cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Membrane-rich milk fat diet provides protection against gastrointestinal leakiness in mice treated with lipopolysaccharide.

Milk fat globule membrane is a protein-lipid complex that may strengthen the gut barrier. The main objective of this study was to assess the ability of a membrane-rich milk fat diet to promote the integrity of the gut barrier and to decrease systemic inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged mice. Animals were randomly assigned to one of 2 American Institute of Nutrition (AIN)-76A formulations differing only in fat source: control diet (corn oil) and milk fat diet (anhydrous milk fat with 10% milk fat globule membrane). Each diet contained 12% calories from fat. Mice were fed diets for 5 wk, then injected with vehicle or LPS (10 mg/kg of BW) and gavaged with dextran-fluorescein to assess gut barrier integrity. Serum was assayed for fluorescence 24 h after gavage, and 16 serum cytokines were measured to assess the inflammatory response. Gut permeability was 1.8-fold higher in LPS-challenged mice fed the control diet compared with the milk fat diet. Furthermore, mice fed the milk fat diet and injected with LPS had lower serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-3 compared with LPS-injected mice fed the control diet. The results indicate that the membrane-rich milk fat diet decreases the inflammatory response to a systemic LPS challenge compared with corn oil, and the effect coincides with decreased gut permeability.
Influences of gendered institutions on women ' s entry into entrepreneurship

Purpose – Research and theory indicate that macro-level variables can influence the effects of individual-level factors on the economic behavior of women; however, this has rarely been examined with regard to women ' s entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship has thus far been examined from a gender-neutral perspective. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by deriving predictions using a sociological model of gender stratification and examining the effects of gendered institutions on women ' s entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach – Using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) dataset comprising over 40,000 individuals across 30 countries combined with data from the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), the authors examined the direct as well as cross-level moderation effects of gendered institutions on the probability of women entering into entrepreneurship. Findings – Results indicated that gendered institutions moderate effects of individual variables on the entrepreneurship of women, sugges...
Methodological Choices In Detecting Divergent Earnings: An Extension

Divergent earnings are those that differ from expected. Doran (2000) provides evidence that nonparametric tests based upon rank values are superior to parametric alternatives in detecting divergent earnings. He also finds that deflator choice (i.e., forecasted earnings or market price of the stock) is of little importance when superior nonparametric methods are used. This study extends the efforts of Doran (2000) by testing for benefit derived from the common research method of deflating earnings data. The data used here is the same as used by Doran (2000), where Value Line is the source of all earnings data. One hundred independent two sample tests are performed between a positive earnings group and a matched control group. The tests are performed with various levels (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10 %) of positive actual earnings introduced. Failure to reject the null hypothesis of no positive earnings divergence indicates the existence of Type II error (determined using the nonparametric Mann Whitney test). The Mann Whitney test was performed on the undeflated data, and the same data deflated by: 1) forecasted earnings, and 2) market price of the stock. Difference in frequency of type II error is determined using the Chi-square test. The results generally indicate no significant difference in the ability to identify abnormal divergent earnings when utilizing deflated data. Statistical tests are found here to be at least as powerful when undeflated earnings data are used. There is weak evidence supporting the notion that deflating earnings data inhibits the ability to detect abnormal earnings. These findings indicate that the common practice of deflating earnings data is unnecessary, and may actually weaken the power of statistical tests.
Regret for Complaint Withholding

This study examines regret for withholding relational complaints. The study sample of 393 participants completed measures of irritant frequency, irritant importance, relational intimacy, emotional distress from withholding, and regret for withholding. Irritant frequency mediated the positive relationship between length of withholding and irritant importance. This process predicted less intimacy and more emotional distress from withholding, the latter of which related to regret. Alternative paths were also found between length of withholding and regret. Results offer important implications for the role of regret management in hurtful confrontations and may inform other avoidance forms.
Weight function of stress intensity factor for symmetrical radial cracks emanating from hollow cylinder

Abstract Mode-I stress intensity factor (SIF) for symmetrical radial cracks emanating from hollow cylinder in an infinite plane under complex nonlinear loadings is firstly solved with the weight function method. A weight function providing wide-spectrum expressions for such fractures is developed. The weight function based SIFs are validated against different boundary collocation based SIFs. Three correlations of weight function parameters are derived for simplifying engineering applications and numerical simulations. Finally, the parameters are applied to calculate SIF of inclined crack subjected to complex nonlinear loadings in hydraulic fracturing, and show great potential in addressing cracks initiation from hollow cylinder.
Evaluation of anti-inflammatory drugs based upon the inhibition of matrix-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity during connective tissue proliferation.

