalized through conventional resonance structures. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Longitudinal Comparative Study on the Outcome of Inpatient Treatment of Low Back Pain with Manual Therapy vs Physical Therapy

The effect of manual therapy (postisometric relaxation) versus physical therapy on the outcome in hospitalised patients with low back pain (n=95) was analysed before and after the first and the las...
Competitive ability of rotational crops with weeds in dryland organic wheat production systems

While demand continues to grow and prices for organic grains have remained almost double those of conventional grains, few growers in the dryland wheat production region of Eastern Washington produce organic grain. Growers have cited weed control constraints as a top factor preventing adoption of organic production practices. In organic systems, inherent competitive ability of crops is very important in managing and preventing weed infestations. The objective of this study was to identify crop species that could reduce weed pressure and compete with perennial weeds in a wheat (Triticum aestivum) rotation. To assess weed suppressive ability of alternative rotational crops, relative total weed biomass and relative biomass of two perennial and three annual weed species were examined over 4 years in three organic cropping systems where winter wheat was in rotation with alternative crops, as part of a long-term study examining dryland organic wheat production. Three years of continuous alfalfa (Medicago sativa) production reduced Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) biomass during the alfalfa production phase, and reduced Canada thistle biomass in winter wheat following alfalfa, compared with wheat following winter pea (Pisum sativum). Alfalfa was competitive with wild oat (Avena fatua), though it competed poorly with winter annual grass weeds. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare), when established successfully, suppressed jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica) more than winter triticale (x Triticosecale), winter wheat, and spring wheat, and demonstrated some competitiveness toward field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis). Winter triticale competed poorly with field bindweed, but suppressed Canada thistle and downy brome (Bromus tectorum). All alternative rotational crops contained lower weed biomass than winter pea, the crop typically rotated with wheat in the region. Organic and conventional growers could gain benefits in perennial and winter annual weed suppression by incorporating alternative rotational crops into wheat rotations.
Moral Belief/Behavior Discordance and Prizing or Lessons from Huckleberry Finn and Thomas Jefferson

The fictional character Huckleberry Finn and the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, provide rich examples of persons who sincerely hold and express a set of moral beliefs while behaving in ways that radically mismatch their moral beliefs. The moral beliefs that are of particular interest in this paper concern slavery. Finn’s moral beliefs do not condemn enslaving people against their will, treating them as property. (Bennett calls Finn’s a “bad morality,” but a morality nonetheless.) Slavery for Finn is, at minimum, morally permissible. Jefferson expressed beliefs regarding the immorality of slavery. Finn, however, abets a slave’s attempt to runaway from his owner and Jefferson not only was a slave owner, he based his economic wellbeing on the institution of slavery on his plantations. It might be thought that both Finn and Jefferson either did not really hold the moral beliefs they espoused (that they were hypocrites) or that when it came to acting, they were weak of will with respect to their moral beliefs. Rather than defend an account that they were weak of will or that, in Finn’s case, his moral beliefs were overridden by sympathy for a particular slave (Bennett’s position), the paper examines an account of moral belief/behavior discordance that purports to have roots in Hume’s dualistic conception of the architecture of mental states: the position taken by Tamar Gendler and Uriah Kriegel. For them, moral beliefs are not especially motivational and are typically trumped by what Gendler dubbed aliefs, mental states that produce associative chains that are affect-laden and inherently motivational. Gendler’s aliefs are “associative, automatic, and arational.” Although there are attractive aspects of the alief thesis, there are telling conceptual reasons not to adopt it to account for moral belief/behavior mismatching. The paper concludes by offering an alternative explanation of belief/behavior discordance. The suggestion is that what may be called prizings, a variety of what Frankfurt called cares, share characteristics cited by Hume in his account of passion and explain why people may both sincerely hold a set of moral beliefs while acting in ways that violate those beliefs. For example, Finn prizes his personal relationship with the runaway slave and Jefferson prizes the economic aspects of running his plantations on slave labor. What they prize connects more directly and with more force to their wills than the moral beliefs they sincerely hold regarding slavery. The moral belief/behavior discordant cases strongly suggest that volitional attitudes should be at the core of moral appraisals of character and epistemic states, such as beliefs (even moral ones), are not central to or dependably efficacious in forming a person’s volitional attitudes and so his or her behavior. The paper may be viewed as supporting an adage: “Believe whatever you will, it is what you will that counts morally.”
New Insights and Applications in the Treatment of Nerve Injuries

