cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is the treatment worse than the cure : Attitudes toward medications among persons with severe mental illness

1. Patients' attitudes toward taking long-term psychotropic medications and factors that may influence drug attitudes are important factors in compliance. 2. Patients in this study had generally positive drug attitudes and perceived their medications as important in preventing relapse. 3. Attitudes toward psychotropic medications may be more positive than has been assumed by mental health professionals, as patients seem to realize that the advantages of medications outweight side effects.
The Ethical Role and Responsibilities of a Lawyer-Ethicist: The Case of the Independent Counsel's Independent Counsel

On November 20, 1998, Sam Dash abruptly resigned his position as ethics adviser to Ken Starr and the Office of Independent Counsel. Starr had just concluded his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, which was considering the impeachment of President Clinton based on allegations that were the subject of a report submitted to the Committee by Starr. Dash not only made the fact of his resignation public, but also released a copy of his letter to Starr. In that letter, he explained that he was resigning because Starr had violated his obligations under the independent counsel statute and unlawfully intruded on the exclusive power of the House to impeach. Dash's publication of his views on the propriety of Starr's testimony was defended by some and excoriated by others. Among the attacks, some critics challenged Dash, the "ethics expert," for breaching his own ethical duties toward Starr, including duties of confidentiality and loyalty. Dash did not immediately attempt to rebut this criticism, but one year later, when he finally spoke out publicly, he defended himself by claiming that he was not an "ethics lawyer" for Starr, but rather an "independent consultant." He also sought to justify the publication of his resignation as a form of "noisy withdrawal," explaining that Starr stated on specific occasions that he has consulted Dash and that Dash agreed with him, thus giving Dash the right to rebut a presumption that Starr created by making Dash's role public. Under this line of defense, Dash's role as an "independent consultant" was akin to that of an ethics "expert," i.e., a lawyer retained to provide an independent, objective opinion, rather than zealous advocacy of a client's position. Both lawyers and law professors are increasingly being asked to render opinions and advice as ethics "experts" or "consultants." This recent and growing phenomenon has spawned considerable confusion regarding what has been called "the ethics of ethics consultation" - i.e., ethical issues that need to be recognized and addressed not only by "consulted" lawyers (like Dash), but also by "consulting lawyers" (like Starr). These issues include: (1) whether and when an attorney-client relationship has been formed by an ethics expert; (2) what duties are owed by experts who do not form a traditional attorney-client relationship with anyone; and (3) to whom an expert's duties are owed, both inside and outside a traditional attorney-client relationship. These questions are nicely raised by the episode involving Sam Dash and Ken Starr. The purpose of this Article is not to condemn or defend Sam Dash, but rather to use this highly publicized episode as a jumping-off point for a discussion of the issues involved in the consultation of lawyers who are experts in ethics and other subject areas.
Active Lifestyle Is Associated With Reduced Dyspnea and Greater Life Satisfaction in Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract Objective To assess the relations between measures of activity with dyspnea and satisfaction with life in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Five SCI centers. Participants Between July 2012 and March 2015, subjects (N=347) with traumatic SCI ≥1 year after injury who used a manual wheelchair or walked with or without an assistive device reported hours spent away from home or yard on the previous 3 days, sports participation, and planned exercise. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and dyspnea. Dyspnea was defined as shortness of breath when hurrying on the level or going up a slight hill, going slower than people the same age on the level because of breathlessness, or stopping for breath when going at your own pace, or after about 100yd (or after a few minutes) on the level. Results Dyspnea prevalence was 30%. Adjusting for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mobility mode, race, and season, there was a significant linear trend between greater SWLS scores and quartiles of time spent away from the home or yard ( P =.0002). SWLS score was greater if participating in organized sports ( P =.01), although was not significantly greater with planned exercise ( P =.093). Planned exercise was associated with a reduced odds ratio (OR) of dyspnea (.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], .34–.95; P =.032), but organized sports was not ( P =.265). Dyspnea was not significantly increased in persons who spent the fewest hours outside their home or yard (≤7h) compared with people who spent the most hours outside their home or yard (>23h) (OR=1.69; 95% CI, 0.83–3.44; P =.145). Conclusions In SCI, a planned exercise program is associated with less dyspnea. An active lifestyle characterized by greater time spent away from home or yard and sports participation is associated with greater SWLS scores.
Abstract 1963: Analysis of aryl substitution and intramolecular ligand H-bonding in selective inhibitors of the MEK5/ERK5 cascade

