cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Remedy Realities in Business-to-Consumer Contracting

Professor Jean Braucher greatly contributed to the exploration of consumer and contract law by questioning how the law operates in the real world and highlighting the importance of “law in action.” In recognition of that contribution, this Article focuses on law in action with respect to consumers’ quest to obtain remedies regarding their business-to-consumers (“B2C”) contracts. Currently, consumers often have no practical recourse with respect to B2C purchase problems due to the complexity, cost, and inconvenience of the processes for obtaining remedies. Accordingly, stated legal rights become meaningless for individuals living in the real world. This Article, therefore, explores access to consumer remedies and proposes ideas for expanding that access through development of fair and efficient online dispute resolution (“ODR”) processes.
The Effect of Digitalis on the Bladder in Man

The effects of intravenous digitalis on the bladder were investigated in 36 patients. Digitalis consistently decreased the bladder capacity and in some it increased the intravesical pressure. The significance of these findings and its clinical applications are discussed.
Mechanism-oriented therapy for multiple systems organ failure.

This article will focus on the pathogenesis and complications of sepsis, its clinical presentation, and the theoretical and clinically applicable therapeutic modalities in the sepsis-induced syndrome of MSOF.
Dielectric and Steam Heating Treatments for Quality Maintenance in Stored Pecans

AbstractPecan kernels were subjected to steam heating and dielectric heating treatments at 43 MHz and evaluated initially and during storage for 16 weeks at 21°C and 65% relative humidity to determine the effects of the treatments on their quality.Both types of heating treatments had a stabilizing influence on pecan flavor as determined by a sensory evaluation panel and by analytical determinations of peroxide values. Further, dielectric heating did not produce the darkening of kernel color that results from steam heating.Further studies are needed before the methods can be assessed for practical use.
Development of Resistance to Antibiotics

Widespread use and misuse of penicillin and other antibiotics have resulted in development of resistance most antibiotics. The mechanisms by which microorganisms develop resistance to antibiotics are discussed. Topics covered include acquisition of point mutations and antibiotic resistance genes, methods of transfer of resistance genes between bacteria, and the advantages of synthetic antibiotics. Contribution of subtherapeutic use of antibiotics to resistance development and the response of the governments and other regulatory agencies to address the problem are also discussed.
ATNT-11A PHASE I PHARMACODYNAMIC STUDY OF DISULFIRAM AND TEMOZOLOMIDE FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED GLIOBLASTOMA AFTER RADIATION THERAPY AND CONCURRENT TEMOZOLOMIDE.

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies have shown that disulfiram (DSF) has promising activity against glioblastoma (GBM) and is synergistic with temozolomide (TMZ). These studies have also suggested that the mechanism is related to the inhibition of proteasomal activity. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, dose-escalation pharmacodynamic study to combine DSF with maintenance TMZ for newly diagnosed GBM after radiation therapy (RT) and concurrent TMZ. The pharmacodynamic effect of DSF on proteasome inhibition was evaluated on peripheral bloods cells, with complete inhibition defined as at least 5 patients with 95% proteasome inhibition in a given cohort. Dose escalation occurred if both incomplete proteasome inhibition and less than 2 dose-limiting toxicities (2 DLTs) were observed in cohort 1. Cohort 1 and 2 received DSF 500 mg and 1000 mg daily, respectively. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is defined as the dose level immediately below the dose level at which at least 2 patients of a cohort experienced DLT during the first month of disulfiram. The primary endpoint was to assess the magnitude of proteasome inhibition by DSF. The secondary endpoint was to determine the MTD of DSF with TMZ. RESULTS: Seven patients were enrolled in cohort 1 (median duration of DSF: 55 days, range: 24-165), and five patients in cohort 2 (median: 15 days, range: 15-33). No DLT was observed in cohort 1, but 4 of 5 patients in cohort 2 stopped DSF during the first month due to toxicity, including 3 DLTs. Incomplete proteasome inhibition was observed at 500 mg level. Six of 7 patients in cohort 1 had progressed, with a median time to progression of 3.6 months (range: 1.6-6.8) from the start of DSF or 6.2 months (range: 4.2-9.5) from the start of RT. CONCLUSIONS: The MTD of DSF with TMZ is 500 mg daily, which is associated with incomplete proteasome inhibition.
Employment Support for the Transition to Retirement

As workers near retirement, many experience a medical event that limits the ability to work. Public programs provide health insurance and income support for these individuals, but that support is o...
Can we Automatically Detect Biologically Relevant Order Parameters in Molecular Simulation? Comparing Long Timescale Simulations of Multiple Kinases