Peripheral nerve injuries can have devastating functional consequences. Particularly in the pediatric population, nerve injuries may have negative implications on growth, mobility, and quality of life of children. Historically, treatment of peripheral nerve injuries had limited application and suboptimal results. While the advancement of microsurgical technique as well as our understanding of nerve injury and regeneration has led to improved technical ability to repair nerve pathology, the slow rate of neuroregeneration has limited the results of treatment of proximal nerve injury. Previous decades of work have helped shape the novel concept of treating proximal peripheral nerve injuries with a distal reconstruction via nerve transfers. Injuries that are far from the end target can be managed more efficaciously by converting them to a distal reconstruction, by borrowing expendable nerves to reestablish critical function. This not only speeds reinnervation, thereby preserving motor end plates and improving function, but also allows reconstruction of previously untreatable lesions or those that have a delayed presentation. This chapter reviews special considerations specific to nerve injury in the pediatric population, the mechanisms of neuroregeneration, obstacles in muscular reinnervation after injury, and modern approaches to the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries in children.
The revised Framingham stroke risk profile in a primary prevention population: The Rotterdam study

During the past few decades, improvements in cardiovascular risk factor control have exerted a significant impact on the incidence of stroke.1 Recently, the Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (FSRP) to establish a person’s 10-year risk of stroke was revised to take into account these changes in the distribution of the risk factors that were included in the original FSRP (ie, blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes mellitus).1 An important notion with regard to this revised FSRP is that it was developed in a mixed population of individuals qualifying for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), patients with a history of noncerebrovascular CVD, and patients with a history of atrial fibrillation (AF). Contrary to the 1980s, during which the original FSRP was developed, nowadays, clear guidance is available for risk factor control in patients with a history of CVD, and particularly for patients with AF, the use of other validated stroke risk models are recommended.2 Hence, from a clinical point of view, it would be specifically interesting to determine the predictive ability of the revised FSRP in persons free of CVD and AF: particularly in these individuals, stroke risk estimation could actually affect risk factor management. Hence, the …
Urban school district-university research collaboration: Challenges and strategies for success.

School district–university research collaborations represent one strategy to increase educators’ ability to use current, research-based information in program decision making and efforts to improve student achievement. However, differences in organizational structures, goals, values, and prior collaborative experiences have made successful school–university research partnerships challenging. This project intentionally structured and examined a mutually beneficial research collaboration between one small urban university with a significant percentage of first-generation college-going students and two local school districts (P-12) to examine high school math achievement and subsequent college math success. One partnership successfully conducted the study and identified actions to increase student success. The other was successful only to the point of partial data collection. This article describes the structures, mechanisms, and conditions that led to the successful partnership and compares them with the un...
'Being LGBTI' in International Development

Over the past decade, development actors have directed their attention to the lives of people who are marginalized based on their sexual orientations, gender identities/expressions and/or sex characteristics, often under the rubric of “LGBTI” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) issues. “Global LGBTI human rights” have emerged as a subject of development, with agencies, coalitions, and experts dedicated to their realization. This chapter introduces the academic literature and current programming on, as well as some of the ethical concerns that arise in, LGBTI international development. It traces and critiques the widespread and at times uncritical adoption of LGBTI and similar constructions in development efforts, as well as the framing of LGBTI issues in “global” or “universal” terms. It examines how development actors are faced with the choice between more or less visible ways of taking up LGBTI issues, and some perils of seeking visibility for the sake of visibility. The conclusion seeks to bridge existing ethical principles and LGBTI development.
Chemical treatment for dissolution of amine-cured epoxies at atmospheric pressure

