cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vivo imaging of the S-locus receptor kinase, the female specificity determinant of self-incompatibility, in transgenic self-incompatible Arabidopsis thaliana

Background and Aims The S-locus receptor kinase (SRK), which is expressed in stigma epidermal cells, is responsible for the recognition and inhibition of ‘self’ pollen in the self-incompatibility (SI) response of the Brassicaceae. The allele-specific interaction of SRK with its cognate pollen coat-localized ligand, the S-locus cysteine-rich (SCR) protein, is thought to trigger a signalling cascade within the stigma epidermal cell that leads to the arrest of ‘self’ pollen at the stigma surface. In addition to the full-length signalling SRK receptor, stigma epidermal cells express two other SRK protein species that lack the kinase domain and whose role in the SI response is not understood: a soluble version of the SRK ectodomain designated eSRK and a membrane-tethered form designated tSRK. The goal of this study was to describe the sub-cellular distribution of the various SRK protein species in stigma epidermal cells as a prelude to visualizing receptor dynamics in response to SCR binding. Methods The Arabidopsis lyrata SRKb variant was tagged with the Citrine variant of yellow fluorescent protein (cYFP) and expressed in A. thaliana plants of the C24 accession, which had been shown to exhibit a robust SI response upon transformation with the SRKb–SCRb gene pair. The transgenes used in this study were designed for differential production and visualization of the three SRK protein species in stigma epidermal cells. Transgenic stigmas were analysed by pollination assays and confocal microscopy. Key Results and Conclusions Pollination assays demonstrated that the cYFP-tagged SRK proteins are functional and that the eSRK is not required for SI. Confocal microscopic analysis of cYFP-tagged SRK proteins in live stigma epidermal cells revealed the differential sub-cellular localization of the three SRK protein species but showed no evidence for redistribution of these proteins subsequent to incompatible pollination.
Salinity tolerance and the decoupling of resource axis plant traits

Questions: What ecophysiological relationships underlie the sorting of species from freshwater to inland salt marsh communities? Which plant functional trade-offs are present along a gradient of low to high salinity?
Bimodal Dynamics of Faces and Voices Influence Older Infants' Perception of Emotion

Given the importance of infants' perception of bimodal speech for emerging language and emotion development, this study used eye-tracking technology to examine infants' attention to face+voice displays differing by emotion (fear, sad, happy) and visual stimulus (dynamic versus static). Peripheral distracters were presented to measure attention disengagement. It was predicted that infants would look longer at and disengage more slowly from dynamic bimodal emotion displays, especially when viewing dynamic fear. However, the results from twenty-two 10-month-olds found significantly greater attention on dynamic versus static trials, independent of emotion. Interestingly, infants looked equally to mouth and eye regions of speakers' faces except when viewing/hearing dynamic fear; in this case, they fixated more on the speakers' mouth region. Average latencies to distracters were longer on dynamic compared to static bimodal stimuli, but not differentiated by emotion. Thus, infants' attention was enhanced (in terms of both elicitation and maintenance) by dynamic, bimodal emotion displays. Results are compared to conflicting findings using static emotion displays, with suggestions for future research using more ecologically relevant dynamic, multimodal displays to gain a richer understanding of infants' processing of emotion.
Abdominal Distension and Feeding Intolerance

The most salient dilemma in the post-surgical patient with abdominal distention and feeding intolerance is whether the bowel is obstructed. If the index of suspicion is high the questions of whether it is a functional or mechanical obstruction and where is the location of the obstruction needs to be addressed. If there is no bowel obstruction the diagnostic question turns towards the location and cause of the suspected ileus. The definitive cause of abdominal distention and feeding intolerance may be due to a variety of factors that include mechanical or functional small or large bowel obstruction, adynamic/paralytic ileus, or sepsis from a variety of causes including both intra- and extra-peritoneal etiologies. Radiographic studies play an important role in determining the etiology, evaluating for complications, and in monitoring resolution once the cause has been treated. The initial radiographic examination for evaluation and triage of patients with abdominal distention is the plain abdominal film. Computed tomography is the imaging modality of choice to confirm the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction and to identify its cause. If the initial radiograph or CT is inconclusive the differential diagnoses of low-grade, partial SBO or of an ileus should be considered and an imaging technique with increased sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing between the two has to be selected. Functional studies can reveal subclinically obstructed segments. This chapter will cover all these issues in detail.
Strand-specific in vivo screen of cancer-associated miRNAs unveils a role for miR-21 ∗ in SCC progression

