cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of electronic medical record in care delivery in developing countries

Objectives: Electronic medical record (EMR) is not only being welcomed by healthcare providers as a way to improve care delivery but also serves as a catalyst for development. The purpose of this study is to examine benefits of EMR and its ultimate contribution to development of healthcare delivery. Design: This is a qualitative, explorative, and descriptive study using survey questionnaires and a sample size of 50 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. Results: Results from the research indicate the importance of an EMR system in developing countries to facilitate effective and efficient data collection, data entry, information retrieval and report generation, and research. However, developed nations are not doing enough to help developing countries implement modern technology necessary to facilitate care delivery. Conclusions: To achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 8 by 2015, developed nations must assist poor countries to develop their human capital, funds and work with the local community to design and implement system friendly with their environment to transform and improve care delivery development.
Developing an evolutionary ecology of fear : how life history and natural history traits affect disturbance tolerance in birds

When approached by humans, virtually all species flee, but we lack an understanding of the factors that influence flight response among species. Understanding this variation may allow us to understand how ‘fear’ structures communities, as well as to predict which species are likely to coexist with humans. I used flight initiation distance (FID) as a comparative metric of wariness and examined the relative importance of life history and natural history traits in explaining variation in FID in 150 species of birds. In a series of comparative analyses, I used independent contrasts to control for phylogenetic similarity and regressed continuous life history traits against flight initiation distance. Body size had a large and significant effect in explaining variation in flightiness: larger species initiated flight at greater distances than smaller species. After controlling for variation explained by body size, there was a nonsignificant positive relation between the age of first reproduction and FID. There were no relations between FID and clutch size, number of days spent feeding young, longevity, or habitat density. I used concentrated changes tests to look for evidence of coevolution between flightiness and dichotomous traits. Flightiness evolved multiple times and some clades were flightier than others. Flightiness was more likely to evolve in omnivorous/carnivorous species and in cooperatively breeding species. These results suggest that body size and age of first reproduction are important in explaining variation in disturbance tolerance in birds, and that species that capture live prey and those that are highly social are relatively wary. The results suggest a novel mechanism of how anthropogenic disturbance may contribute to extinction.
Endotracheal Tube and Tracheobronchial Obstruction as Causes of Hypoventilation With High Inspiratory Pressures

Two cases of difficult ventilation are presented, the first caused by endotracheal tube obstruction with nasal turbinate, and the second caused by tracheobronchial obstruction with blood clots. The clinical presentation in each case was characterized by extreme difficulty in ventilating and severe hypercapnia despite vigorous ventilatory efforts with either a mechanical ventilator or resuscitator bag. A simple manipulation of the endotracheal tube cuff helped to differentiate between increased impedance caused by endotracheal tube obstruction as opposed to increased respiratory system impedance beyond the tip of tube. In the second patient, in whom even a short interruption of ventilation was poorly tolerated, simultaneous rigid bronchoscopy (for removal of intratracheal masses) and ventilation via endotracheal tube were successfully performed.
Time and space optimization of document content classifiers

Scaling up document-image classifiers to handle an unlimited variety of document and image types poses serious challenges to conventional trainable classifier technologies. Highly versatile classifiers demand representative training sets which can be dauntingly large: in investigating document content extraction systems, we have demonstrated the advantages of employing as many as a billion training samples in approximate k-nearest neighbor (kNN) classifiers sped up using hashed K-d trees. We report here on an algorithm, which we call online bin-decimation, for coping with training sets that are too big to fit in main memory, and we show empirically that it is superior to offline pre-decimation, which simply discards a large fraction of the training samples at random before constructing the classifier. The key idea of bin-decimation is to enforce an upper bound approximately on the number of training samples stored in each K-d hash bin; an adaptive statistical technique allows this to be accomplished online and in linear time, while reading the training data exactly once. An experiment on 86.7M training samples reveals a 23-times speedup with less than 0.1% loss of accuracy (compared to pre-decimation); or, for another value of the upper bound, a 60-times speedup with less than 5% loss of accuracy. We also compare it to four other related algorithms.
Biochemical characterization of stromal and thylakoid-bound isoforms of isoprene synthase in willow leaves

Isoprene synthase is the enzyme responsible for the foliar emission of the hydrocarbon isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) from many C3 plants. Previously, thylakoid-bound and soluble forms of isoprene synthase had been isolated separately, each from different plant species using different procedures. Here we describe the isolation of thylakoid-bound and soluble isoprene synthases from a single willow (Salix discolor L.) leaf-fractionation protocol. Willow leaf isoprene synthase appears to be plastidic, with whole-leaf and intact chloroplast fractionations yielding approximately equal soluble (i.e. stromal) and thylakoid-bound isoprene synthase activities. Although thylakoid-bound isoprene synthase is tightly bound to the thylakoid membrane (M.C. Wildermuth, R. Fall [1996] Plant Physiol 112: 171–182), it can be solubilized by pH 10.0 treatment. The solubilized thylakoid-bound and stromal isoprene synthases exhibit similar catalytic properties, and contain essential cysteine, histidine, and arginine residues, as do other isoprenoid synthases. In addition, two regulators of foliar isoprene emission, leaf age and light, do not alter the percentage of isoprene synthase activity in the bound or soluble form. The relationship between the isoprene synthase isoforms and the implications for function and regulation of isoprene production are discussed.
Unilateral pulmonary vein atresia: A rare case of hemoptysis