SummaryThe ability of several steroidal and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents to locally inhibit bone matrix-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity was examined. All of the glucocorticoids tested had an inhibitory effect on ODC activity. The synthetic glucocorticoids dexamethasone, flucinolone acetonide, and betamethasone were most effective in inhibiting ODC activity whereas Cortisol and corticosterone had minimal inhibitory effects. The effects of the glucocorticoids on ODC activity was correlated with their known antiinflammatory potency in other systems. Nonsteroidal drugs had a varying response in this system. Indomethacin and meclofenamic acid were potent inhibitors of ODC activity whereas acetyl salicylic acid, fenoprofane, and noproxane were ineffective in doses examined.
Challenges and responses in the Murray–Darling Basin

This paper traces the evolving institutional and policy responses to the social, environmental and economic needs of stakeholders in the Murray–Darling Basin. The paper begins by describing four cycles of challenge and response in the basin: the first period (1830–1900) witnessed the state-level development of irrigation and navigation in the basin; the second period (1900–1982) encompassed the construction of the basin9s major engineering projects and irrigation infrastructure; the third period (1982–2007) covered the institution of market reforms under a ‘whole Basin’ management approach, in particular, the development of inter-state water trading and the National Water Initiative; and the fourth phase (2007–present), marks the assertion of federal authority over water management with the passing of the Water Act in 2007. The second section of the paper provides background on the basin9s natural environment and its infrastructure. This section also describes the increasing centralization of basin management authority by the federal government. The paper9s final section presents three key questions for the basin9s future: (1) the politically acceptable balance between environmental and economic uses for water in the basin; (2) the appropriate allocation of responsibility between federal and state basin management authorities; and (3) the best way to deliver the desired environmental outcomes.
Population Studies of Pardosa ramulosa (McCook) and Other Common Spiders in Alfalfa

Populations of Pardosa ramulosa (McCook) in alfalfa were sampled regularly with a suction sampler during 1971–74. Population densities of this species reached a maximum in late summer or early fall. Analysis of changes in the age-structure of field populations indicate that this species has one generation per year in the Sacramento Valley of California. Population trends are presented for the Erigonidae and the linyphiid Linyphantes aeronauticus (Petrunkevitch). Notes on the seasonal abundance of several other common spider species in alfalfa are presented.
Aluminum Hydride Separation Using N-Alkylmorpholine

We describe experimental and theoretical studies of several amine·alane adducts for alane separation. First, N-alkylmorpholine·alane adducts (NMM·AlH3 and NEM·AlH3; NMM = N-methylmorpholine, NEM = ...
Changing patterns of Japanese participation in US industries

This paper reports the findings from twelve National Science Foundation–supported field studies of the significantly changing strategies and policies of Japanese manufacturing firms between successive stages of seeking to increase their competitiveness in various industries in the USA. The analysis covers changes over time, as well as differences among the participants, in ownership patterns, products and marketing, as well as adjustments over time in: production facilities; practices in developing American as compared with Japanese executives and engineers; policies concerning relationships between management and labour; and efforts to strengthen relationships with customers.
Use of by-product feeds to decrease feed cost while maintaining performance of developing beef bulls

ABSTRACT In a 2-yr experiment, a total of 58 weanling bulls (initial BW = 280 ± 31 kg) were individually fed to evaluate their performance on the following diets: (1) a commercial diet (COM); (2) a diet containing soybean hulls and corn gluten feed (CGF); and (3) a diet containing soybean hulls and dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS). Animals were weighed and assessed with ultrasound 3 times throughout the experiment. In addition, the 3 diets were subjected to in vitro digestion for 24 h. An ANOVA was performed using SAS, with treatment and year as fixed effects. Data showed that ADG was greater ( P = 0.03) for bulls fed COM compared with CGF and DDGS (2.04, 1.83, and 1.82 kg/d, respectively). Dry matter intake was greater for COM and CGF ( P = 0.02); however, feed conversion was similar across treatments ( P = 0.62). Ultrasound measurements showed similar LM area for all treatments ( P = 0.57). Data from the in vitro tests revealed that IVDMD was least for COM ( P P
VALUE AND RISK OF BIOPSY OF PULMONARY LESIONS BY NEEDLE ASPIRATION. TWENTY-ONE YEARS' EXPERIENCE.

SUMMARY The results of needle aspiration of pulmonary lesions suspected of being neoplasms have been presented. Our experience with 626 procedures in 523 patients over a 21 year period has shown us that, although the method has some hazards, it is relatively safe, easy, and helpful, but should be reserved until all other methods of preoperative study have failed to establish the diagnosis. We believe that the danger of tumor spread along the needle tract has been greatly overemphasized and have seen no such tumor implantation in this large series. The procedure has found a restricted but definite place in our diagnostic approach to suspected pulmonary neoplasms. Evidence has been presented to support this belief that such aspiration biopsy is much safer than the more conventional exploratory biopsy, either incisional or excisional.
Growth in caring and professional ethics in hospice