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways initiate with external signaling, proceed through a sequence of protein kinases, and alter cell proliferation, growth, and survival. MAPK pathways proceed through a well-ordered sequence but are interconnected and modified by the cell's internal needs. The MEK-catalyzed phosphorylation of its target ERK represents the most selective interaction of MAPK signaling cascades. The type III MEK1/2 inhibitor, Mekinist, was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600E or V600K mutations. This success suggests inhibitors of other MEK/ERK cascades may be reasonable strategies for anti-cancer therapeutic strategies. Despite the likely involvement of MEK5 phosphorylation of ERK5 in early and triple negative breast cancers, prostate cancer, and renal cancer, little work has been focused on developing selective MEK5 inhibitors. We have previously described an initial series of anthranilic acid derivatives structurally derived from the known non-selective MEK inhibitor PD0325901. To explore structural requirements for selective inhibition of MEK5 versus MEK1/2, aryl substitution and the role of proposed internal hydrogen bonding of the ligand were examined with novel compounds. These were tested at 10 μM in MDB-MB-213 cells subsequently treated with EGF to induce MEK1/2 and MEK5 phosphorylation. Western blot analysis following electrophoresis using IR-tagged antibodies raised against pERK1/2, pERK5, ERK1/2, or ERK5 permitted determination of total and relative inhibition of MEK-mediated generation of pERK. Incubation with PD0325901 resulted in full suppression of both pERK1/2 and pERK5. For the aryl substitutions examined, omission of the halogens on the pendant phenyl group (SC-1-181) abolished MEK1/2 inhibition(0% decrease in pERK1/2) yet retained good MEK5 inhibition (82% decrease in pERK5). Disruption of an internal nitrogen-acyl hydrogen bond preferentially decreased MEK5 inhibition (SC-2-32: 40% and 16% decrease in pERK5 and pERK1/2 respectively). This establishes early evidence of significant variation in specificity of MEK type III binding sites that may be exploited as pharmacological tools and possibly as therapeutic agents for cancers overexpressing MEK5. Citation Format: Patrick T. Flaherty, Jane C. Cavanaugh, Mohit Gupta, Colin Vechery, Suravi Chakrabarty, Darlene Monlish, Thomas Wright. Analysis of aryl substitution and intramolecular ligand H-bonding in selective inhibitors of the MEK5/ERK5 cascade. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1963. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1963
Dry eye syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression in an older male veteran population.

PURPOSE To evaluate whether veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression have differences in dry eye symptoms and signs compared to a population without these conditions. METHODS Male patients aged ≥50 years with normal eyelid, conjunctival, and corneal anatomy were recruited from the Miami Veterans Affairs Eye Clinic (N = 248). We compared dry eye symptoms (determined by the Dry Eye Questionnaire 5 [DEQ5] score) to tear film indicators obtained by clinical examination (i.e., tear osmolarity, corneal staining, tear breakup time, Schirmer's, meibomian gland quality, orifice plugging, lid vascularity) between patients with PTSD or depression and those without these conditions. Student's t-tests, χ(2) analyses, and linear and logistic regressions were used to assess differences between the groups. RESULTS DEQ5 scores were higher in the PTSD (mean = 13.4; standard error [SE] = 1.1; n = 22) and depression (mean = 12.0; SE = 0.8; n = 40) groups compared to the group without these conditions (mean = 9.8; SE = 0.4; n = 186; P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). More patients in the PTSD and depression groups had severe dry eye symptoms, defined as a DEQ5 score ≥ 12 (77% and 63% vs. 41%; P < 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). No significant differences in tear film indicators were found among the three groups. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that a PTSD diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 4.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10-15.14) and use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (OR = 2.66; 95% CI = 1.01-7.00) were significantly associated with severe symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Patients with PTSD have ocular surface symptoms that are not solely explained by tear indicators. Identifying underlying conditions associated with ocular discomfort is essential to better understand the mechanisms behind ocular pain in dry eye syndrome.
Abstract 836:In vivoPET imaging of MET receptor in human cancer using [11C]SU11274

The mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) receptor plays prominent role in human tumorigenesis, tumor progression and metastasis. Overexpression or mutation of MET results in activation of oncogenic signaling pathways and leads to upregulation of diverse tumor cell functions. Mounting evidence has validated MET receptor as novel target for anticancer therapy. For efficacy evaluation of various MET-targeted anticancer therapies currently under development, it is critical to develop an imaging tool that permits detection and quantification of MET expression in vivo. To date, a number of small molecule MET inhibitors have been developed, including SU11274, which is a specific, reversible MET inhibitor that induces apoptosis in cells transformed by activated MET kinase. Here, we report the radiosynthesis and evaluation of a molecular imaging probe, [ 11 C]SU11274, for quantification of MET receptors in human cancers in vivo. The radiolabeling with C-11 was accomplished through radiomethylation using 3-[3,5-Dimethyl-4-(piperazine-1-carbonyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-ylmethylene]-2-oxo-2,3-dihyro-1H-indole-5-sulfonic acid (3-chlorophenyl)-methyl amide hydrochloride as a key precursor. Following the synthesis of the precursor that was achieved in 10 steps with a total yield of 9.7%, [ 11 C]SU11274 was obtained through radiomethylation in a range of 5-10 % radiochemical yield and over 95% radiochemical purity. For in vivo PET studies, two human lung adenocarcinoma cancer xenograft models were established using MET-positive H1975 and MET-negative H520 cell lines. The time-radioactivity curves showed that the uptake of [ 11 C]SU11274 in the H1975 xenograft was significantly higher than in the H520 xenograft (p = 0.00019). Compared to H520, the H1975 xenograft mice exhibited an increased tumor uptake of [ 11 C]SU11274 throughout the entire measurement period of 90 min. At 65 min post-injection, the radioactivity concentration ratio of H1975/H520 reached a statistically significant and enhanced ratio of 2.1, and peaked at 2.6 at 80 min. The PET imaging results were consistent with their corresponding immunohistochemical tissue staining patterns of MET receptors from the same animals. Hence, our results suggest that [ 11 C]SU11274-PET is a specific imaging marker that can differentiate and quantify MET receptor expression in vivo. These studies demonstrated that [ 11 C]SU11274-PET can facilitate the clinical development of MET-targeted cancer therapeutics. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 836.
Technical Aspects of Joint Imaging

Radiopharmaceutical Preparation: Methylene diphosphonate (MOP) (New England Nuclear Corp., Boston, MA), the current radiopharmaceutical of choice, is prepared and stored according to the manufacturer's recommendations. In order to avoid any oxidizing contaminant that might interfere with the Tc-99m labeling reaction of the MOP, the first dose withdrawn from the pertechnetate 99 01 Tc04 eluate each morning is used to prepare the radiopharmaceutical. Special care is taken to avoid introducing air into the eluate or reaction vials. Scintigraphy: The patient is injected with 20 mCi of MOP. The only patient preparation necessary before the test is to give the patient six or seven glasses of water after dose injection. Scintigraphy is begun 2\;2 hrafter injection. The scintigraphic instrument used is a large field camera with a parallel hole collimator of high resolution and medium sensitivity attached to an Ohio Nuclear Data System or to a SlMlS-4lnformatek computer for special processing of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) data. The patient is asked to remove rings, watches, any garment with a metal part, jewelry, cigarette lighters, etc.
Bladder Pheochromocytoma: Evaluation with Magnetic Resonance Imaging

A 17-year-old black woman with a large vesical pheochromocytoma was managed successfully by hemicystectomy and ureteroneocystotomy. Preoperatively, in addition to the routine diagnostic evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging was performed. Magnetic resonance imaging proved to be an extremely useful modality to assess the integrity of the bladder wall and extent of extravesical involvement.
A novel stochastic modeling method of wind power time series considering the fluctuation process characteristics

With rapid increasing of wind power generating capacity, the influence of wind power on power system planning and operation becomes more and more severe. Wind power time series modeling is the basis of evaluating the influence accurately of wind power on power system, which is very important to annual wind power dispatch planning and installed capacity optimization. In this paper, a novel modeling method of wind power time series based on the definition and identification of the fluctuation process is proposed. The Gaussian function is proved to be a good choice to sketch the fluctuation process and the visualization self-organizing map clustering algorithm is used to classify the fluctuation process. The expected wind power time series is achieved by studying the statistical feature of the sample data and by analyzing the transfer characteristic of the fluctuation processes. The comparative analysis on the statistical feature of the generated time series and the sample data is presented. In terms of the ...
Hepatic cytochromes P450: Structural degrons and barcodes, posttranslational modifications and cellular adapters in the ERAD-endgame

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored hepatic cytochromes P450 (P450s) are enzymes that metabolize endo- and xenobiotics i.e. drugs, carcinogens, toxins, natural and chemical products. These agents modulate liver P450 content through increased synthesis or reduction via inactivation and/or proteolytic degradation, resulting in clinically significant drug-drug interactions. P450 proteolytic degradation occurs via ER-associated degradation (ERAD) involving either of two distinct routes: Ubiquitin (Ub)-dependent 26S proteasomal degradation (ERAD/UPD) or autophagic lysosomal degradation (ERAD/ALD). CYP3A4, the major human liver/intestinal P450, and the fast-turnover CYP2E1 species are degraded via ERAD/UPD entailing multisite protein phosphorylation and subsequent ubiquitination by gp78 and CHIP E3 Ub-ligases. We are gaining insight into the nature of the structural determinants involved in CYP3A4 and CYP2E1 molecular recognition in ERAD/UPD [i.e. K48-linked polyUb chains and linear and/or "conformational" phosphodegrons consisting either of consecutive sequences on surface loops and/or disordered regions, or structurally-assembled surface clusters of negatively charged acidic (Asp/Glu) and phosphorylated (Ser/Thr) residues, within or vicinal to which, Lys-residues are targeted for ubiquitination]. Structural inspection of select human liver P450s reveals that such linear or conformational phosphodegrons may indeed be a common P450-ERAD/UPD feature. By contrast, although many P450s such as the slow-turnover CYP2E1 species and rat liver CYP2B1 and CYP2C11 are degraded via ERAD/ALD, little is known about the mechanism of their ALD-targeting. On the basis of our current knowledge of ALD-substrate targeting, we propose a tripartite conjunction of K63-linked Ub-chains, P450 structural "LIR" motifs and selective cellular "cargo receptors" as plausible P450-ALD determinants.
Abstract 4027: Recurrent gains of CD274 (PD-L1) and PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2) provide a genetic basis for PD-1 ligand expression in a subset of solid tumors