We present a rare case of hemoptysis secondary to isolated unilateral pulmonary vein atresia. Isolated pulmonary vein atresia is a rare condition in which patients typically acquire a diagnosis in infancy and early childhood [Mataciunas et al.; Pourmoghadam et al.]. Our patient presented during puberty with several previous episodes of hemoptysis prior to her admission and diagnosis. The initial diagnosis was suspected in our patient from chest computerized tomography (CT), and confirmed with cardiac catheterization and pulmonary angiography. Treatment aim is to preserve lung function and minimize irreversible pulmonary remodeling [Pourmoghadam et al.; Harrison et al.]. Conservative monitoring can be considered with milder or asymptomatic cases, while others may require preoperative collateral artery banding, surgical anastomosis between the pulmonary vein (PV) & left atrium (LA) and even pneumonectomy [Pourmoghadam et al.].
MULTIVARIATE GEOMORPHIC ANALYSIS OF FOREST STREAMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSESSMENT OF LAND USE IMPACTS ON CHANNEL CONDITION

Multivariate statistical analyses of geomorphic variables from 23 forest stream reaches in southeast Alaska result in successful discrimination between pristine streams and those disturbed by land management, specifically timber harvesting and associated road building. Results of discriminant function analysis indicate that a three-variable model discriminates 10 disturbed from 13 undisturbed reaches with 90 per cent and 92 per cent correct classification respectively. These variables are the total number of pools per reach, the ratio of mean residual pool depth to mean bankfull depth, and the ratio of critical shear stress of the median surface grain size to bankfull shear stress. The last variable can be dropped without a decrease in rate of correct classification; however, the resulting two-variable model may be less robust. Analysis of the distribution of channel units, including pool types, can also be used to discriminate disturbed from undisturbed reaches and is particularly useful for assessment of aquatic habitat condition. However, channel unit classification and inventory can be subject to considerable error and observer bias. Abundance of pool-related large woody debris is highly correlated with pool frequency and is an important factor determining channel morphology. Results of this study yield a much needed, objective, geomorphic discrimination of pristine and disturbed channel conditions, providing a reference standard for channel assessment and restoration efforts.
Ferromagnetic particles as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging of liver and spleen.

Particles of magnetite, Fe3O4, accumulate preferentially in the liver and spleen after intravenous injection. Their magnetic fields drastically decrease echo intensities in spinecho proton magnetic resonance imaging sequences, as demonstrated by experiments on dogs injected with 10 mg/kg of 0.05-μm particles. © 1986 Academic Press, Inc.
Innate Immunity, Environmental Drivers, and Disease Ecology of Marine and Freshwater Invertebrates

Despite progress in the past decade, researchers struggle to evaluate the hypothesis that environmental conditions compromise immunity and facilitate new disease outbreaks. In this chapter, we review known immunological mechanisms for selected phyla and find that there are critical response pathways common to all invertebrates. These include the prophenoloxidase pathway, wandering phagocytic cells, cytotoxic effector responses, and antimicrobial compounds. To demonstrate the links between immunity and the environment, we summarize mechanisms by which immunity is compromised by environmental conditions. New environmental challenges may promote emergent disease both through compromised host immunity and introduction of new pathogens. Such challenges include changing climate, polluted environment, anthropogenically facilitated pathogen invasion, and an increase in aquaculture. The consequences of these environmental issues already manifest themselves as increased mortality on coral reefs, pathogen range expansion, and transmission of disease from aquaculture to natural populations, as we summarize in a final section on recent marine epizootics.
Phase Synchronization Control of Robotic Networks on Periodic Ellipses with Adaptive Network Topologies

This paper presents a novel formation control method for a large number of robots or vehicles described by Euler-Lagrange (EL) systems moving in elliptical orbits. A new coordinate transformation method for phase synchronization of networked EL systems in elliptical trajectories is introduced to define desired formation patterns. The proposed phase synchronization controller synchronizes the motions of agents, thereby yielding a smaller synchronization error than an uncoupled control law in the presence of bounded disturbances. A complex time-varying and switching network topology, constructed by the adaptive graph Laplacian matrix, relaxes the standard requirement of consensus stability, even permitting stabilization on an arbitrary unbalanced graph. The proofs of stability are constructed by robust contraction analysis, a relatively new nonlinear stability tool. An example of reconfiguring swarms of spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit shows the effectiveness of the proposed phase synchronization controller for a large number of complex EL systems moving in elliptical orbits.
Shape control of flexible structure using potential field method