Abstract Carbon fiber/epoxy composites have largely resisted attempts to recycle because the crosslinked polymer matrices cannot be easily separated from the fiber reinforcements. In this study, two chemical treatment methods - depolymerization and acid digestion (both at atmospheric pressure) - were employed to dissolve amine-cured epoxy formulations. Both depolymerization and acid digestion were shown to be effective dissolution processes for all amine/epoxy samples that encompassed variations in amine/epoxy stoichiometric ratio (A/E ratio), epoxy monomer functionality, and amine curing agent type. The relationship between epoxy properties and dissolution rate was determined, and the key parameters affecting thermoset matrix dissolution were identified. The dissolution rate was controlled by both the chemical reaction and diffusion rates. The components of the chemical solutions after epoxy dissolution were analyzed and identified, and protocols to quantitatively track the products after dissolution were developed. The two major cleavable sites during epoxy dissolution were the C-N and C-O bonds, and the aromatic structures of the epoxies were preserved.
After Kant: Appropriating the Conceptual Topology of Imagination

Kant’s legacy to the nineteenth century was twofold. In the aesthetic realm, he presented imagination as engaged in interplay with other psychological powers. This led, through Fichte and Schelling, to the Romantic overgrowth of imagination conceived as not just artistic but creative and higher than reason. Baudelaire, developing a theory of works of art as images that are their own originals, brought more sobriety to the conception of art by taking careful account of the painstaking psychological and technical processes involved in artistic production. Kant’s idea of the interplay of psychological powers eventually led to the Freudian theory of dream symbols and the Lacanian understanding of the unconscious as structured like language. This notion of the connection between imagination and language was the second, more cognitively important Kantian legacy. His theory of the schema, a transcendental function of imagination uniting concepts with images, raised the question of the imaginative-conceptual character of language, although Kant himself scarcely addressed it. This question was in essence a return to Plato, who had understood logoi, words in discourse, as a fundamental kind of human imagining. Hegel tried to derive words from images using dialectical reason, but his claim that the process removed all sensory character obscured his other insights into imagination. By contrast, the language theories of three thinkers most responsible for the so-called “linguistic turn” in philosophy, Peirce, Saussure, and Wittgenstein, conceived language as originating in productive imagination and the fusion of fields of imaginative appearance.
On the coefficients of a bounded univalent analytic function

LetFM denote the class of univalent analytic functionsf in |z|<1 with the expansionf (z)=z+a2z2+a3z3+... and |f(z)|⩽M in |z|<1. In this note I derive a rough bound for alln-th coefficients and a more accurate bound for all the third coefficients of functionsf belonging toFM.
Effects of word boxes on phoneme segmentation, word identification, and spelling for a sample of children with autism:

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of word boxes on the phoneme segmentation, word identification, and spelling performance of a sample of children with autism. Three children wit...
Performance Evaluation of Infrared Thermographic Fever Screening Systems

Methods to test stability and uniformity of infrared thermographs were evaluated based on international standards and improvements were suggested. The study has provided significant insights toward the design of least burdensome standardized test methods.
Smart Farm with Foodborne Pathogen Monitoring

Conventional agriculture uses data about real-time climatic conditions, soil (texture, depth, nitrogen levels), illumination, topography, moisture, etc. to make appropriate decisions with regards to sowing, watering, fertilizing, pesticide-treating and harvesting. However, it does not have a system to monitor pathogens and collect data on the amount of pathogens present in various abiotic factors (e.g. water, soil). Due to the absence of effective techniques in detecting pathogen contamination at the farm or field level, it is currently difficult to deter a food related illness and outbreak once contamination has been introduced. The purpose of this research is to help identify contamination hazards at the farm using biosensors to detect pathogens in potential sources of contamination, such as water, soil, manure, and air. By adopting Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, a simple farm can be turned into a smart farm. The objective of a smart farm is to prevent threats to the farming and food industry by monitoring pathogen levels and using real-time alerts to warn applicable stakeholders when established thresholds have been surpassed.
Millennialism on the Margins: The

