cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing genomic prediction with genome-wide association studies in multiparental maize populations

Genome-wide association mapping using dense marker sets has identified some nucleotide variants affecting complex traits that have been validated with fine-mapping and functional analysis. However, many sequence variants associated with complex traits in maize have small effects and low repeatability. In contrast to genome-wide association study (GWAS), genomic prediction (GP) is typically based on models incorporating information from all available markers, rather than modeling effects of individual loci. We considered methods to integrate results of GWASs into GP models in the context of multiple interconnected families. We compared association tests based on a biallelic additive model constraining the effect of a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to be equal across all families in which it segregates to a model in which the effect of a SNP can vary across families. Association SNPs were then included as fixed effects into a GP model that also included the random effects of the whole genome background. Simulation studies revealed that the effectiveness of this joint approach depends on the extent of polygenicity of the traits. Congruent with this finding, cross-validation studies indicated that GP including the fixed effects of the most significantly associated SNPs along with the polygenic background was more accurate than the polygenic background model alone for moderately complex but not highly polygenic traits measured in the maize nested association mapping population. Individual SNPs with strong and robust association signals can effectively improve GP. Our approach provides a new integrative modeling approach for both reliable gene discovery and robust GP.
Strain-Release Heteroatom Functionalization: Development, Scope, and Stereospecificity

Driven by the ever-increasing pace of drug discovery and the need to push the boundaries of unexplored chemical space, medicinal chemists are routinely turning to unusual strained bioisosteres such as bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, azetidine, and cyclobutane to modify their lead compounds. Too often, however, the difficulty of installing these fragments surpasses the challenges posed even by the construction of the parent drug scaffold. This full account describes the development and application of a general strategy where spring-loaded, strained C–C and C–N bonds react with amines to allow for the “any-stage” installation of small, strained ring systems. In addition to the functionalization of small building blocks and late-stage intermediates, the methodology has been applied to bioconjugation and peptide labeling. For the first time, the stereospecific strain-release “cyclopentylation” of amines, alcohols, thiols, carboxylic acids, and other heteroatoms is introduced. This report describes the development, syn...
Characterization of Adipogenic Activity of House Dust Extracts and Semi-Volatile Indoor Contaminants in 3T3-L1 Cells

Obesity and metabolic disorders are of great societal concern and generate significant human health care costs. Recently, attention has focused on the potential for environmental contaminants to act as metabolic disruptors. This study sought to evaluate the adipogenic activity of indoor house dust extracts and a suite of semivolatile organic chemicals (SVOCs) that are often ubiquitously detected in indoor environments. 3T3-L1 cells were exposed to extracts of indoor dust or individual SVOCs and assessed for triglyceride accumulation and preadipocyte proliferation. Ten of 11 house dust extracts exhibited significant triglyceride accumulation and/or proliferation at environmentally relevant levels (<20 μg of dust/well), and significant adipogenic activity was also exhibited by 28 of the SVOCs. Notably, pyraclostrobin, dibutyl phthalate, tert-butyl-phenyl diphenyl phosphate, and the isopropylated triaryl phosphates (ITPs) exhibited near maximal or supra-maximal triglyceride accumulation relative to the rosiglitazone-induced maximum. The adipogenic activity in house dust occurred at concentrations below EPA estimated child exposure levels, and raises concerns for human health impacts, particularly in children. Our results delineate a novel potential health threat and identify putative causative SVOCs that are likely contributing to this activity.
204 PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT: CHRONIC PAIN MANAGEMENT IN METLAKATLA, ALASKA.

Purpose The treatment of chronic pain is complex and challenging. Narcotic medications are a safe and effective method for managing pain; however, it is necessary to closely monitor their use. The Pain Management Program in Metlakatla, AK, allows for careful monitoring of prescribed medications. Chronic pain patients meet regularly with their doctor to discuss treatment plans. However, physicians felt that the pain management protocols could be improved. Methods Chronic pain management was researched using Medline and pain management programs from other institutions were reviewed. The local program was critically reviewed. Chronic pain patients were asked about their understanding of the purpose of the program. They were also asked to discuss the efficacy of the program and comment on their personal treatment plan. Results Suggested modifications included the development of a chronic pain log and a patient brochure. The chronic pain log facilitates an objective review of the patient9s pain symptoms and treatment plan. It also establishes a way to track the efficacy of the treatment plan over an extended period of time. The patient brochure includes information about chronic pain, the purpose of the program, possible side effects of pain medication, and references to resources on chronic pain. Conclusion Improvements to the Pain Management Program were implemented to efficiently and effectively treat chronic pain. Including patient input in the reevaluation of health care programs increases the benefit and applicability of the implemented changes. Evaluation of this protocol can reveal if the strategies improved patient and provider satisfaction with the overall Pain Management Program.
Metonymy in human interaction