Kinases are a ubiquitous component of important signaling pathways, including those frequently involved in cancer. Understanding the conformational heterogeneity of kinases has been shown to be important for understanding their function and their role as therapeutic targets. While thousands of structures are available via the PDB of kinases in various states, understanding how these states are kinetically and energetically related is key to making sense of these structures. Molecular dynamics has the power to give us this insight, however in simulating kinases structures from hundreds of states found in the PDB or from a single starting structure, we have found that defining order parameters to understand these dynamics can be far from straightforward. Analyzing our simulations, we optimized our order parameters to reflect the slowest processes, the starting structure of the simulation, or known kinase order parameters from the literature. To better facilitate this comparison, we have built a Python library (kinalysis) that can map any kinase structure or set of structures onto previously established kinase states (defined by DFG flip, C-helix switch, activation loop conformation, etc.). This can then be used to understand how well our generalizable methods for defining metastable states captures biologically relevant conformational changes. There is a careful balance between biasing an analysis with what you expect to see and allowing a simulation to tell you something you didn’t know before. In the long term, we hope this study informs how generalized methods of defining simulation-driven coordinates rather than coordinates hand-picked for a specific system add to our understanding of protein conformational dynamics.
How are old places different from new places? A psychological investigation of the correlation between patina, spontaneous fantasies, and place attachment

AbstractWhat is ‘age value’? Or conceptualised slightly differently, what is the fundamental difference in the experience and affect of old and new places? In order to answer this question, this st...
Arguing for Transcendental Idealism: Lucy Allais on Manifest Reality

I endorse Allais’s ‘moderate metaphysical’ approach to transcendental idealism, but find tension between her concept of ‘manifest reality’ and her relational interpretation of the doctrine. And I think her reconstruction of Kant’s argument for transcendental idealism fails to block the famous ‘missing alternative’ objection, although in my view Kant’s fundamental argument for the position was intended precisely to block such an objection.
Exploring rates of transgender individuals and mental health concerns in an online sample

ABSTRACTBackground: Prevalence estimates of adults identifying as transgender are scarce, particularly in the United States. Method: The current study endeavored to estimate the prevalence of individuals identifying as transgender in a large online sample of adult U.S. residents (n = 6,727) and compare the prevalence of common mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and the age of onset for individuals identifying as men or women versus those identifying as transgender. Results: The prevalence estimate of individuals identifying as transgender was 0.8%. Individuals identifying as transgender were significantly more likely than individuals identifying as men or women to report having had a single diagnosis or co-occurring diagnoses for all three disorders examined. Additionally, transgender individuals were more likely than individuals identifying as men or women to receive a diagnosis of anxiety or depression at a younger age. Conclusion: Given the prevalenc...
Insurance-Linked Securities: Structured and Market Solutions

The traditional reinsurance markets face capacity limits. Global financial markets provide a much larger pool to diversify large (re)insurer risk. Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) are a group of financial instruments, which are sold to institutional investors and whose value is affected by an insured loss event. ILS encompass multiple forms of risk-linked securitization such as CAT bonds, weather derivatives (WDs), contingent capital (CC), and Finite Re products. Their purpose is to provide more efficient ways to transfer large-scale risk by combining insurance and reinsurance techniques with capital market techniques.
Factors influencing local stakeholders' perceptions of Tisza River Basin management: the role of employment sector and education.

Abstract The complexity associated with achieving sustainable river basin management plans for international, transboundary river basins, such as the Tisza River Basin in central Europe, make them an ideal study area for examining the influence of education and experience on stakeholder perception of basin management. This study presents findings from analysis of in-person surveys to examine differences in local stakeholder perceptions and involvement in the Tisza River Basin through analysis of participants’ levels of knowledge, experience, and involvement in basin management. The survey was conducted among members of the public in locations across the basin, in which participants were asked to identify and rank their opinions of factors affecting the health of the river basin, to identify observed changes in flood patterns, and to rank their level of interest and participation in basin management activities. To evaluate whether experience affected responses, participants were grouped demographically according to whether they worked in the public or private sector, their level of education (no college, undergraduate, or graduate school), gender and country of residence. Significant differences in stakeholder responses were found between education levels attained among participants in the public versus the private sector, and between the reported levels of environmental concern among participants of different education levels. Participants also reported low levels of participation and monitoring of management activities. These differences and lack of participation support the need for public education in participatory governance structures to support sustainable river basin management efforts.
Assessing the utility of the growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl and fungicides in mid-Atlantic soft red winter wheat production systems

