cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Explicit and implicit stigma against individuals with mental illness

Abstract Stigma against mental illness has devastating consequences for individuals with mental illness and their families. Empirical findings and qualitative evidence indicate that stigma against mental illness remains rampant in many nations and cultures, constituting a significant barrier to successful treatment, reducing key life opportunities, and predicting poor outcomes over and above the effects of mental illness per se. In this article we define stigma, examine relevant theoretical perspectives, summarise evidence regarding the pervasive negative impact of stigma on individuals with mental illness, and discuss underlying mechanisms. We focus in particular on assessment issues, highlighting the need for transcending explicit attitudinal measures of stigma, which are susceptible to social desirability concerns and are likely to underestimate true levels of stigma, to include unconscious/implicit indicators and direct behavioural appraisals. A primary goal is to facilitate means of accurately measur...
qPCR-based molecular sexing by copy number variation in rRNA genes and its utility for sex identification in soft-shell turtles

1 Sex diagnosis is important in ecology, evolution, conservation biology, medicine, and food production. However, sex diagnosis is difficult in species without conspicuous sexual dimorphism or at life stages before such differences develop. This problem is exacerbated when the diagnostic trait is a continuous (non-discrete) variable to which general analytical methods are not commonly applied. 2 Here we demonstrate the use of copy-number variation between males and females of the nucleolar organizing region (NOR) in the genome of Apalone spinifera softshell turtles, which we quantify by real-time PCR. We analyze these continuous data using mixture models that can be applied either in discriminant analysis when a subset of individuals of known sex is used as a training set, or in clustering procedures when all individuals are of unknown sex. 3 Using individuals of known sex, the discriminant analysis exhibited 100% accurate classification rate for both the training set and the test set. Classification rates were also 100% when using the clustering procedure to identify groups and classify individuals in the absence of sex information. Standard curves using only male DNA provided better discrimination than using mixed-sex DNA during qPCR. NOR copy number is an effective sex diagnostic for A. spinifera turtles. Our sexing approach using qPCR of 18S genes should prove useful for other taxa that also possess dimorphic NORs, as is known insome vertebrates and insects. While the 18S copy numbers in our dataset exhibited a non-overlapping binomial distribution, this may not always be the case in future studies ofA. spinifera or for other taxa. 4 Importantly however, our sex-typing approach using mixture models provides an attractive alternative under overlapping distributions of these and of other continuous data such as hormone levels, gene expression levels, shape or behavior. We present an example using overlapping distributions of hormone levels in Chelydra serpentina turtles, to demonstrate the broader utility of mixture models for sex-typing, and obtain a high correct classification of 90%.
A method for the generation of conditional gene repair mutations in mice.

Conditional gene repair mutations in the mouse can assist in cell lineage analyses and provide a valuable complement to conditional gene inactivation strategies. We present a method for the generation of conditional gene repair mutations that employs a loxP-flanked (floxed) selectable marker and transcriptional/translational stop cassette (neostop) located within the first intron of a target gene. In the absence of Cre recombinase, expression of the targeted allele is suppressed generating a null allele, while in the presence of Cre, excision of neostop restores expression to wild-type levels. To test this strategy, we have generated a conditional gene repair allele of the mouse Huntington’s disease gene homolog (Hdh). Insertion of neostop within the Hdh intron 1 generated a null allele and mice homozygous for this allele resembled nullizygous Hdh mutants and died after embryonic day 8.5. In the presence of a cre transgene expressed ubiquitously early in development, excision of neostop restored Hdh expression and rescued the early embryonic lethality. A simple modification of this strategy that permits the generation of conventional gene knockout, conditional gene knockout and conditional gene repair alleles using one targeting construct is discussed.
Prenatal Famine and Adult Health

We review human studies on the relation between acute exposures to prenatal famine and adult physical and mental health. These studies are observational and include exposures to a famine environment by natural or man-made causes or, more commonly, from the interplay between natural and human factors. These natural experiments provide an opportunity to examine long-term outcomes after famine exposures by comparing exposed and nonexposed individuals. The studies show consistent associations between prenatal famine and adult body size, diabetes, and schizophrenia. For other measures of adult health, findings are less robust. A relation between prenatal famine and some reported epigenetic changes may provide a potential mechanism to explain specific associations. Much progress can be made if current separate studies are further analyzed with comparable definitions of exposures and outcomes and using common analytic strategies.
Is Individual Choice Less Problematic than Collective Choice

It is commonplace to suppose that the theory of individual rational choice is considerably less problematic than the theory of collective rational choice. In particular, it is often assumed by philosophers, economists, and other social scientists that an individual's choices among outcomes (or lotteries yielding specified probabilities of outcomes) accurately reflect that individual's underlying preferences or values. Further, it is now well known that if an individual's choices among outcomes (or lotteries thereof) satisfy certain plausible axioms of rationality or consistency, that individual's choice-behavior can be interpreted as maximizing expected utility on a utility scale that is unique up to a linear transformation (Ramsey, 1931; Savage, 1954; Von Neumann and Morgenstern, 1944). Hence, there is, in principle, an empirically respectable method of measuring individuals' values and a single unified schema for explaining their actions as value maximizing (insofar as they act rationally).
The Nuclear Localization of SWI/SNF Proteins Is Subjected to Oxygen Regulation