MicroRNAs play diverse roles in both normal and malignant stem cells. Focusing on miRs and/or miR(∗)s abundant in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) stem cells, we engineer an efficient, strand-specific expression library, and apply functional genomics screening in mice to identify which of 169 cancer-associated miRs are key drivers in malignant progression. Not previously linked functionally to cancer, miR-21(∗) was the second top hit, surfacing in >12% of tumours. miR-21(∗) also correlates with poor prognosis in human SCCs and enhances tumour progression in xenografts. On deleting the miR-21 gene and rescuing each strand separately, we document the dual, but independent, oncogenicity of miR-21 and miR-21(∗). A cohort of predicted miR-21(∗) targets inversely correlate with miR-21(∗) in SCCs. Of particular interest is Phactr4, which we show is a miR-21(∗) target in SCCs, acting through the Rb/E2F cell cycle axis. Through in vivo physiological miR screens, our findings add an interesting twist to an increasingly important oncomiR locus.
A method for imputation of semantic class in diagnostic radiology text

Diagnostic medicine produces large volumes of free-text reports used primarily for communication between medical professionals. Secondary use of these reports requires extraction of structured information from the free text. State-of-the-art computational natural language processing techniques can make partial identification of semantics in text, but the diverse terminology used in medical settings makes training classifiers for every lexicon a laborious task. We present statistics of semantics from a large-scale machine-annotated corpus of 83,452 chest x-ray reports. We show that the distribution of semantics is consistent with Zipfian distributions observed in other natural language corpora, and we quantify the semantic focus imparted by limiting a study by body area and modality. We demonstrate that within our semantically focused corpus, pairwise co-occurrence statistics can be used to accurately impute the semantic class for frequently occurring unknown entities, thereby reducing the number of semantically unclassified phrases by up to 25%. Finally, we show that our imputation approach is consistent across multiple reconstructions of the underlying text data.
Optimizing Safety in Spinal Deformity Surgery

Spinal deformity corrective surgery is one of the most challenging surgical disciplines requiring thorough preoperative preparation, intraoperative technical execution, and diligent and compulsive postoperative care. All aspects of care must be performed with the greatest of efficiency and geared toward the neurologically safe correction of the deformity with minimal patient morbidity. This chapter will detail the key principles, guidelines, and tips for the successful treatment of all spinal deformity procedures and patients.
Lower Bounds for Eigenvalues of Elliptic Operators by Overlapping Domain Decomposition

In this paper, we consider a new approach to estimation from below of the lowest eigenvalues of symmetric positive definite elliptic operators. The approach is based on the overlapping domain decomposition procedure and on the replacement of subdomain operators by special low rank perturbed scalar operators. The algorithm is illustrated by applications to model problems with mixed boundary conditions and strongly discontinuous coefficients.
Delayed sterile keratitis following radial keratotomy successfully treated with conjunctival flap.

BACKGROUND A case of sterile keratitis involving three adjacent incisions and intervening stroma occurring 5 years after an eight-incision radial keratotomy is reported. METHODS Multiple cultures showed no pathogens. Treatment with antibiotics, lubricants, patching, and bandage contact lenses failed to improve the condition. A conjunctival bridge flap was therefore performed. RESULTS Total resolution of the keratitis occurred rapidly after performing the conjunctival bridge flap. CONCLUSIONS Delayed keratitis following radial keratotomy has been reported in the past. Treatment in these cases has primarily been corneal transplantation. The present case presents an alternative treatment, conjunctival bridge flap, which was successful in this case of sterile keratitis following radial keratotomy.
Creolizing Jung: Re-imagined alchemy and individuation in Anton Nimblett’s Sections of an Orange and Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming’s Curry Flavour

AbstractWhereas psychoanalytic trauma theory has received much critical attention in recent postcolonial studies, this article attempts to shift attention to depth psychology. It blends an exploration of key Jungian concepts, such as alchemy and individuation, with analyses of a short story from Anton Nimblett’s collection Sections of an Orange and a selection of poems from Lelawattee Manoo-Rahming’s Curry Flavour, and an eco-critical Marxist critique. Scrutinizing the complex relationship between an alienated outer world and the characters’ internal psychological space, it proposes that a post-Jungian optic can make a meaningful contribution to the elucidation of the interface of colonial-capitalist exploitation, and to resistance to capitalist domination through the creative unconscious.
Catalysis by a Zinc-Porphyrin-Based Metal–Organic Framework: From Theory to Computational Design

Catalytic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have captured widespread attention for displaying shape, size, chemical, and enantiomeric selectivity characteristic of biological enzymes. Nguyen and co-workers [J. Am. Chem. Soc.2009, 131, 4204–4205] synthesized a stable, crystalline, microporous, zinc-porphyrin-based metal–organic framework (ZnPO-MOF) that incorporates the catalytic activity of metalloporphyrins. They observed a 236-fold initial acceleration of an acyl-transfer reaction between 3-pyridylcarbinol and N-acetylimidazole by ZnPO-MOF, and attributed this catalysis primarily to a high local concentration or “preconcentration” of reactants at the porphyrin-Zn active sites of the framework. We report a detailed theoretical investigation of the framework-promoted reaction using the full atomic structure of the MOF. The three-step first-principles-based method developed for this purpose can be applied to study other catalytically active MOFs, and can help in the computational design of frameworks with op...
Experimental Characterization of Inward Freezing and Melting of Additive-Enhanced Phase-Change Materials Within Millimeter-Scale Cylindrical Enclosures