Human communication is based on mutual interaction between participants. Much of this communication is linguistic in nature. Language is structured by grammar and grammar is inherently metonymic ( Langacker 2009 ). Thus, language and interaction must be metonymic. In this article, I explore the metonymic basis of human interaction in both its linguistic and non-linguistic aspects. First, I make a distinction between linguistic and cultural metonymy. Both have a conceptual basis. The former, extensively studied from the view of cognitive linguistics, has a linguistic source. The latter, found in fields as diverse as art, theater, and film, does not necessarily have a linguistic source. The broader concept of cultural metonymy seems to structure human interaction. Second, I delineate distinguishing factors between the two types of metonymies. Those are the nature of the source and the (mis)match in the intentionality of producer and perceiver. Third, I make an overview and provide real examples of what aspects of human interaction are metonymic. Its elements, including the content of the message, the identity, proxemics, and kinesics of the participants, and the context of the interaction, can be metonymic. Its processes, namely those of language production and reception, are as well inherently metonymic. Overall, I show that metonymy, understood as relatedness or association, pervades human interaction and plays an important role in its success.
A Tandem Active Site Model for the Ribosomal Helicase

During protein synthesis, the messenger RNA (mRNA) helicase activity of the ribosome ensures that codons are made single stranded before decoding. Here, based on recent structural and functional findings, a quantitative model is presented for a tandem arrangement of two helicase active sites on the ribosome. A distal site encounters mRNA structures first, one elongation cycle earlier than a proximal site. Although unwinding of encountered mRNA structures past the proximal site is required for translocation, two routes exist for translocation past the distal site: sliding, which requires unwinding, and stick-slip, which does not. The model accounts in detail for a number of findings related to the ribosomal helicase and provides a testable framework to further study mRNA unwinding.
Developmental manganese, lead, and barren cage exposure have adverse long-term neurocognitive, behavioral and monoamine effects in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Abstract Developmental stress, including low socioeconomic status (SES), can induce dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and result in long-term changes in stress reactivity. Children in lower SES households experience more stress and are more likely to be exposed to environmental neurotoxins such as lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) than children in higher SES households. Co-exposure to stress, Pb, and Mn during early development may increase the risk of central nervous system dysfunction compared with unexposed children. To investigate the potential interaction of these factors, Sprague-Dawley rats were bred, and litters born in-house were culled on postnatal day (P)1 to 6 males and 6 females. One male and female within each litter were assigned to one of the following groups: 0 (vehicle), 10 mg/kg Pb, 100 mg/kg Mn, or 10 mg/kg Pb + 100 mg/kg Mn (Pb Mn), water gavage, and handled only from P4–28 with half the litters reared in cages with standard bedding (29 litters) and half with no bedding (Barren; 27 litters). Mn and Pb Mn groups had decreased anxiety, reduced acoustic startle, initial open-field hypoactivity, increased activity following (+)-methamphetamine, deficits in egocentric learning in the Cincinnati water maze (CWM), and deficits in latent inhibition conditioning. Pb increased anxiety and reduced open-field activity. Barren-reared rats had decreased anxiety, CWM deficits, increased startle, and initial open-field hyperactivity. Mn, Pb Mn, Pb Barren-reared groups had impaired Morris water maze performance. Pb altered neostriatal serotonin and norepinephrine, Mn increased hippocampal serotonin in males, Mn + Barren-rearing increased neostriatal serotonin, and Barren-rearing decreased neostriatal dopamine in males. At the doses used here, most effects were in the Mn and Pb Mn groups. Few interactions between Mn, Pb, and rearing stress were found, indicating that the interaction of these three variables is not as impactful as hypothesized.
A gesture interface game for energy consumption awareness

Decreasing the energy consumption is an important goal for environmental sustainability. This paper describes MAID (Motion-based Ambient Interactive Display), an interactive public ambient display system, driven to motivate behavior changes regarding domestic energy consumption, through a persuasive game interface based on gesture recognition technology. The developed prototype guides players through the different rooms of a house, where they have to find out what is wrong and practice the correct actions to save energy, using similar gestures to the ones they would use in the real world to achieve the same goals. The system provides feedback regarding the consequences of each action. The paper also describes and presents the results of a user evaluation study performed during an open day event, attended by 6000 high school students, at our University Campus.
Simple Elections I

The simplest form of election is where there are a number of candidates for office, and one is to be elected. There is a well-defined set of voters—the electorate —and each voter casts one vote. The votes are then counted. We shall refer to such an election as a simple election .
Optimizing Patient Access During an Emergency While Using Intraoperative Computed Tomography.