A novel approach for shape control of flexible surface is presented. The main idea of this work is to develop a shape control algorithm using the potential field concept. The dynamical model derived for the flexible surface with embedded/bonded actuators is divided into two categories of having relative and absolute actuator points termed as relative and absolute pixels. The algorithm designed is used to control each individual pixels causing local deformation, which in turns causes global deformation of the flexible surface. Separate control laws are designed for relative and absolute pixels. The convergence of the control law is guaranteed using Lyapunov theory. Model parameter uncertainties of the flexible structure are also taken into account and the control law is modified accordingly. The effectiveness of the control algorithm is highlighted with the simulation results presented.
Public Management and the Public Good: The Case of Oklahoma's 2002 Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Rules

New Public Management and classical public administration theory posit that internal administrative practices based on market principles, including economy and efficiency, will increase the public good through more effective delivery of public services. However, classical public administration theory views bureaucrats as neutral functionaries in a top-down hierarchy while New Public Management calls for empowered agency entrepreneurs implementing economy and efficiency measures. Research from 1987 to 2003 on Oklahoma secondhand tobacco smoke regulation indicates that real administrative progress in secondhand tobacco smoke restrictions that enhance public health did not occur until 2002 when an Oklahoma health commissioner's aggressive political campaign, initiated through rationalistic internal agency emergency rules, resulted in smoke-free public and workplaces. This action—which resulted in more effective regulation of secondhand tobacco smoke—was not principally because of an internal New Public Management or classical public administration approach but mainly through a highly public outsider political and administrative process.
Equatorial Velocity Profiles. Part II: Zonal Component

Abstract Vertical profiles of horizontal velocity made along 53°E in the western Indian Ocean, during and after he onset of the southwest monsoon in 1976, show features in zonal velocity of relatively small vertical scale. Persistence of the features over the month-long observation period and over 2½ degrees of longitude indicates long temporal and zonal scales. The vertical structure is common to those profiles close to the equator, with no appreciable variation in amplitude or depth. Between 1°30′N and 3°N the phase of the features reverses. There is no evidence of similar features at 5°N. The data suggest meridionally trapped equatorial waves. Similarities between the observed phenomena and the linear theory of equatorial waves are striking but quantitative comparisons lead us to question its naive application here. Equatorial intensification is apparent but it does not scale with the Rossby radius of deformation, indicating that Kelvin waves are not dominant at any vertical scale. The phase change and...
Internet cigarette vendors make tax-free claims and sell cigarettes cheaper than retail outlets

Objective This paper aims to (1) assess whether promotion of tax-free sales among Internet cigarette vendors (ICVs) changed between 2009 and 2011, (2) determine which types of ICVs are most likely to promote tax-free sales (eg, US-based, international or mixed location ICVs), and (3) compare the price of cigarettes advertised in ICVs to prices at brick-and-mortar retail outlets. Methods We analysed data from the 200 most popular ICVs in 2009, 2010 and 2011 to assess promotion of tax-free sales and the price of Marlboro cigarette cartons. We used Nielsen scanner data from 2009, 2010 and 2011 to measure the price of Marlboro cartons in US grocery stores. Findings The odds of ICVs claiming tax-free status were higher in 2011 than in 2009 (OR=1.58, p Conclusions ICVs commonly promote tax-free sales, and cigarettes are cheaper online compared to US grocery stores. Better enforcement of the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act is needed to address tax-free cigarette sales among ICVs.
Development of Improved Data Analysis Methods for Reactivity Measurements in Large Thermal-Power Reactors

A current widespread procedure relies on the use of a reactivity meter for differential control rod measurements in nuclear reactors. From an observational point of view, the reactivity meter will measure the correct core reactivity if the input to the meter is proportional to the neutron amplitude function. A single detector reading is generally proportional to the amplitude function only if the point kinetics approximation is valid, that is, if the spatial flux distribution is invariant in time. Results of numerical simulations show that small spatial deviations can lead to large errors in reactivity determinations in current thermal-power reactor designs. In going from the use of single point to single long detector schemes, errors in reactivity determination are decreased but not eliminated and are very dependent on control rod location detector position. An integral approach has been developed and evaluated for a wide variety of core conditions for the reconstruction of the amplitude function from a set of detector readings. The scheme developed uses only observed detector readings and results in a combination of improved, consistent accuracy and ease of data handling.
Telecentric suppression of diffuse light in imaging of highly anisotropic scattering media

The telecentric lens, which was originally used in the machine vision industry, has often been utilized in biomedical imaging systems due to its commonly known properties, such as large transverse field of view, constant magnification, and long working distance. However, its potential advantages in optical imaging of biological tissue, which is highly diffusive, have not been fully explored. We revisit the idea that a telecentric lens system can bring an alternative yet simple method for reducing unwanted scattering or diffuse light in biological tissue, owing to its highly anisotropic scattering properties. Using biological tissue and tissue phantoms, we demonstrate advantages attributed to the use of telecentric lens in tissue imaging compared with imaging using conventional nontelecentric optics. Directional or angular gating (or filtering) using a telecentric lens is beneficial for removing a portion of diffuse light in highly anisotropic scattering media with high values of the scattering anisotropy factor. We envision that a telecentric lens could be potentially incorporated into an instrument of modest design and cost, increasing rapid practical adoption.
Autonomic Testing in Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain.