The inward melting and solidification of phase-change materials (PCM) within millimeter-scale cylindrical enclosures have been experimentally characterized in this work. The effects of cylinder size, thermal loading, and concentration of high-conductivity additives were investigated under constant temperature boundary conditions. Using a custom-built apparatus with fast response, freezing and melting have been measured for time periods as short as 15 s and 33 s, respectively. The enhancement of PCM thermal conductivity using exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets (xGnPs) has also been measured, showing a greater than 3× increase for a concentration of 6 wt.%. Reductions in the total melting and freezing times of up to 66% and 55%, respectively, have been achieved using xGnP concentrations of only 4.5 wt.%. It is shown that the phase-change dynamics of pure and enhanced PCM are well predicted using a simple conduction-only model, demonstrating the validity of approximating enhanced PCM with low additive loadings as homogenous materials with isotropic properties. While general consistency between the measurements and model is seen, the effect of additives on heat transfer rate during the initial stages of freezing and melting is lower than expected, particularly for the smaller cylinder sizes of 6 mm. These results suggest that the thermal resistance of the PCM is not the limiting factor dictating the speed of the solid–liquid interface during these initial stages.
Engagement and Retention in Home Visiting Child Abuse Prevention Programs

Two exploratory studies using different samples investigated how multiple factors impact engagement and retention in home-visiting child abuse prevention programs. To investigate engagement data came from 4057 mothers with newborns. A two-level hierarchical linear model revealed that poor community health and maternal isolation reduced the likelihood that mothers with newborns would engage in home-visiting services. A lack of engagement was defined as mothers who failed to participate in services after 90 days of creative outreach by home visitors. To investigate retention data came from 1093 mothers and 71 home visitors who resided in 12 different counties. Using a three-level hierarchical model of analysis showed that families were less likely to remain in a home-visiting program beyond 1 year if they lived in an area that had high community violence. Mothers were more likely to remain in the program if the home visitor received more hours of direct supervision. Older mothers were more likely to remain than younger mothers, and Hispanic mothers were more likely to remain than white non-Hispanic mothers. Implications for programming and study limitations are discussed.
Epidemiological Investigation of a Tsutsugamushi Disease Outbreak

Objective To explore on the causation of the epidemic and to investigate the characteristics of the distribution.Methods Using methods of field epidemiological investigation as well as serological diagnosis to determine this outbreak.Results In the year of 2007,there was a Tsutsugamushi disease outbreak in an town of Anhui province Since 28th October to 25th November 32 cases.Most patients were adults.The main clinical symptoms were fever,headache and tetter.The result of antibodies to Rt were detected by indirect immunofluorescence antibody techniques and the positive rate was 82.76%.Conclusions It was possible for Tsutsugamushi to spread in the hilly area.
Economic Perceptions, Presidential Approval, and Causality The Moderating Role of the Economic Context

Citizens process economic information in ways that confirm their prior political beliefs. We therefore see stronger effects of presidential approval on economic perceptions than vice versa. Yet as economic conditions worsen, voters become heavily exposed to negative economic information and more likely to experience conflicting political and economic considerations. As conditions improve, identities and evaluations fall back into sync and political attitudes become more useful as an identity-confirming shortcut. I expect that the effect of economic perceptions on presidential approval grows stronger as economic conditions worsen and the effect of presidential approval on economic perceptions grows stronger as conditions improve. Using panel data from four American National Election Studies, I apply simultaneous equation extensions of the Anderson–Hsiao estimator to test the relationship between economic and political attitudes. Results show that the effect of economic perceptions on presidential approval ...
Characterization of the synergistic interaction of Escherichia coli heat-stable toxin and carbachol.

STa, the heat-stable enterotoxin of Escherichia coli, is a specific activator of membrane-bound guanylyl cyclase and stimulates secretion of Cl- in a human colonic carcinoma cell line (T84). We investigated the effect of the cholinergic agent carbachol on the secretory response to STa. T84 cell monolayers were studied under voltage-clamped conditions in modified Ussing chambers. Simultaneous addition of STa and carbachol resulted in a biphasic synergistic response characterized by a brief peak in short-circuit current (Isc) followed by a prolonged plateau phase lasting up to 90 min. A synergistic response was also seen with sequential addition of the agonists, and was altered by the order and timing of agonist addition. Pretreatment with STa enhanced the synergistic response to carbachol, while the reverse order of additions produced synergy only when STa was added during or immediately after the Isc response to carbachol. Synergy occurred only with a concentration of STa sufficient to produce an Isc resp...
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Is Expressed in Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) acts as a cell response mediator to a range of extracellular factors, including allergens. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergen-mediated, clinicopathological condition affecting the esophagus. EGFR expression in EoE has not been studied to date. Our objective of this study was to characterize the EGFR expression in EoE. In this retrospective study involving esophageal …
The Fuzzy Math of Anticoagulation and Access Site: When 1 + 1 Does Not Always Equal 2.

Performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) involves choices. The operator must choose the access site, the guide catheter, the guidewire, the antithrombotic therapy, the general approach, the stent type, and the closure method. Some of these decisions can affect the success of the procedure
Is Musical Emotion An Illusion

The power of music to arouse garden-variety emotions has attracted attention from musicians, psychologists, and philosophers over decades. Despite its widespread acknowledgement, there is no agreement on how pure music with no propositional content can induce such a wide range of emotions. Jenefer Robinson coined this problem the puzzle of musical emotion. In this essay, I will first discuss why musical emotion is a puzzle. Then, Jesse Prinz’s perceptual theory of emotion and his solution to the puzzle will be discussed. Prinz regards an emotion as an embodied appraisal, and a musical emotion as an illusory embodied appraisal which is a by-product of the adaptive emotion system. I argue that it is problematic to regard musical emotions as illusions for two reasons: 1) the bodily responses aroused by music are not specific enough to produce an illusion of a real emotion; 2) musical emotion is adaptive by itself in the sense that it is a mirroring-based simulation of the emotion represented by music, and such mirroring system plays an important role in interpersonal emotion communications.
Savings Program Participation and Outcomes for Hispanics

ABSTRACTLow- and moderate-income Hispanics in the United States have traditionally experienced few institutional incentives for savings and asset development and have instead encountered many disincentives. The authors provide a brief review of the various enticements and deterrents for savings and wealth development for traditionally underrepresented groups, with a focus on Hispanics. One of the most recent savings initiatives for low- and moderate-income individuals involves dedicated savings accounts, also known as Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). This study was designed to examine whether IDA program completion supports asset development over time for Hispanics. Results indicate that while there are no statistically significant differences in asset growth between IDA completers and non-completers, IDA program completers did experience more growth on all asset measures. The authors provide suggestions on how to close the racial and ethnic wealth gap for low- and moderate-income Hispanic individu...
Policies to reduce tobacco harm: What works?

A29 This poster describes the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation study and provides highlights from studies conducted to date. The ITC study utilizes multiple country controls, a longitudinal design, and a pre-specified, theory-driven conceptual model to test hypotheses about the anticipated effects of the demand reducing policies of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) among (primarily) adult smokers. The rationale for the study and study design are outlined along with highlights from ITC evaluations on product warnings, ad ban, taxation, smoke free policies, and tobacco product regulations. ITC studies completed to date reveal the following: 1) product warning labels are an important source of information for smokers and strengthening labels so that they are larger and more graphic is well justified; 2) smoke free policies are readily accepted and complied with, and appear to help smokers quit; 4) the European Commissions9 (EC) 2003 tobacco product advertising ban reduced smokers’ exposure to cigarette advertising on billboards/posters, in print media, and in sporting events as intended; 5) higher cigarette taxes impact the behavior of smokers in complex ways such as quitting and reducing smoking, switching to lower cost cigarettes (including roll-your-own), and encouraging the use of less costly tobacco outlets; 5) the EC9s 10-1-10 product regulation has failed to alter smokers exposure to smoke toxins. As tobacco control policies are formulated and implemented, it is important that they undergo rigorous evaluation since the effects are not always as predicted.
Cleaved High Molecular Weight Kininogen (HKa) and Kininostatin (D5) Induce Apoptosis and Inhibit Migration and Invasion of Human Prostate Cancer Cells by Preventing AKT Phosphorylation and Cyclin D1 Synthesis and Disrupting the Interaction of UPAR and EGFR.

Tumor metastasis is a major factor in the mortality rate in human prostate cancer. Upregulation and activation of EGFR and/or uPAR in a variety of cancers have been shown to be associated with poor prognosis. HK, a component of the plasma kallikrein-kinin system, can be hydrolyzed by plasma kallikrein to bradykinin and HKa. HKa and D5 both have been demonstrated to have potent anti-angiogenic activity in vitro and in vivo . We previously published that D5 directly inhibits human colon carcinoma cell (HCT-116) proliferation in vitro by blocking the G1/S transition in the cell cycle. We now show that HKa [100 nM] inhibits the migration of human prostate tumor cell (DU145) about 50%. Cyclin D1 can activate p21 and p27 with concomitant cell migration. DU145 cells rapidly increase cyclin D1 synthesis in response to bFGF [1.2 nM]. HKa suppresses cyclin D1 expression as shown by Western blotting as well as cell immunoflourescence. Stimulation by bFGF or VEGF results in clustering of uPAR and EGFR on the surface of DU145 cells. Immunoflourescence shows that the addition of HKa disrupts the co-localization of uPAR and EGFR. HKa or a monoclonal antibody against uPAR decreases the phosphorylation of EGFR at Tyr 1173. The phosphorylation of ERK and AKT, which are downstream effectors of EGFR, is also inhibited by HKa. Kininostatin [300nM] induced apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells challenged with uPA [50 nM] or EGF [6.7 nM]. Matrigel invasion assay reveals that HKa [100 nM] decreases the invading cell number by 90%. These novel data indicate that HKa and kininostatin induce apoptosis and inhibit migration and invasion of human prostate cancer cells, indicating the therapeutic potential of kininostatin in metastasis human prostate cancer.
Mark E Josephson: Clinical Investigator

