cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Promiscuity in weedy amaranths: high frequency of female tall waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) × smooth pigweed (A. hybridus) hybridization under field conditions

Several populations of different Amaranthus species have been reported resistant to single or multiple herbicides. Interspecific hybridization among amaranths is hypothesized to contribute to the evolution of herbicide resistance. Although other studies have shown the occurrence of interspecific Amaranthus hybrids, little has been done to establish the likelihood of hybridization under field conditions. The main objective of this study was to determine potential field frequencies of hybridization between tall waterhemp females and smooth pigweed. Field hybridization plots were established during each of two growing seasons. Individuals of the two species were transplanted to field plots and arranged at varying distances from each other. Hybrid progeny were detected using the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene as a marker. Smooth pigweed parents were homozygous for a herbicide-resistance ALS allele, whereas maternal tall waterhemps were homozygous for a herbicide-sensitive ALS form. Heterozygous interspecific progeny were thus detected by means of herbicide selection. Molecular and cytogenetic tools were used to verify the validity of the data obtained. Averaged among female waterhemp plants and across the two field seasons, hybridization occurred at a frequency of 33%. A single tall waterhemp plant was capable of producing more than 200,000 hybrids, suggesting little if any gametic incompatibility. All flowering hybrids obtained from tall waterhemp females were of dioecious condition and female sex. Observed sexual segregation was consistent with previously postulated chromosomal XY-type system in tall waterhemp sex determination, where males are the heterogametic sex.
In vitro synergic antifungal effect of MUC7 12-mer with histatin-5 12-mer or miconazole

Objectives MUC7 12-mer (RKSYKCLHKRCR), a cationic peptide derived from human salivary MUC7 mucin, exhibits potent in vitro antifungal activity, as determined by killing assays in phosphate buffer. In this study we examined the MUC7 12-mer antifungal activity alone or in combination with other antifungal agents in LYM medium (modified RPMI 1640). Methods Antifungal activities of MUC7 12-mer and other compounds against several fungal strains were first measured by MIC and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) tests using broth microdilution assay. The viability of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans were also determined by killing assays and time kinetics of peptide-mediated killing. Antifungal activities of MUC7 12-mer in combination with other compounds [histatin-5 (Hsn5) 12-mer: AKRHHGYKRKFH, amphotericin B or miconazole] against C. albicans and C. neoformans were determined by chequerboard assays and confirmed by killing assays. Toxicities of individual compounds were determined by haemolytic assays. Results MICs and MFCs of MUC7 12-mer ranged from 3.13 to 6.25 mg/L for most of the strains tested, and were, in most cases, comparable to those of amphotericin B and miconazole (0.78-6.25 mg/L). ED(50) values of MUC7 12-mer and Hsn5 12-mer were 7.1 and 7.4 micro M (or 11.2 and 11.6 mg/L), respectively, for C. albicans; and 1.2 and 1.1 micro M (or 1.9 and 1.7 mg/L), respectively, for C. neoformans. The killing of C. albicans and C. neoformans was achieved after 30 and 10 min exposure to the peptides, respectively. Combinations of MUC7 12-mer and Hsn5 12-mer, and of MUC7 12-mer and miconazole have a synergic antifungal effect on C. neoformans, with a fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) of 0.37 and 0.25, respectively; and a slightly lower than synergic effect on C. albicans, with a FICI of 0.63 and 0.56, respectively. In addition, using human erythrocytes, the two salivary peptides showed low levels of haemolytic activity. Conclusions This study suggests that MUC7 12-mer and Hsn5 12-mer peptides may be suitable candidates for use in combination antifungal therapy.
Innovative Technologies in the Molecular Characterization of Pancreatic Cancer

The molecular characterization of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is beset with several inherent challenges. At the outset, even though pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, it is relatively rare among the most morbid malignancies, and only 15–20 % of patients are surgically resectable at presentation. As a result, there are small cohorts of tumor tissues available for research. In addition, access to the pancreas, located deep in the retroperitoneum, requires highly specialized expertise and infrastructure available only at select centers, which further limits the availability of pancreatic tissues and biopsy samples. Furthermore, pancreatic adenocarcinoma is uniquely characterized by a dense desmoplastic stroma, which typically results in no more than 20–30 % of cancer cells in grossly dissected tumor tissues. The sample-related constraints are further compounded by the abundance of proteolytic and nucleolytic enzymes in the pancreas that diminish the quality of the biomolecules used for molecular analyses. In this context, the advent of highly sensitive, high-throughput genomics platforms, ex vivo cultures of primary tumors, and innovative transgenic mouse models of the disease over the past decade have helped overcome many of the practical bottlenecks leading to important breakthroughs in the molecular characterization of pancreatic cancer with potential clinical significance. Here we appraise some of the most salient high-throughput technologies in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics currently utilized in the study of cancers and review their specific applications in pancreatic cancer research.
Acyclovir: the past ten years.