Background As minimally invasive spine surgery evolves, spine surgeons increasingly rely on advanced intraoperative computed tomography (iCT). iCT provides rapid acquisition of high-resolution images, reduces radiation exposure, improves surgical accuracy, and decreases operative time. However, all iCT systems currently available pose a patient safety risk as their physical space requirements limit patient access in the event of an emergency, particularly when patients are in the prone position. After a near-cardiac arrest at our institution during posterior cervical spine surgery, it was apparent that the presence of the iCT complicated the ability to rapidly reposition the patient in order to provide appropriate resuscitation. Methods To ensure our ability to provide timely care during an emergency, we determined that a process which included all members of the operating room (OR) team was required. We held an initial planning meeting where a detailed plan-of-action was created, reviewed, and revised in response to feedback from all stakeholders. We then simulated a cardiac arrest to test our resuscitation plan with all members of the neurosurgery team. A mannequin was positioned prone on an OR table within the iCT, and a resuscitation plan was created. Results The team orchestrated the mock resuscitation, and the time of cardiac arrest in the prone position to supine repositioning required 110 seconds. The simulation was recorded for post-“code” performance review. Application of the protocol during an actual cardiac arrest was associated with successful restoration of spontaneous circulation and full recovery. Conclusions The development and rehearsal of an emergency plan of action greatly facilitated the timely responsiveness of the neurosurgical OR team during a simulated cardiac arrest and was an effective way to identify and address key logistical issues regarding the use of an iCT system.
Selective recovery of indium via continuous counter-current foam separation from sulfuric acid solutions I - Application of anionic organophosphate surfactant as metal collector

Abstract Continuous counter-current foam separation (CCFS) with simultaneous injections of metal and surfactant solutions respectively into rising foam bed was applied to In(III) recovery from sulfuric acid solutions containing ternary metal ions of In/Cu/Zn. Through the screening tests of the surfactants in both conventional batch foam separation and CCFS, anionic organophosphate surfactant which has similar structure to phosphoric acid extractant (D2EHPA) was selected as the metal collector, with an addition of a nonionic co-surfactant as the foam stabilizer. The optimized surfactant combination was shown anionic A219B/nonionic POOE20 in this study; the complete recovery of In(III) was attained with the enrichment ratio of 5.5, whereas those of the other metals were suppressed in trace level, resulting in the excellent selective recovery. Moreover, metal solutions of quaternary In/Fe/Cu/Zn were also examined, and a dose of reductant for interfering Fe(III) into the metal solution was executed for improving the separation efficiency; the dose of ascorbic acid could invert the affinity order of A219B from Fe > In to In > Fe. The percent recovery and enrichment ratio of In(III) were 97% and 5.5, while the separation factors of In/Fe, In/Cu and In/Zn were 93, 1300 and 1300 respectively. This is our first favorable case for expanding the choice range of target metal ions in CCFS using anionic surfactants.
A factorization for orthogonally additive operators on Banach lattices

Abstract Factorizations for certain orthogonally additive monotone operators on a Banach lattice E are provided. Given such an operator T, it shown that T can be expressed as L composed with S where L is linear and S, though not necessarily linear, is related to an orthomorphism. In various settings, this factorization is valid on the cone of a E or of a sublattice of E. The nature of the generalized orthomorphisms are related to operators that are pointwise or locally determined when E is viewed as a space of extended real-valued functions.
Tuning Stacking Interactions between Asp-Arg Salt Bridges and Heterocyclic Drug Fragments.

Stacking interactions can play an integral role in the strength and selectivity of protein–drug binding and are of particular interest given the ubiquity and variety of heterocyclic fragments in drugs. In addition to traditional stacking interactions between aromatic rings, stacking interactions involving heterocyclic drug fragments and protein salt bridges have also been observed. These “salt-bridge stacking interactions” can be quite strong but are not well understood. We studied stacked dimers of the acetate···guanidinium ion pair with a diverse set of 63 heterocycles using robust ab initio methods. The computed interaction energies span more than 10 kcal mol–1, indicating the sensitivity of these salt-bridge stacking interactions to heterocycle features. Trends in both the strength and preferred geometry of these interactions can be understood through analyses of the electrostatic potentials and electric fields above the heterocycles. We have developed new heterocycle descriptors that quantify these e...
Transitions across tobacco use profiles among adolescents: results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study waves 1 and 2

