cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incidence and outcomes of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in North America: an analysis of the nationwide inpatient sample.

Objectives The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) on outcomes after cardiac surgery. Design Retrospective analysis of national database. Setting United States hospitals. Participants Patients identified from 186,771 discharge records undergoing cardiac surgery from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2009 and 2010. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia was diagnosed in 506 (0.3%), and secondary thrombocytopenia was diagnosed in 16,809 (8.7%). Operative mortality was 11.1% in patients with HIT compared to 4.5% for patients without thrombocytopenia (p Conclusions Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is associated with a 50% increase in early mortality, and most patients with this diagnosis experience major postoperative morbidity or functional deficits.
Global, Exact Cosmic Microwave Background Data Analysis Using Gibbs Sampling

We describe an efficient and exact method that enables global Bayesian analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. The method reveals the joint posterior density (or likelihood for flat priors) of the power spectrum ${C}_{\ensuremath{\ell}}$ and the CMB signal. Foregrounds and instrumental parameters can be simultaneously inferred from the data. The method allows the specification of a wide range of foreground priors. We explicitly show how to propagate the non-Gaussian dependency structure of the ${C}_{\ensuremath{\ell}}$ posterior through to the posterior density of the parameters. If desired, the analysis can be coupled to theoretical (cosmological) priors and can yield the posterior density of cosmological parameter estimates directly from the time-ordered data. The method does not hinge on special assumptions about the survey geometry or noise properties, etc., It is based on a Monte Carlo approach and hence parallelizes trivially. No trace or determinant evaluations are necessary. The feasibility of this approach rests on the ability to solve the systems of linear equations which arise. These are of the same size and computational complexity as the map-making equations. We describe a preconditioned conjugate gradient technique that solves this problem and demonstrate in a numerical example that the computational time required for each Monte Carlo sample scales as ${n}_{p}^{3/2}$ with the number of pixels ${n}_{p}$. We use our method to analyze the data from the Differential Microwave Radiometer on the Cosmic Background Explorer and explore the non-Gaussian joint posterior density of the ${C}_{\ensuremath{\ell}}$ from the Differential Microwave Radiometer on the Cosmic Background Explorer in several projections.
Inorganic phosphate induces cancer cell mediated angiogenesis dependent on forkhead box protein C2 (FOXC2) regulated osteopontin expression

Recent studies in both rodents and humans suggest that elevated serum phosphorus, in the context of normal renal function, potentiates, or exacerbates pathologies associates with cardiovascular disease, bone metabolism, and cancer. Our recent microarray studies identified the potent stimulation of pro-angiogenic genes such as forkhead box protein C2 (FOXC2), osteopontin, and Vegfα, among others in response to elevated inorganic phosphate (Pi). Increased angiogenesis and neovascularization are important events in tumor growth and the progression to malignancy and FOXC2 has recently been identified as a potential transcriptional regulator of these processes. In this study we addressed the possibility that a high Pi environment would increase the angiogenic potential of cancer cells through a mechanism requiring FOXC2. Our studies utilized lung and breast cancer cell lines in combination with the human umbilical vascular endothelial cell (HUVEC) vessel formation model to better understand the mechanism(s) by which a high Pi environment might alter cancer progression. Exposure of cancer cells to elevated Pi stimulated expression of FOXC2 and conditioned medium from the Pi-stimulated cancer cells stimulated migration and tube formation in the HUVEC model. Mechanistically, we define the requirement of FOXC2 for Pi-induced osteopontin (OPN) expression and secretion from cancer cells as necessary for the angiogenic response. These studies reveal for the first time that cancer cells grown in a high Pi environment promote migration of endothelial cells and tube formation and in so doing identify a novel potential therapeutic target to reduce tumor progression.
Characterizing Mathematics Classroom Practice: Impact of Observation and Coding Choices

Large-scale observational measures of classroom practice increasingly focus on opportunities for student participation as an indicator of instructional quality. Each observational measure necessitates making design and coding choices on how to best measure student participation. This study investigated variations of coding approaches that may be feasible in large-scale studies, and the ramifications of these variations for drawing inferences about instructional quality. Using data from classroom videos, we found that decisions about whether to keep track of individual students in the coding, observe multiple contexts in the classroom (e.g., whole-class and small-group discussions), and capture nuances of student participation changed the resulting characterizations of classroom practice. Most importantly, simplifying the coding approach did not fully capture and even misrepresented the level and nature of student participation in many classrooms.
Cu(C10H9N3) 2MOF5-2H2O (M=Nb, Ta): Aligned [MOF5]2- Oxide Fluoride Anions