Abstract Soft red winter wheat (SRWW) is an important crop in the mid-Atlantic. The use of growth regulators such as trinexapac-ethyl (TE) applied with nitrogen applications at pseudo-stem erection [Zadocks (ZGS) 30] has gained more interest in the region as a means to reduce lodging and potentially improve yields. Fungicide use has also increased, with many growers applying fungicides at ZGS 30 and again at ZGS 37 or ZGS 60. The safety and utility of TE in SRWW production systems, used alone or in combination with fungicides, is unknown. We evaluated the utility and safety of TE, applied alone, tank mixed with a fungicide at ZGS 30, and in combination with a foliar fungicide at ZGS 37 or ZGS 60 for utility and safety in mid-Atlantic SRWW. Three replicated field experiments were conducted over two growing seasons in Delaware, and yield, test weight, and disease severity on the flag leaf, were assessed. No phytotoxicity was noted in any of the TE or TE x fungicide treatments tested. TE applied alone reduced plant height by nearly 7 cm, but the application of fungicide at ZGS 37 or 60 slightly negated this effect. No lodging was observed. The addition of a fungicide at ZGS 30 followed by Prosaro (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) at ZGS 60 resulted in the greatest yields and test weights. All fungicide programs significantly reduced leaf blotch complex on the flag leaves relative to untreated controls; however, no difference was detected between ZGS 37 and ZGS 60 treatments. These results indicate that TE can be used safely in SRWW production when applied alone or when tank mixed with a fungicide; however, the effect on plant height reduction and potential impact on lodging may be reduced in situations where fungicides are used.
NMR-directed design of pre-TCRβ and pMHC molecules implies a distinct geometry for pre-TCR relative to αβTCR recognition of pMHC.

The pre-T cell receptor (pre-TCR) guides early thymocytes through maturation processes within the thymus via interaction with self-ligands displayed on thymic epithelial cells. The pre-TCR is a disulfide-linked heterodimer composed of an invariant pre-TCR α (pTα) subunit and a variable β subunit, the latter of which is incorporated into the mature TCR in subsequent developmental progression. This interaction of pre-TCR with peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecules has recently been shown to drive robust pre-TCR signaling and thymocyte maturation. Although the native sequences of β are properly folded and suitable for NMR studies in isolation, a tendency to self-associate rendered binding studies with physiological ligands difficult to interpret. Consequently, to structurally define this critical interaction, we have re-engineered the extracellular regions of β, designated as β-c1, for prokaryotic production to be used in NMR spectroscopy. Given the large size of the full extracellular domain of class I MHC molecules such as H-Kb, we produced a truncated form termed Kb-t harboring properties favorable for NMR measurements. This system has enabled robust measurement of a pre-TCR–pMHC interaction directly analogous to that of TCRαβ–pMHC. Binding surface analysis identified a contact surface comparable in size to that of the TCRαβ–pMHC but potentially with a rather distinct binding orientation. A tilting of the pre-TCRβ when bound to the pMHC ligand recognition surface versus the upright orientation of TCRαβ would alter the direction of force application between pre-TCR and TCR mechanosensors, impacting signal initiation.
CONSERVATION OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM

Publisher Summary Angular momentum is the rotational analog of linear momentum and is also associated with a conservation principle. Kepler's second law of planetary motion is an example of angular momentum conservation. An ice skater's rotational motion also demonstrates the conservation of angular momentum. When unstable nuclei decay with the emission of particles, angular momentum is conserved. The conservation of angular momentum is a universal principle. This chapter introduces the law of conservation of angular momentum by considering the criterion for its validity and illustrates its scope with varied examples. It defines the angular momentum for a particle and then presents the extension of that definition to a system of particles. The chapter presents the angular momentum of a system of particles as a sum of two types of angular momenta, spin and orbital, by using the center-of-mass concept. That separation of angular momentum into two types simplifies drawing conclusions about the rotational motion of the system as a whole.
The nidogen-domain containing protein DEX-1 is required for epidermal remodeling in C. elegans dauers

Phenotypic plasticity is a critical component of an organism’s ability to thrive in an ever-changing environment. The free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans , adapts to unfavorable environmental conditions by pausing reproductive development and entering a stress-resistant larval stage known as dauer. The transition into dauer is marked by vast morphological changes — including remodeling of epidermis, neurons and muscle. Though many of these dauer-specific traits have been described, the molecular basis of dauer-specific remodeling is still poorly understood. Here we show that the nidogen-domain containing protein DEX-1 functions downstream of the dauer decision to facilitate stage-specific tissue remodeling during dauer morphogenesis. DEX-1 was previously shown to regulate sensory dendrite formation during embryogenesis. We find that DEX-1 is also required for the proper remodeling of the stem cell-like epidermal seam cells and maintenance of seam cell quiescence during dauer. dex-1 mutant dauers lack distinct lateral cuticular alae during dauer and have increased sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Furthermore, we find that DEX-1 mediated seam cell remodeling is required for proper dauer mobility. We show that DEX-1 acts cell autonomously in the seam cells during dauer and that dex-1 expression during dauer is regulated through DAF-16/FOXO-mediated derepression. Finally, we show that dex-1 interacts with a family of zona pellucida-domain encoding genes to regulate dauer-specific epidermal remodeling. Taken together, our data indicates that DEX-1 plays a central role in C. elegans epidermal remodeling during dauer.
Accelerated ambulation after vascular access closure device