This paper contributes to the historical study of rural East African Islam. I focus on the little-known Mohamedan Movement that emerged among the Abawanga of Western Kenya in 1926. Leaders of the movement proclaimed that the Last Days were at hand, and that Gods deliverer would soon appear to exterminate all infidels, especially the Europeans. Challenging standard models of Islamization that imply a progressive linear development toward a posited orthodoxy, I argue that the Mohamdean Movement should be seen as part of a diffuse, persistent undercurrent of indigenous prophetic discourse that transcended ethnic and creedal boundaries. I make the case that there existed throughout parts of the East African interior a longstanding religious option characterized by belief in mobile or migratory spiritual forces; the use of consecrated water for healing (dawa); and the preaching safari, whereby adepts traveled the countryside disseminating their particular dispensation and/or medicine. This flexible, multi-pronged indigenous option shaped the way missionary religionsIslam and Christianity alikeinitially gained a foothold throughout the region.
Single Subject Research Strategies in Occupational Therapy: Part 2

This second of a 2-part paper on single subject research is devoted to practical implementation issues. Using clinical examples, the challenge of transferring single subject research strategies to occupational therapy intervention approaches is explored. The therapeutic approaches of behavioral, motoric, and processing are employed to discuss the use of single subject methodology in occupational therapy. Initial research activities for those interested in documenting treatment results are described. Finally, directions for the future use of single subject research are discussed.
Smooth Values of Quadratic Polynomials

Let Qa(z) be the set of z-smooth numbers of the form q2+a. It is not obvious, but this is a finite set. The cardinality can be quite large; for example, |Q1(1900)|≥646890. We have a remarkably simp...
Current issues and future directions for vascular surgery training from the results of the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery annual training survey

Abstract Background Surgical training is constantly adapting to better prepare trainees for an evolving landscape of surgical practice. Training in vascular surgery additionally underwent a paradigm shift with the introduction of the integrated training pathway now more than a decade ago. With this study, we sought to characterize the needs and goals of our current vascular surgery trainee population. Methods The Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery Issues Committee compiled a survey to assess demographics, current needs, and goals of trainees and to evaluate trainee distress using a validated seven-item Physician Well-Being Index. The survey was distributed electronically to all current vascular surgery trainees and recent graduates in the academic years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, and responses were recorded anonymously. Results During the 2 years of the survey, the response rate was 30% (n = 367/1196). The respondents were 55% (n = 202) integrated vascular residents and 45% (n = 165) vascular surgery fellows. In each year of the survey, 60% (n = 102/170) and 58% (n = 86/148) of trainees expressed a desire to pursue academics in their careers, whereas 37% (n = 63/174) and 35% (n = 53/152) indicated their program had structured academic development time (2016-2017 and 2017-2018, respectively). Fifty-five percent (n = 96/174) and 52% (n = 79/152) stated that the overall impact of collaborative learners was positive. More than 60% of respondents in both years of the survey indicated experiencing one or more symptoms of distress on a weekly basis. The frequency of distress was associated with older age and with the presence of an advanced degree in both years of the survey. Sex, level of training, presence of collaborative learners, and having protected research time were not associated with frequency of distress in either year of the survey. Conclusions These results highlight an opportunity for programs to further evaluate the needs of their trainees for academic development during vascular surgery training to better accommodate trainees' career goals. Further investigation to identify modifiable risk factors for distress among vascular surgery trainees is warranted.
Survivor-perceived motivational facilitators and barriers to participation in cognitive exercise following chronic acquired brain injury.