Hypoxia is associated with many disease conditions in humans, such as cancer, stroke and traumatic injuries. Hypoxia elicits broad molecular and cellular changes in diverse eukaryotes. Our recent studies suggest that one likely mechanism mediating such broad changes is through changes in the cellular localization of important regulatory proteins. Particularly, we have found that over 120 nuclear proteins with important functions ranging from transcriptional regulation to RNA processing exhibit altered cellular locations under hypoxia. In this report, we describe further experiments to identify and evaluate the role of nuclear protein relocalization in mediating hypoxia responses in yeast. To identify regulatory proteins that play a causal role in mediating hypoxia responses, we characterized the time courses of relocalization of hypoxia-altered nuclear proteins in response to hypoxia and reoxygenation. We found that 17 nuclear proteins relocalized in a significantly shorter time period in response to both hypoxia and reoxygenation. Particularly, several components of the SWI/SNF complex were fast responders, and analysis of gene expression data show that many targets of the SWI/SNF proteins are oxygen regulated. Furthermore, confocal fluorescent live cell imaging showed that over 95% of hypoxia-altered SWI/SNF proteins accumulated in the cytosol in hypoxic cells, while over 95% of the proteins were nuclear in normoxic cells, as expected. SWI/SNF proteins relocalize in response to hypoxia and reoxygenation in a quick manner, and their relocalization likely accounts for, in part or in whole, oxygen regulation of many SWI/SNF target genes.
A Novel Method for Accurate and Reproducible Functional Cup Positioning in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Cup positioning is an important variable for short and long term function, stability, and durability of total hip arthroplasty (THA). This novel method utilizes internal and external bony landmarks, and the transverse acetabular ligament for positioning the acetabular component. The cup is placed parallel and superior to the transverse ligament and inside the anterior wall notch of the true acetabulum, then adjusted for femoral version and pelvic tilt and obliquity based on weight bearing radiographs. In 78 consecutive THAs, the mean functional anteversion and abduction angles were 17.9° ± 4.7° and 41.7° ± 3.8°, respectively. 96% of the functional anteversion measurements and 100% of the functional abduction angles were within the safe zone. This technique is an easy, reproducible, and accurate method for functional cup placement.
Thromboxane and the thromboxane receptor in cardiovascular disease

Thromboxane A2 (TXA2), the primary product of COX-1-dependent metabolism of arachidonic acid, mediates its biological actions through the TXA2 receptor, termed the TP. Irreversible inhibition of platelet COX-1-derived TXA2 with low-dose aspirin affords protection against primary and secondary vascular thrombotic events, underscoring the central role of TXA2 as a platelet agonist in cardiovascular disease. The limitations associated with aspirin use include significant gastrointestinal toxicity, bleeding complications, potential inter-individual response variability and poor efficacy in some disease states. This, together with the broad role of TXA2 in cardiovascular disease beyond the platelet, has refocused interest towards additional TXA2-associated drug targets, in particular TXA2 synthase and the TP. The superiority of these agents over low-dose aspirin, in terms of clinical efficacy, tolerability and commercial viability, remain open questions that are the focus of ongoing research.
Pathology of Pulmonary Disease From Exposure to Interdependent Ambient Gases (Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone)

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) are capable individually of inducing emphysema in rats exposed to high subacute concentrations. Mixtures of NO2 and O3 at levels reached in severe smog were used to estimate the degree of injury sustained by rats exposed to these ambient, interdependent, photochemically produced gases. Histologically, the major site of injury was at the level of the junction of the respiratory bronchiole and the alveolar duct, somewhat more peripherally than the lesion caused by NO2 alone. Ozone, the more toxic component, was largely responsible for the injury at the selected concentrations and for the characteristic fibroblastic activity in that region. The observations suggest that potential injury from ambient smog would result mainly from O3, whereas injury from tobacco smoke would be due largely to its relatively high concentration of NO2. The indications are that smoking and residing in smoggy areas would be additively injurious.
The Immunosuppressant Rapamycin Mimics a Starvation-Like Signal Distinct from Amino Acid and Glucose Deprivation