Background:Patients who are candidates to receive an Angioseal® (St. Jude Medical) device for arteriotomy closure are allowed to ambulate 20 min after the deployment of the device. More frequently,...
Variation in hesitation: The case of este vs. eh in Latin American Spanish

This study explored the influence of social and syntactic-pragmatic factors on a speaker’s choice between hesitation markers este and eh in oral discourse. Data collected from San Juan (PR), Mexico City, Montevideo, and Medellin were analyzed as a large corpus and on an individual country basis. Este was found to be the most prevalent hesitation marker overall and within three of the four countries studied. On an overall level, the factors of city, education level, gender, and position of the marker within the turn were found to be statistically significant to hesitation marker choice, while age was not. On a per-city basis, education was significant everywhere, age and gender were significant everywhere except Medellin, and turn position was significant everywhere except San Juan. The lack of uniformity in the results suggests that speakers’ choice between este and eh is affected differently by these factors in each area.
Multi-dimensional analysis on data sets for information retrieval

With the advances in science and technology, data sets with constant changes are generated in various areas everyday. Efficient and effective approaches are in demand to retrieve valuable information from the data sets. There are several research fields in data mining which includes outlier detection that is used to discover the exceptional behaviors of certain objects. Another research field in data mining is clustering which separates data points into different groups, in a way that data points in the same group have high similarity and data points from different groups are different from each other. In this paper we redefine the meaning of outliers from a new perspective, and propose an approach to dynamically adjust the set of outliers and clusters as the data set changes. We conduct experiments to evaluate the performance of our algorithm.
Comparison of Hydrogen with Coal and Synthetic Fossil Fuels

Presently, the earth’s population is about 5.3 billion and is growing at the rate of 1.8% per year. However, the demand for energy is growing at a much higher rate (at about 3–4% per year), since the developing countries are trying to increase their energy consumption faster than the industrialized countries. Today, most of the energy demand is met by fossil fuels (i.e., coal, petroleum, and natural gas). On the other hand, it is estimated(1–3) that the world fossil-fuel production, beginning with petroleum and natural gas, will soon start declining. Nonconventional energy sources, such as solar, ocean thermal, wind, ocean currents, tides, waves, thermonuclear, and geothermal, are being considered as possible sources of energy to meet the growing demand.(4–15) However, none of these new energy sources have all the desirable qualities of petroleum and natural gas. For example, some are only intermittently available. Others are only available away from the consumption centers, and none can be used as a fuel for transportation. Therefore, it becomes necessary to find an intermediary or synthetic form of energy which can be produced using the nonconventional primary energy sources being considered.
The Roles of Cellular Factors in Retroviral Integration

A key early step in the retroviral life cycle is the integration of reverse-transcribed viral cDNA into a chromosome of an infected cell. The key protein player in retroviral integration is the viral integrase, which enters the cell as part of the virus. Although purified integrase protein is necessary and sufficient to perform the basic catalytic DNA breakage and joining steps of retroviral integration, a variety of normal cellular proteins have been implicated as playing important roles in establishing the integrated provirus in cells. This chapter reviews the roles of host cell factors that function during integrase catalysis, during the repair of the resulting DNA recombination intermediate, and by potentially guiding viral preintegration complexes to their chromosomal locations for cDNA integration. The potential to interfere with proper integration by blocking either integrase catalysis or the function of cellular integration cofactors is also discussed.
Automatic detection of interictal epileptiform discharges

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the automatic detection of interictal epileptiform discharges. To obtain an adequate sample of ictal and interictal electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities for the localization of the epileptogenic region, patients are intensively monitored in an epilepsy monitoring units (EMU). The computer is used to focus attention on possibly important segments (containing likely or questionable EEG transients) for subsequent careful scrutiny by the electroencephalographer. Computerization of the process of identifying epileptiform abnormalities permits localization that is not otherwise logistically possible and helps to achieve maximum information yield during the shortest possible hospital stay. The spike detection algorithm, based on the application of wavelet transforms in combination with the Learned Vector Quantization II neural network paradigm, produces practical results— that is, demonstrating a good sensitivity for epileptic spikes without excessive false positives. Additionally, the multitiered architecture of the detection algorithms result in a run-time efficiency that permits real-time processing on ordinary workstations.
Realistic Microscopic Calculations of Nuclear Structure