anions the structure-directingproperties of the anions and cations need to be considered.In order for one-dimensional chain structures to be engineeredinto an NLO material two conditions must be achieved. First,the octahedra should crystallize without disorder, because orien-tational disorder introduces an internal center of symmetry. Muchwork has been done to understand the factors which govern thecrystallization of ordered [MOF
Narrow-Band Imaging in the Diagnosis of Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett’s esophagus (BE) is the premalignant lesion for the majority of patients with esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, a cancer rapidly rising in incidence in the United States and western Europe. Endoscopic diagnosis of BE and neoplasia arising from within a BE segment continues to be a challenge and is typically dependent on random biopsies. Because of the focal and patchy nature of intestinal metaplasia and neoplasia, novel endoscopic approaches aimed at improving current screening and surveillance strategies have been explored. Narrow-band imaging (NBI) with or without magnification endoscopy is a new endoscopic technique that changes the optical filters of the current sequential lighting video endoscopes to spectral narrow-band filters. Use of a higher intensity of blue light with narrow-band filters allows detailed imaging of mucosal and vascular surface patterns with a high degree of resolution. Studies to date have yielded promising results for NBI alone or in combination with other advanced endoscopic techniques in the detection and surveillance of patients with BE.
Delineation of Aerodynamic Problems of Aircraft and Missiles With Wind Tunnel Tests

The early development of new aircraft and missile concepts has sometimes revealed unexpected aer odynamic problems. In some cases the problems are such that the aerodynamic requirements are not met. In other cases some unexpected behavior may lead to catastrophic stability and control problems. In such cases, wind tunnel tests have often been used to reveal the cause of the problem and lead to possible solutions. It is the purpose of this paper to describe some examples of aerodynamic problems of both aircraft and missiles that were resolved through the use of wind tunnel tests. The paper draws on the experience of the author who for over 60 years has been involved with the aerodynamic wind tunnel testing of aircraft and missiles with the NACA/NASA.
The Early Embryonic Development of Culiseta inornata (Diptera: Culicidae)

Early embryogenesis is described for the mosquito Culiseta inornata (Williston). When eggs are deposited they are in meiosis I. Within the 1st hour at 20±C, meiosis II occurs. A polar body rosette forms in the periplasm of the egg. Soon after meiosis II, the pronuclei fuse in the anterior third of the deutoplasm, and cleavage I takes place there. Each of the first 5 cleavages is synchronous. At 4 hours after deposition, more than 100 nuclei are in the periplasm of the egg. The pole cells are now evident. Six-hour-old eggs are preblastodermal. In 10-hr-old eggs, cleavage furrows are obvious, and many more nuclei populate the preblastodermal region. At 13 hours after deposition, a differentiated blastoderm forms.
Treatment of hereditary cephalalgia.

(1950). Treatment of Hereditary Cephalalgia. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 33-35.
Boosting Classification Based Speech Separation Using Temporal Dynamics.

Significant advances in speech separation have been made by formulating it as a classification problem, where the desired output is the ideal binary mask (IBM). Previous work does not explicitly model the correlation between neighboring time-frequency units and standard binary classifiers are used. As one of the most important characteristics of speech signal is its temporal dynamics, the IBM contains highly structured, instead of, random patterns. In this study, we incorporate temporal dynamics into classification by employing structured output learning. In particular, we use linear-chain structured perceptrons to account for the interactions of neighboring labels in time. However, the performance of structured perceptrons largely depends on the linear separability of features. To address this problem, we employ pretrained deep neural networks to automatically learn effective feature functions for structured perceptrons. The experiments show that the proposed system significantly outperforms previous IBM estimation systems.
Photoelectronic Properties of a-Si1-xGex:H Films

We have achieved an important breakthrough in the deposition of a-Si1-xGex:H films by using a dual magnetron sputtering system in which the Si-H and Ge-H plasma phase interactions are spatially separated. The sputtered intrinsic films with approximately equal Si and Ge concentrations and with optical band gaps near 1.4 eV have photoconductivities greater than 10−7 (ohm-cm)−1 for a light flux of 1015 photons/cm2-s at 1.96 eV. We believe that the isolated plasmas combined with our ability to increase the hydrogen incorporation through increases in the H2 partial pressure are responsible for the improved photoconductivity relative to what has been achieved using other deposition techniques.
Nerve Transfers to Improve Upper Extremity Function

Brachial plexus and peripheral nerve injuries are devastating and despite surgical intervention functional outcomes can be disappointing. Nerve transfers have been developed to restore upper extremity function with encouraging results. In this chapter, the principles and techniques of commonly used nerve transfers for both brachial plexus and isolated nerve transfers are discussed. Specifically, the indications, surgical techniques, functional outcomes and postoperative rehabilitation protocols are detailed.
“Running Trains” and “Sexing-In”: The Functions of Sex Within Adolescent Gangs:

Gang members are exposed to unique sexual risks, yet little work has explored the influence of gang social norms. This study examines the functions and meanings of sex within gangs, with a specific focus on the ways in which sex is used to reinforce gang membership and norms, gender roles, and group cohesion. We conducted 58 semi-structured interviews with adolescent members of six gangs. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis and constant comparative method in MAXQDA. Sexual risk behaviors within gangs are upheld and reinforced through unspoken norms and expectations. These high-risk sexual practices increase group cohesion and reinforce gender norms and power differences. Despite the prevalence of such practices, many gang members felt regret and remorse over their participation but noted it was just part of “the life.” Our findings highlight the need for interventions to address the norms of the gang that reinforce sexual risk behavior.
Anomalous photovoltaic effect in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have been demonstrated to be highly successful photovoltaic materials yielding very-high-efficiency solar cells. We report the room temperature observation of an anomalous photovoltaic (APV) effect in lateral structure OIHP devices manifested by the device's open-circuit voltage (VOC) that is much larger than the bandgap of OIHPs. The persistent VOC is proportional to the electrode spacing, resembling that of ferroelectric photovoltaic devices. However, the APV effect in OIHP devices is not caused by ferroelectricity. The APV effect can be explained by the formation of tunneling junctions randomly dispersed in the polycrystalline films, which allows the accumulation of photovoltage at a macroscopic level. The formation of internal tunneling junctions as a result of ion migration is visualized with Kelvin probe force microscopy scanning. This observation points out a new avenue for the formation of large and continuously tunable VOC without being limited by the materials' bandgap.
Digital Parameter Estimation

This chapter is concerned with problems of parameter estimation using discrete-time and digitized samples-that is the received random process is converted into a sequence of digital numbers based on which parameter estimation is to be performed. As digital facilities have become dominant in the area of signal processing, such an approach is advantageous and timely. A parameter estimator will be called digital if it involves input quantization.
Coda: Transformative Encounters: Desiring Aliens and Hospitality in District 9

This final chapter considers Neill Blomkamp’s film District 9 for its commentary on human and non-human alien relationships. Returning to many of the issues raised in the previous chapters, this coda analyzes the overt biopolitical dimensions of the film and considers how desire works to challenge the violent machinations of the multinational security company, Multi-National United. It examines how the film’s protagonist gets caught up in logics of exclusion in his experience of becoming-alien and approaches a position of bare life, outside the protections of the community. Ultimately, the chapter concludes the project by arguing that new, creative modes of resisting neocolonial and capitalist violence will be needed in response to biopolitical regimes, and that such creativity might arise from different desires and other modes of affect.
Safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness of Bivalirudin: A systematic review

AIM To review the early and more recent studies of Bivalirudin, to assess the safety, effectiveness, and cost benefits of this drug. METHODS Literature search of MEDLINE and PubMed databases from 1990 to 2017 using keywords as "bivalirubin" and "angiomax", combined with the words "safety", "effectiveness", "efficiency", "side effects", "toxicity", "adverse effect", and "adverse drug reaction". RESULTS A total of 66 publications were reviewed. The changes in clinical practice and differences in clinical protocols make it difficult to do direct comparisons of studies among each other. However, most trials showed decreased bleeding complications with bivalirudin, although ischemic complications and mortality were mostly comparable, with some favor towards bivalirudin. CONCLUSION Bivalirudin and heparin are both acceptable options according to current ACA/AHA guidelines. Authors conclude however, that that due to bivalirudin safer bleeding profile, it should be the preferred medication for anticoagulation.
Statistical Exchange-Correlation in the Self-Consistent Field

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses statistical exchange-correlation in the self-consistent field. There are two sides to a self-consistent field calculation: the determination of the potential and the solution of Schrodinger's equation for the one-electron problem. The solution of Schrodinger's equation has fortunately advanced far enough through the application of the electronic digital computer so that it can be regarded for most purposes as being a standardized technique. The main point of the method of Gaspar, Kohn, and Sham is that they derive the approximate exchange correction from an approximate Hamiltonian for the system by varying the spin-orbitals to minimize the average value of this Hamiltonian for the ground state. The approximate Hamiltonian has many important and valuable features that are described in the chapter.
An analysis of exam room utilization in U.S. medical schools.

Examination room utilization in U.S. academic practices has not generally included clinical space used in the teaching of medicine. The lack of planning guidelines at some medical schools for examination room space may have them operating inefficiently by as much as 50 percent or 60 percent. Not having guidelines may be causing medical schools to commit valuable resources to develop unnecessary space. A survey of 126 U.S. medical schools determined their estimated maximum annual examination room visit capacity at 40 percent to 50 percent of their EMAERVC during the study period yet planned to add examination room capacity.
Die Haut als Atmungs- und Schutzorgan vom Spulwurm zum Menschen