RAFT1/FRAP/mTOR is a key regulator of cell growth and division and the mammalian target of rapamycin, an immunosuppressive and anticancer drug. Rapamycin deprivation and nutrient deprivation have similar effects on the activity of S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and 4E-BP1, two downstream effectors of RAFT1, but the relationship between nutrient- and rapamycin-sensitive pathways is unknown. Using transcriptional profiling, we show that, in human BJAB B-lymphoma cells and murine CTLL-2 T lymphocytes, rapamycin treatment affects the expression of many genes involved in nutrient and protein metabolism. The rapamycin-induced transcriptional profile is distinct from those induced by glucose, glutamine, or leucine deprivation but is most similar to that induced by amino acid deprivation. In particular, rapamycin treatment and amino acid deprivation up-regulate genes involved in nutrient catabolism and energy production and down-regulate genes participating in lipid and nucleotide synthesis and in protein synthesis, turnover, and folding. Surprisingly, however, rapamycin had effects opposite from those of amino acid starvation on the expression of a large group of genes involved in the synthesis, transport, and use of amino acids. Supported by measurements of nutrient use, the data suggest that RAFT1 is an energy and nutrient sensor and that rapamycin mimics a signal generated by the starvation of amino acids but that the signal is unlikely to be the absence of amino acids themselves. These observations underscore the importance of metabolism in controlling lymphocyte proliferation and offer a novel explanation for immunosuppression by rapamycin.
A Sheriffs Office as a Learning Organization

The purpose of this article is to describe a strategic methodology, which is developed from learning organization theory and used to assess a Western Sheriff ’s Office. The authors use learning organization theory to augment four programmatic innovations carried out by the Ada County Sheriff ’s Office in Idaho. The learning model is mixed method: Quantitatively, it makes use of a stratified citizen survey and a deputy survey. Qualitatively, citizen and sheriff ’s deputy focus groups provide meaning from the point of view of environmental actors. The primary products of this method are presented here as narratives that present a comprehensive perspective on the way in which environmental actors viewed programs carried out by the Sheriff ’s Office.
Observations of C3 in translucent sight lines

The A 1 � u X 1 � þ transition of the simplest polyatomic carbon chain molecule, C3, at 4051.6 Ahas been searched for toward reddened stars where abundant C2 had been reported and toward other stars with high color excess. Absorption from C3 has been detected toward 15 stars with color excess E(BV ) from 0.33 to 1.12. The observed C3 column densities, ranging from 10 12 to 10 13 cm � 2 , are well correlated with the corresponding C2 column densities, with NðC2Þ=NðC3Þ� 40, indicating their close chemical relation. The carbon-rich sight line toward HD 204827 (for which no previous C2 observation had been reported) has by far the highest C3 and C2 column densities. The chemistry of formation of C3 from C2 is discussed. A search for the next strongest 020-000 vibronic band was unsuccessful as a result of the low Franck-Condon factor and interference with a stellar line. Searches for C4 and C5 were negative. Subject headings: astrochemistry — ISM: lines and bands — ISM: molecules
A fraud audit: Do you need one?

This paper differentiates between a fraud audit and a financial statement audit and suggests that small businesses usually need a fraud audit although they engage a financial statement audit. A CPA trained in fraud examination and forensic accounting should conduct the fraud audit.
Liver Glycogen Loading Dampens Glycogen Synthesis Seen in Response to Either Hyperinsulinemia or Intraportal Glucose Infusion

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of liver glycogen loading on net hepatic glycogen synthesis during hyperinsulinemia or hepatic portal vein glucose infusion in vivo. Liver glycogen levels were supercompensated (SCGly) in two groups (using intraportal fructose infusion) but not in two others (Gly) during hyperglycemic-normoinsulinemia. Following a 2-h control period during which fructose infusion was stopped, there was a 2-h experimental period in which the response to hyperglycemia plus either 4× basal insulin (INS) or portal vein glucose infusion (PoG) was measured. Increased hepatic glycogen reduced the percent of glucose taken up by the liver that was deposited in glycogen (74 ± 3 vs. 53 ± 5% in Gly+INS and SCGly+INS, respectively, and 72 ± 3 vs. 50 ± 6% in Gly+PoG and SCGly+PoG, respectively). The reduction in liver glycogen synthesis in SCGly+INS was accompanied by a decrease in both insulin signaling and an increase in AMPK activation, whereas only the latter was observed in SCGly+PoG. These data indicate that liver glycogen loading impairs glycogen synthesis regardless of the signal used to stimulate it.
Drosophila betaHeavy-spectrin is essential for development and contributes to specific cell fates in the eye.

The spectrin membrane skeleton is a ubiquitous cytoskeletal structure with several cellular roles, including the maintenance of cell integrity, determination of cell shape and as a contributor to cell polarity. We have isolated mutations in the gene encoding βHeavy-spectrin in Drosophila, and have named this essential locus karst. karst mutant individuals have a pleiotropic phenotype characterized by extensive larval lethality and, in adult escapers, rough eyes, bent wings, tracheal defects and infertility. Within karst mutant eyes, a significant number of ommatidia specifically lack photoreceptor R7 alongside more complex morphological defects. Immunolocalization of betaHeavy-spectrin in wild-type eye-antennal and wing imaginal discs reveals that betaHeavy-spectrin is present in a restricted subdomain of the membrane skeleton that colocalizes with DE-cadherin. We propose a model where normal levels of Sevenless signaling are dependent on tight cell-cell adhesion facilitated by the betaHeavy-spectrin membrane skeleton. Immunolocalization of betaHeavy-spectrin in the adult and larval midgut indicates that it is a terminal web protein, but we see no gross morphological defects in the adult apical brush border in karst mutant flies. Rhodamine phalloidin staining of karst mutant ovaries similarly reveals no conspicuous defect in the actin cytoskeleton or cellular morphology in egg chambers. This is in contrast to mutations in alpha-spectrin, the molecular partner of betaHeavy-spectrin, which affect cellular structure in both the larval gut and adult ovaries. Our results emphasize the fundamental contribution of the spectrin membrane skeleton to normal development and reveals a critical interplay between the integrity of a cell9s membrane skeleton, the structure of cell-cell contacts and cell signaling.
Mating Responses in Candida lipolytica