Background and aims To estimate progression to polytobacco use (PTU) over 1 year among a sample of US youth. Design Prospective survey with two waves 1 year apart: wave 1 (2013-14) and wave 2 (2014-15). We conducted latent transition analysis (LTA) to identify latent class transitions and examine socio-demographic predictors of transition types. Setting United States. Participants A total of 11, 996 people who were aged 12-17 years at wave 1. Measurements Publicly available data were used from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, a nationally representative sample of US civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 12 years and older. Tobacco use status was assessed and classified in terms of: never use, non-current (not in the past 30 days) and current (past 30-day) use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, hookah and smokeless tobacco. Other nicotine products were excluded because rates of use were either too low to model (e.g. pipe) or the product was not assessed in the PATH youth sample (e.g. nicotine replacement products). Findings We identified three distinct patterns: class 1, non-use (wave 1 prevalence = 86%; wave 2 prevalence = 78%); class 2, ever use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes (wave 1 prevalence = 11%; wave 2 prevalence = 14%); and class 3, current PTU (wave 1 prevalence = 4%; wave 2 prevalence = 7%). Probability of progression from non-use to ever use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes was 0.06 and ever use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes to current PTU was 0.32. Non-users were more likely to transition to ever use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes if they were older (versus younger), white (versus non-white) or if their parental education level was high school or less (versus more than high school); and ever users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes to current PTU if they were older, male or white. Conclusions US youth who had previously tried e-cigarettes and cigarettes at wave 1 (2013-14) had a 32% chance of transitioning to current use of two or more tobacco products within 1 year.
Decentralized Visual-Inertial Localization and Mapping on Mobile Devices for Augmented Reality

In this paper, we present a novel approach to shared augmented reality (AR) for mobile devices operating in the same area that does not rely on cloud computing. In particular, each user’s device processes the visual and inertial data received from its sensors and almost immediately broadcasts a partial feature map of its surroundings. In parallel, every device localizes against the broadcasted maps by employing feature observations to determine its 4-DOF transformation to each of the gravity-aligned maps. By doing so, virtual content placed by any of the users is quickly and accurately displayed in all other users’ views. Furthermore, to reduce the effect of inconsistency introduced by relocalizing against incrementally created and updated maps, their transformations w.r.t. the device are modeled as random processes driven by white noise instead of constant, unknown parameters. Lastly, we assess the accuracy of our approach for the case of two users in a room-scale environment against VICON ground-truth.
Analysis of Medical Data Using Community Detection on Inferred Networks

Performing network-based analysis on medical and biological data makes a wide variety of machine learning tools available. Clustering, which can be used for classification, presents opportunities for identifying hard-to-reach groups for the development of customized health interventions. Due to a desire to convert abundant DNA gene co-expression data into networks, many graph inference methods have been developed. Likewise there are many clustering and classification tools. This paper presents a comparison of techniques for graph inference and clustering, using different numbers of features, in order to select the best tuple of graph inference method, clustering method, and number of features according to a particular phenotype. An extensive machine learning based analysis of the REGARDS dataset is conducted, evaluating the CoNet and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) network inference methods, along with the Louvain, Leiden and NBR-Clust clustering techniques. Results from analysis involving five internal cluster evaluation indices show the traditional KNN inference method and NBR-Clust and Louvain clustering produce the most promising clusters with medical phenotype data. It is also shown that visualization can aid in interpreting the clusters, and that the clusters produced can identify meaningful groups indicating customized interventions.
Changes in audiometric threshold and frequency selectivity correlate with cochlear histopathology in macaque monkeys with permanent noise-induced hearing loss.

Abstract Exposure to loud noise causes damage to the inner ear, including but not limited to outer and inner hair cells (OHCs and IHCs) and IHC ribbon synapses. This cochlear damage impairs auditory processing and increases audiometric thresholds (noise-induced hearing loss, NIHL). However, the exact relationship between the perceptual consequences of NIHL and its underlying cochlear pathology are poorly understood. This study used a nonhuman primate model of NIHL to relate changes in frequency selectivity and audiometric thresholds to indices of cochlear histopathology. Three macaques (one Macaca mulatta and two Macaca radiata) were trained to detect tones in quiet and in noises that were spectrally notched around the tone frequency. Audiograms were derived from tone thresholds in quiet; perceptual auditory filters were derived from tone thresholds in notched-noise maskers using the rounded-exponential fit. Data were obtained before and after a four-hour exposure to a 50-Hz noise centered at 2 kHz at 141 or 146 dB SPL. Noise exposure caused permanent audiometric threshold shifts and broadening of auditory filters at and above 2 kHz, with greater changes observed for the 146-dB-exposed monkeys. The normalized bandwidth of the perceptual auditory filters was strongly correlated with audiometric threshold at each tone frequency. While changes in audiometric threshold and perceptual auditory filter widths were primarily determined by the extent of OHC survival, additional variability was explained by including interactions among OHC, IHC, and ribbon synapse survival. This is the first study to provide within-subject comparisons of auditory filter bandwidths in an animal model of NIHL and correlate these NIHL-related perceptual changes with cochlear histopathology. These results expand the foundations for ongoing investigations of the neural correlates of NIHL-related perceptual changes.
Germline genetic testing in breast cancer: Rationale for the testing of all women diagnosed by the age of 60 years and for risk-based testing of those older than 60 years

