cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and therapy in the eighteenth century

Clinical diagnosis of breast cancer was easy in the many instances where patients presented themselves with an ulcerating, foul-smelling defect and complaining of intolerable pain. Van Swieten was amongst those who have left us with gruesome descriptions of such cases. If the lump had not yet penetrated the skin, the chief consideration was, of course, to distinguish between benign or malignant types of scirrhus and between scirrhus and scrofula — tuberculosis of the breast being by no means a rare occurrence at the time.93 It was also important to decide whether the tumour had a local origin — trauma, inflammation, milk retention — or whether it resulted from an internal cause, such as a general corruption of humours, suppression of menstruation or melancholy. The occurrence of itch, burning and pain, especially of the lancinating type in a previously painless lump was an almost pathognomonic symptom announcing a turn towards malignancy. Some authors, for example van Swieten, mention anosmia as a typical symptom.122
Mutant mouse models reveal the relative roles of E2F1 and E2F3 in vivo.

The E2F1, -2, and -3 transcription factors are key downstream targets of the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) tumor suppressor that drive expression of proliferation-associated genes. Here we use mutant mouse strains to investigate E2F3's role in vivo. We show that E2F3 is essential for embryonic viability in the pure 129/Sv background but the presence of C57BL/6 alleles yields some adult survivors. Although growth retarded, surviving E2f3−/− animals are initially healthy. However, they die prematurely, exhibiting no obvious tumor phenotype but with the typical signs of congestive heart failure. The defects are completely distinct from those arising in E2f1 mutant mice (S. J. Field et al., Cell 85:549-561; 1996; L. Yamasaki et al., Cell 85:537-548, 1996), supporting the prevailing view that these E2Fs must have some unique biological functions in vivo. To test this model, we examined the phenotypes of E2f1 E2f3 compound mutant mice. Almost all of the developmental and age-related defects arising in the individual E2f1 or E2f3 mice were exacerbated by the mutation of the other E2f. Thus, E2F1 and E2F3 appear to play critical, overlapping roles in the development and maintenance of a variety of tissues. Importantly, this study did identify one major difference in the properties of E2F1 and E2F3: either alone or in combination with E2F1 loss, E2f3 mutation did not increase the incidence of tumor formation. These data strongly suggest that tumor suppression is a specific property of E2F1 and not E2F3.
Approximation order/smoothness tradeoff in Hermite subdivision schemes

It is well-known to waveleticians that refinable functions exhibit subtle relationships between their approximation order and smoothness properties. We show how one can exploit this phenomenon to construct Hermite subdivision schemes with optimal smoothness but suboptimal approximation order for a given support size of the subdivision mask. The construction method considered here is based on a blend of the theory of subdivision schemes and computational techniques in non-smooth optimization. Our construction method produces schemes which are much smoother than those constructed based on optimizing approximation orders. We discuss also several interesting bivariate Hermite schemes, with appealing symmetry property, and illustrate how they can be applied to build interpolating subdivision surfaces.
Multiple myeloma with cord compression. Report of a case.

A case is reported of cervical spinal-cord compression secondary to myeloma, which was successfully treated by decompressive laminectomy, stabilization of the spine with the incorporation of two homogenous rib strut grafts, irradiation, and chemotherapy.
Computer model of current-induced early afterdepolarizations in guinea pig ventricular myocytes.

We tested the ability of a computer model of transmembrane current and intracellular Ca2+ flux in the isolated guinea pig myocyte (Nordin, C., Am. J. Physiol. 265 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 34): H2117-H...
EXPANDING CAPACITY WITH AN ACCELERATED ON-LINE BSN PROGRAM