Background: A subset of malignant tumors are immunogenic but avoid immune surveillance through ectopic expression of the programmed cell death 1 ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, that bind PD-1 on effector T-cells to inhibit T-cell activation, a phenotype that is reversible with PD-1 blockade. Co-amplification and co-gain of CD274 (PD-L1) and PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2) on chromosome 9p24.1 provide a genetic basis for PD-1 ligand expression by Reed-Sternberg cells in classical Hodgkin lymphoma, a tumor highly sensitive to PD-1 blockade. We sought to determine whether copy number alterations of CD274 and PDCD1LG2 are a mechanism of PD-1 ligand expression in other tumor types. Methods: We surveyed data derived from a clinically-deployed next generation sequencing assay (OncoPanel) to identify tumors with evidence of selective copy gain of genes located at 9p24.1. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens from available cases were reviewed for tumor content, immunostained for PD-L1, and analyzed with custom probes targeting the CD274 and PDCD1LG2 loci and a commercial probe targeting the centromere of chromosome 9 by flourescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results: Review of NGS data revealed 171 of 7,070 clinical samples (2.4%) with evidence for selective copy gain of CD274 and/or PDCD1LG2. Tissue was available for analysis in 73 cases, of which 55 were successfully analyzed. Co-amplification and co-gain of CD274 and PDCD1LG2 were observed for 20 (36%) and 18 (33%) of cases, respectively. Polysomy 9 and disomy 9 were observed among 9 (16%) and 2 (4%) cases, respectively. Genetic abnormalities associated with chromosome 9 loss were observed among the remaining cases 6 (11%). PD-L1 IHC revealed positive staining of tumor cells in 36 (65%) cases. Among cases with co-amplification/gain of CD274 and PDCD1LG2, a subset (Co-Amp: 36%; Co-Gain: 28%) exhibited moderate to high PD-L1 expression in significant percentages of tumor cells (Tumor H-score > 50). Tumor types with high PD-L1 expression in the context of co-amplification/gain included carcinomas of the head and neck, bladder, and cervix. Conclusions: Review of over 7000 tumors analyzed by a clinically-deployed NGS platform identifies CD274 and PDCD1LG2 copy gain in a low percentage of a variety of solid tumor types, a subset of which has a corresponding increase of PD-L1 expression. These data suggest that copy gain of CD274 and PDCD1LG2 contributes to PD-1 ligand expression in a subset of solid tumors beyond classical Hodgkin lymphoma. Citation Format: Evisa Gjini, Christine Pak, Alyssa Kelly, Yuling Shi, Neal Lindeman, Frank Kuo, Gordon Freeman, Azra Ligon, Stephen Hodi, Margaret Shipp, Scott Rodig. Recurrent gains of CD274 (PD-L1) and PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2) provide a genetic basis for PD-1 ligand expression in a subset of solid tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4027.
A High Bar or a Double Standard? Gender, Competence, and Information in Political Campaigns

This study seeks to determine whether subjects in two dynamic process tracing experiments react differently to information related to a candidate’s competence when that candidate is a woman, vs. when he is a man. I find that subjects evaluate a candidate whose competence is in doubt less favorably, and are less likely to vote for the candidate, when she is a woman. In general, evaluations of women seem to be influenced much more by information related to their competence than are evaluations of men. I also find that competence as portrayed by the composition of a candidate’s facial features does not alter this relationship. My findings suggest that gender-based stereotypes may have an indirect effect on candidate evaluations and vote choice by influencing how voters react to information about them.
Brain-Penetrating Nanoparticles for Analysis of the Brain Microenvironment