Approximately 5% to 10% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will have a pathogenic variant (PV) in a hereditary cancer susceptibility gene, and this has significant implications for the management of these patients and their relatives. Despite the benefits of genetic testing, many eligible patients with breast cancer never undergo testing because of various barriers, including complicated testing criteria such as those from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). In 2019, the American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) proposed germline genetic testing for all patients with breast cancer to increase the identification of PV carriers. In 2020, a Mayo Clinic study highlighted the limitations of these 2 genetic testing guidelines (NCCN and ASBrS) and proposed a hybrid approach of testing all women diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 65 years and using NCCN criteria for older patients. This commentary presents an updated analysis of the Mayo Clinic data and discusses the rationale for using the age of 60 years rather than 65 years as the cutoff for this hybrid approach. Using an age at diagnosis of ≤60 or ≤65 years for the universal testing of patients with breast cancer detected more PVs (11.9% [16 of 134] and 15.7% [21 of 134], respectively) in comparison with using the NCCN criteria. Lowering the age for universal testing from 65 to 60 years maintained the sensitivity of detecting a PV at >90% while sparing testing for an additional 10% of women. Compared with the testing of all patients, the hybrid approach would allow 31% of all women with breast cancer to forgo testing and result in fewer variants of uncertain significance identified and, therefore, would decrease the chance of harm from misinterpretation of these variants.
The antinuclear antibody dense fine speckled pattern and possible clinical associations: An indication of a proinflammatory microenvironment

Abstract Background Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) is the most prevalent screening antinuclear antibody test for systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease (SARD). Certain IIF patterns have known antibody and disease associations, but the dense fine speckled (ANA-DFS) pattern has no confirmed clinical associations. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of SARD among a group of ANA-DFS positive individuals and to identify final diagnoses among non-SARD individuals in order to determine possible clinical associations with the ANA-DFS pattern. Methods A retrospective study of 425 patients from a university health care system with a positive ANA-DFS pattern consecutively between August 2017 and September 2018. Sera samples underwent ANA testing by IIF on HEp-2 cell substrates (Euroimmun, Germany). Clinical information was retrieved from electronic health records and stored in a de-identified database. Results The prevalence of SARD was 24%. Undetermined diagnosis (17%), skin disorders (12.1%), and fibromyalgia/chronic pain syndrome/chronic fatigue syndrome (11.8%) were the most common non-SARD diagnoses. Taking into account past medical history, the most common non-SARD were atopic disorders (21.2%), fibromyalgia/chronic pain syndrome/chronic fatigue syndrome (17.6%), and skin disorders (16.7%). Conclusions The ANA-DFS pattern may be indicative of an underlying antigen-antibody interaction that plays a role in either the initiation or propagation of immunologic reactions. DFS70/LEDGF is a transcription factor involved in cell survival and stress protection, and autoantibodies may inhibit its function. It is likely that there are other antibodies producing the ANA-DFS pattern besides anti-DFS70/LEDGF, and more research is necessary to identify additional antibody specificities. The ANA-DFS pattern may be an indicator of a proinflammatory microenvironment given the high frequency of symptomatic patients and disease processes with an immunologic basis (including SARD).
Total synthesis of dihydrolysergic acid and dihydrolysergol: development of a divergent synthetic strategy applicable to rapid assembly of D-ring analogs

The total syntheses of dihydrolysergic acid and dihydrolysergol are detailed based on a Pd(0)-catalyzed intramolecular Larock indole cyclization for the preparation of the embedded tricyclic indole (ABC ring system) and a subsequent powerful inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction of 5-carbomethoxy-1,2,3-triazine with a ketone-derived enamine for the introduction of a functionalized pyridine, serving as the precursor for a remarkably diastereoselective reduction to the N-methylpiperidine D-ring. By design, the use of the same ketone-derived enamine and a set of related complementary heterocyclic azadiene [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions permitted the late stage divergent preparation of a series of alternative heterocyclic derivatives not readily accessible by more conventional approaches.
Association Between Sexual Orientation, Mistreatment, and Burnout Among US Medical Students