Problem and Purpose Colleges of nursing are challenged to identify innovative, efficient, and effective mechanisms to expand enrollment in prelicensure programs. This objective of this project was to identify whether a prelicensure nursing program that is both accelerated and on-line is as effective as a traditional face-to-face program, in terms of graduation rates and National Council Licensure Exam pass rates. Method This analysis of 1,064 students compared demographic and outcomes data between students in a state university's college of nursing who were enrolled in an accelerated, fully on-line bachelors of science in nursing (BSN) program and the traditional on-campus BSN program. Results Students significantly differed in their ethnicity, level of prior education, and graduation rates (95% vs. 89.3%). First-time National Council Licensure Exam pass rates for both groups did not significantly differ (92.5% vs. 94.5%). Conclusion Results indicate that an accelerated on-line BSN program can overcome factors known to limit capacity expansion in schools of nursing and produce high-quality student outcomes.
Antecedents of Public Bureaucracy The Case of Israel

A theoretical framework for studying patterns of voluntary departure from public bureaucracies is developed and tested It was found that self-image, a sense of bureaucratic efficacy, and perceived politicization of the public bureaucracy determine the propensity to exit not independently of organizational attributes and social backgrounds.
Opto-electronic properties of co-deposited mixed-phase hydrogenated amorphous/nanocrystalline silicon thin films

Mixed-phase thin film materials, consisting of nanocrystalline semiconductors embedded within a bulk semiconductor or insulator, have been synthesized in a dual-chamber co-deposition system. A flow-through plasma reactor is employed to generate nanocrystalline particles, that are then injected into a second, capacitively-coupled plasma deposition system in which the surrounding semiconductor or insulating material is deposited. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and high resolution TEM confirm the presence of nanocrystals homogenously embedded throughout the a-Si:H matrix. In undoped nc-Si within a-Si:H (a/nc-Si:H), the dark conductivity increases with crystal fraction, with the largest enhancement of several orders of magnitude observed when the nanocrystalline density corresponds to a crystalline fraction of 2 – 4%. These results are consistent with the nc donating electrons to the surrounding a-Si:H matrix without a corresponding increase in dangling bond density for these films. In contrast, charge transport in n-type doped a/nc-Si:H films is consistent with multi-phonon hopping, possibly through extended nanocrystallite clusters with weak electron-phonon coupling. The flexibility of the dual-chamber co-deposition process is demonstrated by the synthesis of mixed-phase thin films comprised of two distinct chemical species, such as germanium nanocrystallites embedded in a-Si:H and Si nanocrystallites embedded within an insulating a-SiN x :H film.
USE OF GRANULOCYTE-MACROPHAGE COLONY STIMULATING FACTOR FOR TREATMENT OF DRUG-INDUCED AGRANULOCYTOSIS

SIR-Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) represent two hematopoietic growth factors that have the potential to alter the therapeutic management of the febrile granulocytopenic patient [1, 2]. Recently, a patient with apparent drug-induced agranulocytosis presented us with the opportunity to test the effect of GM-CSF in this clinical setting. Two days before admission to the hospital, a 61-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and tachycardia developed a high fever and shaking chills. His medications on admission included captopril, procainamide hydrochloride, bumetanide, and chlorpropamide, each of which has been reported to cause agranulocytosis [3]. On physical examination the patient appeared ill and had a temperature of 39.2?C. Signs of congestive heart failure and localized areas of cellulitis around the right orbit and over the left tibia were noted. Laboratory tests revealed a total white blood cell (WBC) count of 700/mm3 (no polymorphonuclear cells [PMNs]), a hemoglobin concentration of 12.1 g/dL, and a platelet count of 259,000/mm3. All of his medications were discontinued. Despite treatment with three antibacterial agents, fever to 40?C and chills persisted. Cultures of blood, urine, and an aspirate from a skin lesion were negative for pathogens. On day 4 a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy demonstrated profound myeloid hypoplasia with promyelocytes seen only rarely. Because of persistent agranulocytosis and the failure of antibiotic therapy, subcutaneous treatment with human recombinant GM-CSF (5 /g/[kg-d], Schering SCH 039300, provided by Dr. Howard Grossberg, Schering, Kenilworth, NJ) was initiated on day 5. Within 2 days, the patient was afebrile and had improved remark-
Integrated Near-infrared Diffuse Optical Imaging and Digital Breast Tomography for monitoring compression induced hemodynamics in breast cancer patients