Compared to the remarkable progress made in the treatment of bacterial infections over the past four decades, advances in the chemotherapy of viral diseases have proceeded at a much slower pace. In the United States, only a few antiviral agents of proven clinical value are currently available for a limited number of indications. Initial success was achieved with vidarabine therapy of severe and life-threatening herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections—specifically, herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) and neonatal HSV infections. Subsequently, acyclovir has become the standard therapeutic agent for life-threatening HSV and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infections in both normal and immunocompromised hosts. The success of this compound has been nothing short of remarkable. Nevertheless, the recent problems encountered with viral resistance to acyclovir in severely immunocompromised patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection demonstrates the necessity for the development of newer antiviral agents that are active against HSVs. This article will review the advances made over the past decade in the management of HSV and VZV infections with acyclovir.
Characterization and quantification of endogenous fatty acid nitroalkene metabolites in human urine

The oxidation and nitration of unsaturated fatty acids transforms cell membrane and lipoprotein constituents into mediators that regulate signal transduction. The formation of 9-NO2-octadeca-9,11-dienoic acid and 12-NO2-octadeca-9,11-dienoic acid stems from peroxynitrite- and myeloperoxidase-derived nitrogen dioxide reactions as well as secondary to nitrite disproportionation under the acidic conditions of digestion. Broad anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective responses are mediated by nitro-fatty acids. It is now shown that electrophilic fatty acid nitroalkenes are present in the urine of healthy human volunteers (9.9 ± 4.0 pmol/mg creatinine); along with electrophilic 16- and 14-carbon nitroalkenyl β-oxidation metabolites. High resolution mass determinations and coelution with isotopically-labeled metabolites support renal excretion of cysteine-nitroalkene conjugates. These products of Michael addition are in equilibrium with the free nitroalkene pool in urine and are displaced by thiol reaction with mercury chloride. This reaction increases the level of free nitroalkene fraction >10-fold and displays a KD of 7.5 × 10−6 M. In aggregate, the data indicates that formation of Michael adducts by electrophilic fatty acids is favored under biological conditions and that reversal of these addition reactions is critical for detecting both parent nitroalkenes and their metabolites. The measurement of this class of mediators can constitute a sensitive noninvasive index of metabolic and inflammatory status.
Hormones for the control of livestock arthropods. Effects of 2 juvenile hormone analogues against the screwworm Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), in vitro and in infested bovine hosts.

Two juvenile hormone analogues, ( E )-6,7-epoxyl-( p -ethylphenoxy)-3,7-dimethyl-2-octene and isopropyl ( E, E )11-methoxy-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,4-dodeca = dienoate, inhibited the emergence of the screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), when they were applied topically to full-grown larvae and pupae and when they were incorporated within the larval diet. Two bovines that were sprayed with a 0.1% concentration of each analogue and then infested with larvae of the screwworms displayed no changes in serum chemistry, and adults emerged from the wound-reared larvae.
379 PREDICTING EXTRACAPSULAR EXTENSION OF PROSTATE CANCER USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY.

Purpose To determine whether the percentage of the volume of the prostate showing abnormal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy correlates with a higher likelihood of extracapsular extension (ECE) of prostate cancer on high-resolution MR imaging. Methods Patients with a history of androgen blockade therapy, pelvic radiation therapy, more than 2 weeks of proton beam therapy or an incomplete data set were excluded from the study ( n = 26 of 180 patients screened). Pelvic MRI was performed using a 1.5 T scanner with an abdominal phased array coil and an endorectal coil to obtain high-resolution T2-weighted images of the prostate. An experienced radiologist, blinded to MRS results, determined the presence of ECE. The endorectal coil was used for PRESS 3D spectroscopic imaging with frequency selective water/lipid signal suppression to obtain spectra. Nominal voxel resolution was 6 × 6 × 6 mm 3 . In consensus with an experienced radiologist, voxels were assigned to 2 regions (central gland and peripheral zone) in the prostate on the basis of the MRSI matrix overlaid on T2-weighted images. The spectra from these voxels were fitted in the time domain with model functions for the citrate (Ci), creatine (Cr), and choline (Cho) signals using proprietary software ( PRISMA , v1.5, University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands). The fit results include integral values (+ SD) for the individual signals. Values for the (Cho + Cr)/Ci ratio (CC/C ratio) as a marker for tumor tissue were calculated and compared to published normal values for each region. For our analysis, spectra were considered abnormal (tumor) if the CC/C ratio was > 5 SD above normal. The percentage of abnormal spectra was calculated by dividing the number of voxels exhibiting abnormal spectra by the total number of voxels within the region of the prostate for each patient. Results The percentage of abnormal spectra was not found to be correlated with extracapsular extension. Using a discriminant analysis, the percentage of abnormal spectra alone was able to predict extracapsular extension with 65% accuracy. When combined with PSA levels, the prediction accuracy increased to 75% (prediction accuracy of PSA alone was 73%). Conclusion Percentage of abnormal spectra alone does not yield accurate prediction of extracapsular extension of tumor outside of the prostate. It will, however, improve prediction when combined with other methods of prostate cancer assessment, such as PSA levels.
High Resolution Measurement of Nearly Dispersionless Fiber by Localized Four Photon Mixing