There is a continual growing concern and impetus being placed on comprehensive care and treatment of the individual from birth to death. There is also strong evidence to lead one to believe that humanization of health care delivery must include attention to the development of health workers who are academically, emotionally, and psychologically prepared to deal with the dying patient and the family. Health professionals must learn to cope with anxieties arising from such experiences. This requires an adjustment period for the professional, a time for adaption and a working through of one's own feelings about death, dying and life's end. In other words, health professionals must come to grips with their own feelings about their own mortality, life's end and the in-between life processes. This paper identifies six stages that the health professionals must go through in learning to be comfortable in working with terminal illnesses and catastrophic diseases. This involves the Harper Schematic Comfortability Growth and Development Scale as a conceptual framework in learning to care for the terminally ill and dying.
Joint contact forces can be reduced by improving joint moment symmetry in below-knee amputee gait simulations

Despite having a fully functional knee and hip in both legs, asymmetries in joint moments of the knee and hip are often seen in gait of persons with a unilateral transtibial amputation (TTA), possibly resulting in excessive joint loading. We hypothesize that persons with a TTA can walk with more symmetric joint moments at the cost of increased effort or abnormal kinematics. The hypothesis was tested using predictive simulations of gait. Open loop controls of one gait cycle were found by solving an optimization problem that minimizes a combination of walking effort and tracking error in joint angles, ground reaction force and gait cycle duration. A second objective was added to penalize joint moment asymmetry, creating a multi-objective optimization problem. A Pareto front was constructed by changing the weights of the objectives and three solutions were analyzed to study the effect of increasing joint moment symmetry. When the optimization placed more weight on moment symmetry, walking effort increased and kinematics became less normal, confirming the hypothesis. TTA gait improved with a moderate increase in joint moment symmetry. At a small cost of effort and abnormal kinematics, the peak hip extension moment in the intact leg was decreased significantly, and so was the joint contact force in the knee and hip. Additional symmetry required a significant increase in walking effort and the joint contact forces in both hips became significantly higher than in able-bodied gait.
Trade-offs between microbiome diversity and productivity in a stratified microbial mat.

Productivity is a major determinant of ecosystem diversity. Microbial ecosystems are the most diverse on the planet yet very few relationships between diversity and productivity have been reported as compared with macro-ecological studies. Here we evaluated the spatial relationships of productivity and microbiome diversity in a laboratory-cultivated photosynthetic mat. The goal was to determine how spatial diversification of microorganisms drives localized carbon and energy acquisition rates. We measured sub-millimeter depth profiles of net primary productivity and gross oxygenic photosynthesis in the context of the localized microenvironment and community structure, and observed negative correlations between species richness and productivity within the energy-replete, photic zone. Variations between localized community structures were associated with distinct taxa as well as environmental profiles describing a continuum of biological niches. Spatial regions in the photic zone corresponding to high primary productivity and photosynthesis rates had relatively low-species richness and high evenness. Hence, this system exhibited negative species–productivity and species–energy relationships. These negative relationships may be indicative of stratified, light-driven microbial ecosystems that are able to be the most productive with a relatively smaller, even distributions of species that specialize within photic zones.
Evaluating the implementation of a national disclosure policy for large-scale adverse events in an integrated health care system: identification of gaps and successes

Many healthcare organizations have developed disclosure policies for large-scale adverse events, including the Veterans Health Administration (VA). This study evaluated VA’s national large-scale disclosure policy and identifies gaps and successes in its implementation. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with leaders, hospital employees, and patients at nine sites to elicit their perceptions of recent large-scale adverse events notifications and the national disclosure policy. Data were coded using the constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). We conducted 97 interviews. Insights included how to handle the communication of large-scale disclosures through multiple levels of a large healthcare organization and manage ongoing communications about the event with employees. Of the 5 CFIR constructs and 26 sub-constructs assessed, seven were prominent in interviews. Leaders and employees specifically mentioned key problem areas involving 1) networks and communications during disclosure, 2) organizational culture, 3) engagement of external change agents during disclosure, and 4) a need for reflecting on and evaluating the policy implementation and disclosure itself. Patients shared 5) preferences for personal outreach by phone in place of the current use of certified letters. All interviewees discussed 6) issues with execution and 7) costs of the disclosure. CFIR analysis reveals key problem areas that need to be addresses during disclosure, including: timely communication patterns throughout the organization, establishing a supportive culture prior to implementation, using patient-approved, effective communications strategies during disclosures; providing follow-up support for employees and patients, and sharing lessons learned.
Flexibility-Aware System-on-Polymer (SoP): Concept to Prototype