Mark E Josephson entered the world of clinical cardiac electrophysiology (EP) almost at its inception (1972); with so much to learn and so many directions one could take, he dived into the field with unbridled enthusiasm and an uncommon - perhaps almost unique - aptitude for asking questions and finding ways to answer them. Few aspects of EP escaped his indelible influence. In this short paper, I will attempt to touch on some of the high points of his astounding career as a clinical investigator.
Development of a patient-reported measure of the interpersonal quality of family planning care.

Abstract Objective The objective was to describe the development and assess evidence of the validity of a patient-reported scale measuring the interpersonal quality of contraceptive counseling. Study design We performed initial item selection based on qualitative work regarding patient preferences for contraceptive counseling and a review of patient-reported measures of communication. We then administered these items as part of a cohort study of women receiving contraceptive counseling, along with items measuring patient satisfaction with counseling and method choice, and coded audio recordings of the contraceptive counseling visits for patient-centered communication. We determined the final scale based on interitem correlations and exploratory factor analysis. Predictive validity of the scale has been demonstrated previously. We assessed content, construct, convergent and discriminant validity by investigating associations between the final scale and the satisfaction and audio-recording-derived measures using mixed effects logistic regression. Results The items were administered to 346 women between 2009 and 2012 in the San Francisco area. We selected an 11-item, 1-factor Interpersonal Quality of Family Planning (IQFP) scale, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.95. This scale showed positive associations with measures of satisfaction with counseling and with the chosen method. IQFP was also associated with provider communication practices, including eliciting the patient perspective and demonstrating empathy. Conclusions and implications The IQFP scale demonstrates construct, convergent, discriminant and predictive validity for measuring the interpersonal quality of contraceptive counseling. It shows promise as a measure that can be used in research and quality improvement efforts to ensure that patients' experiences and preferences are prioritized in family planning care.
The Family Owned Business: Capital Funding:

Family owned corporations face unique constraints in their external business environments. One particularly critical external interface exists with sources of capital funding. This paper discusses ...
Greenery as a Symbol of Immigrant Hardship and Vulnerability in Gish Jen's TYPICAL AMERICAN

In Typical American by Gish Jen, plants are presented in an array of forms, including flowers, trees, and grass, via direct and metaphorical references. Grover Ding, whose name is associated with t...
Genome Sequence of the Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera glycines) Endosymbiont "Candidatus Cardinium hertigii" Strain cHgTN10.

ABSTRACT In this study, we present the genome sequence of the “Candidatus Cardinium hertigii” strain cHgTN10, an endosymbiotic bacterium of the plant-parasitic nematode Heterodera glycines. This is the first genome assembly reported for an endosymbiont directly sequenced from a tylenchid nematode.
Tamiami Virus-Induced Immunopathological Disease of the Central Nervous System

Tamiami virus, a member of the arenavirus group, produces an acute central nervous system disorder in suckling mice characterized by cerebellar ataxia and less frequently by paralysis, convulsions, and death. Histopathologic changes in acutely ill mice include vasculitis, meningitis, and impaired migration of the external granule cell layer of the cerebellum and, in survivors, asymptomatic cerebellar heterotopia. All animals carry virus in their brains for at least 2 months following infection, as detected by immunofluorescence and virus titration.
Abstract 197: Post-stroke Inhibition of TGF-β-activated Kinase by 5Z-7-oxozeaenol Improves Histological and Behavioral Outcomes in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Stroke

Background: Transforming growth factor-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1) activates several intracellular signaling cascades, affecting cell proliferation, inflammation, and apoptosis. It is also a putati...
The National Incident-Based Reporting System: Research and Policy Applications

The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) offers a new source ofdata for measuring crime. Though far from national in coverage, NIBRS datacan address research and policy questions outside the scope of the UniformCrime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey. Comparisons ofthe three sources of crime data are presented, with particular emphasis onwhat can be learned from incident-based police data that cannot be learnedfrom other sources. Like all data on crime, the NIBRS is subject to variousproblems with validity and measurement error. Two general categories of suchproblems are discussed: those evident in the design of the NIBRS and thoselinked to more general issues in the organizational production of data.
The Power of Nations: Measuring What Matters

Power is the most important variable in world politics, but scholars and policy analysts systematically mismeasure it. Most studies evaluate countries’ power using broad indicators of economic and ...
Antithetic Dithered 1-Bit Massive MIMO Architecture: Efficient Channel Estimation via Parameter Expansion and PML