Purpose: We determined whether abnormal autonomic nervous system innervation of the bladder underlies IC (interstitial cystitis)/BPS (bladder pain syndrome) differently than other chronic pelvic pain.Materials and Methods: In this institutional review board approved protocol 39 healthy controls and 134 subjects were enrolled, including 36 with IC/BPS, 14 with myofascial pelvic pain and 42 with IC/BPS plus myofascial pelvic pain. Three subjects were excluded from study. Autonomic nervous system evaluations included deep breathing, the Valsalva maneuver, and the tilt table and sudomotor tests. The latter evaluates autonomic neuropathy. A modified validated composite autonomic laboratory score was applied.Results: Median age in the IC/BPS group was 47.5 years (range 21 to 78), greater than in healthy controls (34 years, range 20 to 75, p = 0.006), the myofascial pelvic pain group (33 years, range 22 to 56, p = 0.004) and the IC/BPS plus myofascial pelvic pain group (38 years, range 18 to 64, p = 0.03). Body ...
Knowledge Creation and Student Engagement Within 3D Virtual Worlds

Examined in this 3D Virtual World case study was undergraduate student engagement on a learning task and student creation of knowledge. After creating a 3D didactic constructivist virtual world, student conversations were recorded for analysis using Hara, Bonk, and Angeli's 2000 engagement framework and Nonaka and Takeuchi's 1995 knowledge creation theory. The five forms of student engagement augmented the learning process and a complete knowledge spiral was documented, emphasizing the use of the four modes of knowledge conversion. Though limited in time and scope, results further suggest that a highly engaged community of learners was created.
Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy in a Patient With Tetralogy of Fallot and Right-Sided Aortic Arch

Improvements in surgical technique and perioperative care have resulted in increased long-term survival for patients with congenital heart disease. As these patients begin to reach their later years, clinicians are challenged with determining optimal management of noncardiac diseases in this complex patient population, including surgically treatable malignancies. We present a case of esophageal cancer in a patient with previously repaired tetralogy of Fallot and right-sided aortic arch, treated with neoadjuvant therapy followed by laparoscopic and left thoracoscopic esophagectomy.
Knowledge leveraging in the MNC: A study of subsidiary-headquarters innovation collaboration

This study examines the conditions that influence the extent of knowledge collaborations within the MNC. We build our model by drawing on the literature on subsidiaries and headquarters role in inn...
Tic Exacerbation in Adults with Tourette Syndrome: A Case Series.

Background: Tourette syndrome (TS) has been described as peaking in adolescence with subsequent regression. We report patients who were diagnosed with TS during childhood who experienced a latent period (significant reduction in or absence of tics) followed by tic re-emergence in adulthood. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of outpatients over age 21 seen at the Yale neurology clinic between January 2012 and July 2016 who were diagnosed with childhood-onset tics, and who experienced a latent period of greater than 1 year followed by an exacerbation. Results: Sixteen patients were identified. The mean latent period was 16 years. Ten patients (62.5%) identified an exacerbation trigger, most commonly changes in substance use (five patients). Seven patients (43.8%) reported worsening of tics since childhood. Six patients (37.5%) had received pharmacological intervention for tics as children, and 15 patients (93.8%) as adults. Six of 15 patients (40.0%) had an effective response from those pharmacological intervention(s). Discussion: Our study demonstrates that the decline in symptoms as patients age may represent temporary improvement. The latent period lasted years in our patients, different from the more rapid waxing and waning in children. A change in substance use was an important trigger. Requests for pharmacological intervention were not necessarily correlated with worsening tic severity.
Abstract P503: Role of TRPV4 and Endothelial BK Channels in Endothelial-dependent Dilation Following Chronic Hypoxia