Mechanically flexible, printed, and stretchable electronics are gaining momentum. While rapid advancement is well underway at the device and circuit levels, researchers have yet to envision the system design in a flexible form. This paper introduces the concept of System-on-Polymer (SoP) based on flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) to combine the advantages of flexible electronics and traditional silicon technology. First, we formally define flexibility as a new design metric in addition to existing power, performance, and area metrics. Then, we present a novel optimization approach to place rigid components onto a flexible substrate while minimizing the loss in flexibility. We show that the optimal placement leads to as much as 5.7 $\times$ enhancement in flexibility compared to a naive placement. We confirm the accuracy of our models and optimization framework using a finite element method (FEM) simulator. Finally, we demonstrate the SoP concept using a concrete hardware prototype, and discuss the major challenges in the architecture and design of SoPs.
Nanoparticle Microreactor: Application to Synthesis Of Titania by Thermal Decomposition of Titanium Tetraisopropoxide

The nanoparticle microreactor (NPMR) is a new concept that we have introduced to describe a very small-scale system capable of converting an aerosol precursor to solid particles. The liquid precursor of about 1 µl is injected by a syringe through a septum into a tubular evaporator of 1.0 cm3 in volume with stopcocks at both ends. The evaporator has been preheated by a heating tape to a temperature sufficiently high for vaporization to occur in half a minute. By opening the stopcocks, the vaporized precursor is transported by a carrier gas stream into a quartz tube which is mounted along the axis of a tubular furnace. The nanoparticle aggregates produced in the reactor are sampled by deposition on an electron micrograph grid at the reactor exit. The NPMR was applied first to the synthesis of TiO2 particles by thermal decomposition of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) in a nitrogen carrier gas, with TTIP concentrations varying from 1.0 to 7.0 mol% or 2.35×10−6 to 1.65×10−5 in TiO2 volume loading, and decomposition temperatures from 300°C to 1000°C. Studies were made with a 2 mm reaction tube and a 4 mm tube with sheath gas. With the 2 mm tube, a considerable fraction of the TTIP precursor was consumed at the wall by surface reaction, resulting in very small particles. With the 4 mm tube, the primary particle size was comparable to that reported in the literature for steady flow experiments using a 22.2 mm tube. Primary particle sizes ranged from 200 to 400 nm. Depending on TTIP concentration and reactor temperature, the particles exhibited a bimodal size distribution, probably due to a two-stage nucleation. A fourfold increase in the gas flow rate had little effect on particle size, indicating that particle growth ended early, within one-fourth the tube length. Residence time in the reactor was between 0.35 and 1.4 s, and total run time about 1 min. The NPMR has potential for rapid assembly of large databases and is adaptable to combinatorial discovery of nanoparticles with novel properties. Design requirements for an ‘ideal’ aerosol microreactor are discussed briefly.
Negotiating Indigenous knowledge at the science-policy interface: Insights from the Xáxli’p Community Forest

Abstract Despite increasing interest in learning from Indigenous communities, efforts to involve Indigenous knowledge in environmental policy-making are often fraught with contestations over knowledge, values, and interests. Using the co-production of knowledge and social order ( Jasanoff, 2004 ), this case study seeks to understand how some Indigenous communities are engaging in science-policy negotiations by linking traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), western science, and other knowledge systems. The analysis follows twenty years of Indigenous forest management negotiations between the Xaxli’p community and the Ministry of Forests in British Columbia (B.C.), Canada, which resulted in the Xaxli’p Community Forest (XCF). The XCF is an eco-cultural restoration initiative that established an exclusive forest tenure for Xaxli’p over the majority of their aboriginal territory—a political shift that was co-produced with new articulations of Xaxli’p knowledge. This research seeks to understand knowledge co-production with Indigenous communities, and suggests that existing knowledge integration concepts are insufficient to address ongoing challenges with power asymmetries and Indigenous knowledge. Rather, this work proposes interpreting XCF knowledge production strategies through the framework of “Indigenous articulations,” where Indigenous peoples self-determine representations of their identities and interests in a contemporary socio-political context. This work has broader implications for considering how Indigenous knowledge is shaping science-policy negotiations, and vice versa.
Total cross sections for production of 7 Be, 22 Na, and 24 Na in p + 7 Li and p + 27 Al reactions at 495 and 795 MeV

Activation techniques have been used to measure the total cross section for the production of {sup 7}Be, {sup 22}Na, and {sup 24}Na in proton induced reactions on {sup 7}Li and {sup 27}Al targets at bombarding energies of 495 MeV and 795 MeV. The cross section for the {sup 7}Li(p,n){sup 7}Be(g.s.+0.43-MeV) reaction at 795 MeV is about 11{endash}15{percent} larger than extrapolations based on previous data below 480 MeV. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Exploring opportunities for interprofessional education in a software engineering course through a collaboration with a nursing course