One would like to start with the free nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction and many-body quantum mechanics and solve for the properties of finite nuclei. In principle, this simply involves solving the many-body Schrodinger equation: $$H|{{\Psi }_{\alpha }}\rangle = {{E}_{\alpha }}|{{\Psi }_{\alpha }}\rangle$$ (1) for the eigenenergies E α and the eigenstates \(|{{\Psi }_{\alpha }}\rangle\) of the many-particle system, where a is some label characterizing the states. But it is impossible to solve this problem in the full Hilbert space S when the number of particles in the system exceeds a certain limit because it contains too many degrees of freedom. Consequently, one wishes to truncate the problem to a smaller space S of dimension d, in which it becomes tractable to carry out the calculation. Now let \(|{{\Phi }_{\beta }}\rangle\) represent the projections of d of the states \(|{{\Phi }_{\beta }}\rangle\) into S. Thus we define the effective Hamiltonian H in S to satisfy $$\mathcal{H}|{{\Phi }_{\beta }}\rangle = {{E}_{\beta }}|{{\Phi }_{\beta }}\rangle ,$$ (2) where the eigenvalues {E β } are dof the exact eigenvalues {E α } in Eq.(1). Because the \(|{{\Phi }_{\beta }}\rangle\) are projections of the \(|{{\Psi }_{\alpha }}\rangle\), they are, in general not orthogonal.
Almost Everything About the Fibonacci Operator

We consider the Fibonacci operator and discuss results that have been obtained for the spectrum, the spectral measures, and the rate of wavepacket spreading. Our presentation is centered around a distortion result that describes the preimage of balls under the trace of the transfer matrix associated with sites given by Fibonacci numbers.
Identification of serotonin-binding proteins using a photoaffinity labeling probe.

Two types of serotonin-binding proteins from rat hypothalamus and spinal cord have been isolated and purified in our laboratory.1 Antibodies to both types of purified serotonin-binding proteins were obtained, and their interactions with LSD were studied2. Unfortunately, the low yield of purified serotonin-binding proteins prevented thorough biochemical characterizations. We are now reporting a new approach to the study of serotonin-binding proteins. An arylazide derivative of ssr tonin has been synthesized as a photoaffinity labeling probe.3,4 This derivative, [3H]-nitroarylazidophenyl-serotonin ([3 H]-NAP-serotonin), binds to protein components of brain homogenates and upon irradiation becomes covalently attached to protein through an active nitrene group. The radioactively labeled proteins can then be separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis5. This technique provides more specific information than do conventional radioligand binding assays with membrane preparations because the covalent binding of the photoaffinity labeling probe allows individual serotonin-binding proteins to be identified.
The Trojan Letter of Recommendation

This chapter is about a talented Latina house staff who became unknowingly embroiled in a microaggression deceptively leveled against her by a duplicitous senior faculty member.
The M.D.-Ph.D. Training Experience: Complimentary Perspectives and Advice

The M.D.-Ph.D. training process uniquely prepares individuals with skillsets capable of redefining the boundaries of medicine. While the clinical and research worlds are seemingly different, the two worlds in fact nicely complement each other. Symbiotically, the dual-degree training allows physician-scientists to be more inquisitive physicians and more clinically applicable scientists. Upon reflecting on my recent journey through an M.D.-Ph.D. training program, my advice for young trainees is to continually self-improve by surrounding yourself with individuals smarter than yourself, becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, and finding supportive mentors in both the research and clinical realms. Through the particular training underwent, physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to truly redefine the boundaries of medicine to provide better care to our patients.
Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

In this chapter, we will switch our attention to a topic that has come up in many different forms over the course of the previous cases and chapters. When an attorney asks us to opine on a psychiatric condition that is triggered by an event, we have assessed this from a standpoint of factitious disorder, malingering, and whether or not a pervasive and diagnosable disorder existed prior to an event or was in some way exacerbated by an event. Some new considerations that are introduced in this chapter and the reports to follow include the assessment of the opposing expert’s report and how gentle it is to tread the line between “arguing” and “attacking” another MHP’s opinions. It is also important to always keep our own biases and countertransference in check as an evaluation proceeds. These sorts of pearls come about through experience and practice and are always something to be aware of as you move forward as you develop in the forensic psychiatric field. Lastly, our role is merely as an expert about the mental states as they relate to the specific question at hand in a particular case in question. We count on the uncertainty about discrimination having taken place. Our job is to look for the presence of a psychiatric disorder proximately related to the reported facts. One other area of evaluation, if indeed discrimination occurred, is whether created a mental illness or aggravated a preexisting one. What may or may not be true about the reported event(s) is eventually immaterial. Our concern is wholly focused on the mental state of the individual reporting being afflicted by a perceived experience.
Standardization of a Continuous Ramp Ergometer Protocol for Clinical Exercise Testing in Children.