Importance Medical trainee burnout is associated with poor quality care and attrition. Medical students in sexual minority groups report fear of discrimination and increased mistreatment, but the association between sexual orientation, burnout, and mistreatment is unknown. Objective To evaluate whether medical student burnout differs by sexual orientation and whether this association is mediated by experiences of mistreatment. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study surveyed US medical students graduating from Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)–accredited US allopathic medical schools who responded to the AAMC graduation questionnaire in 2016 and 2017. Statistical analyses were performed from March 15, 2019, to July 2, 2020, and from November 20 to December 9, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures Burnout was measured using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory for Medical Students, and sexual orientation was categorized as either heterosexual or lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). Logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the association between sexual orientation and experiencing burnout (defined as being in the top quartile of exhaustion and disengagement burnout dimensions) and to test the mediating association of mistreatment. Results From 2016 to 2017, 30 651 students completed the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire, and 26 123 responses were analyzed. Most respondents were younger than 30 years (82.9%) and White (60.3%). A total of 13 470 respondents (51.6%) were male, and 5.4% identified as LGB. Compared with heterosexual students, a greater proportion of LGB students reported experiencing mistreatment in all categories, including humiliation (27.0% LGB students vs 20.7% heterosexual students;P Conclusions and Relevance This study suggests that LGB medical students are more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience burnout, an association that is partly mediated by mistreatment. Further work is needed to ensure that medical schools offer safe and inclusive learning environments for LGB medical students.
COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among College Students: A Theory-Based Analysis

The severity and pervasiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines. Three vaccines have been approved in the United States (USA). However, there is still some hesitancy in COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among some subgroups, including college students. While research is limited on vaccine acceptability behavior among college students, preliminary data suggests hesitancy as being high. This study aimed to explain the correlates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among college students who reported hesitancy toward the COVID-19 vaccine and those who did not using the initiation component of the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change. Using a cross-sectional study design, data were collected from a Southern USA University (n = 282) utilizing a valid and reliable 27-item questionnaire in February and March 2021. Almost half (47.5%) of participants reported hesitancy to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The three constructs of MTM's initiation model, behavioral confidence (b = 0.089, p < 0.001), participatory dialogue (b = 0.056, p < 0.001), and changes in the physical environment (b = 0.066, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among those who were not hesitant to take the vaccine and accounted for 54.8% of the variance. Among those who were hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the MTM construct of behavioral confidence (b = 0.022, p < 0.001) was significant along with Republican Party political affiliation (b = -0.464, p = 0.004), which was negatively associated with vaccine acceptance. The model accounted for 60.6% of the variance in intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This study provides evidence for the utility of MTM as a timely intervention to design messages for college students to enhance COVID-19 vaccine acceptability.
Timing of Chemoradiation in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: Comparative Analysis Between County and Managed Care Health Care Models.

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a primary brain malignancy with significant morbidity and mortality. The current standard of treatment for GBM is surgery followed by radiotherapy and temozolomide. Despite an established treatment protocol, there exists heterogeneity in outcomes due to patients not receiving all treatments. We analyzed patients in different health care models to investigate this heterogeneity. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed at 2 hospitals in San Bernardino County, California, for patients with newly diagnosed GBM from 2004 to 2019. Patients younger than 18 years of age, with history of low-grade glioma, who had undergone prior treatment, and those lost to follow-up were excluded. Results A total of 57 patients were included in our study. Chemotherapy was started at 41 ± 30 and 77 ± 68 days in the health maintenance organization (HMO) and county model, respectively (P = 0.050); radiation therapy was started at 46 ± 34 and 85 ± 76 days in the HMO and county models, respectively (P = 0.036). In individuals who underwent both chemotherapy and radiation therapy (XRT), the difference in time to XRT was no longer significant (P = 0.060). Recurrence time was 309 ± 263 and 212 ± 180 days in the HMO and county groups, respectively (P = 0.379). The time to death was 412 ± 285 and 343 ± 304 days for HMO and county models, respectively (P = 0.334). Conclusions Our study demonstrates a statistically significant difference in time to adjuvant therapies between patients within a county hospital and a managed health care organization. This information has the potential to inform future policies and care coordination for patients within the county model.
Afghanistan’s New Law on the Procedure for Securing Rights

Afghanistan’s new Law on the Procedure for Securing Rights was promulgated in late 2020. The new Law aims to advance a number of important objectives including expediting the process of securing the civil and commercial rights of natural and legal persons, encouraging mediation and amicable resolution of disputes, and improving coordination between the Ministry of Justice and other relevant agencies in implementing final court decisions. This article examines the key provisions of this important Law. To learn more about this Law or the Afghan legal system more broadly, please explore the textbooks and other publications by Stanford Law School’s Afghanistan Legal Education Project (ALEP).
Returns Momentum, Returns Reversals and Earnings Surprises