One important challenge in software engineering (SE) education is providing opportunities for SE students to experience interprofessional collaboration typical for many SE workplaces. Software engineers often build and maintain software systems (e.g., electronic health records) for experts from other domains (e.g., medical professionals) and thus need to learn how to work with such experts and to obtain knowledge in the domain of these experts. To address this challenge, we established a collaboration between an SE course and a nursing course. The value of such a collaboration is further supported by the rapidly increasing number of computing jobs in healthcare [1] and by recent reports (e.g., [2]) emphasizing the importance of affording interprofessional education opportunities to students in the medical professions.
Case 55: A Machine Failure

A 16-year-old boy (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I [ASA 1], weight 60 Kg and height 5′7″) was scheduled for a knee arthroscopy. He was the first case of the day. The anesthesia machine passed the daily checks, using the machine’s electronic system. The breathing circuit was manually checked using the thumb-occlusion test. The patient was pre-oxygenated. The reservoir bag was seen to move appropriately with inspiration and expiration. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and when there was no response to the jaw thrust, a laryngeal mask airway—LMA—Unique (Laryngeal Mask Company Ltd., San Diego, CA)—was inserted without difficulty. However, manual ventilation was not possible. The reservoir bag remained empty despite closing the adjustable pressure limiting (APL) valve and activating the oxygen flush. The oxygen pipeline pressure was 50 psi. An Ambu bag (Ambu, Copenhagen, Denmark) was used to ventilate the patient. Continuous infusion of propofol kept the patient asleep. A new anesthetic machine was brought in and the operation concluded successfully.
Online ensemble learning with abstaining classifiers for drifting and noisy data streams

Abstract Mining data streams is among most vital contemporary topics in machine learning. Such scenario requires adaptive algorithms that are able to process constantly arriving instances, adapt to potential changes in data, use limited computational resources, as well as be robust to any atypical events that may appear. Ensemble learning has proven itself to be an effective solution, as combining learners leads to an improved predictive power, more flexible drift handling, as well as ease of being implemented in high-performance computing environments. In this paper, we propose an enhancement of popular online ensembles by augmenting them with abstaining option. Instead of relying on a traditional voting, classifiers are allowed to abstain from contributing to the final decision. Their confidence level is being monitored for each incoming instance and only learners that exceed certain threshold are selected. We introduce a dynamic and self-adapting threshold that is able to adapt to changes in the data stream, by monitoring outputs of the ensemble and allowing to exploit underlying diversity in order to efficiently anticipate drifts. Additionally, we show that forcing uncertain classifiers to abstain from making a prediction is especially useful for noisy data streams. Our proposal is a lightweight enhancement that can be applied to any online ensemble method, improving its robustness to drifts and noise. Thorough experimental analysis validated through statistical tests proves the usefulness of the proposed approach.
A high-efficiency 28GHz outphasing PA with 23dBm output power using a triaxial balun combiner

Gigabit-per-second millimeter-wave (mm-wave) access and backhaul networks at 28GHz demand high-order QAM, OFDM, and/or carrier-aggregated waveforms that force the PA to operate under high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) [1]. High PAPR requirements aggravate the design of mm-wave Si CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS PAs since a linear response and high efficiency are simultaneously desired. Recent work has demonstrated mm-wave PAs with peak efficiency exceeding 30% at 28GHz for output powers above 20dBm [1-5]. However, high average efficiency associated with high-PAPR waveforms remains elusive. To improve average efficiency, circuit techniques based on Doherty [3] and outphasing [6] have been demonstrated in mm-wave bands. Earlier work using these techniques showed average efficiency with QAM waveforms that is well under 20%.
Cancer in Context: Importance of the Tumor Microenvironment

Our understanding of tumor biology has evolved from the consideration of only tumor cell autonomous changes to the realization of the plethora of interactions among various cells and molecules present within the locale of a growing tumor. Characterizing this so-called “tumor microenvironment” has opened a new window of opportunity for both diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. From a therapeutic perspective, an attractive feature of targeting noncancer cells is that they are not inherently genetically unstable and therefore drug resistance is less likely than in mutation-prone tumor cells. In this chapter, we consider the roles of different cell types, molecules, and environmental conditions that together constitute the unique topography of a tumor microenvironment.
A Temporal Comparison of Drought Impacts and Responses in the New York City Metropolitan Area

Climate impact analyses seldom examine temporal changes in the impacts and responses associated with climate anomalies. Newspaper reports, quantitative agricultural and water resource data and a survey of drought sensitive segments of society are used to compare the impacts and responses of a 1995 drought in the New York City metropolitan area to those experienced during five previous droughts. Impacts related to surface water supplies dominated each of the drought periods studied. Over time, however, changes in water consumption habits and available reservoir capacity lead to an increase in impact severity for similar meteorological conditions. To account for these non-climatic influences on water storage, a method to adjust for trends in available reservoir storage and water use is developed and implemented. Once adjusted, a fairly strong (R2 = 70.9%) exponential relationship exists between the minimum reservoir level and Palmer Drought Severity Index experienced during each drought period. Unadjusted levels exhibit a considerably weaker (R2 = 49.0%) relationship. Changes in water consumption and reservoir capacity also influenced the enactment of voluntary and ultimately mandatory water conservation measures. These restrictions were responsible for business and industrial impacts that varied through time as technology evolved and societal attitudes changed. Minor time-dependent changes were also evident in agricultural and wildfire impacts.
Temporal Aspects of Data Fusion