The past decade has witnessed explosive growth in the development of nanoparticle-based therapies for the treatment of neurological disorders and diseases. The systemic delivery of therapeutic carriers to the central nervous system (CNS) is hindered by both the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the porous and electrostatically charged brain extracellular matrix (ECM), which acts as a steric and adhesive barrier. Therapeutic delivery to the brain is influenced by changes in the brain microenvironment, which can occur as a function of physiology, biology, pathology, and developmental age. Brain-penetrating nanoparticles (BPNs) are an optimal platform not only for therapeutic delivery to the brain, but also for evaluating changes in the brain microenvironment. BPNs possess both the capability to readily move within their local environment to survey their surroundings and the ability to reach the diffuse disease cells often associated with CNS disorders. To achieve effective delivery of BPNs to specific locations within the brain requires careful control over the nanoparticle's transport properties. Here, we describe the process of conjugating a dense layer of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to the surface of nonbiodegradable nanoparticles to achieve brain-penetrating capabilities.
Antennas and Channel Characteristics for Wireless Networks on Chips

We review the current state of the art on antennas for use in wireless networks on chips (WiNoCs) and also provide results on wireless channel characteristics in the WiNoC setting—the latter are largely absent from the literature. We first describe the motivation for constructing these miniature networks, aimed at improving efficiency of future multi-processor integrated circuits. We then discuss the implications for antennas: in addition to the usual antenna parameters for communication links (gain, impedance match, pattern), this includes important structural and multiple-access considerations. After a review of the literature and a summary of published antenna characteristics and future challenges, we present example results for a representative structure to illustrate antenna performance and WiNoC channel characteristics.
On the development of rod-based models for pneumatically actuated soft robot arms: A five-parameter constitutive relation

While soft robots have many attractive features compared to their hard counterparts, developing tractable models for these highly deformable, nonlinear, systems is challenging. In a recent paper, the authors published a non-classic, five-parameter constitutive relation for a rod-based model of a widely used, pneumatically actuated soft robot arm. It is natural to ask if the complexity of the relation can be eliminated by redesigning the actuator? To this end, finite element models and experimental results are used to further explore the five-parameter constitutive relation. For multiple designs of the pneumatically actuated soft robot arm, we are able to demonstrate how finite element models can be employed in place of experiments to specify the constitutive relations and how the relations are scalable by actuator length and applied pressure. Our primary result is the finding that the five-parameter constitutive relation is germane to pneumatically actuated soft robot arms and the parameters for this relation can be determined by three finite element simulations.
Latin America in Global History: An Historiographic Overview

Abstract World history can be arranged into three major regional divergences: the 'Greatest Divergence' starting at the end of the last Ice Age (ca. 15,000 years ago) and isolating the Old and the New Worlds from one another till 1500; the 'Great Divergence' bifurcating the paths of Europe and Afro-Asia since 1500; and the 'American Divergence' which divided the fortunes of New World societies from 1500 onwards. Accordingly, all world regions have confronted two divergences: one disassociating the fates of the Old and New Worlds, and the other within either the Old or the New World. Latin America is in the uneasy position that in both divergences it ended up on the 'losing side.' As a result, a contentious historiography of Latin America evolved from the very moment that it was incorporated into the wider world. Three basic attitudes toward the place of Latin America in global history have since emerged and developed: admiration for the major impact that the emergence on Latin America on the world scene imprinted on global history; hostility and disdain over Latin America since it entered the world scene; direct rejection of and head on confrontation in reaction the former. This paper examines each of these three attitudes in five periods: the 'long sixteenth century' (1492-1650); the 'age of crisis' (1650-1780); 'the long nineteenth century' (1780-1914); 'the short twentieth century' (1914-1991); and 'contemporary globalization' (1991 onwards).
Semi-supervised Deep Continuous Learning

Our research focuses on a new data flow architecture in neural network training called Continuous Neural Network Learning (CNNL) whose main objective is the reduction of data required to train a neural network. In real-world applications, much of the raw data used in deep learning algorithms do not have a large labeled datasets readily available for training. CNNL seeks to allow for more efficient neural network implementations by significantly reducing the necessary size of the labeled dataset and secondarily decreasing the processing and training time required to achieve reasonable accuracy. Not only is a CNNL system shown to be able to achieve impressive results with little tuning on standardized datasets, but the initialization is as low as 150 images. While this research only the first step and requires further refinement for real world application, it proves the potential for a CNNL system.
An Empirical Study to Investigate the Effect of Air Density Changes on the DSRC Performance

Abstract The primary role of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) system is to implement Advanced Driver Assistance Services (ADAS) such as pedestrian detection, fog detection and collisions avoidance. These services rely on detecting and communicating the environment conditions such as heavy rain or snow with nearby vehicles to improve the driver’s visibility. ITS systems rely on DSRC to communicate this information via a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) or Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications architectures. DSCR performance may be susceptible to environmental changes such as air density, gravitation (gravitational acceleration), air temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and precipitation. The goal of this research is to investigate whether the DSRC performance persist with respect to air density changes in a foggy environment. Simulation experiments are setup using PreScan to study the influence of changing the air density on the DSRC performance in a foggy environment using V2V communications. The PreScan simulation experiments are carried out over a wide range of air density levels that start from an extremely low value of (0.05 kg/m3), a normal air density level of 1.28 kg/m3 to a high altitude with air density level of (50 kg/m3). The study uses this wide range of air density levels to allow us to determine the influence of the air density on the DSRC performance and explore any performance inconsistency if there is any. The research findings proved that the DSRC performance can persist through air density changes, which helps to make up for lost human visibility on roads during foggy times. This finding aims to promote safe highway operations in foggy conditions.
Biological Roles of Protein Kinetic Stability.