Following chronic hypoxia (CH) the systemic vasculature exhibits blunted vasoconstriction due to endothelial cell-dependent hyperpolarization (EDH). Previous data demonstrate that after CH, EDH-mediated dilation switches from a reliance on SK ca and IK ca channels to activation of endothelial BK ca channel (eBK). The mechanism by which endothelial cell stimulation activates eBK channels following CH is not known. We hypothesized that following CH, EDH-dependent dilation involves a transient receptor potential V4 (TRPV4)-dependent activation of eBK channels. ACh induced concentration-dependent dilation in pressurized gracilis arteries from normoxic and CH rats. TRPV4 blockade only attenuated ACh-induced vasodilation in arteries from CH rats (Fig. 1). ACh elicited an increase in endothelial TRPV4-dependent Ca 2+ events in arteries from both groups. Direct activation of TRPV4 elicited dilation in arteries from normoxic and CH rats (97 ± 2 % and 95 ± 2 % for normoxic and CH, respectively). In arteries from normoxic rats, inhibition of SK ca and IK ca abolished dilation to TRPV4 activation (6 ± 5 %), whereas, luminal iberiotoxin had no effect (89 ± 7 %). In CH rats, only administration of all three K ca channel inhibitors abolished dilation to TRPV4 activation (3 ± 10%). Disruption of endothelial caveolae with methyl-β-cyclodextrin significantly decreased ACh-induced dilation in arteries from both groups. Using a proximity ligation assay, we observed co-localization between caveolin-1, TRPV4, and eBK channels in the endothelium of gracilis arteries. In conclusion, CH results in functional coupling between muscarinic receptors, TRPV4 and K ca channels in gracilis arteries.
Assessing coding practices for gastrointestinal surgery over time in the United States.

Abstract Background Variations in hospital billing practices may reflect differences in patient risk or may represent the “upcoding” of patients in response to payer incentives/policies. The current study sought to assess whether coding practices for gastrointestinal surgery have changed over time and to evaluate the association between upcoding and in-hospital costs. Methods A total of 1,344,152 patients aged >18 years undergoing a gastrointestinal operation between 2001 and 2011 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample. Coding practices were compared by hospital and patient characteristics. Multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate the association between coding practices and in-hospital costs. Results The mean and median number of codes per admission were 8.8 (standard deviation = 4.58) and 9 (interquartile range: 5–11), respectively. Over time, the proportion of admissions being upcoded (>9 codes/admission) increased from 14.1% to 32.9% (∆ = +133.3%, P Conclusion The number of “upcoded” patients was observed to increase with time. Greater education, regulation, and scrutiny are required of coding practices.
Using Public Perception to Investigate Real Estate Brokerage Promotional Outlet Effectiveness

Survey information details how respondents have searched for agents and properties in the past and how they plan to in the future. This information may enable agents to more effectively target thei...
Interleukin-3 regulates the activity of the LYN protein-tyrosine kinase in myeloid-committed leukemic cell lines

The lymphokine interleukin-3 (IL-3) promotes the growth and survival of immature hematopoietic cells. Previous studies have shown that IL-3 induces rapid increases in protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity in IL- 3--dependent cells. Unlike some other hematopoietic growth factor receptors (eg, c-fms and c-kit), however, the known subunits of the IL- 3 receptor (IL-3R) lack intrinsic kinase activity. Recently, it was reported that the IL-2R (whose p75 beta-subunit shares sequence homology with a known murine IL-3R subunit and a common beta-subunit of the human IL-3R and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor [GM-CSF] receptors) can physically associate with and regulate the activity of the SRC-family PTK, p56-LCK. Because most IL-3--dependent cells contain p53/56-LYN, but not p56-LCK, we explored the effects of IL-3 on the activities of LYN and other SRC-like PTKs in two human leukemic cell lines, AML-193 and TALL-101, which are phenotypically myeloid, and whose in vitro growth is dependent on IL-3. These cells expressed four of the eight known SRC-family proto-oncogenes: lyn, fyn, yes, and hck. When these factor-dependent leukemic cell lines were deprived of lymphokine to achieve cellular quiescence and then restimulated with IL-3, rapid increases (detectable within 1 minute and maximal by 10 minutes) were observed in the activity of the p53/56-LYN kinase, as assessed by in vitro kinase assays. In contrast, no alteration in the activities of other SRC-family PTKs present in these cells was detected after restimulation with IL-3 under the same conditions. This effect of IL-3 reflected an increase in the specific activity of the LYN kinase, because levels of the 53-Kd and 56-Kd LYN proteins were unaltered by IL-3 stimulation, as assessed by immunoblotting. Furthermore, the magnitude of these inducible increases in LYN kinase activity was dependent on the concentration of IL-3, and correlated with IL-3--induced proliferation. The IL-3--induced upregulation of LYN kinase activity may be mediated by the 120-Kd common subunit of the human IL-3 and GM-CSF receptors, because GM-CSF also stimulated marked increases in the activity of the LYN kinase, whereas granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF) did not, despite inducing cellular proliferation. These observations provide the first example of an IL-3-- regulable PTK, and strongly suggest that the p53/56-LYN kinase participates in early IL-3--initiated signalling events, at least in some human leukemic cell lines.
The role of white supremacy amongst opponents and proponents of mass schooling in the South during the Common School era

ABSTRACTAlthough common schooling began to take off in the northern United States around the 1830s, it did not gain great momentum in the South until the postbellum period. Spanning this lengthy Co...
Race and Gender Differences of Body Physique and Self-Esteem in High School Students