Primary objective: Motivation to initiate and persist with any kind of exercise activity is challenging. This pilot study queried adults with chronic-acquired brain injuries (ABI) regarding their p...
Epistasis, Complexity, and Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and other high-throughput initiatives have led to an information explosion in human genetics and genetic epidemiology. Conversion of this wealth of new information about genomic variation to knowledge about public health and human biology will depend critically on the complexity of the genotype to phenotype mapping relationship. We review here computational approaches to genetic analysis that embrace, rather than ignore, the complexity of human health. We focus on multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) as an approach for modeling one of these complexities: epistasis or gene-gene interaction.
Experimental Demonstration of Phase Transition Nano-Oscillator Based Ising Machine

Finding the ground state of an Ising model maps to certain classes of combinatorial optimization problems. Currently, several physical systems, called Ising machines, are being sought to provide optimal solution to this otherwise NP-hard problem. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate: (a) artificial spin states using second harmonic injection locking (SHIL) in insulator-to-metal phase transition nano-oscillators (IMT-NOs), (b) anti-ferromagnetic (and ferromagnetic) coupling in Ising model using capacitive (and resistive) coupling and (c) solution of MAX-CUT problem using capacitively connected IMT-NO network with SHIL. Our approach exhibits excellent success probability for MAX-CUT solution for graphs of varying size and sparsity. Compared to other implementations of Ising machine, IMT-NO hardware provides advantage from the standpoint of room-temperature operation, programmable coupling scheme, compactness and ease of scalability.
Small Molecule Targeting IRES Domain Inhibits Enterovirus 71 Replication via an Allosteric Mechanism that Stabilizes a Ternary Complex

We herein report an RNA-targeting antiviral small molecule that reduces replication of the human enterovirus 71 (EV71) via stabilization of an inhibitory small molecule-RNA-protein ternary complex. The EV71 virus poses serious threats to human health, particularly in regions of Southeast Asia, and no FDA approved drugs or vaccines are available. We first screened an RNA-biased small molecule library using a peptide-displacement assay to identify ligands for the stem loop II structure of the EV71 internal ribosomal entry site, which was previously shown to impact viral translation and replication. One ligand, DMA-135, decreased viral translation and replication in cell-based studies in a dose-dependent manner with no significant toxicity. Structural, biophysical, and biochemical characterization support an allosteric mechanism in which DMA-135 induces a conformational change in the RNA structure that stabilizes a ternary complex with the AUF1 protein that then represses translation. This mechanism was further supported by pull-down experiments in cell culture. These detailed studies establish enterovirus RNA structures as promising drug targets while revealing an approach and mechanism of action that should be broadly applicable to functional RNA targeting.
Ruthenium-catalysed multicomponent synthesis of the 1,3-dienyl-6-oxy polyketide motif

Polyketide natural products are an important class of biologically active compounds. Although substantial progress has been made on the synthesis of repetitive polyketide motifs through the iterative application of a single reaction type, synthetic access to more diverse motifs that require more than one type of carbon-carbon bond connection remains a challenge. Here we describe a catalytic, multicomponent method for the synthesis of the privileged polyketide 1,3-dienyl-6-oxy motif. The method allows for the formation of two new carbon-carbon bonds and two stereodefined olefins. It generates products that contain up to three contiguous sp3 stereocentres with a high stereoselectivity in a single operation and can be used to generate chiral products. The successful development of this methodology relies on the remarkable efficiency of the ruthenium-catalysed alkene-alkyne coupling reaction between readily available vinyl boronic acids and alkynes to provide unsymmetrical 3-boryl-1,4-diene reagents. In the presence of carbonyl compounds, these reagents undergo highly diastereoselective allylations to afford the desired 1,3-dienyl-6-oxy motif and enable complex polyketide synthesis in a rapid and asymmetric fashion.
Cervical chondrocutaneous branchial remnant: A rare second branchial arch anomaly