We report preliminary results from our second generation diffuse optical imaging system integrated with digital breast tomography. Specifically, we measure dynamic changes in breast blood volume of breast cancer patient after applying compression.
Regeneration peripherer Nerven durch implantierte Vielfachcapillaren

Durchschnittene periphere Nerven von Saugetieren regenerieren durch ein Capillarbundel; die Regeneration erfolgt verzogert, ist aber morphologisch normal.
Air-tour impacts: The Grand Canyon case

Abstract The economic impact of Grand Canyon air-tour operators on the southern Nevada economy is estimated using a regional impact model. Based on information collected from surveys of Grand Canyon air-tour operators and Grand Canyon tourists, it is estimated that 480,618 tourists to Las Vegas took a Grand Canyon tour in 1996. After accounting for direct and indirect expenditures, the Grand Canyon air tours contribute $504 million to the southern Nevada economy. If Grand Canyon air tours were eliminated, southern Nevada would suffer an estimated loss of $249 million — the lost revenues of the operators and the lost expenditures of tourists who would not visit southern Nevada without the Grand Canyon air tour.
Psychological well-being among transgender and genderqueer individuals

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to compare psychological well-being among transgender women, transgender men, genderqueer/nonbinary individuals, and their cisgender sexual minority counterparts. A total of 2,932 gender and sexual minority individuals participated in the online study. While controlling for age, race/ethnicity, employment status, education, and relationship status, there was significant variation between gender minority subgroups in depression (p < 0.001); anxiety (p = 0.003); stress (p = 0.004); perceived social support (p < 0.001); self-esteem (p = 0.031); self-perceived need for mental health care (p < 0.001); family history of mental illness (p = 0.003); personal history of mental health concerns (p = 0.003); and being in recovery (p = 0.004). Overall, transgender women had the poorest psychological well-being across the majority of variables. In contrast to their transgender peers, genderqueer/nonbinary–identified individuals did not significantly differ from their cisgender sexu...
Usefulness of a Noninvasive Device to Identify Elevated Left Ventricular Filling Pressure Using Finger Photoplethysmography During a Valsalva Maneuver

The high rate of re-hospitalization for heart failure might be reduced by improving noninvasive techniques for identifying elevated left ventricular (LV) filling pressure. We previously showed that changes in a finger photoplethysmography (PPG) waveform during the Valsalva maneuver (VM) reflect invasively measured LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). We have since developed a hand-held device that analyzes PPG while guiding the expiratory effort of a VM. Here we assessed the sensitivity and specificity of this device for identifying elevated LVEDP in patients. We tested 82 participants (28 women), aged 40 to 85 years, before a clinically indicated left heart catheterization. Each performed a VM between 18 and 25 mm Hg for 10 seconds into a pressure transducer. PPG was recorded continuously before and during the VM. LVEDP was measured during the catheterization. An equation for calculating LVEDP was derived using (1) ratio of signal amplitudes: minimum during VM to average at baseline, (2) ratio of peak-to-peak time intervals: minimum during VM to average at baseline, and (3) mean blood pressure. Calculated and measured LVEDP were compared. The range of measured LVEDP was 4 to 35 mm Hg. Calculated LVEDP correlated with measured LVEDP (p 20 mm Hg had a 70% sensitivity and 86% specificity for identifying measured LVEDP >20 mm Hg (area under receiver-operating characteristic curve 0.83). In conclusion, a hand-held device for assessing LV filling pressure had high specificity and good sensitivity for identifying LVEDP >20 mm Hg, a clinically meaningful threshold in heart failure.
Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy measurements and density functional theory calculations on self-assembled monolayer of octanoic acid on graphite

Abstract Here, we report Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy (STM/STS) data on self-assembled monolayer of octanoic acid on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface at solid-liquid interface. In addition to the experimental work, we investigated the system with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. In order to maximize the interactions with the substrate, octanoic acid molecules lay flat on the surface. The molecules in neighboring lamella assemble with opposite faces to establish hydrogen bonding between carboxyl groups. STS measurements and DFT calculations reveal that local density of states of octanoic acid covered HOPG surface is similar to the local density of states of pristine HOPG. We attribute this to the fact that the molecules are only physisorbed on the surface.
Transcriptional activation of lipogenesis by insulin requires phosphorylation of MED17 by CK2.