New dispersion measurement for nearly dispersionless fiber is reported. Meter-scale dispersion retrieval from highly-nonlinear fiber was demonstrated for the first time. The sensitivity was improved by two orders of magnitude with respect to conventional methods.
Subgrid-Scale Parameterizations

Mesoscale meteorological models are governed by nonlinear equations of motion, and continuity equations for mass, heat, and water substance. These equations contain information on atmospheric motion and transport over different scales down to the smallest eddies responsible for the viscous dissipation. Since it is not possible to integrate exactly such a set of equations, the modeler has to distinguish between those eddies that can be resolved by a numerical model and the eddies that are not fully resolved computationally and, therefore, are defined as a subgrid-scale process or turbulence. On the other hand, one might not want detailed information about eddies with sizes that cannot be resolved by an available observational system.
Adolescence and Acquisition of Peak Bone Mass

Publisher Summary The rapid growth accompanying puberty reflects vastly different forces at play with growth regulators dominating homeostatic mechanisms and bone turnover imbalanced in favor of bone formation. Thus, the importance of vitamin D for musculoskeletal demands requires unique investigation distinct from the stable adult condition. Adolescence represents a unique stage of the lifecycle as evidenced by rapid bone growth, in terms of both size and structural properties. Race and sex differences in skeletal maturation have been identified, with skeletal size explaining much, but not all of the differences. Regulators of genetically programmed body size dominate skeletal expansion during this life stage. Modifiable lifestyle factors play important roles in determination of peak bone mass, with calcium intake being the strongest predictor of skeletal calcium accretion in healthy adolescents. However, much less is known regarding the role of vitamin D with respect to bone mineral augmentation. Unlike adults, vitamin D status over a wide range of concentrations is not associated with calcium absorption or retention in adolescents. Moreover, an inverse relationship between serum 25(OH)D and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) has been reported, but suppressed iPTH may be undesirable during puberty when high rates of modeling are necessary to build and shape bone. Thus, criteria established for adults defining vitamin D deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency cannot be extrapolated to adolescents without further investigation.
Expanding our understanding of military social work: The concept of military- and veteran-connected populations

Cultural competence is the cornerstone of engagement in the helping professions. This article is intended to introduce and describe the concept of military- and veteran-connected populations with the intent of promoting awareness of the many individuals in our society whose lives are impacted by military service.
A CMOS 10Gb/s SONET transceiver

A 10 Gb/s synchronous optical network (SONET) transceiver is designed with 90nm digital CMOS technology. It consists of a serializing transmitter (TX) and a de-serializing receiver (RX) on a single chip. The 10GHz differential LC VCO's in TX and RX, fully differential circuits, multiple power domains are implemented to exceed SONET jitter specifications.
Massive graph processing on nanocomputers

Many recently proposed graph-processing frameworks utilize powerful computer clusters with dozens of cores to process massive graphs. Their usability and flexibility often come at a cost. We demonstrate that custom software written for “nanocomputers,” including a credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi, a low-cost ARM server, and an Intel Atom computer, can process the same graphs. Our implementations of PageRank and connected components stream graphs from external storage while performing computation in the limited main memory on these nanocomputers. The results show that a $100 computer with an Intel Atom core can compute PageRank and connected components on a 1.5-billion-edge Twitter graph as quickly as graph-processing systems running on machines with up to 48 cores. As people continue to apply graph computations to large datasets, this research suggests that there may be cost and energy advantages to using nanocomputers.
An air-spacer terahertz metamaterial perfect absorber for sensing and detection applications

We designed, fabricated, and characterized a metamaterial perfect absorber at terahertz (THz) frequency range utilizing air as the dielectric material. Due to the avoidance of the loss usually introduced by the dielectric material, there was a three times improvement of the quality factor. Also, with metamaterials fabricated on a free-standing silicon nitride membrane, high sensitivity can be achieved compared with traditional metamaterials on thick substrate. Moreover, the absence of the dielectric materials presents the special opportunity to use liquid or gas as the dielectric layer for permittivity characterization or sensing and detection purposes
A Care Ethics Approach to Medical Eligibility in Armed Conflict.