Abstract Cervical chondrocutaneous branchial remnants are rare second branchial arch remnants which present in children as small, slow-growing nodules in the lower third of the neck anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. They are most commonly unilateral and do not penetrate deeper than the SCM fascia. They are treated with complete surgical excision for cosmesis and pathologic diagnosis. We present a case of a right-sided CCBR in a three-year-old male treated with complete surgical excision.
Autism in the media: A longitudinal study of stigma cues and framing of attribution:

This study examined 16 years of newspapers’ presentation of a prominent health issue, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The presence of attribution of autism and stigma cues in national and local new...
Polymorphic SNPs, short tandem repeats and structural variants are responsible for differential gene expression across C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 substrains

Mouse substrains are an invaluable model for understanding disease. We compared C57BL/6J, which is the most commonly used inbred mouse strain, with several closely related substrains. We performed whole genome sequencing and RNA-sequencing analysis on 9 C57BL/6 and 5 C57BL/10 substrains. We identified 352,631 SNPs, 109,096 INDELs, 150,344 short tandem repeats (STRs), 3,425 structural variants (SVs) and 2,826 differentially expressed genes (DEGenes) among these 14 strains. 312,981 SNPs (89%) distinguished the B6 and B10 lineages. These SNPS were clustered into 28 short segments that are likely due to introgressed haplotypes rather than new mutations. Outside of these introgressed regions, we identified 53 SVs, protein-truncating SNPs and frameshifting INDELs that were associated with DEGenes. Our results can be used for both forward and reverse genetic approaches, and illustrate how introgression and mutational processes give rise to differences among substrains.
Accurate and Robust Alignment of Differently Stained Histologic Images Based on Greedy Diffeomorphic Registration

Histopathologic assessment routinely provides rich microscopic information about tissue structure and disease process. However, the sections used are very thin, and essentially capture only 2D representations of a certain tissue sample. Accurate and robust alignment of sequentially cut 2D slices should contribute to more comprehensive assessment accounting for surrounding 3D information. Towards this end, we here propose a two-step diffeomorphic registration approach that aligns differently stained histology slides to each other, starting with an initial affine step followed by estimating a deformation field. It was quantitatively evaluated on ample (n = 481) and diverse data from the automatic non-rigid histological image registration challenge, where it was awarded the second rank. The obtained results demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to robustly (average robustness = 0.9898) and accurately (average relative target registration error = 0.2%) align differently stained histology slices of various anatomical sites while maintaining reasonable computational efficiency (<1 min per registration). The method was developed by adapting a general-purpose registration algorithm designed for 3D radiographic scans and achieved consistently accurate results for aligning high-resolution 2D histologic images. Accurate alignment of histologic images can contribute to a better understanding of the spatial arrangement and growth patterns of cells, vessels, matrix, nerves, and immune cell interactions.
Air quality impact of slash pile burns: Simulated geo-spatial impact assessment for Washington State

Abstract In the Western U.S., the prescribed burning of woody biomass in forests, mainly harvest slash, is the prevailing practice for in-woods fuel reduction and wildfire mitigation. Though these prescribed burns play an essential role in mitigating the wildfire risks, the resultant emission is a major air pollutants source that adversely affects air quality, negatively impacting human health. With an increased need for fire hazard reduction thinning, coupled with shrinking regional demand for lower quality biomass (pulpwood, hog-fuel, etc.), the volumes of unused biomass left on the forest floor as ‘waste’ will continue to grow. Reducing prescribed burns by utilizing this ‘waste’ biomass for alternate bio-based solutions (like bio-energy or bio-char) will enhance the economic feasibility of much-needed thinning operations and reduce uncontrolled emissions and related environmental and local health impacts. In this study, we simulate the increase in air pollutants due to additional prescribed fires in the Southwestern part of Washington State. Using the ‘BlueSky smoke modeling system,’ the study estimated the emissions associated with burning additional 726,000 dry tonnes of residual biomass, which corresponds to a 30% increment from 2011. The burn was simulated over 29 days of the fall quarter and subsequently incorporated into the AIRPACT pollution transportation modeling system using the 2011 air quality and meteorological data as the baseline. The results showed that the ambient PM2.5 concentrations, due to the simulated pile burns, exceeded EPA's air quality standards on multiple days and in various locations across the Western part of the state, with two days reaching “very unhealthy” levels and one day reaching “hazardous” levels. By layering the census data on top of the pollution concentration data, the model estimated that, over the 29-day burn period, approximately 440,000 additional human days would be affected by higher than the EPA air-quality standards for ambient PM2.5 levels.
Design and Performance Analysis of Automatic Wireless Routing Mechanism for the Effective Formation of IMR (Integrated Meter Reading) Network