Developing a standardized protocol for pediatric exercise laboratories is challenging. Our objective was to report normal pediatric values for a continuous non-steady state cycle ergometer ramp protocol to achieve 8–10 min of exercise based on sex and weight. One hundred seventeen patients (117) [mean age 13 ± 2.8 years, range 7–18 years (51% male)] referred for chest pain with normal cardiac evaluation underwent cardiopulmonary testing on a cycle ergometer. Patients entered one of the four continuous ramp protocols (10, 15, 20, and 25 W/min ramp) to achieve an expected peak workload of 3 W/kg at an increase of 0.3 to 0.35 W/kg/min. Exercise test outcomes measured included duration, peak heart rate, work, respiratory exchange ratio, peak oxygen consumption, peak blood pressure, and ventilatory anaerobic threshold. An exercise duration of 8–10 min was achieved in a majority of the study population; however, interactions with age (older, longer duration) and sex (males, longer duration) were present. Using our algorithm (0.3–0.35 W/kg × weight), we demonstrated four non-steady state ramp bike ergometer protocols (10, 15, 20, and 25 W/min) that can be applied to males and females of different ages and weights to achieve an exercise duration of 8–10 min.
SEVERE MITRAL STENOSIS AND PULMONARY HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANCY: WHEN TO ACT

The management of patients with severe mitral stenosis (MS) during pregnancy is complicated and demands a multidisciplinary approach for the best possible outcome A 34-year-old pregnant Filipino female with severe MS due to rheumatic heart disease presented at 29 weeks and 4 days of pregnancy with
Assessment of largemouth bass (micropterus salmoides) population characters in a northeastern mexico impoundment

We assessed the demographic characters of a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) population in a small impoundment in northeastern Mexico. We collected largemouth bass across 3 years during fall and summer by electrofishing, gill netting, and seining. We evaluated size and age structure, mortality, recruitment, and individual fish growth. We also completed yield-per-recruit simulations to evaluate the effects of minimum length limits on the fishery. A common feature among length and age distributions was the rapid decline in larger fish (≥350 mm total length) and older fish (>3 years). Catch curves constructed from age-frequency data indicated an annual mortality rate of 59%. Age-frequency distributions and catch curves also indicated a stable pattern of recruitment. Analysis of mean length-at-age and von Bertalanffy growth parameters suggested largemouth bass grew rapidly early in life, surpassing 200 mm in total length by age 1 and 300 mm in total length by age 3. Yield-per-recruit simulations showed that a trade-off occurred between angler yield, number of fish harvested, and mean size of fish harvested as size limits were increased.
Intravascular ultrasound findings and stent implantation for a patient with coronary spastic angina at site of progressive atherosclerotic plaque and responded poorly to medical treatment: a case report

Most coronary spastic angina patients are responsive to coronary vasodilators therapy, and stent implantation is not recommended for regular use. We reported the angiographic and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images of a rare case who responded poorly to medical treatment due to progressive atherosclerotic plaque at the spastic site. A 60-year-old man complaining of 1-month history of episodic chest pain at rest was admitted to our hospital. The diagnosis of coronary spastic angina was made based on the angiographic evidence of vasospasm at the right coronary artery (RCA). The patient responded poorly to conventional medical treatment during the 1-year follow-up. The repeated angiography revealed totally occlusion of the proximal segment of the RCA at the same location as 1 year before, and IVUS demonstrated there was vulnerable plaque and thrombus at the site of spasm. Episodic chest pain ceased completely in the follow up period after stenting. Coronary spasm might present at the vessel site with advanced atherosclerotic plaque. For patients with refractory vasospastic angina and significant occlusion, stenting might be a viable and valuable treatment strategy under the guidance of intracoronary imaging.
A Multimodal Dialogue System for Conversational Image Editing.

In this paper, we present a multimodal dialogue system for Conversational Image Editing. We formulate our multimodal dialogue system as a Partially Observed Markov Decision Process (POMDP) and trained it with Deep Q-Network (DQN) and a user simulator. Our evaluation shows that the DQN policy outperforms a rule-based baseline policy, achieving 90\% success rate under high error rates. We also conducted a real user study and analyzed real user behavior.
“There was something almost crude about it all…” – reading Crime and Punishment’s epilogue hard against the grain

This article employs a strategy of “adversarial reading,” seeking to find complexity and contradiction in the seemingly monologic epilogue to Crime and Punishment. Since the novel’s most resistant ...
Prospective Randomized Study Examining Preoperative Opioid Counseling on Postoperative Opioid Consumption after Upper Extremity Surgery.

Background: Rates of opioid addiction and overdose continue to climb in the United States, increasing pressure on prescribers to identify solutions to decrease postoperative opioid consumption. Han...
Teoria crítica da tecnologia e educação: desafios contemporâneos

Resenha da dissertacao: HABOWSKI, Adilson Cristiano. Teoria critica da tecnologia e educacao: desafios contemporâneos. 2019.153 f. Dissertacao (Mestrado em Educacao) – Universidade La Salle, Canoas, 2019.
MR1-Restricted T Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy

Major histocompatibility complex class I-related (MR1) was first identified as a cell membrane protein involved in the development and expansion of a unique set of T cells expressing an invariant T-cell receptor (TCR) α-chain. These cells were initially discovered in mucosal tissues, such as the intestinal mucosa, so they are called mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. MR1 senses the presence of intermediate metabolites of riboflavin and folic acid synthesis that have been chemically modified by the side-products of glycolysis, glyoxal or methylglyoxal. These modified metabolites form complexes with MR1 and translocate from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane where MAIT cells’ TCRs recognize them. Recent publications report that atypical MR1-restricted cytotoxic T cells, differing from MAIT cells in TCR usage, antigen, and transcription factor profile, recognize an as yet unknown cancer-specific metabolite presented by MR1 in cancer cells. This metabolite may represent another class of neoantigens, beyond the neo-peptides arising from altered tumor proteins. In an MR1-dependent manner, these MR1-restricted T cells, while sparing noncancerous cells, kill many cancer cell lines and attenuate cell-line-derived and patient-derived xenograft tumors. As MR1 is monomorphic and expressed in a wide range of cancer tissues, these findings raise the possibility of universal pan-cancer immunotherapies that are dependent on cancer metabolites.
A Microalgae-Methanotroph Coculture is a Promising Platform for Fuels and Chemical Production From Wastewater

Wastewater resource recovery facilities are major energy consumers in a community, as well as major contributors for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Although anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely employed in wastewater treatment to reduce the amount of solid organic waste and the sludge produced, the use of the produced biogas is mostly limited to heating and electricity generation, while the nutrient rich digestate still requires further treatment. In this work, we propose a waste-to-value (W2V) platform based on a microalgae-methanotroph coculture, which can convert AD-generated biogas into value-added products, while simultaneously removing nutrients from digestate. The platform takes advantage of the synergistic interactions within a microalgae-methanotroph coculture to achieve significantly improved productivity of microbial biomass and enhanced nutrient recovery performance. Using Chlorella sorokiniana – Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) as the model coculture, we demonstrate that the coculture offers a highly promising platform for W2V technologies, which can efficiently recover energy (from CH4) and carbon (from both CH4 and CO2) to produce microbial biomass, while removing nutrients from wastewater to produce treated clean water. Compared to microalgae monoculture, the coculture achieved 120% improvement in biomass production, 71% and 164% improvement in total nitrogen and total phosphorous removal respectively, when the same amount of biogas was provided.
Accelerating convergence of equation-of-motion coupled-cluster computations using the semi-stochastic CC(P;Q) formalism

The recently proposed approach to excited electronic states, in which the deterministic equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EOMCC) framework is merged with stochastic configuration interaction Quan...
Finding Complexity in Language Identity Surveys

This article reports on a cross-institutional, mixed-methods research study designed to gather data on first year writers’ language backgrounds at three North American universities. Researchers adm...
First-In-Human Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Surgery and Drug Delivery in Solid Tumors

Surgery and systemic therapy are the backbone treatment methods for solid tumors. However, incomplete surgical resection and poor response to systemic therapy have resulted in substantial cancer-related mortality and morbidity worldwide. Antibody-based fluorescence imaging holds great potential to enable precise surgical resection and improve our understanding of the mechanism driving resistance to systemic therapy in clinical tumors. In this talk, I will present our recent work on translating fluorescently labeled therapeutic antibodies for surgical navigation and for quantitating antibody delivery in solid tumors in first-in-human trials.
Exploring pharmacist involvement in the discharge medicines reconciliation process and information transfer to primary care: an observational study.

Background Medication errors can occur because of incomplete or poorly communicated information at the transition from hospital to community. Following an audit in 2016, a project was undertaken to determine if pharmacists could improve the quality of medication information in discharge summaries by introducing a discharge medication reconciliation process. Pharmacists recorded any changes to the patient’s medication in the electronic prescribing system during their inpatient stay and summarised these changes on discharge. Objective To compare medication information in discharge summaries with recognised standards for the clinical structure and content of patient records, and to assess the impact of the pharmacist process on compliance with certain elements of these standards. Setting A 750 bed teaching district general hospital in England. Method A retrospective observational study examining all patient discharge summaries over a 1 week period for compliance to national standards. Main outcome measure The main outcome measures were compliance with standards for medication started, stopped or changed in hospital and any differences between extent of recording this information by doctors and pharmacists. Results Data were collected and analysed for 243 patients, of whom 94 (38.7%) attracted a discharge medicines reconciliation process by a pharmacist. Discharge summaries were compliant with basic standards for changed medication in 42% of patients or 51.4% with the input of a pharmacist. This increase of 9.4% was statistically significant (p = 0.0365). At an enhanced level, pharmacists increased compliance from 39.1 to 46.5%, this did not represent a significant increase (p = 0.0989). Conclusion Pharmacists undertaking a discharge medication reconciliation process significantly improves the quality of discharge summaries.
Clarifying associations between triarchic psychopathic traits, distress intolerance, and functions of aggression