This study investigated race and gender differences of body physique and self-esteem in high school students (N = 754, mean age = 16.5 + 1.2 yr) attending public schools. Participants completed a five part body physique questionnaire where responses were based on a set of nine figure silhouette drawings and a five part self esteem questionniare. African American females reported significantly larger body physique preferences when compared to their Caucasian counterparts (p0.05). African American’s (males and females) scored significantly higher on the self-esteem assessment than their Caucasian counterparts. These findings suggest that there might be important race and gender differences on various aspects of body physique and self-esteem in high school students.
Localized activation of ependymal progenitors induces EMT-mediated glial bridging after spinal cord injury

ABSTRACT Unlike mammals, adult zebrafish undergo spontaneous recovery after major spinal cord injury. Whereas scarring presents a roadblock for mammalian spinal cord repair, glial cells in zebrafish form a bridge across severed spinal cord tissue to facilitate regeneration. Here, we performed FACS sorting and genome-wide profiling to determine the transcriptional identity of purified bridging glia. We found that Yap-Ctgf signaling activates epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in localized niches of ependymal cells to promote glial bridging and regeneration. Preferentially activated in early bridging glia, Yap is required for the expression of the glial bridging factor Ctgfa and for functional spinal cord repair. Ctgfa regulation is controlled by an injury responsive enhancer element that drives expression in early bridging glia after injury. Yap-Ctgf signaling activates a mesenchymal transcriptional program that drives glial bridging. This study revealed the molecular signatures of bridging glia and identified an injury responsive gene regulatory network that promotes spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish.
Using actor-partner interdependence modeling to understand recent illicit opioid use and injection drug use among men in community supervision and their female partners in New York City.

Abstract Background The United States’ opioid crisis disproportionately affects individuals in the criminal justice system. Intimate partners can be a source of social support that helps reduce substance use, or they can serve as a driver of continued or increased substance use. Better understanding of the association between intimate partner characteristics and illicit opioid use and injection drug use among individuals in community supervision could be vital to developing targeted interventions. Methods Using actor-partner interdependence models, we examined individual and partner characteristics associated with recent illicit opioid use and injection drug use among males in community supervision settings in New York City (n = 229) and their female partners (n = 229). Results Higher levels of depression (aOR 1.98, 95% CI [1.39–2.82], p ≤ 0.01) and anxiety (aOR 1.98, 95% CI [1.42–2.75], p ≤ 0.01) were associated with recent opioid use among males in community supervision. Females with a partner having higher levels of anxiety were more likely to have recently used opioids (aOR 1.52, 95% CI [1.06–2.16], p ≤ 0.05). Males with a female partner with higher levels of anxiety (aOR 2.16, 95% CI [1.31–3.56], p ≤ 0.01) or depression (aOR 1.70, 95% CI [1.01–2.86], p ≤ 0.05) were more likely to recently inject drugs. Women with a male partner who had been in prison were more likely to have recently injected drugs (aOR 3.71, 95% CI [1.14–12.12], p ≤ 0.05), but women who had a male partner who had been arrested in the past three months were less likely to have recently injected (aOR 0.08, 95% CI [0.02–0.46], p ≤ 0.01). Conclusions Results suggest that recent individual illicit opioid use and injection drug use is associated not only with individual-level factors, but also with partner factors, highlighting the need for couple-based approaches to address the opioid epidemic.
Confronting illness with empathy

What is it about a road trip that so effectively locates a good story in time and place? In his new book, The Sensitives, Oliver Broudy recounts the story of an unusual road trip on which he recently embarked that provides a frame for a discussion of a mysterious ailment that has thus far defied scientific characterization.
Communicating Oncologic Prognosis With Empathy: A Pilot Study of a Novel Communication Guide.

Background:Clear communication between patients, families, and health-care providers is imperative to maximize patient outcomes, particularly for patients diagnosed with incurable cancer who requir...
A Generic Technique for Automatically Finding Defense-Aware Code Reuse Attacks