Nun wollen wir aber mit dem Aufschneiden des Wurmes Ernst machen und setzen unser Messer an, nachdem wir ihn mit Chloroform getotet. Erst begegnet es starkem Widerstand, aber dann dringt es in weiches Gewebe ein und wir zogern einen Augenblick und sagen uns: „Jetzt haben wir die Haut durchschnitten. Also ein Wurm hat auch eine Haut; schlieslich ist das selbstverstandlich, denn alle Tiere haben eine Haut, sie mussen doch irgendwie nach ausen begrenzt sein, sonst fallen sie ja auseinander, genau wie eine Wurst eine Haut haben mus, um zusammenzuhalten. Doch halt, so ganz stimmt das doch nicht; ein abgehauteter Hase fallt auch nicht auseinander und es gibt auch Wurste ohne Haut.“ Nun, bleiben wir einmal bei der Wurst und ihrer Haut, die schon ihre Bedeutung hat. Wer in sudlichen Landern gereist ist, weis, das dort auch das Speisefett in eine Wursthaut eingenaht verkauft wird. Die Absicht dabei ist naturlich, es vor schnellem Verderben zu schutzen. Was heist das aber, Wurst oder Fett verdirbt? Nichts anderes, als das Bakterien hineingedrungen sind, jene unendlich kleinen Pilzchen, deren Myriaden uberall Open image in new window Abb. 22 Freszellen verschiedener Tiere mit dem Vertilgen von Bakterien beschaftigt. auf Nahrung lauern und angreifen, was nicht geschutzt ist.
Physical Contiguity of ‘The Concept’: The Concept of ‘Physical Contiguity’

It is an entity of nature, the human conceiver that emerges “the concept”. It might be conjectured that in order for a human conceiver to conceive a concept of “the concept”, as a subset of nature, first he must have a concept of nature with which to commence investigation into the nature of “the concept”. Second, the nature of “the concept” might be expected to be an emergence from the individuals’ concept of nature; in essence to reflect a concept of self that is necessarily evolved from life experience and perception as it is perceived to possess universal facets common both to all human life and experience with external agents; in combination defined as “nature”. The contiguity of identity, of self, of the external, amidst a continual flux, generation and regeneration, renewal of both internal and external physical elements underlines all cognition and consciousness. In this presentation a conceptual integration of the mental processes, in reference to conceptual identity of concepts, the concept and the physical, both the physiological body and the physical external – i.e. mind with matter, matter with mind – entails a physical contiguity, propagation of form by a means of physical proximity of the entity energy/matter as it entails and is entailed to “path”; “path” denotes and is interchangeable with the entity “memory”. A redefined scientific methodology, resembling methodologies related to the elucidations of cultural processes, traits and evolution, is valid only with strict reference in definition and study to relations, interrelations, the witness pair, as strictly relative; (space)/(the empirical volume) as a physically relative entity in which estimated physical totals are made of overlapping or distributed constituents as synergistic products of independently attributed individual physical volumes. Emerged/emerging conceptual structures reflect the emerging physical environment and are necessarily related structurally.
Eternal Vigilance: Politics, Race, and the Struggle for Educational Equity in a Central Texas Community.

AbstractThis article documents the emergence of a Mexican-American political consciousness in a Central Texas Community and the efforts to dismantle decades of inequitable, exclusionary educational...
The deubiquitinase ubiquitin–specific protease 20 is a positive modulator of myocardial β1-adrenergic receptor expression and signaling

Reversible ubiquitination of G protein–coupled receptors regulates their trafficking and signaling; whether deubiquitinases regulate myocardial β1-adrenergic receptors (β1ARs) is unknown. We report that ubiquitin-specific protease 20 (USP20) deubiquitinates and attenuates lysosomal trafficking of the β1AR. β1AR-induced phosphorylation of USP20 Ser-333 by protein kinase A-α (PKAα) was required for optimal USP20-mediated regulation of β1AR lysosomal trafficking. Both phosphomimetic (S333D) and phosphorylation-impaired (S333A) USP20 possess intrinsic deubiquitinase activity equivalent to WT activity. However, unlike USP20 WT and S333D, the S333A mutant associated poorly with the β1AR and failed to deubiquitinate the β1AR. USP20–KO mice showed normal baseline systolic function but impaired β1AR-induced contractility and relaxation. Dobutamine stimulation did not increase cAMP in USP20–KO left ventricles (LVs), whereas NKH477-induced adenylyl cyclase activity was equivalent to WT. The USP20 homolog USP33, which shares redundant roles with USP20, had no effect on β1AR ubiquitination, but USP33 was up-regulated in USP20–KO hearts suggesting compensatory regulation. Myocardial β1AR expression in USP20–KO was drastically reduced, whereas β2AR expression was maintained as determined by radioligand binding in LV sarcolemmal membranes. Phospho-USP20 was significantly increased in LVs of wildtype (WT) mice after a 1-week catecholamine infusion and a 2-week chronic pressure overload induced by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Phospho-USP20 was undetectable in β1AR KO mice subjected to TAC, suggesting a role for USP20 phosphorylation in cardiac response to pressure overload. We conclude that USP20 regulates β1AR signaling in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, β1AR-induced USP20 phosphorylation may serve as a feed-forward mechanism to stabilize β1AR expression and signaling during pathological insults to the myocardium.
Mucus matters: Ferrets demonstrate sustained fibrosis and mucociliary decrement following bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis

Intro: A gain-of-function promoter variant for MUC5B is the strongest risk factor for the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); yet, the role of MUC5B in IPF pathogenesis is unknown. Ferrets and humans have a similar distribution of MUC5B production in the lung. Obj: Determine if bleomycin(BL)-exposed ferrets develop features resembling IPF and elucidate the role of mucociliary clearance (MCC). Methods: BL (5U/kg) or saline control (SCt) was administered IT to ferrets. Fibrosis was assessed with μCT, hydroxyproline (Hyp), and SHG histology. Muc5B, a-SMA, acetylated tubulin and CCSP expression were assessed by IHC and IF. MC transport (MCT) and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was assessed ex-vivo using μOCT. MCC was assessed in vivo by SPECT/CT imaging of Tc99-DTPA. Results: Apparent at 2wks, ground-glass opacities persisted through 6wks on μCT. Volumetric μCT analysis revealed increased fibrosis in BL lungs (increased 18.1±2.2% vs -0.8±0.8% in SCt, P Conclusion: BL-exposed ferrets exhibit features of IPF not seen in rodents: FF, mucin-rich honeycomb cysts, bronchiolized distal airspaces, and sustained fibrosis associated with aberrant MCT.
Economic burden and healthcare utilization in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

In the United States (US), the shift in the treatment paradigm following the introduction of second generation direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has favorably transformed the landscape of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) with a rapid decline in HCV-related liver transplantation; HCV had been the leading indication for liver transplantation for the last two decades (1). While the rate of liver transplantation in patients with HCV infection has plummeted in the US following the widespread application of DAA-based regimens in the pre-transplant setting, the rise in alcohol use disorder and obesity has catapulted alcoholic liver disease (ALD) to become the leading indication for liver transplantation in the US in 2016 followed closely by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a progressive subset of nonalcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) (1). Despite the decline in HCV-related liver transplantation in the US, the total number of liver transplants per year are on an upward trajectory as a result of marked increase in ESLD associated with ALD and NASH—an ominous trend.
Open Educational Resources: A Literature Review

The open educational resources (OER) movement is an emerging trend in higher education contexts, primarily due to the ubiquitous use of technology and access to the internet. This literature review focuses on the concept of OER, its essential definitions, its potential benefits, its open nature, and various aspects of adoption. The research findings indicate that the OER movement has not expanded fully into educational sectors, and the level of faculty and student awareness is quite low. The research also reveals that the current status of OER adoption in educational sectors is minimal. Additionally, OER adoption has encountered several obstacles; potential users have difficulty finding the proper OER materials, and there are quality control issues with resources. However, students saved a significant amount of money when OER replaced traditional textbooks. Many critical issues related to OER adoption must be resolved, and others may arise as more faculty and students begin to use these resources.
Adolescent Sexual Initiation: A Cross-Classified Multilevel Analysis of Peer Group-, School-, and Neighborhood-Level Influences

Abstract Purpose This study examines the simultaneous roles of neighborhood, school, and peer group contexts on variation in age of U.S. adolescent sexual initiation (coitarche). All three contexts have been shown to be important determinants of adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes but are typically examined separately, leaving a large gap in our understanding of their relative and joint importance. Furthermore, little is known about whether these contexts matter differently for boys and girls. Methods Using sociocentric network data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we combine gender-stratified analyses, social network community detection (to identify teens' social cliques), and cross-classified multilevel modeling to simultaneously analyze gender, neighborhood, school, and peer group effects. These results are compared against results from traditional multilevel models (MLMs), which analyze the contexts individually. Results Evaluated separately in MLM, peer groups accounted for 6.79% of the total variation in coitarche, schools for 3.56%, and neighborhoods for 4.11%. Under simultaneous cross-classified multilevel modeling analysis, a different story emerges: peer groups and schools accounted for 3.66% and 3.19% of the total variation in coitarche, respectively, whereas neighborhood explained only 1.16% of the total variation. Stratified analyses indicate that gender modifies these associations. Conclusions Results demonstrate that omitting any one of these contexts may lead to an overestimation of the importance of contexts included in models. When modeled simultaneously with neighborhoods, our findings suggest that peer groups and schools are meaningful contributing contexts to the variance in sexual initiation, and that these contexts matter differently for boys and girls.
Rational Points on the Number Line.

IT IS now fashionable for eighth-grade mathematics texts to include a chapter on intuitive geometry before the chapter in which rational numbers are assigned points on a number line, but the geometry is seldom brought to bear upon the latter problem. The reason is probably that the usual construction is difficult for eighth graders. Recall that it involves dividing a segment into some integral number of equal parts. For three parts it goes like this: Let ~?B be a segment on line ra (fig. 1). Construct any line I 9* m through A. Using any fixed compass setting, construct points C, D, and E on I so that AC =CD = DE. Connect E to B. Then construct segments CF and DG parallel to . By the transversal theorem, AF = FG = GB.
Fragments of Relatedness: Writing, Archiving, and the Vicissitudes of Kinship

This article considers an archive of letters written by three generations of female kin as offering a form for thinking about the nature of kin relations. It tells the story of how the archive came...
Spectroscopic Assessment of Intra- and Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding in Ether-Functionalized Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

Functionalization of the imidazolium (Im+) cationic component of ionic liquids (ILs) with ether chains affords the possibility of tuning their properties through manipulation of the resulting inter...
Using proximity biotinylation to detect herpesvirus entry glycoprotein interactions: Limitations for integral membrane glycoproteins