Gross (2017) argues that existing rules of medical eligibility established by American and British medical facilities to cope with overwhelming medical needs related to armed conflict in Iraq and A...
Biocatalysis of a Paclitaxel Analogue: Conversion of Baccatin III to N-Debenzoyl-N-(2-furoyl)paclitaxel and Characterization of an Amino Phenylpropanoyl CoA Transferase

In this study, we demonstrate an enzyme cascade reaction using a benzoate CoA ligase (BadA), a modified nonribosomal peptide synthase (PheAT), a phenylpropanoyltransferase (BAPT), and a benzoyltransferase (NDTNBT) to produce an anticancer paclitaxel analogue and its precursor from the commercially available biosynthetic intermediate baccatin III. BAPT and NDTNBT are acyltransferases on the biosynthetic pathway to the antineoplastic drug paclitaxel in Taxus plants. For this study, we addressed the recalcitrant expression of BAPT by expressing it as a soluble maltose binding protein fusion (MBP-BAPT). Further, the preparative-scale in vitro biocatalysis of phenylisoserinyl CoA using PheAT enabled thorough kinetic analysis of MBP-BAPT, for the first time, with the cosubstrate baccatin III. The turnover rate of MBP-BAPT was calculated for the product N-debenzoylpaclitaxel, a key intermediate to various bioactive paclitaxel analogues. MBP-BAPT also converted, albeit more slowly, 10-deacetylbaccatin III to N-de...
Capacity-oriented approaches to developing childhood obesity interventions: a systematic review.

Capacity-oriented approaches to health interventions seek to empower the target population or community to manage the health issue themselves using resources they can control. Positive deviance, resilience and asset-based approaches are three such methods of developing and implementing health interventions. This study aimed to review the efficacy of interventions explicitly applying these methods in addressing childhood obesity using adiposity as the primary outcome, measured by standardized body mass index. The search strategy was developed and implemented across four electronic databases. Of the 181 records identified and screened, 11 studies were identified as using a capacity-oriented approach overall. Asset-based approaches (n = 8 studies) consisted of 47 880 participants, positive deviance (n = 2 studies) consisted of 781 participants, and resilience-based interventions (n = 1 study) consisted of 35 participants. The asset-based approaches were mixed, with three of the eight studies showing a significant reduction in adiposity, while the other five did not find a difference. The positive deviance and resilience-based studies showed signs of efficacy in reducing adiposity. There was significant design heterogeneity across studies, and varied interpretations and definitions of the approaches were used. Further work should attempt to achieve some consensus on the use of these approaches to facilitate comparison and advance the science of capacity-oriented interventions for childhood obesity.
Intraoperative determination of tumor aggressiveness by real-time label-free nonlinear imaging and characterization of tumor-associated extracellular vesicles (Conference Presentation)

Tumor-associated extracellular vesicles (TEVs), which represent a unique kind of inter-cellular communication carrier, have been found to play vital roles in directing the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. However, because the human tumor microenvironment and TEVs significantly degrade or lose vitality over relatively brief periods of time after breast cancer surgical excision, lab-based studies with fresh human tissue specimens cannot provide accurate TEV information. By designing and building a portable label-free nonlinear imaging system, we have been able to conduct intraoperative imaging of fresh, unstained breast tissue specimens immediately after excision. Various features of the breast tumor microenvironment from multimodal nonlinear images were characterized to indicate tumor progression, invasiveness, and tumor grade, such as tumor-accommodating collagen structure visualized using second harmonic generation imaging, fibroblasts shown by two photon auto-fluorescence, and TEVs highlighted using third harmonic generation imaging. In particular, we found TEV count as a promising biomarker of tumor aggressiveness and margin distance. A decreasing trend of TEV counts with larger margin distance and lower cancer aggressiveness grades was revealed among 18 breast cancer cases. In addition, clear differences in TEV counts between images collected from breast cancer cases and healthy breast reduction cases, in another aspect, validate the potential of identifying TEVs using our imaging method. Acquisition and interpretation of these intraoperative image data not only provided assessment of the human tumor microenvironment, but also offered the potential to intraoperatively assess tumor margin distance and determine tumor aggressiveness.
Therapy for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction occurs with increasing frequency with advancing age, and older patients with acute MI are at increased risk of a variety of complications including congestive heart failure, arrhythmias and conduction disturbances, myocardial rupture, cardiogenic shock, and death. Older patients thus comprise a high-risk subgroup of the MI population who consequently may derive substantial benefit from appropriately selected therapeutic interventions. At the same time, many interventions are associated with increased risks in the elderly, so that individualization of treatment is essential in all patients. Optimal therapy is thus based on a careful risk-benefit assessment of the available treatment options in conjunction with information on patient preferences and other relevant factors. Though many therapeutic trials of patients with acute MI have either excluded elderly patients or enrolled too few older subjects to permit definitive conclusions, sufficient data are available to make specific recommendations in several areas. As shown in Table 6, therapies of proven value in the acute-phase treatment of elderly patients with MI include aspirin and thrombolysis. Intravenous beta blockers are likely to be of benefit as well, and long-term oral beta blockade after MI is clearly beneficial. ACE inhibitors are of proven value in the long-term management of patients with left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction less than 40%), but initiation of an ACE inhibitor should probably be delayed for 48 to 72 hours in most cases. The role of other agents including nitrates, magnesium, diltiazem, and verapamil requires further clarification, but anti-arrhythmic drugs and dihydropyridine calcium antagonists should generally be avoided in the absence of specific indications for their use. Finally, though the role of catheterization and revascularization in elderly patients with acute MI requires additional study, current data indicate that age alone should not be considered a contraindication to these procedures. As the age of the population continues to rise, the number of older patients at risk of acute MI also increases. Though progressively more sophisticated interventions may ultimately result in sizable reductions in post-MI morbidity and mortality, given the high risk of adverse outcomes in this population the best treatment is prevention. Thus, the greatest potential for the future, as well as the greatest challenge, is to develop more effective strategies for preventing atherosclerosis and for conquering the epidemic of coronary heart disease.
Machine learning and molecular design of self-assembling -conjugated oligopeptides