Drawing from a recent work on negative noise correlation in quantization and statistics, we propose a novel antithetic dithered 1-bit massive MIMO receiver architecture and develop efficient channel estimation algorithms that exploit the natural and induced negative correlated noise in the system. We illustrate that both linear and nonlinear estimators can benefit from negative correlation. We provide a rigorous analysis of a low-complexity nonlinear estimator for channel estimation. In the process, we developed a generalized statistical framework to analyze correlated quantized output arising from this generalized linear model. We formalized the approximation technique used in this work as a special case of the more general pseudo maximum likelihood method. A parameter expanded expectation maximization (PX-EM) algorithm applied to such a system is shown to exhibit fast convergence, possessing an upper bounded convergence guarantee and a graceful monotonic estimation performance over a large SNR range. Stochastic Gibbs sampling algorithms are constructed to evaluate truncated multivariate normal distributions and to implement an asymptotically exact data augmentation algorithm for comparison.
Suspected abuse in an elderly patient.

In many ways, this case represents a typical elder-abuse situation and the challenges that health care professionals face when trying to resolve it.
Prospective Study of Cardiac Events During Proteasome Inhibitor Therapy for Relapsed Multiple Myeloma.

PURPOSECardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) can occur during proteasome inhibitor (PI) therapy. We conducted a prospective, observational, multi-institutional study to define risk factors and outc...
Evolving Epidemiologic Trends of Renal Cell Cancer by Histologic Subtype: An Updated Analysis of the California Cancer Registry

Author(s): Parikh, M; Huynh, JC; Brunson, A; Keegan, T; Lara, PN | Abstract: Background: While most renal cell carcinomas (RCC) are of the clear cell subtype, other histologic subtypes are well described and have distinct clinical behavior. This study seeks to evaluate survival of clear and non-clear cell RCC retrospectively from a large, population-based cancer registry. Objectives: The key objectives of this study were to determine cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) of RCC by histologic subtype and to examine survival by histologic subtype since the advent of anti-angiogenesis therapy in 2006. Methods: Within the California Cancer Registry (CCR), we used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association of histologic subtype with CSS and OS, adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Results: In the CCR, 33,539 RCC patients were diagnosed between 2004 and 2014. The most common subtype, clear cell RCC, comprised 82.6% (n=27,717) of cases. The next most common subtypes were papillary (8.8%, 2,948) and chromophobe (5.2%, 1,759). RCC was more common in men (62.9%, 21,097) compared to women (37.1%, 12,442). Across histologic subtypes, patients with low neighborhood socioeconomic status had lower CSS (HR=1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.13, p=0.011) and OS (HR=1.14, 95% CI: 1.10-1.19, pl0.001). On multivariate analysis, we observed an interaction between histologic subtype and CSS, finding that patients in the anti-angiogenesis treatment era with clear cell had a significant improvement in CSS (HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.82-0.92, pl0.001) as did patients with collecting duct subtype (HR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.12-0.51, pl0.001), while there were no differences in outcomes over time among patients with chromophobe or papillary subtypes. After 2006, compared to clear cell subtype, patients with chromophobe subtype had a better CSS (HR=0.40, 95% CI: 0.30-0.53, pl0.001), while those with collecting duct carcinomas had a poorer CSS (HR=1.83, 95% CI: 1.29-2.59, p=0.001). Conclusions: In the era following anti-angiogenesis therapy development, patients with chromophobe subtype RCC continue to have a better prognosis compared with clear cell RCC, and patients with collecting duct subtype continue to have a significantly worse prognosis, with more advanced disease at diagnosis. There have been improvements in CSS in patients with clear cell and collecting duct subtypes since the advent of anti-angiogenesis therapy.
Antimicrobial Resistance in Microbes: Mode of Action of TolC Like Protein and Their Mechanism of Regulating Stress Resistance and Physiology

Although Acinetobacter baumannii is considered the most common nosocomial species that cause severe infections, only few studies have demonstrated the physiological role of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) and its pathogenic potential. Here, we discuss the functions of putative outer membrane protein in physiology and multidrug resistance. The abuO like genes were functionally characterized in genetically distinct A. baumannii obtained from a tertiary medical center in India. This sequel study provides evidence for the strain non-specific unanimous function of abuO in stress response and antimicrobial resistance in A. baumannii.
The GAP-ED Project: Improving Care for Elderly Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.