De novo lipogenesis is precisely regulated by nutritional and hormonal conditions. The genes encoding various enzymes involved in this process, such as fatty acid synthase (FASN), are transcriptionally activated in response to insulin. We showed that USF1, a key transcription factor for FASN activation, directly interacted with the Mediator subunit MED17 at the FASN promoter. This interaction recruited Mediator, which can bring POL II and other general transcription machinery to the complex. Moreover, we showed that MED17 was phosphorylated at Ser 53 by casein kinase 2 (CK2) in the livers of fed mice or insulin-stimulated hepatocytes, but not in the livers of fasted mice or untreated hepatocytes. Furthermore, activation of the FASN promoter in response to insulin required this CK2-mediated phosphorylation event, which occurred only in the absence of p38 MAPK–mediated phosphorylation at Thr 570 . Overexpression of a nonphosphorylatable S53A MED17 mutant or knockdown of MED17, as well as CK2 knockdown or inhibition, impaired hepatic de novo fatty acid synthesis and decreased triglyceride content in mice. These results demonstrate that CK2-mediated phosphorylation of Ser 53 in MED17 is required for the transcriptional activation of lipogenic genes in response to insulin.
From Trial to Target Populations - Calibrating Real-World Data.

One difficulty in translating clinical trial findings for target patient populations is that risk factors in trials and electronic health care databases are measured in different ways. We therefore need a way to calibrate our measurements between these two data worlds.
Cross-disciplinary conservation—is this the way forward?

AbstractThis paper advocates the benefits of cross-disciplinary conservation in the UK by exploring the hypothesis that the current barriers to knowledge-sharing amongst conservators are created by the structure of conservation education and reinforced by institutional and professional organisations. The paper argues that, in the face of the changing demands, conservators need to be more versatile in order to work with a broader range of objects and materials. The paper will use primary research collected through interviews with conservation managers working in London’s national museums, as well as interviews with recent graduates of courses in the UK, Australia and the US. Their responses suggest that the profession needs both specialist and general conservators, and that the value of introducing a more cross-disciplinary approach during training and in the work environment is a future replete with versatile and innovative conservators.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy and melanoma: 2010 update Part II.

This article will discuss the evidence for and against the therapeutic efficacy of early removal of potentially affected lymph nodes, morbidity associated with sentinel lymph node biopsy and completion lymphadenectomy, current guidelines regarding patient selection for sentinel lymph node biopsy, and the remaining questions that ongoing clinical trials are attempting to answer. The Sunbelt Melanoma Trial and the Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trials I and II will be discussed in detail. Learning objectives At the completion of this learning activity, participants should be able to discuss the data regarding early surgical removal of lymph nodes and its effect on the overall survival of melanoma patients, be able to discuss the potential benefits and morbidity associated with complete lymph node dissection, and to summarize the ongoing trials aimed at addressing the question of therapeutic value of early surgical treatment of regional lymph nodes that may contain micrometastases.
Calorimetric Study of Alkali Metal Ion (K+, Na+, Li+) Exchange in a Clay-Like MXene