Time is an important, and all too often ignored, aspect of the operation of sensory systems. Most of the attention paid to temporal aspects of sensory information processing has been regarding the measurement of temporal properties of the environment, such as the velocity of moving objects, and relatively little attention has been given to the role in sensory information processing of temporal constraints on both the world models and the sensory processing algorithms themselves.
Meaningful application of precision oncology.

e18806Background: Next Generation Sequencing [NGS] has become more prevalent in recent times. We analyze use of NGS testing, at a rural Oncology center in Minnesota. Methods: We performed a retrosp...
Oscillatory Patterns of Phase Cone Formations near to Epileptic Spikes Derived from 256-Channel Scalp EEG Data

Our objective was to determine if there are any distinguishable phase cone clustering patterns present near to epileptic spikes. These phase cones arise from episodic phase shifts due to the coordinated activity of cortical neurons at or near to state transitions and can be extracted from the high-density scalp EEG recordings. The phase cone clustering activities in the low gamma band (30–50 Hz) and in the ripple band (80–150 Hz) were extracted from the analytic phase after taking Hilbert transform of the 256-channel high density (dEEG) data of adult patients. We used three subjects in this study. Spatiotemporal contour plots of the unwrapped analytic phase with 1.0 ms intervals were constructed using a montage layout of 256 electrode positions. Stable phase cone patterns were selected based on the criteria that the sign of the spatial gradient did not change for at least three consecutive time samples and the frame velocity was within the range of propagation velocities of cortical axons. These plots exhibited dynamical formation of phase cones which were higher in the seizure area as compared with the nearby surrounding brain areas. Spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns were also visible during ±5 sec period from the location of the spike. These results suggest that the phase cone activity might be useful for noninvasive localization of epileptic sites and also for examining the cortical neurodynamics near to epileptic spikes.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Tay-Sachs Disease.

Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations of the HEXA gene resulting in the deficiency of hexosaminidase A (Hex A) and subsequent neuronal accumulation of GM2 gangliosides. Infantile TSD is a devastating and fetal neurodegenerative disease with death before the age of 3-5 years. A small proportion of TSD patients carry milder mutations and may present juvenile or adult onset milder disease. TSD is more prevalent among Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) individuals and some other genetically isolated populations with carrier frequencies of approximately ~1:27 which is much higher than that of 1:300 in the general population. Carrier screening and prenatal testing for TSD are effective in preventing the birth of affected fetuses greatly diminishing the incidence of TSD. Testing of targeted HEXA mutations by genotyping or sequencing can detect 98% of carriers in AJ individuals; however, the detection rate is much lower for most other ethnic groups. When combined with enzyme analysis, above 98% of carriers can be reliably identified regardless of ethnic background. Multiplex PCR followed by allele-specific primer extension is one method to test for known and common mutations. Sanger sequencing or other sequencing methods are useful to identify private mutations. For prenatal testing, only predefined parental mutations need to be tested. In the event of unknown mutational status or the presence of variants of unknown significance (VUS), enzyme analysis must be performed in conjunction with DNA-based assays to enhance the diagnostic accuracy. Enzymatic assays involve the use of synthetic substrates 4-methylumbelliferyl-N-acetyl-β-glucosamine (4-MUG) and 4-methylumbelliferyl-6-sulfo-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside (4-MUGS) to measure the percentage Hex A activity (Hex A%) and specific Hex A activity respectively. These biochemical and molecular tests can be performed in both direct specimens and cultured cells from chorionic villi sampling or amniocentesis.
Holding Court: The Social Regulation of Masculinity in University Pickup Basketball:

“Inclusive masculinity,” in which manhood is performed in a way that accepts, rather than stigmatizes, deviations from hegemonic ideals, has been analyzed in a variety of settings. Most commonly, t...
Black-white disparity in physical performance among older women with breast cancer: The role of physical activity and inflammation.

6525 Background: Compared with non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), African-Americans (AA) experience poorer physical function. However, little is known about the existence of racial disparity in physical pe...
The Brian D. Jones Site (4-10B): A Multi-Component Paleoindian Site in Southern New England

The Brian D. Jones Site (4-10B), in Avon, Connecticut, provides important information about subsistence, settlement patterns, and tool technology in the Early Paleoindian period in the American Nor...
Cardiac involvement in COVID-19 patients: Risk factors, predictors, and complications: A review.