Herpesvirus entry into cells requires coordinated interactions among several viral transmembrane glycoproteins. Viral glycoproteins bind to receptors and interact with other glycoproteins to trigger virus-cell membrane fusion. Details of these glycoprotein interactions are not well understood because they are likely transient and/or low affinity. Proximity biotinylation is a promising protein-protein interaction assay that can capture transient interactions in live cells. One protein is linked to a biotin ligase and a second protein is linked to a short specific acceptor peptide (AP). If the two proteins interact, the ligase will biotinylate the AP, without requiring a sustained interaction. To examine herpesvirus glycoprotein interactions, the ligase and AP were linked to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) gD and Epstein Barr virus (EBV) gB. Interactions between monomers of these oligomeric proteins (homotypic interactions) served as positive controls to demonstrate assay sensitivity. Heterotypic combinations served as negative controls to determine assay specificity, since HSV1 gD and EBV gB do not interact functionally. Positive controls showed strong biotinylation, indicating that viral glycoprotein proximity can be detected. Unexpectedly, the negative controls also showed biotinylation. These results demonstrate the special circumstances that must be considered when examining interactions among glycosylated proteins that are constrained within a membrane.
Subtle ocular movements in a patient with brain death

Introduction and Case Presentation: Brain death can be associated with limb movements that are attributed to spinal reflexes. Although head/face movements have been rarely reported, no case of overt eye movements in brain death has been documented. We report a case of a patient with subtle eye movements whose exam was otherwise consistent with brain death. The presence of eye movements delayed pronouncing the patient as brain dead and delayed organ donation. We agree with American Academy of Neurology Position statement from 2019 that brain death does not mean demise of every neuron. Discussion: This case raises important questions about the types of movements that should be "allowed" during the determination of brain death to avoid delays in diagnosis.
DOT1L methyltransferase regulates the calcium influx in erythroid progenitor cells in response to erythropoietin

ABSTRACT Erythropoietin (EPO) signaling plays a vital role in erythropoiesis by regulating proliferation and lineage-specific differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. An important downstream response of EPO signaling is calcium influx, which is regulated by transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) proteins, particularly TRPC2 and TRPC6. While EPO induces Ca2+influx through TRPC2, TRPC6 inhibits the function of TRPC2. Thus, interactions between TRPC2 and TRPC6 regulate the rate of Ca2+influx in EPO-induced erythropoiesis. In this study, we observed that the expression of TRPC6 in c-KIT positive erythroid progenitor cells is regulated by DOT1L. DOT1L is a methyltransferase that plays an important role in many biological processes during embryonic development, including early erythropoiesis. We previously reported that Dot1L knockout (Dot1L-KO) hematopoietic progenitors in the yolk sac failed to develop properly, which resulted in lethal anemia. In this study, we have detected a marked downregulation of Trpc6 gene expression in Dot1L-KO progenitor cells in the yolk sac compared to wildtype. However, the expression of Trpc2, the positive regulator of Ca2+influx, remained unchanged. The promoter and the proximal region of the Trpc6 gene loci exhibited an enrichment of H3K79 methylation, which is mediated solely by DOT1L. As the loss of DOT1L affects the expression of TRPC6, which inhibits Ca2+influx by TRPC2, Dot1L-KO progenitor cells in the yolk sac exhibit accelerated and sustained high levels of Ca2+influx. Such heightened Ca2+ levels might have detrimental effects on the development of hematopoietic progenitor cells in response to erythropoietin.
What are the drivers of diplomacy? Introducing and testing new annual dyadic data measuring diplomatic exchange:

This article introduces a new dyadic dataset measuring formal diplomatic relations. These data were coded from the Europa World Yearbook annually from 1960 to 2013 for 18,317 unique country dyads, ...
Non-modal sonorants in Hakha Lai

Phonemic non-modal sonorants are both typologically rare and prone to diachronic loss crosslinguistically, but are robustly attested and diachronically stable in subgroups of Tibeto-Burman (TB) such as Kuki-Chin (KC). KC is a cluster of appr. 50 related languages spoken in Chin State in western Burma/Myanmar and by a large refugee community in Indiana. Chin languages generally contain rich phonetic inventories replete with 3-way laryngeal stop contrasts (e.g., /t th d/), lateral affricates (/tl, tlh/), and modal/non-modal sonorant pairs (most commonly /m m °, n n °, η η °, l l °, r r °/). Extant phonetic investigation ofnon-modal sonorants—in KC and beyond—is limited, and often focuses exclusively on the nasals, but recent data suggest highly variable phonetic instantiation across languages, speakers, and contexts that may involve true voicelessness, slack or breathy voicing, and pre- or post-aspiration. The current study presents acoustic analysis of the full suite of modal and non-modal sonorants in Hakha Chin. Data are from six native speakers (three female) now living in Indiana. A variety of temporal and spectral measures are reported in order to provide a more nuanced understanding of the degree and type of variation observed in production of these sounds.
Older Patients More Accurately Predict Pain Tolerance After Lumbar Spine Fusion Compared with Their Younger Peers.