Self-assembling oligopeptides present a means to fabricate biocompatible supramolecular aggregates with engineered electronic and optical functionality. We conducted molecular dynamics simulations ...
Recent Developments and Future Outlook

The previous chapters described several approaches employed for determining partworths of attributes and tradeoffs among them. The chapters dealt with various methods for both of ratings-based and choice-based conjoint methods. In addition, we described several applications of conjoint methodology to different marketing problems such as product design, product positioning, pricing, market segmentation, and several miscellaneous problems. During the last thirty plus years since these methods were introduced to marketing research, researchers have tackled various problems that are encountered in applying these methods in practice. As Hauser and Rao (2006) have noted, conjoint analysis is alive and well. In fact there have been several developments in the last 5–10 years that place this methodology as one of the most vibrant techniques in marketing research.
The Constitution of the Human Community: Value Experience in the Thought of Edmund Husserl; an Axiological Approach to Ethics

The axiological approach to ethics has few followers in recent times because of fundamental disagreements concerning the characterization of the basic value terms needed to delineate the field, and the lack of a suitable method for resolving these value conflicts. Given these shortcomings, it is hard to see how one could move on to specialized studies of ethical values and to work out a comprehensive theory of the ethical life. It is no wonder that some philosophers have not only turned away from value inquiry, but have condemned or discredited the entire project.1 Frequently, such critics have recommended metaphysical or ontological alternatives to value inquiry, but so far substantial contributions to ethics have been singularly absent.
Stem Cells and ßλατημa Cells

Recently much effort has resulted in papers on how stem cells can be generated from adult tissues in mice, but the salamanders do this routinely. Salamanders can regenerate most of their body parts, such as limbs, eyes, jaw, brain (and spinal cord), heart, etc. Regeneration in salamanders starts by dedifferentiation of the terminally differentiated tissues at the site of injury. The dedifferentiated cells can then differentiate to reconstitute the lost tissues. This transdifferentiation in an adult animal is unprecedented among vertebrates and does not involve recruitment of stem cells. One of the ideas is that such reprogramming of terminally differentiated cells might involve mechanisms that are similar to the maintenance of embryonic stem cells. In the stem cell field much emphasis has been recently given to the reprogramming of adult cells (such as skin fibroblasts) to revert to ES or pluripotent stem cells. It is our conviction that generation of dedifferentiated cells in salamanders and stem cells, such as the ones seen in repair in mammals share molecular signatures. This mini review will discuss these issues and ideas that could unite the stem cell biology with the classical regeneration models.
Leveraging Social Network Analysis and Cyber Forensics Approaches to Study Cyber Propaganda Campaigns

In today’s information technology age, our political discourse is shrinking to fit our smartphone screens. Further, with the availability of inexpensive and ubiquitous mass communication tools like social media, disseminating false information and propaganda is both convenient and effective. Groups use social media to coordinate cyber propaganda campaigns in order to achieve strategic and political goals, influence mass thinking, and steer behaviors or perspectives about an event. In this research, we study the online deviant groups (ODGs) who created a lot of cyber propaganda that were projected against the NATO’s Trident Juncture Exercise 2015 (TRJE 2015) on both Twitter and blogs. Anti-NATO narratives were observed on social media websites that got stronger as the TRJE 2015 event approached. Call for civil disobedience, planned protests, and direct action against TRJE 2015 propagated on social media websites. We employ computational social network analysis and cyber forensics informed methodologies to study information competitors who seek to take the initiative and the strategic message away from NATO in order to further their own agenda. Through social cyber forensics tools, e.g., Maltego, we extract metadata associated with propaganda-riddled websites. The extracted metadata helps in the collection of social network information (i.e., friends and followers) and communication network information (i.e., network depicting the flow of information such as tweets, retweets, mentions, and hyperlinks). Through computational social network analysis, we identify influential users and powerful groups (or the focal structures) coordinating the cyber propaganda campaigns. The study examines 21 blogs having over 18,000 blog posts dating back to 1997 and over 9000 Twitter users for the period between August 3, 2014, and September 12, 2015. These blogs were identified, crawled, and stored in our database that is accessible through the Blogtrackers tool. Blogtrackers tool further helped us identify the activity patterns of blogs, keyword patterns, and the influence a blog or a blogger has on the community, and analyze the sentiment diffusion in the community.
Complicated Pneumonia: Pick and Choose, but Don't Choose the PICC.