Code reuse attacks have been the subject of a substantial amount of research during the past decade. This research largely resulted from early work on Return-Oriented Programming (ROP), which showed that the then newly proposed Non-Executable Memory (NX) defense could be bypassed. More recently, the research community has been simultaneously investigating new defenses that are believed to thwart code reuse attacks, such as Control Flow Integrity (CFI), and defense-aware techniques for attacking these defenses, such as Data-Oriented Programming (DOP). Unfortunately, the feasibility of defense-aware attacks are very dependent on the behaviors of the attacked program, which makes it difficult for defenders to understand how much protection a defense such as CFI may provide. To better understand this, researchers have introduced automated defense-aware code reuse attack systems. Unfortunately, the handful of existing systems implement a single fixed, defense-specific strategy that is complex and cannot be used to consider other defenses. In this paper, we propose a generic framework for automatically discovering defense-aware code reuse attacks in executables. Unlike existing work, which utilizes hard-coded strategies for specific defenses, our framework can produce attacks for multiple defenses by analyzing the runtime behavior of the defense. The high-level insight behind our framework is that code reuse attacks can be defined as a state reachability problem, and that defenses prevent some transitions between states. We implement our framework as a tool named Limbo, which employs an existing binary concolic executor to solve the reachability problem. We evaluate Limbo and show that it excels when there is little code available for reuse, making it complementary to existing techniques. We show that, in such scenarios, Limbo outperforms existing systems that automate ROP attacks, as well as systems that automate DOP attacks in the presence of fine-grained CFI, despite having no special knowledge about ROP or DOP attacks.
Tacrolimus induced optic neuropathy in post-lung transplant patients: A series of 3 patients.

Abstract Purpose Tacrolimus is a commonly used immunosuppressant medication after lung transplantation. In rare cases, tacrolimus causes a medication-induced optic neuropathy (TON) that can lead to significant vision loss. Observations In this series, we describe three cases of TON, 1–10 years after medication use. Two patients were young (22yr and 33yr) females with cystic fibrosis. The last case was a 65yr male with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. In 2/3 cases tacrolimus serum levels were normal. Visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to 20/300, and vision loss occurred acutely to sub-acutely, over a span of 2–3 months. Conclusions and importance As presented here, TON can be highly variable. MRI findings are often non-specific, from normal brain findings to extensive white matter changes. There remains an unclear association with graft-versus-host disease and reduced kidney function. Visual findings are often subtle, including color vision aberration and peripheral visual field deficits, both of which usually require an ophthalmologic evaluation. When diagnosed in a timely fashion, TON is at least partially reversible in up to half of all cases. While rare, the cases described here support post-lung transplant ophthalmologic evaluation in those taking high-risk medications.
Effect of light exposure on growth rate of veterinary clinical dermatophyte isolates.

BACKGROUND Veterinary textbooks and literature suggest that exposure to light is inhibitory to growth of clinical dermatophyte isolates. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that this idea was derived from experiments that examined the effect of high doses of ultraviolet and visible light exposure on dermatophyte growth, and that exposure to typical room lighting would not adversely affect dermatophyte growth rate. METHODS AND MATERIALS Isolates of common veterinary dermatophytes (three each of Microsporum canis, Nannizia gypsea and Trichophyton benhamiae) were exposed to typical fluorescent room lighting, incubated in a closed drawer, or exposed at close range to fluorescent wide-spectrum light. Dermatophytes were grown on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SAB) and Dermatophyte Test Medium (DTM). Colony diameter was measured and growth rate (expressed as colony diameter increase mm/day) calculated at the linear portion of the culture growth curve. Statistical analyses compared growth rates across the various incubation conditions and among dermatophyte isolates. RESULTS There was little difference in growth rate between cultures incubated under typical fluorescent room lighting and those placed in the dark. Exposure to the close-range light increased growth rate as a consequence of the elevated incubation temperature created by the lamp. Significant differences in growth rate were noted among strains of the same dermatophyte species. Dermatophytes grew more rapidly on SAB than DTM agar. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Exposure to typical lighting conditions in a clinical environment does not inhibit growth of dermatophyte colonies. Veterinary clinicians may conduct routine dermatophyte cultures without incubating them in the dark.
Education for AI, not AI for Education: The Role of Education and Ethics in National AI Policy Strategies

As of 2021, more than 30 countries have released national artificial intelligence (AI) policy strategies. These documents articulate plans and expectations regarding how AI will impact policy sectors, including education, and typically discuss the social and ethical implications of AI. This article engages in thematic analysis of 24 such national AI policy strategies, reviewing the role of education in global AI policy discourse. It finds that the use of AI in education (AIED) is largely absent from policy conversations, while the instrumental value of education in supporting an AI-ready workforce and training more AI experts is overwhelmingly prioritized. Further, the ethical implications of AIED receive scant attention despite the prominence of AI ethics discussion generally in these documents. This suggests that AIED and its broader policy and ethical implications—good or bad—have failed to reach mainstream awareness and the agendas of key decision-makers, a concern given that effective policy and careful consideration of ethics are inextricably linked, as this article argues. In light of these findings, the article applies a framework of five AI ethics principles to consider ways in which policymakers can better incorporate AIED’s implications. Finally, the article offers recommendations for AIED scholars on strategies for engagement with the policymaking process, and for performing ethics and policy-oriented AIED research to that end, in order to shape policy deliberations on behalf of the public good.
Slavery and the History of Congress's Enumerated Powers

Legal scholarship often ignores or minimizes slavery’s profound influence on the history of federal powers. In fact, a number of influential scholars contend that constitutional history supports an understanding of Congress’s enumerated powers that would leave no subject reserved to the states. This scholarship, however, is inconsistent with the history of the Founding, early Congress, and Marshall and Taney Courts. Before the Civil War, virtually all American elites agreed that Congress had no power to interfere with slavery in the states. Because slavery was fundamental to the national economy, this meant that the federal government had no power to regulate social or economic activity within the states, regardless of its connection to interstate commerce. The modern regulatory state is thus incompatible with how federal powers were understood before the Civil War, and legal scholars should stop pretending otherwise. Especially at this time of racial reckoning, legal scholarship should acknowledge slavery’s pervasive influence on constitutional history. Doing so will both undermine the moral legitimacy of originalism and emphasize the need for a living Constitution.
Insulin-Degrading Enzyme: Paradoxes and Possibilities.