A protein’s stability may range from nonexistent, as in the case of intrinsically disordered proteins, to very high, as indicated by a protein’s resistance to degradation, even under relatively harsh conditions. The stability of this latter group is usually under kinetic control because of a high activation energy for unfolding that virtually traps the protein in a specific conformation, thereby conferring resistance to proteolytic degradation and misfolding aggregation. The usual outcome of kinetic stability is a longer protein half-life. Thus, the protective role of protein kinetic stability is often appreciated, but relatively little is known about the extent of biological roles related to this property. In this Perspective, we will discuss several known or putative biological roles of protein kinetic stability, including protection from stressors to avoid aggregation or premature degradation, achieving long-term phenotypic change, and regulating cellular processes by controlling the trigger and timing...
Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF) Neurocircuitry and Neuropharmacology in Alcohol Drinking.

Alcohol use is pervasive in the United States. In the transition from nonhazardous drinking to hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorder, neuroadaptations occur within brain reward and brain stress systems. One brain signaling system that has received much attention in animal models of excessive alcohol drinking and alcohol dependence is corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). The CRF system is composed of CRF, the urocortins, CRF-binding protein, and two receptors – CRF type 1 and CRF type 2. This review summarizes how acute, binge, and chronic alcohol dysregulates CRF signaling in hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic brain regions and how this dysregulation may contribute to changes in alcohol reinforcement, excessive alcohol consumption, symptoms of negative affect during withdrawal, and alcohol relapse. In addition, it summarizes clinical work examining CRF type 1 receptor antagonists in humans and discusses why the brain CRF system is still relevant in alcohol research.
Filomicelles Deliver a Chemo-Differentiation Combination of Paclitaxel and Retinoic Acid That Durably Represses Carcinomas in Liver to Prolong Survival

Drug resistance and relapse is common in cancer treatments with chemotherapeutics, and while drug combinations with naturally occurring, differentiation-inducing retinoic acid (RA) provide remission-free cures for one type of liquid tumor, solid tumors present major problems for delivery. Here, inspired by filoviruses that can be microns in length, flexible filomicelles that self-assemble from an amphiphilic block copolymer (PEG–PCL) are shown to effectively deliver RA and paclitaxel (TAX) to several solid tumor models, particularly in the liver. These hydrophobic compounds synergistically load into the cores of the elongated micelles, and the coloaded micelles prove most effective at causing cell death, ploidy, and durable regression of tumors compared to free drugs or to separately loaded drugs. RA-TAX filomicelles also reduce mortality of human lung or liver derived cancers engrafted at liver, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous sites in immunodeficient mice. In vitro studies show that the dual drug mice...
Potential vascular mechanisms in an ex vivo functional pig bladder model.

AIMS Chronic ischemia is a recognized factor in the pathophysiology of underactive bladder (UAB). Although relative ischemia (ie, low blood flow) is known to occur during filling, little is known regarding the pathophysiology that leads to UAB. Therefore, we developed an ex vivo functional porcine model to investigate the role of transient ischemia and whether autoregulation, a mechanism that maintains tissue oxygenation in certain vital organs, also exists in the bladder. METHODS Using bladders from slaughtered pigs, we prepared an isolated perfused model where we studied the effects of bladder perfusion flow rate on perfusion pressure and tissue oxygenation during the filling phase. Bladders were perfused at an initial flow rate of 20 mL/min and then clamped in a sequentially decreasing stepwise manner down to no flow and back to the initial flow rate. RESULTS We found a linear relationship between flow rate and perfusion pressure until the flow rate decreased below 5 mL/min at which point the vascular resistance decreased; however, tissue pO2 remained stable after an initial decline. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that there may be an intrinsic autoregulatory mechanism in the bladder that allows it to undergo cyclic episodes of relative ischemia during its normal function. Factors that overcome this mechanism such as complete or chronic ischemia may be critical in the progression to detrusor underactivity and thereby highlight the importance of intervention during the early phases of this disease process.
Have Feminists Abandoned Social Activism? Voices from the Academy