A 17-month-old boy born at term presented to a pediatric emergency department with respiratory distress in the setting of fever for 2 weeks. He presented with a maximum temperature of 38.3°C, decreased oral intake, lethargy, and work of breathing for 2 days. In the emergency department, he was toxic appearing and had tachypnea with retractions. He received a dose of ceftriaxone, fluid replacement for dehydration, and had a chest radiograph notable for left hydropneumothorax with mediastinal shift. He was transferred to the PICU and underwent endotracheal intubation. On admission, surgery at bedside was performed to place a left pigtail catheter that evacuated 500 mL of purulent fluid; because of persistent tension physiology secondary to bronchopulmonary fistula, a second chest tube was placed with clinical improvement. A central venous catheter was inserted in the left subclavian vein. Antibiotic therapy in the PICU was initiated with vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam. Blood cultures and studies of his chest tube drainage were sent. Pleural fluid subsequently grew Prevotella melaninogenicus and Streptococcus pneumoniae . Blood cultures remained negative for bacterial growth for the duration of his hospitalization. He was extubated 2 days later and was stable on room air 4 days after presentation. His subclavian line was removed, and a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was placed in anticipation of long-term antibiotic therapy. S pneumoniae was susceptible to penicillin (minimum inhibitory concentration <0.03 μg/mL). Prevotella species sensitivity was unknown because the sample sent for susceptibility was not viable. On the basis of the sensitivities of his pleural fluid culture, piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin were discontinued, …
Knocking at the gate: The path to publication for entrepreneurship experiments through the lens of gatekeeping theory

Abstract We draw on gatekeeping theory to explore the individual and routine-level criticisms that entrepreneurship experimentalists receive during the review process. Using a multi-study approach, we categorize common gatekeeping themes and present illustrative critiques derived from a unique sample of decision letters and a supplemental survey of entrepreneurship editors. In combination, we extend gatekeeping theory by considering how it applies to the scholarly domain, contribute to the literature by exploring an alternative theoretical explanation as to why entrepreneurship experiments might fail to survive the review process, and finally, provide contextualized recommendations for authors and reviewers of experimental research.
Numerical investigation of noise reduction mechanisms in a bio-inspired airfoil

Abstract This paper presents a numerical analysis of an airfoil geometry inspired by the down coat of the night owl. The objective is to understand the mechanisms of airfoil trailing edge noise reduction that has been observed with such designs in previous experiments. The bioinspired geometry consists of an array of finlet “fences” that are applied near the trailing edge of the baseline (NACA 0012) airfoil. Wall-resolved large eddy simulations are performed over the baseline and the bioinspired airfoil geometries and the aeroacoustic performance of the two geometries are contrasted. Both models are simulated at chord-based Reynolds number Rec = 5 × 105, flow Mach number, M∞ = 0.2, and angle of attack, α = 0°. Unsteady surface pressure spectra near the airfoil trailing edge show large reductions at high frequencies but an increase in low frequencies with the bioinspired airfoil, consistent with previous measurements. Farfield noise spectra comparisons between the baseline and the bioinspired airfoil show reductions of up to 10 dB with the fences. The simulations reveal that the fences lift the turbulence eddies away from the airfoil trailing (scattering) edge hence reducing the scattering efficiency. These findings suggest that one of the mechanisms of noise reduction is the increased source-scattering edge separation distance. Two-point correlations show that the fences reduce the spanwise coherence at low frequencies for separation distances greater than a fence pitch. Reduction in spanwise coherence is another potential mechanism of farfield noise reduction at low frequencies.
Importance of Wellness Concepts in the Hotel Industry: Perspectives from the Millennials

Millennials taking more responsibilities for their health and improvement of their substantial and spiritual well-being is the reason behind the prosperous demand for wellness concepts in the hotel...
Efficacy of a Laparoscopic Saline-Coupled Bipolar Sealer in Minimally Invasive Hepatobiliary Surgery:

Hepatic resection presents unique surgical challenges to reduce blood loss during parenchymal division. The development of saline-coupled bipolar devices, in which hemostasis is achieved at lower t...
A Minimum Free Energy Model of Motor Learning

Even highly trained behaviors demonstrate variability, which is correlated with performance on current and future tasks. An objective of motor learning that is general enough to explain these pheno...
Severe hypercalcemia preceding a diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in a liver transplant recipient.