Abnormal stock returns measured over intervals of less than a year exhibit positive serial correlation, or returns momentum, while returns measured over longer periods exhibit negative serial correlation, or returns reversals. This paper examines if patterns in earnings surprises, together with investors? inefficient reactions to those earnings surprises, account for the observed serial correlation in returns. Prior literature has documented that over periods of less than one year, earnings surprises are positively serially correlated. We document that over longer periods, they are negatively serially correlated. This pattern is strikingly similar to the pattern in returns. In addition to documenting these patterns across intervals, we also show that for any particular interval, the serial correlation of returns and the serial correlation of earnings surprises are related. Controlling for cross-sectional differences in firms? serial correlations in earnings surprises, we are able to eliminate the serial correlation in returns at 3-, 24-, 36-, and 48-month intervals. We find some evidence of residual serial correlation in returns at 6-, 12-, and 60-month intervals. Overall, our results suggest that the serial correlation in earnings surprises is an important factor in determining the sign and magnitude of the serial correlation in returns.
Detection of Weak Electric Fields

Electric fields in natural waters present a wealth of sensory information. Bioelectric fields direct electrosensitive fishes to their prey, environmental fields provide important orientational cues, and the fields induced by the animals’ motion through the earth’s magnetic field offer oceanic species complete compass data. Particularly sensitive to electric fields are the marine sharks, skates, and rays, but the weakly electric fishes, the common catfishes, and several of the more primitive fishes are also known for their keen electric sense.
Protein kinase A regulates Rac and is required for the growth factor-stimulated migration of carcinoma cells

Members of the Rho family of small GTPases, such as Rho and Rac, are required for actin cytoskeletal reorganization during the migration of carcinoma cells. Phosphodiesterases are necessary for this migration because they alleviate cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA)mediated inhibition of RhoA (O’Connor, K. L., Shaw, L. M., and Mercurio, A. M. (1998) J. Cell Biol. 143, 1749 – 1760; O’Connor K. L., Nguyen, B.-K., and Mercurio, A. M. (2000), J. Cell Biol. 148, 253–258). In this study, we report that the migration of breast and squamous carcinoma cells toward either lysophosphatidic acid or epidermal growth factor involves not only phosphodiesterase activity but also cooperative signaling from PKA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Rac1 activation in response to chemoattractant or 1 integrin clustering is regulated by PKA and that Rac1 is required for this migration. Also, we find that 1 integrin signaling stimulates the rapid and transient activation of PKA. A novel implication of these findings is that carcinoma cell migration is controlled by cAMP-dependent as well as cAMP inhibitory signaling mechanisms.
Characterization of a compartment syndrome–like injury model

Introduction: Acute compartment syndrome (CS) is caused by an elevation of pressure within a muscular compartment that can be caused by numerous factors, including blunt trauma. In this study, we characterized a rodent model of CS-like injury. Methods: Forty male athymic rats received a standardized injury of ischemia and compression to their hindlimbs, while the intracompartmental pressure (ICP) was measured using an implantable transmitter. Tetanic muscle function was evaluated, and histology was performed on the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. Results: ICPs were held at 260.70 ± 2.70 mm Hg during injury. Injured muscles recovered 59% of their total function 4 weeks after injury, and histology showed high levels of edema, inflammation (CD68+), angiogenesis (CD31+), and fibrosis within 72 hours after injury. Conclusions: We describe a novel CS-like injury model and a novel method to measure ICP, which could potentially be used to develop innovative therapies to manage CS injury in patients. Muscle Nerve 51:750–758, 2015
A predictive scale of aircraft emergencies.

In the quantification of human performance, the effects of stress can be dealt with objectively only if one first determines the relative stress-producing value of different conditions within the given operational environment. This paper presents a paired comparision scale of 32 common aircraft emergencies judged by 27 former pilots and aircrew members. The scale is intended primarily for use in human error analysis. A new emergency can be incorporated by matching it to one or more points on the scale, or the scale can be transformed to satisfy any new interpretation of the relationship between emergencies and stress.
Defending the Right to Self Representation: An Empirical Look at the Pro Se Felony Defendant

Why would a criminal defendant waive the right to counsel and proceed pro se? Conventional wisdom assumes that there is no good reason for a defendant to choose self-representation, and those who make that choice are therefore either mentally ill or foolish. Courtroom proceedings in cases of high-profile pro se defendants like Colin Ferguson and, more recently, Zacarias Moussaoui and John Muhammad, have only increased the dominance of this prevailing view. Even the Supreme Court has assumed that the right to self-representation in practice hurts, rather than helps, criminal defendants. Until now, however, no empirical study has examined the phenomenon of self-representation. This Article presents the results of the first comprehensive study of pro se felony defendants. The data clearly refute both the assumption that most felony pro se defendants are ill-served by the decision to self-represent and the theory that most pro se defendants suffer from mental illness. Somewhat surprisingly, the evidence establishes that pro se felony defendants in state court do just as well as represented felony defendants, and the vast majority of pro se felony defendants - nearly 80% - displayed no signs of mental illness. The results of the study also provide an alternative explanation for the pro se phenomenon, suggesting that at least some defendants choose self-representation because of legitimate concerns about counsel. In short, the data in this Article expose the fallacy of the prevailing view of pro se felony defendants and demonstrate that the right to self-representation in fact serves a vital role in protecting the rights of criminal defendants.
Semiquantitative classification of ductus venosus blood flow patterns.