Culture medium that restricted cell multiplication increased fertility in selected heterothallic stocks of Candida lipolytica and triggered sporulation in newly formed diploids; a medium that supported vigorous cell growth prevented sporulation and permitted the newly formed diploids to bud.
Stability analysis for two-dimensional systems

The state-space versions for several Bounded-Input Bounded-Output (BIBO) stability criteria of 2-D systems are given. Several checkable sufficient conditions are also described. For the special cases when n = 1 or m = 1 a criterion which is related to DeCarlo's criterion is reported. Some results on stabilizability based on the stability results are included.
SURFACE MATERIALS AND PROPERTIES RELATED TO SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN SKID RESISTANCE

A three-year research program was initiated in 1978 at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute by the U.S. Department of Transportation to investigate possible causes for seasonal and short-term skid resistance variations. The primary objective is to determine the parameters which can be used to predict the influence of seasonal and short-term effects. This paper is concerned with the material parameters influencing the long-term seasonal variations. Data are analyzed from 21 test surfaces in State College, Pennsylvania and 10 test surfaces in Tennessee and North Carolina. The data include skid resistance measurements according to the ASTM Test for Skid Resistance of Paved Surfaces Using a Full-Scale Tire (E 274-79), British Pendulum Number measurements, calculated percent normalized skid number gradient, and average daily traffic volumes. An exponential curve is fitted to the skid number data for the asphalt pavements, while a linear relationship best fits the data for portland cement concrete surfaces. The coefficients of the resulting seasonal variation curves are regressed against pavement and traffic parameters to provide predictors for the long-term effects. Significant predictors are found to be British Pendulum Number and average daily traffic. Further predictors are suggested by the results of a pavement polishing experiment carried out on the 21 Pennsylvania test surfaces. Good agreement is observed between the two sets of test data.
Some Perspectives on Recent In Situ Air Temperature Observations: Modeling the Microclimate inside the Radiation Shields*

Abstract Air temperature measurement has inherent biases associated with the particular radiation shield and sensor deployed. The replacement of the Cotton Region Shelter (CRS) with the Maximum–Minimum Temperature System (MMTS) and the introduction of Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) air temperature observing systems during the NWS modernization introduced bias shifts in federal networks that required quantification. In rapidly developing nonfederal networks, the Gill shield temperature systems are widely used. All of these systems house an air temperature sensor in a radiation shield to prevent radiation loading on the sensors; a side effect is that the air temperature entering a shield is modified by interior solar radiation, infrared radiation, airspeed, and heat conduction to or from the sensor so that the shield forms its own interior microclimate. The objectives of this study are to develop an energy balance model to evaluate the microclimate inside the ASOS, MMTS, Gill, and CRS shields, in...
A Review of “Academic Archives: Managing the Next Generation of College and University Archives, Records, and Special Collections”

Collecting, preserving, and providing access to institutional history has been the traditional mission of academic archives. Today's academic archives, however, can also include records management ...
Topographic variation of soil nitrogen dynamics at Walker Branch Watershed, Tennessee

Understanding the spatial and temporal variability of soil nitrogen (N) transformations is central to quantifying the N dynamics and productivity of ecosystems. The objectives of this work were to examine spatial and temporal variation of soil N dynamics and to identify factors correlated with topographic variation in soil N dynamics in a forest watershed. Net N mineralization and net nitrification potential were measured by aerobic laboratory incubations of surface (0-7 cm) mineral soils. Principal components analysis was used to describe sampling sites across the watershed based on 13 site characterization variables. A topographic index used in hydrologic modeling, In (a/tan ), was calculated for each site as the natural logarithm of the ratio of the upslope drainage area per unit contour length (a) to the local slope angle (tan ). Soils from valley floors had greater total N concentrations, lower carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratios, greater potential net nitrification, and greater microbial activity (as indicated by short-term urease assays) than soils from ridges. Mean net nitrification potential was 0.59 g N g -1 d -1 in surface soils from valley floors and was l 0.01 on ridges and slopes. The first principal component was related to the N and C properties of soils, leaf litter, and leaf fall at a site. The second principal component was related to forest stand composition. The topographic index was significantly correlated with important variables related to soil N dynamics. Once calibration data are derived, this index may be useful as a first approximation to total soil N concentrations and soil C:N ratios in forest watersheds because In (a/tan ) can be calculated from geographic information systems that contain topographic data
Reactive noninterference