Incidence of the opportunistic infection Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in solid organ transplant patients ranges from 5 to 15% with a mortality of up to 38%. We present a liver transplant recipient who developed hypoxemic respiratory failure related to PJP soon after treatment for allograft rejection. His presentation was preceded by severe hypercalcemia of 14.6 mg/dL and an ionized calcium of 1.7 mmol/L which remained elevated despite usual medical management and eventually required renal replacement therapy. As approximately 5% of PJP cases have granulomas, here we review the role of pulmonary macrophages and inflammatory cytokines in the pathophysiology of granuloma-mediated hypercalcemia. We also discuss the interpretation of our patient’s laboratory studies, response to medical therapy, and clinical risk factors which predisposed him to PJP. It is important for clinicians to consider PJP as an etiology of granulomatous pneumonia and non-parathyroid hormone mediated hypercalcemia in chronically immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients for timely diagnosis and management.
Phrenic nerve neurotization utilizing half of the spinal accessory nerve to the functional restoration of the paralyzed diaphragm in high spinal cord injury secondary to brain tumor resection

The authors present a case of functional improvement of diaphragmatic paralysis in high spinal cord injury, performing a neurotization of the phrenic nerve with accessory spinal nerve hemisection. A C1-C2 injury of the spinal cord was diagnosed in a 12-year-old male, secondary to resection of a brainstem glioma. The patient did not have diaphragmatic motility at the moment that the mechanical ventilation was removed; however, he presented apnea. The patient underwent neurotization of the right phrenic nerve with the right spinal accessory nerve, 5 months after the injury and 6 months after nerve transfer; he had complete mobilization of the right hemidiaphragm, nevertheless persisted with paralysis of the left hemidiaphragm. This achievement reduced the use of mechanical ventilation during the day.
Attenuation of Curing Light Through Resin Composite Restorations

Modern dental resin composites use visible blue light for curing. As the light passes through the material, it gets absorbed and scattered. In order to determine the maximum thickness of resin composite that can be cured at any one time, and the time required to fully cure the material, it is essential to know how quickly light diminishes (or attenuates) as it passes through the material. In this chapter we derive the Beer–Lambert Law of light attenuation to help study the change of light intensity with depth in translucent materials. Both numerical and analytical methods are used to solve the governing differential equation in order to determine the attenuation coefficient.
Corrigendum: Distinguishing Between Need Support and Regulatory Focus with LIWC

Following the publication of our recent article in Collabra: Psychology [https://www.collabra.org/articles/10.1525/collabra.185/] we wish to bring the following corrigendum to your attention. Corrigendum In the version of the paper initially published, several tables in the main text had typographical errors. These errors were not in the data files or the results reported in the supplementary materials, and they do not affect any of the conclusions in the paper. The author thanks her students, Trish Burkins, Janak Judd, and Jennifer Ochiagha, for finding these errors. These errors have been corrected in the preprint version of the paper on the OSF and PsyArXiv. Competing interests The author has declared no competing interests. References Vaughn, L. A. (2019). Distinguishing between need support and regulatory focus with LIWC. Collabra: Psychology, 5, 32. doi: 10.1525/collabra.185
Colonic Conditions: Lynch Syndrome

Lynch syndrome is a dominantly inherited cancer syndrome caused by a germline pathogenic variant in one of the DNA mismatch repair genes. The syndrome is characterized by an increased risk of colorectal and extracolonic cancers that develop at a young age within a family. Tumors arising in Lynch syndrome are marked by mismatch repair deficiency which is measured by microsatellite instability or loss of expression of a mismatch repair protein. High clinical suspicion is needed to identify patients at risk so that appropriate counseling and testing are offered and a diagnosis can be made. The main goal of Lynch syndrome management is to reduce the formation of, and death from cancer. This can be accomplished by appropriate screening and surveillance programs with intervention as warranted. Surgery for colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome should include extended rather than segmental resections to reduce the risk of metachronous colorectal cancers, while considering changes in bowel function and maintenance of quality of life.
Identifying Key Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty in a Local Retailing Context

Local retailers face both challenges and opportunities in this competitive retail landscape. However, what makes these local retailers stand out from large, national stores? Through a quantitative study, this study attempts to understand the factors that create loyalty to local retailers and thus lead to repeat purchases at their stores.
Copying Couplets: Performing Masculinity in Middle English Moral Poetry

A late medieval, middle class, masculine, social self is performed in the content and prosodic, rhetorical, and textual form of moral poetry consisting of exchangeable, aphoristic couplets of advic...
Transcatheter Exclusion of a Large Pseudoaneurysm of a Systemic Right Ventricular Outflow Tract.