Abstract Background Older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) represent a highly vulnerable patient population with complex conditions and multiple comorbidities. The introduction of a Geriatric and Palliative (GAP)-ED partnership may be an effective strategy to avoid unneeded admissions and improve outcomes for this population. Objectives The primary objective was to decrease 30-day revisit and hospitalization rates in this population through identifying patients that could be safely sent home with connection to community resources. Secondary outcomes included achieving high patient and family satisfaction scores assessed through follow-up interviews. Methods The GAP-ED intervention included the placement of a Specialist in the ED to coordinate care for older adults presenting to the ED who were likely to be discharged home. Independent t-tests and chi-squared tests were used to assess for changes in outcomes between the intervention group and a blocked matched historical usual-care group. Results There was no significant difference in 30-day ED revisits between the two groups, but there was a statistically significant reduction in hospital admissions from these 30-day revisits. Patient and family satisfaction with the presence of the GAP-ED Specialist was high. Conclusion The implementation of a GAP-ED partnership and use of a GAP-ED Specialist is an effective means of reducing hospitalization in older adults revisiting the ED.
Symposium: connective tissue and bonesDiagnosing juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), is the commonest cause of chronic arthritis in childhood worldwide, has considerable morbidity and is a common cause of acquired visual loss in children due to the strong association with chronic anterior uveitis. The diagnosis is clinical and confidence in examination of the musculoskeletal system for synovitis is essential. Management of JIA is based on a combination of pharmacological interventions, physical and occupational therapy, and psychosocial support, managed by an experienced multidisciplinary team. The aim of therapy is to reach complete control of the disease, preserve the physical and psychological integrity of the child and to prevent any long-term consequence related to the disease or treatment. There is overwhelming research evidence to support early treatment and aggressive intervention in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This has developed with the growing awareness that there is a “window of opportunity” to alter the natural history of the disease and the process of inflammation. Early recognition of, and skill in, diagnosis of JIA is therefore essential and reviewed here.
Three-Level Hierarchical Linear Modeling Analyses of the Relationship Between Political Culture and Teacher Autonomy:

Research suggests that the limits of teacher autonomy are defined by educational policies. Educational policies, however, are driven by political culture. This study examines the relationship betwe...
Examining How Formal Leadership Development Programs Positively Influence Hospital Leaders' Individual Competencies and Organizational Outcomes - An Evidence-Based Literature Review.

Background Leadership development programs (LDPs) are known to be educational and valuable, yet time consuming and costly for a healthcare organization and participants alike. This study is aimed to determine the impact that participation in a formal LDP has on hospital managers and leaders' competencies, as well as to identify the positive organizational outcomes that can be achieved. Materials and methods We conducted a literature review focusing on hospital managers and leaders who participated in formal LDPs. From there, we extracted data to determine the outcomes achieved by participating in LDPs. Results The search yielded 7420 articles, of which 23 articles were used for this literature review. Overall, there were a wide range of positive outcomes for participants of LDPs and some outcomes appeared more frequently than others. The beneficial outcome that appeared most frequently was that participants were able to gain knowledge of management and leadership roles and responsibilities which appeared 13 times. An increase in participant's confidence and communication skills appeared 10 times, respectively. The ability to network with others within the organization and an increase in job positivity and satisfaction appeared 7 times each. Discussion LDPs provided an array of positive outcomes for hospital leaders who had participated. However, there was a lack of studies on the topic and more research is needed in order to have a better understanding of the correlation between LDPs and beneficial organizational outcomes.
Integrate structural analysis, isoform diversity, and interferon-inductive propensity of ACE2 to predict SARS-CoV2 susceptibility in vertebrates

The current new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused globally over 0.4/6 million confirmed deaths/infected cases across more than 200 countries. As the etiological coronavirus (a.k.a. SARS-CoV2) may putatively have a bat origin, our understanding about its intermediate reservoir between bats and humans, especially its tropism in wild and domestic animals are mostly unknown. This constitutes major concerns in public health for the current pandemics and potential zoonosis. Previous reports using structural analysis of the viral spike protein (S) binding its cell receptor of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), indicate a broad potential of SARS-CoV2 susceptibility in wild and particularly domestic animals. Through integration of key immunogenetic factors, including the existence of S-binding-void ACE2 isoforms and the disparity of ACE2 expression upon early innate immune response, we further refine the SARS-CoV2 susceptibility prediction to fit recent experimental validation. In addition to showing a broad susceptibility potential across mammalian species based on structural analysis, our results also reveal that domestic animals including dogs, pigs, cattle and goats may evolve ACE2-related immunogenetic diversity to restrict SARS-CoV2 infections. Thus, we propose that domestic animals may be unlikely to play a role as amplifying hosts unless the virus has further species-specific adaptation. Findings may relieve relevant public concerns regarding COVID-19-like risk in domestic animals, highlight virus-host coevolution, and evoke disease intervention through targeting ACE2 molecular diversity and interferon optimization.
Ponatinib is a potential therapeutic approach for malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and deadly malignancy. Current MPM therapies remain inadequate, and outcomes are often disappointing. New meaningful therapeutic approaches are urgent...
Issues in the Estimation and Application of Latent Structure Models of Choice