OBJECTIVE Patients undergoing spine surgery often inaccurately estimate their pain tolerance and postoperative analgesic requirement. We sought to identify an association between patients' self-perceived pain tolerance and postoperative opioid consumption (POC). METHODS We included adult patients undergoing elective lumbar spine decompression and fusion between 2014 and 2018. Patients with cognitive delay, psychiatric comorbidities, and perioperative complications were excluded. Demographic data, mean daily postoperative morphine milligram equivalents (MME), and pain tolerance scores were recorded. RESULTS Eighty-four patients met inclusion criteria. The median pain tolerance score was 8, which was used to defined a cutoff for high (≥8) and low (<8) pain tolerance. The average preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) pain score was higher in the high pain tolerance group (μ = 5.3) compared with the low pain tolerance group (μ = 4.0) (P = 0.01). Multivariate regression revealed pain tolerance was not predictive of mean daily postoperative MME use (P = 0.19). Age and preoperative VAS pain score were found to be negative (P < 0.0001) and positive (P = 0.027) independent predictors, respectively, of mean postoperative MME use. Patients 61 years and younger who reported high pain tolerance had higher POC compared with patients older than 61 years of age, who reported low (P = 0.036) pain tolerance. CONCLUSIONS Self-perceived pain tolerance does not appear to predict POC, while younger age and higher preoperative VAS pain scores are related to increased POC. Younger patients who report high pain tolerance appear to consume higher levels of opioids compared with older patients.
Party Messaging in the U.S. House of Representatives

Both Congressional parties compete to promote their own reputations while damaging the opposition party’s brand. This behavior affects both policy-making agendas and the party members’ communicatio...
Lysis-Hi-C as a method to study polymicrobial communities and eDNA

Microbes interact in natural communities in a spatially structured manner, particularly in biofilms and polymicrobial infections. While next generation sequencing approaches provide powerful insights into diversity, metabolic capacity, and mutational profiles of these communities, they generally fail to recover in situ spatial proximity between distinct genotypes in the interactome. Hi-C is a promising method that has assisted in analysing complex microbiomes, by creating chromatin cross-links in cells, that aid in identifying adjacent DNA, to improve de novo assembly. This study explored a modified Hi-C approach involving an initial lysis phase prior to DNA cross-linking, to test whether adjacent cell chromatin can be cross-linked, anticipating that this could provide a new avenue for study of spatial-mutational dynamics in structured microbial communities. An artificial polymicrobial mixture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli was lysed for 1-18 h, then prepared for Hi-C. A murine biofilm infection model was treated with sonication, mechanical lysis, or chemical lysis before Hi-C. Bioinformatic analyses of resulting Hi-C interspecies chromatin links showed that while microbial species differed from one another, generally lysis significantly increased links between species and increased the distance of Hi-C links within species, while also increasing novel plasmid-chromosome links. The success of this modified lysis-Hi-C protocol in creating extracellular DNA links is a promising first step toward a new lysis-Hi-C based method to recover genotypic microgeography in polymicrobial communities, with potential future applications in diseases with localized resistance, such as cystic fibrosis lung infections and chronic diabetic ulcers.
Artificial Intelligence Caselets

This set of caselets gets to the heart of the ethical issues embedded within the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced forms of automation technology in the workplace. Employee surveillance, customer privacy, replacing workers with machines and programs, using new data-mining techniques in the hiring process, and more—the multilayered dilemmas these new opportunities present increasingly require managers' careful consideration and innovative leadership, for the "future of work" we've long predicted is rapidly becoming our present reality. Each caselet pushes managers to a nuanced and complicated consideration of human creativity, ingenuity, and need, both in tandem with and against AI's rapidity, efficiency, and precision. The caselets are short—no longer than three paragraphs. When taught together, they provide managers with a strong sense of the interconnectedness, difficulty, and urgency of the technological decisions they inevitably will have to make for the sake of their stakeholders. Excerpt UVA-E-0437 Apr. 16, 2020 Artificial Intelligence Caselets Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Downsize You are a manager at an insurance company. Based on the latest pitch from a consultancy that specializes in AI applications, you learn that you can save time and money and significantly boost productivity by replacing an entire department in your company—including every person in that department's existing workforce—with an AI system. You see clear advantages in making this change. Given the large amounts of data that your company possesses on your insured risks and their multifaceted drivers, this is a natural application for an AI system. Preliminary tests reveal the potential for large savings; and you can see that your competitors may soon adopt similar systems, putting you at a competitive disadvantage if you do not move first. However, because this strategy's risks are still largely unknown, you are concerned about being the first one in your industry to make a major move in this direction. You also are worried that your current employees will inevitably feel threatened and that this may pit them against you, each other, and the firm at large—even if only subconsciously—cancelling out the purported benefits of adopting the technology. . . .
Leukotriene D4 Upregulates Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor 1 and CD36 to Enhance Oxidized LDL Uptake and Phagocytosis in Macrophages Through Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor 1