Social movements come into being and persist when individuals and groups perceive contradictions and inequalities in the larger social order. As a broad social movement that evolved to address gender and other social inequalities, feminism has persisted in many forms throughout modern history (Taylor, 1989). As American feminists struggle collectively to reform and transform the social institutions through which their lives are encoded, questions have been raised about the continuing vitality and commitment of this movement. Has feminist activism become diluted and ineffectual, or are we witnessing a gradual transformation of the movement into multiple channels that defy simplistic conceptions of advocacy? We explore these issues of social activism in the narratives of a sample of 77 feminist psychologists who teach in three academic contexts: women’s colleges, co-educational colleges, and universities. Their responses to a lengthy interview and questionnaire illuminate the questions we asked and extend our understanding of feminist advocacy well beyond the simple statement of one respondent that “I don’t march...”
Leveraging Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Initiatives to Enhance Value and Patient-Centered Care in Otolaryngology

Patient safety and quality improvement (PS/QI) initiatives have rapidly proliferated through all fields of healthcare including otolaryngology. Harnessing these initiatives provides an opportunity to systematically evaluate and disseminate best practices and to evaluate their effect in improving value for patients. New data registries and disease-specific quality improvement collaboratives provide opportunities for otolaryngologists to use data to enhance quality. We describe PS/QI measures that enhance value by improving quality and controlling costs. These include data registries that allow “big data” approaches, the benefits of multidisciplinary teams and care coordination, subspecialty-specific initiatives, use of M&M conference as a launchpad for PS/QI activity, and barriers to implementation of PS/QI strategies. As changes in healthcare continue to accelerate, otolaryngologists who embrace opportunities to optimize value in their respective subspecialties will see improved outcomes for their patients and will reap the benefits of thriving, fulfilling clinical practices.
Off Topic but on Point: Student Talk in an Undergraduate Geometry Classroom

This paper focuses on the role that off-topic talk can play in a classroom. Although such talk has been typically ignored in the undergraduate STEM education literature, we argue that it can be highly consequential to the learning environment and thus should be taken into account. To study off-topic talk, we followed four groups throughout the semester in an upper-division Foundations of Geometry course, analyzing the talk in terms of student goals and gender. We focus on how such talk could influence the building of trust and power dynamics in small group interactions. We found that off-topic talk was prevalent (>30% of talk) and played a variety of roles in group discussions.
Desiccation Tolerance of Green Ash and Sugar Maple Fine Roots

Abstract Exposed fine roots are subject to desiccation, which may affect their survival as well as new root growth following bare root transplanting. Fine roots of dormant 1-year-old green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings, subjected to desiccation treatments of 0, 1, 2, or 3 hours in December and March, lost up to 82 percent of their water. Root electrolyte leakage, a measure of cell damage, tripled after three hours of desiccation. The increase was moderately, but significantly, greater in March for both species. Desiccation treatments had no effect on fine root survival. Growth of new roots (RGP) was also unaffected by desiccation treatments. RGP of maple was greater in March than December, but not ash.
Feasibility of repeat and bilateral submandibular gland needle biopsies in Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Introduction Submandibular gland (SMG) biopsies detect pathological alpha-synuclein (aSyn) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The objectives of this study were to determine 1) the feasibility of performing a second SMG biopsy in previously biopsied patients, 2) the feasibility of doing bilateral SMG biopsies, 3) laterality of aSyn density, 4) whether aSyn density changes over time. Methods Seven PD patients (6 males) previously having positive unilateral SMG biopsies underwent bilateral needle biopsies. Staining with a validated antibody to pathologic p-serine 129 aSyn was performed. Results Mean age at time of second biopsy was 76 years and mean time between biopsies was 4.1 years. Five subjects had sufficient SMG tissue bilaterally and two only unilaterally for a total of 12/14 glands biopsied having sufficient tissue, all 7 subjects having sufficient tissue on at least one side, and all 12 glands being aSyn positive. There was a 4x increase in aSyn density on average in the repeat biopsy, with 5 subjects having an increase, one no change, and one a decrease in density. Side effects were similar to previous reports; mainly bruising, swelling, slight bleeding. Conclusions This is the first published study of bilateral transcutaneous needle biopsies of the SMG in living patients with PD which showed better tissue acquisition and a change in aSyn density over time. While further study is needed, there is potential for SMG biopsies to serve as a tissue biomarker for PD disease progression and potentially as a peripheral outcome measure for anti-aSyn treatment.
Outcomes in Fournier's Gangrene Using Skin and Soft Tissue Sparing Flap Preservation Surgery for Wound Closure: An Alternative Approach to Wide Radical Debridement