Our paper provides a brief review and summary of issues and advances in the use of latent structure and other finite mixture models in the analysis of choice data. Focus is directed to three primary areas: (1) estimation and computational issues, (2) specification and interpretation issues, and (3) future research issues. We comment on what latent structure models have promised, what has been, to date, delivered, and what we should look forward to in the future.
Pakistani Higher Education Teachers’ Perceptions on Translanguaging Practices in Multilingual Classroom

This study employed a quantitative approach to explore and gauge EFL’s teachers’ perceptions and practices towards adapting translanguaging as a teaching strategy in their multilingual classrooms. This study consisted of 93 participants among which 33 are male, and 59 are female teachers working in different private and public sector universities in Lahore. A three sections questionnaire of five Likert-Type scale was administered online with the help of Google Form. The questionnaire was analyzed by descriptive statistics to calculate the percentages of each Likert-type item in the questionnaires. In order to determine the psychometric properties of the measurements, Structural equation model (SEM) was used with Partial least squares (PLS), especially SmartPLS v. 3.2.8. The results show that all the alpha coefficients, composite reliability (CR) estimates and average variance extracted (AVE) values were greater than the criteria of 0.7, 0.7 and 0.50 respectively (Hair et al. 2015; Henseler, Hubona, & Ray, 2016).The percentage of variance explained of factors Pedagogical Technique, Implementation and Translanguaging were 59, 61 and 47 respectively. Whereas the both reliability coefficients, i.e., Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability were ranging from 83 to 93.The study concludes that the teachers are aware of the basic concept of translanguaging but they are not using translanguaging as a scaffold strategy in their multilingual classroom. The study suggests that the teachers might be trained in implementing translanguaging in a systematic way to enhance the learning skills of the students.
Gestational thrombocytopenia: a case-control study of over 3,500 pregnancies.

Gestational thrombocytopenia (GT) affects an estimated nine million women annually. Women with GT have recurrent episodes on subsequent pregnancies suggesting that GT is related to a maternal factor rather than a factor unique to the individual pregnancy. We performed a case-control study of over 3 500 pregnancies at a single hospital during 2017. We defined GT as any pregnancy with a platelet count <150 000/µl during the 100 days prior to delivery. We excluded women with platelet counts <50 000/µl or with conditions known to cause thrombocytopenia. GT was present in 12% of pregnancies. The median platelet count at delivery was 134 500/µl in cases versus 208 000/µl in controls, P < 0·0001. During the pregnancy, the platelet count declined 31·8% in cases compared with 18·3% in controls (P < 0·0001) in association with a significant increase in mean platelet volume during each trimester. Among women with GT, platelet counts rapidly increased during the first week postpartum, consistent with a mechanism directly related to high blood flow rates in the gravid uterus. GT, a recurrent condition of at-risk women, is a common haematological disorder of pregnancy. Future research may focus on genetic gain-of-function polymorphisms resulting in increased turnover of platelets uncovered only during periods of high-shear blood flow.
Designable, temperature-dependent thermal emission using vanadium-dioxide microstructures

We propose gold - vanadium dioxide microstructured emitters to achieve structurally tunable difference in thermal radiated power between low and high temperature states. We use our emitters to design metasurfaces for which the spatial emission pattern can be inverted by changing the temperature.
New Lithium Ion Conductors

Conductivity data for several new lithium conductors are presented. The materials discussed fall into three groups. The first class are solid solutions of lithium orthosilicate, Li4SiO4, and lithium phosphate, Li3PO4. The unit cell of Li4SiO4 contains two SiO4 −4 tetrahedra linked by 8 lithium ions, which are distributed over 18 possible sites. Although the conductivity of pure Li4SiO4 is rather low, an improvement of 3 to 4 orders of magnitude has been obtained at the maximum dopant level studied, which corresponds to 30 mole percent Li3PO4.
PathwayVoyager: pathway mapping using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database

Equally important and challenging as genome annotation, is the subsequent classification of predicted genes into their respective pathways. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) represents a database consisting of known genes and their respective biochemical functionalities. Although accessible online, analyses of multiple genes are time consuming and are not suitable for analyzing data sets that are proprietary. Presented here is a new software solution that utilizes the KEGG online database for pathway mapping of partial and whole prokaryotic genomes. PathwayVoyager retrieves user-defined subsets of the KEGG database and stores the data as local, blast-formatted databases. Previously selected datasets can be re-used, reducing run-time significantly. Whole or partial genomes can be automatically analyzed using NCBI's BlastP algorithm and ORFs with similarities below the user-defined threshold will be marked on pathway maps. Multiple gene hits are sorted by similarity. Since no sequence information is transmitted over the Internet, PathwayVoyager is an ideal solution for pathway mapping and reconstruction of confidential DNA sequence data. PathwayVoyager represents an alternative approach to many already existing, more complex pathway reconstructions software solutions. This software does not require any dedicated hardware or software and is flexible and straightforward to use. It is ideally suited for environments where analyses on variable datasets are desired.