Endothelial permeability, leukocyte attachment and unregulated oxidized LDL (oxLDL) uptake by macrophages leading to the formation of foam cells are vital in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. During inflammation, several inflammatory mediators regulate this process through the expression of distinct oxLDL binding cell surface receptors on macrophages. We have shown earlier that Leukotriene D4 (LTD4) promotes endothelial dysfunction, increasing endothelial permeability and enhance TNFα-mediated attachment of monocytes to endothelium, hinting its possible role in atherosclerosis. Here we analyzed the effect of Leukotriene D4 (LTD4) on macrophage function. Macrophages mainly express CysLT1R and flux calcium in response to LTD4. Further, LTD4 potentiates phagocytosis in macrophages as revealed by the uptake of zymosan particles. Notably, LTD4 augmented macrophage phagocytosis and ox-LDL uptake that is sensitive to MK-571 (MK), a CysLT1R-specific antagonist. Mechanistically, LTD4 upregulated two receptors central to foam cell formation, oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (OLR1/LOX-1) and CD36 in a time and dose-dependent manner. Finally, LTD4 enhanced the secretion of chemokines MCP-1 and MIP1β. Our results suggest that LTD4 contributes to atherosclerosis either through driving foam cell formation or recruitment of immune cells or both. CysLT1R antagonists are safely being used in the treatment of asthma and the findings from the current study suggest that these can be re-purposed for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
Complementary methodologies to identify specific agrobacterium strains.

Abstract Serological techniques and restriction enzyme cleavage patterns of total DNA were used to differentiate strains of Agrobacterium spp. Forty-five wild-type and plasmid-cured Agrobacterium strains were tested by immunodiffusion and immunofluorescence against polyclonal antisera to a crude ribosome preparation from Agrobacterium strains K84, U11, B6, A323, NT1, and C58. In immunodiffusion gels, these antisera reacted only with water-phenol extracts of the homologous strain, producing a single, strain-specific precipitin line. In contrast, when the same antisera were used in immunofluorescence staining, cross-reactions occurred with a limited number of heterologous Agrobacterium strains. However, the cross-reacting heterologous cells fluoresced generally less brightly than the homologous cells. When the EcoRI-digested DNA profiles from the same Agrobacterium strains were compared, 34 distinct cleavage patterns were observed. The DNA profiles were the same for all strains sharing a common chromosomal background and correlated with the strain-specific serological reaction. The presence or absence of plasmid DNA did not alter the strain-specific serological reaction or the DNA cleavage patterns. Both the serological reaction and the restriction enzyme digestion of total DNA were complementary to each other. These methods were used successfully to identify A. radiobacter K84 strains which were recovered 6 months after being inoculated to young trees in the field.
Social Media -- Legal Ramifications

Online social networks have occupied rather important position in our personal and professional lives. Every action by the social media user has a legal ramification both to the user and the social media platform provider. This paper attempts to outline the intellectual property and privacy concerns, the key legal issues that arise in the social media context and the liability of the social medial networking sites in such cases.
Immunological studies of the luteinizing hormone. II. Comparative study of antigenic compounds.

Comparison of the antigenic compounds in luteinizing hormone preparations of ovine, bovine, equine, and human origin was made using a hyperimmune rabbit antiserum to ovine luteinizing hormone. Methods involving agar double diffusion and immunoelectrophoresis revealed more precipitin lines in the ovine and bovine preparations than in those of either human or equine origin. The lines of the ovine and bovine hormones were fairly well balanced in electrophoretic mobility and similar to each other in appearance, whereas the lines of the equine and human hormones were predominantly anodic and differed in appearance from those of ovine and bovine preparations. The hemagglutination inhibition method showed that larger quantities of human and equine hormones than of ovine and bovine hormones were needed to inhibit the interaction between the hyperimmune antiserum and its homologous hormone. There was no correlation between the results of these tests and biological potency. Contamination with follicle-stimulating hormone was demonstrated by immunoprecipitation tests in all five hormone preparations, suggesting a lack of species specificity for this hormone and pointing to the clear antigenic dissimilarity between luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormones. Contamination with thyroid-stimulating hormone was demonstrated serologically only in the extracts of ovine and bovine glands. The ovine, bovine, and equine preparations of luteinizing hormone contained antigenic components which overlapped3 with pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin, and the existence of a component in ovine, bovine, and human extracts which overlapped with human chorionic gonadotropin was also established.
The effect of VRLA separator saturation on EV battery life

Field and experimental data are used to describe the relationship between the estimated initial separator saturation of VRLA traction batteries and the susceptibility of an EV battery pack to failure under shallow discharge conditions in climates such as that encountered in the southeastern United States. Arguments are made in support of the theory that low or reduced separator saturation leads to escalating oxygen recombination rates in VRLA, which in turn elevates the pack operating temperature and results in increased corrosion and electrolyte dryout. A method to estimate the charge acceptance based on thermal data is also described.