Background Respiratory complications have been well remarked in the novel coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19), yet an emerging body of research indicates that cardiac involvement may be implicated in poor outcomes for these patients. Aims This review seeks to gather and distill the existing body of literature that describes the cardiac implications of COVID-19. Materials and methods The English literature was reviewed for papers dealing with the cardiac effects of COVID-19. Results Notably, COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease are counted in greater frequency in intensive care unit settings, and ultimately suffer greater rates of mortality. Other studies have noted cardiac presentations for COVID-19, rather than respiratory, such as acute pericarditis and left ventricular dysfunction. In some patients there has been evidence of acute myocardial injury, with correspondingly increased serum troponin I levels. With regard to surgical interventions, there is a dearth of data describing myocardial protection during cardiac surgery for COVID-19 patients. Although some insights have been garnered in the study of cardiovascular diseases for these patients, these insights remain fragmented and have yet to cement clear guidelines for actionable clinical practice. Conclusion While some information is available, further studies are imperative for a more cohesive understanding of the cardiac pathophysiology in COVID-19 patients to promote more informed treatment and, ultimately, better clinical outcomes.
On the characterization and stability of plane waves under hyperbolic two-temperature generalized thermoelasticity

The propagation and stability (Whitham’s criteria) of harmonic plane waves are described in the context of the hyperbolic two-temperature generalized thermoelasticity in which heat conduction in de...
Global optical coherence tomography measures for detecting the progression of glaucoma have fundamental flaws.

Objective To understand the problems involved in using global OCT measures for detecting progression in early glaucoma. Subjects/methods Eyes from 76 patients and 28 healthy controls (HC) had a least two OCT scans at least 1 year apart. To determine the 95% confidence intervals (CI), 151 eyes (49 HC and 102 patients) had at least two scans within 6 months. All eyes had 24-2 mean deviation ≥-6dB. The average (global) thicknesses of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (cRNFL), GONH, and of the retinal ganglion cell layer plus inner plexiform layer (RGCLP), Gmac, were calculated. Using quantile regression, the 95% CI intervals were determined. Eyes outside the CIs were classified as "progressors." For a reference standard (RS), four experts evaluated OCT and VF information. Results Compared to the RS, 31 of the 76 (40.8%) patient eyes were identified as progressors (RS-P), and 45 patient, and all 28 HC, eyes as nonprogressors (RS-NP). The metrics missed (false negative, FN) 15 (48%) (GONH) and 9 (29%) (Gmac) of the 31 RS-P. Further, GONH and/or Gmac falsely identified (false positive, FP) 10 (22.2%) of 45 patient RS-NP eyes and 7 (25%) of the 28 HC eyes as progressing. Post-hoc analysis identified three reasons (segmentation, centring, and local damage) for these errors. Conclusions Global metrics lead to FPs and FNs because of problems inherent in OCT scanning (segmentation and centring), and to FNs because they can miss local damage. These problems are difficult, if not impossible, to correct, and raise concerns about the advisability of using GONH and Gmac for detecting progression.
Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny

Humor is an important, ubiquitous phenomenon; however, seemingly disparate conditions seem to facilitate humor. We integrate these conditions by suggesting that laughter and amusement result from violations that are simultaneously seen as benign. We investigate three conditions that make violations benign and thus amusing: 1) the presence of an alternative norm suggesting the situation is acceptable, 2) weak commitment to a violated norm, and 3) psychological distance from the violation. We test the benign violation hypothesis in the domain of moral psychology, which documents a strong association between moral violations and negative emotions, particularly disgust. Five experimental studies show that benign moral violations also tend to elicit laughter and amusement. Furthermore, seeing a violation as both wrong and not wrong mediates behavioral displays of amusement. Our account is consistent with evolutionary accounts of laughter, explains humor across many domains, and suggests humor can accompany negative emotion.
Bifunctional molybdenum carbide based hybrids for electrocatalytic water splitting

Abstract For electrochemical water splitting, the fabrication and designing of an active, robust, and stable bifunctional catalyst is the most challenging issue. In this work we report the electrocatalytic ability hybrid of Molybdenum Carbide (Mo2C) and ZIF-67 hybrid heterostructures fabricated by annealing at high temperatures. This bifunctional electrocatalyst have shown an outstanding performance for water splitting with high activity both for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) processes. The hybrid (MCZ-2) with ratio of 1:2 have shown superior catalytic activity with a low overpotential of 169 mV and 208 mV at the current density of 10 mA/cm2 and 20 mA/cm2 respectively for HER. Similarly, for OER, it shows overpotential of 340 mV and 370 mV at the current density of 20 mA/cm2 and 50 mA/cm2. Besides, the MCZ-2 have shown a long-term stability 24 h at the current density of 100 μA/cm2. The boosted HER and OER activity of the hybrid is attributed to synergetic effect between ZIF-67 and Mo2C and modulation of active sites due to the presence of N and Co in the hybrid.
Deciding Between Medications and Supplements

Publisher Summary This chapter reveals that many disorders have been shown to be associated with biological changes in the brain. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette's disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. When a patient is diagnosed with one of those disorders, the first decision that faces the clinician is whether to suggest a psychosocial treatment, a psychopharmacological treatment, or a combination of both. In some cases, when symptoms do not appear to be notably severe, a psychosocial approach may be more appropriate. This chapter discusses various factors need to be assessed when a decision is made whether or not to treat symptoms through psychotherapy. These include not only the severity of symptoms, but additional considerations such as the accessibility of psychological care, the family's resources, and the availability of mental health insurance coverage.
Effect of glucose on initiation and elongation rates in isolated rat pancreatic islets.