To secure the communicaton reliability of an integrated meter reading network consisting of BPL and RF networks, the communication route may be changed between both networks automatically when the communication environment changes. This paper not only designed the automatic wireless routing mechanism to create the wireless meter reading terminal route and communicate with the BPL terminal next to it but also verified the communication performance of the developed mechanism via a verification test. Such verification test revealed a meter reading success rate that was 11% higher than the existing BPL-based integrated meter reading system which is not adopted automatic wireless routing mechanism.
Mifepristone and misoprostol versus dilation and evacuation for midtrimester abortion: a pilot randomised controlled trial

Objective To test the feasibility of mounting a randomised controlled trial comparing mifepristone–misoprostol versus dilation and evacuation (D&E) for midtrimester abortion. Design Pilot randomised controlled trial. Setting University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Population Women aged 18 years or older and without prior uterine operations who requested abortion at 14–19 menstrual weeks of gestation from January 2002 to January 2003. Methods Participants received either mifepristone 200 mg by mouth followed in two days by vaginal then oral misoprostol (Aberdeen regimen) or D&E after one or two days of laminaria preparation. Care was provided by residents under faculty supervision. Main outcome measures Enrolment rate and acceptability of and adverse events associated with methods. Results The trial was stopped at one year because of slow enrolment. Of 47 women eligible for the trial, 29 (62%) declined participation, primarily because of a preference for D&E abortion. Among the 18 participants enrolled, nine were randomised to treatment with mifepristone–misoprostol and 9 to D&E. Compared with D&E, mifepristone–misoprostol abortion caused more pain and adverse events, although none was serious. Conclusions Our findings concerning acceptability and adverse events should be considered hypothesis-generating; they may prove useful in planning a larger randomised controlled trial. Such a trial will be difficult to mount in the US. Hence, we suggest that it be done in a setting where labour-induction abortion is the norm.
Carbon Exchange Between the Mantle and the Crust, and its Effect Upon the Atmosphere: Today Compared to Archean Time

Estimates of the midocean ridge mantle carbon flux, whose exchange of carbon with the earth's surface has over geological time influenced atmospheric CO2, can be made by estimating concentration ratios of carbon to helium in hydrothermal fluids and tholeiitic glasses, followed by their multiplication by the oceanic primordial He-3 flux. A net carbon flux from the mantle of 1 billion moles/yr would require less than 700 million years to generate the present day crustal carbon inventory. It is deduced that the atmosphere of 3 billion years ago contained at least two orders of magnitude more CO2 than it does today.
Factors associated with labor force participation after spinal cord injury

Our purpose was to identify demographic, injury, educational, and vocational predictors of labor force participation (LFP) after spinal cord injury (SCI) performing secondary analysis of existing data. Labor force participation was defined as gainful employment. We used survey data from 1398 adults one or more years post-injury and under the age of 65 at onset. A two-stage regression model was used to predict two parameters: (a) LFP at some time after SCI onset (post-injury LFP) and (b) current LFP. Just under 55% of the participants reported LFP since the onset of SCI. Several variables were significantly related to each outcome, including race, gender, ambulation, post-injury bachelor's degree or higher, and post-injury employment type (management/professional, sales/office). Counselors can use the results to help understand the extent to which characteristics are associated with the probability of successfully participating in the labor force.
Library Services for Multicultural Patrons: Strategies to Encourage Library Use edited by Carol Smallwood and Kim Becnel

Smallwood and Becnel have edited a collection of essays that originate from several countries from the English-speaking world including the United States, Canada, and Australia. Many of the essays ...
Design and baseline data from the Gratitude Research in Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) study.