More than seven decades have passed since the discovery of a proteolytic activity within crude tissue extracts that would become known as insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). Certainly much has been learned about this atypical zinc-metallopeptidase; at the same time, however, many quite fundamental gaps in our understanding remain. Herein, I outline what I consider to be among the most critical unresolved questions within the field, many presenting as intriguing paradoxes. For instance, where does IDE, a predominantly cytosolic protein with no signal peptide or clearly identified secretion mechanism, interact with insulin and other extracellular substrates? Where precisely is IDE localized within the cell, and what are its functional roles in these compartments? How does IDE, a bowl-shaped protein that completely encapsulates its substrates, manage to avoid getting “clogged” and thus rendered inactive virtually immediately? Although these paradoxes are by definition unresolved, I offer herein my personal insights and informed speculations based on two decades working on the biology and pharmacology of IDE and suggest specific experimental strategies for addressing these conundrums. I also offer what I believe to be especially fruitful avenues for investigation made possible by the development of new technologies and IDE-specific reagents. It is my hope that these thoughts will contribute to continued progress elucidating the physiology and pathophysiology of this important peptidase.
Overall Survival and Safety With Pemetrexed/Platinum ± Anti-VEGF Followed by Pemetrexed ± Anti-VEGF Maintenance in Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of 4 Randomized Studies.

Abstract Background: Before immune checkpoint blockade therapy, chemotherapy with pemetrexed maintenance was the standard of care for patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSQ-NSCLC) and remains such where immunotherapy is not applicable. This pooled analysis aimed to characterize overall survival (OS) and safety of pemetrexed +/- anti-VEGF maintenance, by treatment duration. Patients and Methods: Data from four randomized clinical trials (PARAMOUNT, PRONOUNCE, PointBreak, JVBL) of patients with NSQ-NSCLC receiving pemetrexed +/- anti-VEGF maintenance therapy were pooled as two groups (Group A: pemetrexed-only maintenance, n=486; and Group B: pemetrexed + anti-VEGF maintenance, n=329). OS and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were analyzed in both groups by treatment duration. Results: Baseline characteristics were well balanced between both groups. Median OS did not significantly differ between Group A (16.1 months) and Group B (18.4 months; hazard ratio: 1.17, p-value=0.1417). A correlation between median OS and treatment duration was numerically stronger in Group A (r=0.72) versus B (r=0.62). Across treatment groups, TEAEs were largely grade 1-2 and, with few exceptions, did not increase with increased treatment duration. Conclusion: There was no significant OS difference between pemetrexed-only and pemetrexed ± anti-VEGF maintenance in patients with NSQ-NSCLC. Patients receiving pemetrexed + anti-VEGF experienced a slightly less favorable safety profile with more reported TEAEs compared to pemetrexed monotherapy. Pemetrexed +/- anti-VEGF maintenance therapy may be considered in NSQ-NSCLC, based on an individualized patient approach, particularly where immunotherapy is not clinically indicated.
Personality templates and social hierarchies using stereotypes

In order for interactive agents to be believable, they will need to respond to any likely situation in a manner that is consistent with their personality, as well as their position within social hierarchies. Thus believable agents will need to have a clearly defined personality, social role, and other traits that will govern their actions in a virtual world. The goal of this paper is to present a template that can be used to define such traits of a character in order to maintain consistency. The template will be dominated by a model that defines aspects of personality typically used to define persons across cultures, aiding both intuitive creation by authors, and acceptance by users. It will also be able to take advantage of character stereotypes to ease the authoring process. In addition to this, a social hierarchy framework is given.
Experimental verification of an active power line conditioner with a fuzzy logic switch controller

A fuzzy logic controller for an active power line conditioner (APLC) is described. Frequency-domain analysis is used to determine the desired compensation current, and a rule-based piecewise linear fuzzy proportional-integral controller (FPIC) provides the appropriate switching pattern of the APLC to generate the actual compensation current. Both MATLAB simulations and experimental measurements on a low-power, digital signal processor (DSP) based, hardware prototype are described. The simulations and measurements agree very well and show that the APLC/FPIC system can significantly improve both total harmonic distortion and power factor during both steady-state and transient operating conditions.