Psychopathic traits are consistently associated with proactive aggression (PA), although findings are mixed regarding relationships with reactive aggression (RA). These mixed results highlight the need to identify functional mechanisms that may modify the link between psychopathic traits and functions of aggression. Research suggests distress intolerance, a construct hypothesized to contribute to the development and maintenance of internalizing and externalizing disorders, may be important in understanding the psychopathic trait-aggression relationship. We sought to examine associations between triarchic psychopathic dimensions (boldness, disinhibition, and meanness), distress intolerance, and aggression; as well as explore the moderating influence of distress intolerance on the psychopathic trait-aggression relationship in a combined sample of undergraduate and community participants (N = 364) ranging in ages from 18 to 71. Triarchic constructs exhibited a differential correlational pattern with RA, PA, and self-reported distress intolerance (but not behaviorally indexed distress intolerance). Exploratory analyses revealed self-reported distress intolerance moderated the association between boldness and RA, as well as associations between the three psychopathy dimensions and PA, such that these correlations were strongest at higher levels of distress intolerance. Further, distress intolerance exhibited incremental validity in the prediction of boldness and disinhibition (but not meanness), beyond negative urgency. Results provide preliminary support for the role of distress intolerance in understanding the relationship between triarchic psychopathic traits and aggression.
Trends in cancer imaging by indication, care setting, and hospital type during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery at four hospitals in Massachusetts.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on computed tomography (CT) imaging of cancer. METHODS: Cancer-related CTs performed at one academic hospital and three affiliated community hospitals in Massachusetts were retrospectively analyzed. Three periods of 2020 were considered as follows: pre-COVID-19 (1/5/20-3/14/20), COVID-19 peak (3/15/20-5/2/20), and post-COVID-19 peak (5/3/20-11/14/20). 15 March 2020 was the day a state of emergency was declared in MA; 3 May 2020 was the day our hospitals resumed to non-urgent imaging. The volumes were assessed by (1) Imaging indication: cancer screening, initial workup, active cancer, and surveillance; (2) Care setting: outpatient and inpatient, ED; (3) Hospital type: quaternary academic center (QAC), university-affiliated community hospital (UACH), and sole community hospitals (SCHs). RESULTS: During the COVID-19 peak, a significant drop in CT volumes was observed (-42.2%, p < 0.0001), with cancer screening, initial workup, active cancer, and cancer surveillance declining by 81.7%, 54.8%, 30.7%, and 44.7%, respectively (p < 0.0001). In the post-COVID-19 peak period, cancer screening and initial workup CTs did not recover (-11.7%, p = 0.037; -20.0%, p = 0.031), especially in the outpatient setting. CT volumes for active cancer recovered, but inconsistently across hospital types: the QAC experienced a 9.4% decline (p = 0.022) and the UACH a 41.5% increase (p < 0.001). Outpatient CTs recovered after the COVID-19 peak, but with a shift in utilization away from the QAC (-8.7%, p = 0.020) toward the UACH (+13.3%, p = 0.013). Inpatient and ED-based oncologic CTs increased post-peak (+20.0%, p = 0.004 and +33.2%, p = 0.009, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cancer imaging was severely impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. CTs for cancer screening and initial workup did not recover to pre-COVID-19 levels well into 2020, a finding that suggests more patients with advanced cancers may present in the future. A redistribution of imaging utilization away from the QAC and outpatient settings, toward the community hospitals and inpatient setting/ED was observed.
Fast resupply of synaptic vesicles requires Synaptotagmin-3

Sustained neuronal activity demands quick resupply of synaptic vesicles in order to maintain reliable synaptic transmission. Such vesicle replenishment is accelerated by sub-micromolar presynaptic Ca2+ signals by an as yet unidentified high-affinity Ca2+ sensor1-4. Here we identify a novel presynaptic role for the high-affinity Ca2+ sensor Synaptotagmin-3 (SYT3)5 in driving vesicle replenishment and short-term synaptic plasticity. Synapses in Syt3 knockout mice exhibit enhanced short-term depression, and recovery is slower and insensitive to presynaptic residual Ca2+. During sustained neuronal firing, SYT3 speeds vesicle replenishment and increases the size of the readily releasable pool of vesicles. SYT3 also mediates a second form of short-term enhancement called facilitation, under conditions of low vesicle release probability. Models of vesicle trafficking suggest that SYT3 could combat synaptic depression by accelerating vesicle docking at active zones. Our results reveal a critical role for presynaptic SYT3 in maintaining reliable high-frequency synaptic transmission in neural circuits.
Immunological tolerance: one of biology's most intriguing mysteries

hy is it that so many organ recipients, especially recipients of a liver, are able to survive without taking immunosuppressive drugs? The first recipient of a liver at Baylor, Amie Garrison, was 5 years old at the time of her transplantation in 1984. When she was age 15, however, she rebelled and refused to continue taking her medication. We feared the worst, but happily she has survived off drugs for more than 5 years. Furthermore, she is now married and has a young child of her own. What happened?