Many programs operate reactively--patiently waiting for user input, running for a while producing output, and eventually returning to a state where they are ready to accept another input (or occasionally diverging). When a reactive program communicates with multiple parties, we would like to be sure that it can be given secret information by one without leaking it to others.Motivated by web browsers and client-side web applications, we explore definitions of noninterference for reactive programs and identify two of special interest--one corresponding to termination-insensitive noninterference for a simple sequential language, the other to termination-sensitive noninterference. We focus on the former and develop a proof technique for showing that program behaviors are secure according to this definition. To demonstrate the viability of the approach, we define a simple reactive language with an information-flow type system and apply our proof technique to show that well-typed programs are secure.
Rotating Polarization Polarimeter

Chirality is an excellent indicator of life, but natural samples exhibit massive depolarizing light scattering, rendering conventional polarimeters useless. We show that rotating-polarization polarimeter outperforms conventional polarimeters, by operating on samples 1000 times more scattering.
Case 25: To What Journal Should You Send Your Work?

Many years ago we published a study entitled: “Does maternal medication temporarily affect neonatal neurobehavior?” The study started in partnership with a prominent German neonatal psychologist Brigitte Niestroj from Berlin who was spending a year working with us in Durban. At the time, I was working in King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, where we were doing between 32,000 and 36,000 deliveries which included 6–8,000 Cesarean sections a year. Brigitte was interested in the possible effect of maternal medication on the neonate’s neurobehavior function. Together we modified the Brazelton neurobehavioral scale and made it much simpler, less time-consuming, and less exhausting for the newborn [1].
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Therapy in Advanced Heart Failure.

Patients with advanced heart failure are at high risk for progression of their disease and sudden cardiac death. The role of device therapy in this patient population continues to evolve and is directed toward improving cardiac pump function and/or reducing sudden arrhythmic death.
“In Today’s Society, It’s a Necessity”: Latino/a Postsecondary Plans in the College-for-all Era

Latino/a enrollments at U.S. colleges are rapidly increasing. However, Latinos/as remain underrepresented at four-year universities, and college completion rates and household earnings lag other gr...
Improvements to an ion orbit loss calculation in the tokamak edge

An existing model of collisionless particle, momentum, and energy ion orbit loss from the edge region of a diverted tokamak plasma has been extended. The extended ion orbit loss calculation now treats losses of both thermal ions and fast neutral beam injection ions and includes realistic flux surface and magnetic field representations, particles returning to the plasma from the scrape off layer, and treatment of x-transport and x-loss. More realistic flux surface geometry allows the intrinsic rotation calculation to predict a peaking in the profile closer to the separatrix, which is consistent with experiment; and particle tracking calculations reveal a new mechanism of “x-transport pumping,” which predicts larger ion losses when coupling conventional ion orbit loss and x-loss mechanisms, though still dominated by conventional ion orbit loss. Sensitivity to these ion orbit loss model enhancements is illustrated by fluid predictions of neoclassical rotation velocities and radial electric field profiles, wi...
A 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800 Conjugate Targeting TAG-72 in an Orthotopic Colorectal Cancer Model

Optical surgical navigation (OSN) will be a potent tool to help surgeons more accurately and efficiently remove tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel humanized 3E8 antibody (3E8 MAb) fragment site-specifically conjugated with IR800, 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800, as a potential OSN agent to target colorectal adenocarcinoma. An engineered single-chain variable fragment of 3E8 MAb (targeted to TAG-72), appending a C-terminal cysteine residue (3E8.scFv.Cys), was created and reacted with IRDye800-maleimide. 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800 identity and purity were verified by MALDI-TOF mass spectra and 800 nm detected size exclusion column HPLC. In vitro human colon adenocarcinoma LS-174 T cells binding and competition assay validated biological functionality. We further evaluated the imaging ability and receptor-specific binding of 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800 in an orthotopic LS-174 T mouse model. A 1:1 dye to protein conjugate was achieved at greater than 90 % HPLC purity. A 1 nmol dose of 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800 via intraperitoneal injection administration was sufficient to produce high tumor to background fluorescence contrast. Blocking competition studies both in vitro and in vivo using a different blocking protein, 3E8ΔCH2, demonstrated 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800 binding specificity for TAG-72 antigen. 3E8.scFv.Cys-IR800 shows properties useful in a clinically viable OSN agent for colorectal cancer.
Motion and Noise Artifact-Resilient Atrial Fibrillation Detection Using a Smartphone