Background Positive psychological constructs, especially optimism, have been linked with superior cardiovascular health. However, there has been minimal study of positive constructs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), despite the prevalence and importance of this condition. Furthermore, few studies have examined multiple positive psychological constructs and multiple cardiac-related outcomes within the same cohort to determine specifically which positive construct may affect a particular cardiac outcome.
Stabilization and Functional Modulation of Microtubules by Microtubule-Associated Protein 4

Microtubules (MTs) are hollow cytoplasmic fibers that are composed of a dimeric protein called tubulin, as well as several MT-associated proteins (MAPS) bound along their surface. MTs are believed to play important roles in a variety of cellular processes, including mitosis, cell motility, and intracellular vesicle transport. Both in vitro and in vivo, individual MTs are dynamic; that is, they undergo alternating periods of polymerization and depolymerization from their ends, a process known as dynamic instability. The dynamic behavior of MTs is thought to play an important role both in cell cycle events and in cell differentiation. MAPS have been postulated to function as in vivo regulators of the dynamics and functions of MTs. Based on in vitro studies, several MAPS have been classified as
Topical agents in infants

Abstract The human skin acts as the interface between the individual and the external environment. In many ways, it is the window to the rest of the human body. The skin serves many functions that regulate the body's temperature, assist in the immune defenses, and facilitate fluid and electrolyte regulation. The newborn and infant skin undergoes many changes as it matures. Sometimes, these changes are caused by toxic exposures and result in rashes, dermatitis, or other skin eruptions. Other times, skin thickens and becomes more of a barrier against adverse invasions. The skin is also used as a surface for topical treatments. This article explores the physiology of the newborn's and infant's skin, pathologic conditions as they relate to topical administration of medications, and, finally, the nursing implications of such usage. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company
Monolayers of fluorinated silanes as electron‐beam resists

Self‐assembled monolayers made from long chain hydrocarbon trichlorosilanes have been used previously as very thin self‐developing resists, ideal for electron‐beam lithography. We are currently studying the physical and chemical effects of additional functional groups at the monolayer terminus by varying the electron‐beam dose and etching procedures for the fluorinated trichlorosilanes. These monolayers are attractive candidates for ultrathin electron‐beam resists because they are typically inert towards concentrated alkalis and acids thereby making them resistant to chemical attack. These materials can be used as positive resists on oxide surfaces at various electron‐beam energies and doses. A wet chemical etch is used to transfer exposed patterns to substrates.
Aft-body drag reduction by combined boat-tailing and base blowing atM = 3

the sphere in the pressure range 4x 10~ 6 5 which is now equal to +0.3 V. We have chosen to examine the influence of the slow ions on the electron temperature at the closest vicinity to the sphere downstream, since it is in this region that the effect of Te (wake) > 7; (ambient) is pronounced. 12~14 As is seen from Fig. 4, Te (wake) is larger than Te(ambient) for pressures smaller than about 1.6xlO~ 5 Torr. For the higher pressures, the enhancement in T e(wake) with respect to rc,(ambient) is close to the experimental error in the electron temperature determination. The trend seems, however, to be clear. Namely, as the pressure increases the influence of the slow ions on the electron temperature observations is more significant, which is similar to the influence of the slow ions on the electron current profiles (see Fig. 3). In summary, the findings of this study indicate that the effect of slow ions, when a<0.3, is not significant for measurements of ion current variations in the wake zone. However, this is not the case when studies are aimed at the quantitative examination of electron current and temperature variations in the near wake zone. In these instances, the measurements of electron properties in the wake should be done at very low systems pressures or over a range of system pressures in order to ascertain the effect of slow ions.