Abstract Isolated rat pancreatic islets incubated in media containing glucose at 16.6 mm incorporate [3H]leucine into protein at twice the rate of islets incubated in glucose at 2.8 mm. Increased incorporation was independent of new RNA synthesis, so the effects of glucose on initiation and elongation rates were determined. The relative rates of elongation at 2.8 and 16.6 mm glucose were determined by pulsing islets in [3H]leucine for 6 min and measuring the ratio of incorporation into soluble (S) and polysome associate (P) peptides. At 2.8 mm glucose, S/P = 3.41 ± 0.28, and at 16.6 mm glucose, S/P = 4.72 ± 0.27, an apparent 28% increase in elongation at the higher glucose. The ratio method assumes that the size of the proteins synthesized is the same. Islets proteins were labeled with [14C]leucine at 16.6 mm glucose and with [3H]leucine at 2.8 mm glucose and subjected to co-electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, and the average molecular weight of proteins synthesized at the higher glucose concentration was found to be about 26% smaller. After correction for differences in the size of proteins synthesized, there was no significant effect of glucose on elongation. Evidence that glucose regulates total islet protein synthesis at the level of initiation includes: (a) increased [3H]leucine incorporation into nascent peptide with the distribution on heavier polysome aggregates indicating an increased number of ribosomes per mRNA, even when new RNA synthesis is blocked; (b) a reduction in the number of ribosomes per mRNA by aurintricarboxylic acid (10-5 m) at 16.6 mm glucose with no significant change at 2.8 mm glucose; (c) when elongation is partially inhibited with low doses of cycloheximide (2 µg per ml), ribosomes accumulate on mRNA at 2.8 mm glucose but not at 16.6 mm glucose; under these conditions the amount of protein synthesized is proportional to the amount of mRNA available for translation. Total islet mRNA appeared to be the same at both glucose concentrations, and the doubling of protein synthesis in the absence of changes in elongation is most likely due to a doubling of the over-all initiation rate. Glucose regulation of proinsulin-insulin synthesis appears to be more complex. When elongation was partially blocked, it was determined that in 16.6 mm glucose about 2 to 3 times more proinsulin mRNA was available for translation. There was a preferential utilization of the available mRNA for proinsulin in addition, since there was about a 5 to 6-fold increase in over-all translation of proinsulin mRNA. Methods are being developed to determine whether the glucose effect on translation of proinsulin mRNA is at the level of initiation, elongation, or both.
Lithium Di‐n‐butylcuprate

[24406-16-4] C8H18CuLi (MW 184.75) (butylating reagent; undergoes conjugate addition reactions,1a,b,e,f 1,2-addition reactions,1e,2 substitution reactions with alkyl, vinyl, aryl, and allylic substrates,1a,c,e reduction of carbon–heteroatom bonds,3 oxidative dimerization,4a and oxidative coupling with amines4b) Physical Data: 1H NMR (Et2O) δ −6.99 to −7.14 ppm (t, J = 7.0 Hz, 2 H, −60 to +20 °C); (C5H12) δ −7.29 to −7.32 ppm (−50 to +35 °C).5 Solubility: sol THF, Et2O. Preparative Methods: prepared in situ from CuI salts under N2 or argon atmosphere.1a Rate of cuprate formation is temperature- and CuI salt-dependent; reagent prepared from CuI halides may contain free BuLi.6a Dark-colored solutions are indicative of decomposition (see Lithium Dimethylcuprate for purification of CuI and CuBr). Colorless solutions of Bu2CuLi can be prepared from BuCu obtained by low-temperature centrifugation.1b Polymer-bound n-Bu2CuLi can be prepared.7 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: stable in solution for several hours below 0 °C (10% decomposition at 0 °C for 30 min)6b and is very sensitive to O2. Use in a fume hood.
Nanotechnology Applications for Sustainable Cement-Based Products

Concrete is a macro-material strongly influenced by the properties of its components and hydrates at the nanoscale. Progress at this level will engender new opportunities for improvement of strength and durability of concrete materials. This article will focus on recent research work in the field of nanoscience applications to cement and concrete at the NRC-IRC. A particular attention will be given to nanoparticles and cement-based nanocomposites.