Objectives To identify the range of waveform abnormalities in the ductus venosus (DV) characterized by their timing in the cardiac cycle and to evaluate if they can be categorized into distinct patterns. Methods DV velocity ratios were calculated from peak velocities during ventricular systole (S), end-systolic ventricular relaxation (v), early diastole (D) and atrial systole (a) (S/v, S/D, v/D, S/a, v/a and D/a ratios). The ratios were converted to their Z-scores and elevation > 2 SD was assigned as abnormal. Combinations of ratio abnormalities were grouped to define distinct waveform patterns and their distribution was related to the clinical presentation. Results Five-hundred and forty-two abnormal DV waveforms fell into three principal patterns. In Pattern 1 only the a-wave-related ratios were abnormal (180, 33.2%), in Pattern 2 the v/D ratio was abnormal (143, 26.3%) and in Pattern 3 combinations of a-wave abnormalities in the presence of a normal v/D ratio were normal (94, 17.3%). Conclusions Interpretation of venous waveform patterns is complex because the multiphasic waveforms reflect events in the cardiac cycle that may be differentially affected by clinical pathology. We sought to present a classification for the DV flow profile that characterizes abnormal flow confined to atrial systole and occurs during ventricular relaxation or during holodiastole. Further research is warranted to determine the significance of these patterns in specific fetal conditions. Copyright © 2013 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The Endangered and Reaffirmed Promises of God: A Fruitful Framework for Biblical Theology

Traditional ways of understanding the relationship between the First and Second Testaments of the Christian Bible have proven untenable both theologically and historically. Theologically, they have had at their foundation a supersessionistic stance over against biblical Israel and Judaism, and have often proffered an unsustainable claim of triumph over evil and suffering. Historically, historical-critical interpretation has rendered a straightforward reading of the First Testament as pointing toward the coming of Jesus problematic. This article proposes that seeing the relationship between the Testaments in light of the literary and theological rubric of God's endangered and reaffirmed promises overcomes many of these problems. It yields a fruitful basis for a biblical theology that acknowledges that both the story of Jesus and the church and the story of Israel and Judaism involve a mix of faithful response to God's promises, fundamental struggle with their endangerment, and common hope for their reaffir...
CT-MAC: a MAC protocol for underwater MIMO based network uplink communications

Due to high bandwidth-efficiency, Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) has emerged as a promising technique to address the low bandwidth challenges in underwater acoustic networks. Although extensive research has been conducted at the physical layer for underwater MIMO communications, the corresponding medium access control (MAC) is still largely unexplored, which makes it difficult to apply the existing underwater MIMO technologies in real applications. In this paper, we propose a distributed MAC protocol, called Coordinated Transmission MAC (CT-MAC), for underwater MIMO based network uplink communications. In CT-MAC, an efficient coordination scheme among immediate neighbors is designed for channel competition, which can avoid flooding overhead in the network. This scheme could also effectively address the long propagation delay problem and the collisions among long control packets in underwater acoustic communications. Protocol performance in terms of throughput and energy efficiency is evaluated via simulations which show significant improvements over handshaking based and random access based MIMO MAC approaches.
A preliminary design study of supersonic through-flow fan inlets

From Mach 3.20 cruise propulsion systems, preliminary design studies for two supersonic through-flow fan primary inlets and a single core inlet were undertaken. Method of characteristics and one dimensional performance techniques were applied to assess the potential improvements supersonic through-flow fan technology has over more conventional systems. A fixed geometry supersonic through-flow fan primary inlet was found to have better performance than a conventional inlet design on the basis of total pressure recovery, air flow, aerodynamic drag and size and weight.
Happiness as a Motivator: Positive Affect Predicts Primary Control Striving for Career and Educational Goals

What motivates individuals to invest time and effort and overcome obstacles (i.e., strive for primary control) when pursuing important goals? We propose that positive affect predicts primary control striving for career and educational goals, and we explore the mediating role of control beliefs. In Study 1, positive affect predicted primary control striving for career goals in a two-wave longitudinal study of a U.S. sample. In Study 2, positive affect predicted primary control striving for career and educational goals and objective career outcomes in a six-wave longitudinal study of a German sample. Control beliefs partially mediated the longitudinal associations with primary control striving. Thus, when individuals experience positive affect, they become more motivated to invest time and effort, and overcome obstacles when pursuing their goals, in part because they believe they have more control over attaining their goals.