Abstract We describe a rare patient with a large pseudoaneurysm of the right ventricular outflow tract that had developed after placement of a right ventricle–pulmonary artery conduit. A 7-mm Ampla...
Examining the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Self-Efficacy for Exercise Among Overweight and Obese Marshallese Adults

This study examined associations between physical activity frequency and self-efficacy for exercise (SEE) among Marshallese adults in the United States. Data were collected from overweight and obese Marshallese participants (N = 378) enrolled in a Diabetes Prevention Program trial. Logistic and ordinal logistic regressions were employed to examine associations between physical activity and SEE, adjusting for covariates. SEE was significantly associated with engaging in sufficient total physical activity [odds ratio (OR) = 1.70], moderate physical activity (OR = 2.23), and vigorous physical activity (OR = 2.13). Unemployment was associated with less frequent moderate physical activity (OR = 0.59). Younger age (OR = 0.98), being male (OR = 2.67), and reporting excellent health (OR = 3.14) or good health (OR = 2.06) were associated with more frequent vigorous physical activity. Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle behavior associated with many chronic disease disparities faced by the Marshallese community, and the study results will be useful for practitioners and researchers working to address these disparities.
R6K Plasmid Replication: Influence of Chromosomal Genotype in Minicell-Producing Strains of Escherichia coli K-12

Alkaline sucrose velocity sedimentation and cesium chloride-ethidium bromide equilibrium centrifugation have been used to determine the number of copies per chromosomal equivalent of the relaxedly replicating R6K plasmid (a conjugative plasmid conferring ampicillin and streptomycin resistance) in two minicell-producing strains of Escherichia coli K-12. In one strain, the average number of covalently closed circular R6K molecules per chromosomal equivalent is 13 in log-phase and 35 in stationary-phase cells. In the other strain, there is an average of six covalently closed circular R6K molecules per chromosomal equivalent in both log- and stationary-phase cells. Selection from this strain of spontaneously occurring mutants resistant to high concentrations of ampicillin has been accomplished and such mutants show a two- to threefold increase in the number of R6K copies per chromosomal equivalent. Relative to the parental strain, mutants display the following properties: (i) elevated streptomycin resistance, (ii) a 10-fold increase in R6K conjugal transfer, (iii) a 10-fold increase in the amount of R6K plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid segregated into minicells, and (iv) a two- to threefold increase in R6K-specified β-lactamase. The mutation(s) responsible for the increase in the number of R6K molecules per chromosomal equivalent is located on the bacterial chromosome. No R6K-linked mutations conferring the above phenotypes have been obtained. The mutations are presumed to be in chromosomal genes which play a role in the regulation of R6K replication in this strain.
Using sustainability themes and multidisciplinary approaches to enhance STEM education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the Multidisciplinary Sustainability Education Project (MSEP) as a framework using sustainability-themed education modules to introduce students to the need for multidisciplinary approaches to solving twenty-first-century problems while retaining traditional course strengths and content. Design/methodology/approach – The MSEP uses sustainability-themed education models and a multidisciplinary approach to link courses across disciplines. Modules are identified by an overarching question with activities designed to address the overarching question from course-specific perspectives, resulting in students writing short technical reports summarizing their results. Students then read and evaluate technical reports from other classes, and complete a summary activity designed to connect perspectives from different disciplines. Findings – The multi-method assessment identified no loss or gain in discipline-specific learning; increased understanding about the char...
Rapporteur’s summary

Our topic is the sharing of computer resources by intercommunication. I’ll summarize the session, in four parts: what’s been done, why do it (the advantages), why not to do it (the problems) and what needs to be done in the future.
A method of securing priority-use routes for emergency vehicles using inter-vehicle and vehicle-road communication

The number of emergency calls is growing year by year, owing to an increase in the number of accidents, fires and disasters. Consequently, the number of dispatches of emergency vehicles (police cars, ambulances and fire engines) is on the rise. This paper proposes a method of reducing the amount of time needed for emergency vehicles to travel to their destinations (travel time) by enabling these vehicles to run on the road with high priority. This is achieved by making emergency vehicles and road side units send messages that notify other vehicles of the routes that will be taken by the emergency vehicles via a VANET (Vehicular Ad hoc NETwork). We have developed a simulation system to evaluate the proposed method in terms of the average travel time. Two different radio propagation models were used. The evaluation results support the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A Review of “Hospital Chaplaincy in the Twenty-first Century: The Crisis of Spiritual Care on the NHS”

What happens to the chaplaincy when attitudes toward spirituality shift under the scrutiny of economic hard times, cost containment, an eroding trust in religion, and a departure from the historic ...