Introduction Fournier's gangrene (FG) remains a forbidding necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) that necessitates early recognition, prompt surgical excision, and goal-directed antibiotic therapy. Traditionally, surgical management has included wide radical excision for sepsis control, but this management often leaves large, morbid wounds that require complex wound coverage, prolonged hospitalizations, and/or delayed healing. Objective The purpose of this case series is to report the outcomes of FG using a surrogate approach of concurrent debridement of spared skin and soft tissue, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), and serial delayed primary closure (DPC). Materials and methods A retrospective review of 17 consecutive patients with FG treated with concurrent skin and soft tissue sparing surgery, NPWT, and serial DPC at Miami Valley Hospital Regional Adult Burn and Wound Center (Dayton, OH) between 2008 and 2018 was conducted. Patients were included if the following were noted: clinical suspicion of FG based on genital and perineal cellulitis, fever, leukocytosis, and confirmation of tissue necrosis upon surgical exploration. Patients not treated with skin sparing surgical debridement or wounds with an inability to maintain a NPWT dressing seal were excluded. Results The mean number of total surgeries including simultaneous debridement and reconstruction was 5.5. The average intensive care unit and hospital length of stay was 3.2 and 18.9 days, respectively. The average number of days from initial consult to wound closure was 24.3. The need for colostomy and skin grafts were nearly eliminated with this surrogate approach. Using this reproducible technique, DPC was achieved in 100% of patients. Only 11.8% (2/17) required split-thickness skin grafting as part of wound closure. The majority (9/17; 52.9%) were partially managed as an outpatient during wound closure. During staged DPC, the mean number of outpatient management days was 16.0. There were no mortalities in this series of patients. Conclusions To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the largest case series reported in the literature using skin and soft tissue sparing surgery for wound closure of a FG NSTI.
A Qualitative Investigation on the Effectiveness of a Computing Identity Development Emailing List for African American Computer Scientists

This Research Full Paper presents a qualitative interview study on the effectiveness of a computing identity development listserv. The demand for diverse computing careers increases, yet African Americans continue to participate and succeed in computing fields proportionately less than their White and Asian counterparts. An individual’s computing identity can influence their performance and willingness to participate. The African American PhDs in Computer Science Listserv is an email listserv created to increase and maintain members’ sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and resilience in computing. Semi-structured interviews of graduate student, faculty, and industry professional members were conducted to investigate how effective the listserv was at increasing and maintaining computing identity. Findings include decision making processes for joining, duration and dosage of interaction members partake, maintenance of computing resilience, members’ self-reflection, willingness to seek help, and attitudes towards computing. Recommendations were made about the listserv and if other African Americans in computing should join. Findings can be used to develop new approaches to supporting the computing identities of underrepresented groups. This paper is in conjunction with other papers in an extended case study on resilient identity development in African American computer scientists.
Paratracheal phlegmon following in-office steroid injection for idiopathic subglottic stenosis

Abstract Management options for the treatment of idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) are varied and range from conservative medical therapies to traditional endoscopic and open surgery. The introduction of in-office percutaneous steroid injections has provided an alternative to operative interventions for this challenging patient population; however, complications associated with its use are poorly documented and understood. We report the first known infectious complication following office-based percutaneous steroid injections for iSGS. A 42-year-old female with a five-year history of recurrent iSGS presented 8 weeks following a series of in-office, percutaneous steroid injections to her iSGS with left neck discomfort. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed phlegmonous changes of the left neck and superior mediastinum. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and intravenous dexamethasone were administered with rapid clinical improvement. Repeat CT 4 weeks after presentation demonstrated resolution of inflammatory changes. While in-office percutaneous steroid injections for iSGS are an effective adjunct to operative-based procedures, adverse sequelae remain possible. Infectious complications following percutaneous laryngeal and subglottic injections should be promptly recognized and managed with a tailored antibiotic and steroid regimen, surveillance imaging, and close follow up.
A whole-brain monosynaptic input connectome to neuron classes in mouse visual cortex

Identification of the structural connections between neurons is a prerequisite to understanding brain function. We developed a pipeline to systematically map brain-wide monosynaptic inputs to specific neuronal populations using Cre-driver mouse lines and the recombinant rabies tracing system. We first improved the rabies virus tracing strategy to accurately identify starter cells and to efficiently quantify presynaptic inputs. We then mapped brain-wide presynaptic inputs to different excitatory and inhibitory neuron subclasses in the primary visual cortex and seven higher visual areas. Our results reveal quantitative target-, layer- and cell-class-specific differences in the retrograde connectomes, despite similar global input patterns to different neuronal populations in the same anatomical area. The retrograde connectivity we define is consistent with the presence of the ventral and dorsal visual information processing streams and reveals further subnetworks within the dorsal stream. The hierarchical organization of the entire visual cortex can be derived from intracortical feedforward and feedback pathways mediated by upper- and lower-layer input neurons, respectively. This study expands our knowledge of the brain-wide inputs regulating visual areas and demonstrates that our improved rabies virus tracing strategy can be used to scale up the effort in dissecting connectivity of genetically defined cell populations in the whole mouse brain.