We have recently found that our previously-developed atrial fibrillation (AF) detection algorithm for smartphones can give false positives when subjects’ fingers or hands move, as we rely on proper finger placement over the smartphone camera to collect the signal of interest. Specifically, smartphone camera pulsatile signals that are obtained from normal sinus rhythm (NSR) subjects but are corrupted by motion and noise artifacts (MNAs) are frequently detected as AF. AF and motion-corrupted episodes have the similar characteristic that pulse-to-pulse intervals are irregular. We have developed an MNA-resilient smartphone-based AF detection algorithm that first discriminates and eliminates MNA-corrupted episodes in smartphone camera recordings, and then detects AF in MNA-free recordings. We found that MNA-corrupted episodes have highly varying pulse slope, large turning point ratio, or large kurtosis values in smartphone signals compared to MNA-free AF and NSR episodes. We first use these three metrics for MNA discrimination and exclusion. Then, AF is detected in MNA-free signals using our previous algorithm. The capability to discriminate MNAs and AFs separately in smartphone signals increases the specificity of AF detection. To evaluate the performance of the proposed MNA-resilient AF algorithm, 99 subjects, including 88 study participants with AF at baseline and in NSR after electrical cardioversion as well as 11 participants with MNA-corrupted NSR, were recruited. Using iPhone 4S, 5S, and 6S models, we collected 2-min pulsatile time series from each subject. The clinical results show that the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the proposed AF algorithm are 0.97, 0.98, and 0.97, respectively, which are higher than those of the previous AF algorithm.
L0 norm based sparse regularization for non-invasive infarct detection using ECG signal

Non-invasive reconstruction of infarcts inside the heart from ECG signals is an important and difficult problem due to the need to solve a severely ill-posed inverse problem. To overcome this ill-posedness, various sparse regularization techniques have been proposed and evaluated for detecting epicardial and transmural infarcts. However, the performance of sparse methods in detecting non-transmural, especially endocardial infarcts, is not fully explored. In this paper, we first show that the detection of non-transmural endocardial infarcts poses severe difficulty to the prevalent algorithms. Subsequently, we propose a novel sparse regularization technique based on a variational approximation of L0 norm. In a set of simulation experiments considering transmural and endocardial infarcts, we compare the presented method with total variation minimization and L1 norm based regularization techniques. Experiment results demonstrated that the presented method outperformed prevalent algorithms by a large margin, particularly when infarction is entirely on the endocardium.
A Case of Unusual Clitoromegaly.

Abstract Background A mild degree of clitoromegaly can be associated with patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). We describe an unusually significant clitoromegaly in a patient with PCOS. Case An 18-year-old nonobese female patient was referred for clitoromegaly. Her genitalia exam showed significant clitoral enlargement with a well-formed glans, clitoris measured at 35 mm for length and 10 mm for width. Pelvic ultrasound showed a left ovarian cyst. Her testosterone level ranged from 28.8 to 64.1 ng/dL (normal: 8.4-48.1 ng/dL) with normal sex hormone binding globulin. Other ovarian hormones were in acceptable ranges. Summary and Conclusion This case demonstrates the coexistence of significant clitoromegaly, PCOS, and nonfunctioning ovarian cyst.
Coronary Arterial Prostacyclin Synthetase and Prostaglandin E2 Isomerase Activities

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) isomerase and prostacyclin (PGI2) synthetase are the major endoperoxide (PGH2)-metabolizing enzymes present in microsomes isolated from vascular tissue. The PGE2 isomerase activity specifically requires the addition of GSH (Ogino et al., 1977). Prostacyclin has potent vasodilator and platelet antiag-gregatory activity (Vane, 1983). Therefore, modulation of PGI2 synthetase activity is of prime physiological importance in the regulation of blood vessel function. Reducing agents such as GSH have been reported to augment prostaglandin production by protecting the cyclooxygenase enzyme system (arachidonic acid→ PGH2) from self-catalyzed deactivation (Egan et al, 1976). However, little evidence exists for the effects of these agents on augmenting prostacyclin synthetase activity (McNamara et al.1984). We report the concentration-dependent modulation of the formation of 6-keto-PGF1α, the stable breakdown product of PGI2, by GSH and dithiothreitol (DTT) and unmasking of PGE2 isomerase in microsomes isolated from bovine coronary artery.
Mediation of the Association Between Mindfulness and Emotional Eating Among Overweight Individuals

Despite evidence for relationships between greater mindfulness, adaptive emotion regulation, psychological well-being, and less emotional eating, emotion regulation and psychological well-being have not been examined as factors that may explain the association between mindfulness and emotional eating. In addition, research on emotional eating commonly examines eating in response to general negative emotion to the exclusion of more specific emotions such as boredom and positive emotions. The current study aimed to (1) examine whether greater mindfulness was associated with less frequent eating in response to general negative emotions (EEN), boredom (EEB), and positive emotions (EEP) and (2) examine whether emotion regulation and psychological well-being mediate the relationship between mindfulness and emotional eating types (EEN, EEB, EEP). A sample of overweight/obese adults (n = 189) was recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires and self-reported height and weight. Correlational analyses showed that greater mindfulness was associated with less EEN and EEB but not EEP. In mediation analyses, emotion regulation and psychological well-being mediated the association between mindfulness and both EEN and EEB. The presented study demonstrated that the relationship between greater mindfulness and less emotional eating may be explained by emotion regulation and psychological well-being among adults with overweight/obesity. Treatments that target increased mindfulness may improve adaptive emotion regulation and psychological well-being, resulting in a reduced tendency to eat in response to negative emotions and boredom.
Carrier Diffusion—The Main Contribution to Size-Dependent Photocatalytic Activity of Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles

Harnessing hot carriers from photoexcited metallic nanoparticles for catalysis is very challenging because these carriers have extremely short lifetimes. Here, we demonstrate that smaller particles...
Small-Scale Investigation on Wide Longitudinal Joints Filled with Shrinkage-Compensated Concrete for Adjacent Box Beam Bridges

AbstractAdjacent concrete box beam bridges constitute more than 15% of bridges built or replaced each year and have been in service for many decades. A recurring problem with this type of bridge is...
DACAmented in the age of deportation: navigating spaces of belonging and vulnerability in social and personal lives

Heightened immigration enforcement in public spaces has brightened the boundaries of exclusion for undocumented immigrants in the United States. Yet, these immigrants simultaneously experience belo...
In situ formation and solid-state oxidation of a triselenane NSeN-pincer MOF.

Controlled partial decomposition of 2-selenonicotinic acid in the presence of Co2+ or Ni2+ resulted in the in situ formation of an unusual MOF based on triselenane ligands (RSeSeSeR) coordinated to M2+ centers as NSeN-pincers. Post-synthetic oxidation by treatment with aqueous H2O2 facilitates its solid-state conversion into a RSeO2− molecular coordination complex, which was tracked via powder X-ray diffraction studies and by single-crystal structural resolution of the final product.
Examination and Analysis of After-Hours Calls in Hospice:

To ensure safe and effective care at home, most hospice agencies provide 24-hour call services to patients and their families. However, responding to such calls can be very extensive since so many calls occur after hours when staff are fewer. The purpose of the current study was to better understand the types of after-hours calls and differences across patient teams. By understanding why these calls are made, we might be able to reduce the number of avoidable after-hours calls. This descriptive retrospective chart review study was conducted using data from 9 patient care teams within a single hospice agency. During the 6-month study period, the hospice agency received 1596 after-hours calls. The number of calls averaged 10.3 per night. Common clinical-related calls included consultations about the shortness of breath (10.2%) and pain (9.5%). A total of 37.7% of the calls were nonclinical, nonemergency in nature, including requests for supplies (29.6%) and medication refills (8.1%). There were statistically significant differences (P < .05) between teams in the numbers of supply request calls, medication refill request calls, and calls associated with clinical-related issues. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in the after-hours calls across teams that resulted in dispatching staff to a home (P < .05). These findings suggest that many after-hours calls would be more appropriately addressed during regular daytime hours. There are significant across-team differences that are not yet well understood. Further studies are needed to determine how to reduce the number of after-hours calls.
Dietary Patterns in Black Abalone Haliotis cracherodii Leach, 1814 as Indicated by Observation of Drift Algal and Seagrass Capture at San Nicolas Island, California, USA, 1982 to 2019

Black abalone Haliotis cracherodii Leach, 1814 are known to feed on drift plant macrodetritus moved about in the intertidal zone by waves and currents. Drift capture is a trait shared by at least several other abalone species. Drift materials are entrapped beneath the anterior foot and held for ingestion. The quantitative significance of feeding on entrapped drift macrodetritus for black abalone is unknown. Furthermore, there are no published data on the extent to which local and mesoscale spatial distributions of source plant populations influence the composition of drift plant material in black abalone diet as acquired by entrapment. From February 1982 through March 2019, occurrences of macrodetrital entrapment by black abalone were observed in nine rocky intertidal study plots, with a summed surface area of 2,054 m2, on the periphery of San Nicolas Island (SNI), California (Island centroid at ∼33.25°, –119.50°). A small preliminary survey and 27 complete surveys were performed during the study period (mean of ∼1.4 y between complete surveys). During the study, more than 1.5 × 105 black abalone were examined. The total likely included repeated observations of many individuals as a result of the known longevity and limited mobility of the species. Of those observed, ∼1.65 × 103 black abalone were recorded as apparently ingesting entrapped items. Frequency data were dominated (∼95% of all records) by three species of kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Linnaeus) C. Agardh; commonly known as “giant kelp”, Egregia menziesii (Turner), and Eisenia arborea Areschoug. Of those, giant kelp was the most frequently observed entrapped category (∼76%). Living, attached giant kelp is rarely observed in intertidal habitats at SNI, and it follows that utilization of giant kelp by black abalone requires physical importation of the kelp from other locations. Frequencies of occurrence of giant kelp entrapment by individual study site were clearly associated with the relative surface canopy sizes and persistence patterns of offshore kelp forests adjacent (≤2 km) to the respective study sites. The pattern suggests that subsidies of drift giant kelp to black abalone diet involve mesoscale physical processes largely proximate to SNI but probably not subsidies from more distant locations such as other islands or the California mainland. Utilization of other frequently recorded kelps as food by black abalone likely involves spatial subsidies as well, but on smaller scales of distance (∼10–100 m for E. arborea; ∼0–100 m for E. menziesii). In the context of the imperiled status of black abalone, recovery actions may include outplants of captive-reared animals or transplantation of wild animals from other populations. For such actions, data from SNI suggest a need for consideration of scales of separation among release locations and nearby populations of the three apparently predominant kelp species in black abalone diet.
Medical Management of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the few and useful circumstances where the examining physician can directly monitor the pathologic sequelae of an otherwise silent systemic disease on the microcirculation of the retina. The end-stage manifestations of diabetic retinopathy culminate from the eye’s own regenerative responses to persistent ischemia. Dysregulated fibrovascular proliferation stemming from damaged retinal vessels leads to retinal detachment; or, proliferation of fibrovascular tissue in the anterior chamber can lead to neovascular glaucoma—both manifestations tend to portend a poor prognosis in the absence of prompt medical and surgical intervention.
"Please Hire More Teachers of Color": Challenging the "Good Enough" in Teacher Diversity Efforts.

Policies and programs intended to increase the racial diversity of the US teaching population have failed to make meaningful inroads in an overwhelmingly white profession despite extensive research...
Assessment of Perceptions of the Public Charge Rule Among Low-Income Adults in Texas.

This survey study investigates perceptions of the Trump administration’s new public charge rule among low-income Texan adults.
Vulnerability and stability of Differential Object Marking in Romanian heritage speakers

Differential Object Marking (DOM) marks some objects overtly with specific morphology and is regulated by several semantic and pragmatic factors. DOM exhibits synchronic and diachronic variability within and across languages, especially in bilingual contexts, and the study of heritage languages offers a unique perspective on the forces that shape it. This study investigates knowledge of DOM in Romanian and its interaction with accusative clitic doubling (CD) in native speakers of Romanian in Romania and first- and second-generation Romanian immigrants to the United States. The results of an oral production task, a written production task, and a written and auditory comprehension task show convergence between the adult immigrant group and the Romanians in the homeland. When divergent uses of DOM and accusative clitic omission occurred, these were mostly produced by the heritage speakers with early onset of bilingualism, consistent with findings of age effects in heritage language acquisition and a Differential Access Model of heritage language grammars. We discuss these results in the contexts of DOM vulnerability in other heritage languages, such as Spanish, and consider why DOM in Romanian might be comparatively better preserved by the adult immigrants and heritage speakers.
Molecular Patterns of Extreme and Persistent Cholesterol Efflux Capacity

Objective: Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), the ability of extracellular acceptors to pick-up cholesterol from macrophages, is a clinically relevant cardiovascular biomarker. CEC is inversely associated with incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events. However, CEC is only modestly associated with HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) levels, which may explain the failure of HDL-C raising therapies to improve atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease outcomes. Determinants of variation in CEC are not well understood. Thus, we sought to establish whether extreme high and low CEC is a robust persistent phenotype and to characterize associations with cholesterol, protein, and phospholipids across the particle size distribution. Approach and Results: CEC was previously measured in 2924 participants enrolled in the Dallas Heart Study, a multi-ethnic population-based study from 2000 to 2002. We prospectively recruited those who were below the 10th and above 90th percentile of CEC. Our study revealed that extreme low and high CEC are persistent, robust phenotypes after 15 years of follow-up. Using size exclusion chromatography, CEC to fractionated plasma depleted of apolipoprotein B (fraction-specific CEC) demonstrated significant differences in CEC patterns between persistent high and low efflux groups. Fraction-specific CEC was correlated with fraction-specific total phospholipid but not apolipoprotein A-I, cholesterol, or total protein. These correlations varied across the size distribution and differed among persistent high versus low efflux groups. Conclusions: Extreme high and low CEC are persistent and robust phenotypes. CEC patterns in fractionated plasma reveal marked variation across the size distribution. Future studies are warranted to determine specific molecular species linked to CEC in a size-specific manner.
Worldwide Differences in Clinical Phenotype of Axial Spondyloarthritis.

This review aims to describe the variations in the clinical presentation of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) across the globe. We searched the PubMed database and screened more than 1360 articles; 60 of them were selected based on relevance to the topic being discussed and the goals of the review. Most of the clinical manifestations, including IBP, peripheral arthritis, and extra-articular involvement are seen in different regions of the world, but with appreciable clinical heterogeneity, possibly related to a smaller number of patients from some countries, and global variation in the prevalence of HLA-B27. For example, HLA-B27-positive patients have an earlier age of onset, higher prevalence of acute anterior uveitis, and greater familial occurrence. Peripheral arthritis and enthesitis are most commonly seen among axSpA patients from Latin America and Asia, whereas IBD appears to be slightly more common among Middle Eastern and North African patients. The main weakness encountered while reviewing these data is that some studies were small, and others were cross-sectional and retrospective; hence the inferences may have a selection bias. AxSpA is a very heterogenous disease with varied presentation across the globe, in part related to HLA-B27 positivity. It is imperative to further investigate the key regional differences as they impact timely disease recognition and initiation of early treatment. Therefore, there is a need for a large worldwide systematic study to capture the clinical picture of AxSpA in a more uniform manner.