Intercalation of ions in layered materials has been explored to improve the rate capability in Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors. This work investigates the energetics of alkali ion exchange in a clay-like MXene, Ti3C2Tx, where Tx stands for anionic surface moieties, by immersion calorimetry in aqueous solutions. The measured immersion enthalpies of clay-like Ti3C2Tx, ΔHimm, at 25 °C in 1 M KCl, 1 M NaCl, 1 M LiCl, and nanopure water are −9.19 (±0.56), −5.90 (±0.31), −1.31 (±0.20), and −1.29 (±0.13) kJ/mol of MXene, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is used to obtain the concentrations of alkali ions in the solid and aqueous phases. Using these concentrations, the enthalpies of exchange of alkali metal ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) are calculated; ΔHex in 1 M KCl, 1 M NaCl, 1 M LiCl, and nanopure water are −9.3 (±2.2), 21.0 (±0.9), −1.3 (±0.2), and 302.4 (±0.6) kJ/mol of MXene, respectively. Both immersion and exchange enthalpies are most exothermic for potassium. This suggests that ...
Effects of Extinction on Responding Maintained Under a Second-Order Schedule of Food Presentation in Rhesus Monkeys

Responding was maintained under a second-order schedule of food delivery in two rhesus monkeys. Every 10th response resulted in the presentation of a brief light flash and the 10th response following the completion of a 30-min fixed interval resulted in the presentation of both food and the brief light flash, FI 30 min (FR 10:S). The pattern of responding generated was typical of second-order schedules. When the amount of food delivered was varied from 1 to 40 gm, there were no consistent effects on responding. In the extinction condition following 15 and 40 gm of food delivery, higher response rates occurred than in the extinction condition following 1 gm of food delivery. The role of the brief light presentations in maintaining responding during extinction was determined with the magnitude of reinforcement held constant at 15 gm. Decreasing the frequency of the brief light presentations by increasing the ratio requirement from 10 to 25 had no consistent effect on food-maintained responding, but the number of responses during extinction decreased under the FR 25. When the brief light presentations were not presented responses during extinction decreased even more.
Plaque Progression: Slow Linear or Rapid Stepwise?

Atherosclerosis was thought to be a disease of insidious onset and slow process, secondary to smooth muscle cell proliferation.1 However, this concept was challenged during the past 2 decades by the theory that an alternative mode of rapid step-wise plaque progression might also exist. This sudden change in arterial lumen occurs when mural thrombus is organized after disruption of a plaque or by sudden expansion of a plaque secondary to intraplaque hemorrhage. Because of the sudden change in local geometry, this second mode is significant not only to rapid plaque progression, but also to the development of acute coronary syndromes.2–5 Unlike slow linear progression, which may lead to progressive angina on exertion because of supply–demand imbalance when the luminal narrowing reaches a critical threshold, the second mode, characterized by rapid step-wise progression, does not allow sufficient time for preconditioning or for the development of collaterals, resulting in acute coronary syndrome, including ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Previous angiographic studies showed that the culprit lesion for an acute myocardial infarction often had mild luminal narrowing before the event. However, recent studies …
Cortical associates of emotional reactivity and regulation in childhood stuttering.

Abstract Purpose This study sought to determine the cortical associates of emotional reactivity and emotion regulation (as indexed by the amplitude of evoked response potentials [ERP]) in young children who do and do not stutter during passive viewing of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures. Method Participants were 17 young children who stutter and 22 young children who do not stutter (between 4 years 0 months to 6 years 11 months). The dependent measures were (1) mean amplitude of late positive potential (LPP, an ERP sensitive to emotional stimuli) during passive (i.e., no response required) picture viewing and directed reappraisal tasks and (2) emotional reactivity and regulation related scores on caregiver reports of young children’s temperament (Children’s Behavior Questionnaire, CBQ). Results Young CWS, when compared to CWNS, exhibited significantly greater LPP amplitudes when viewing unpleasant pictures, but no significant between-group difference when viewing pleasant pictures and during the emotion regulation condition. There were, however, for CWS, but not CWNS, significant correlations between temperament-related measures of emotion and cortical measures of emotional reactivity and regulation. Conclusions Findings provide further empirical support for the notion that emotional processes are associated with childhood stuttering, and that CWS’s inherent temperamental proclivities need to be taken into account when empirically studying or theorizing about this association.
Ab Initio Electron Propagator Methods: Applications to Fullerenes and Nucleic Acid Fragments

Abstract Energies of electron attachment or detachment for closed-shell molecules and ions that are large by the standards of ab initio quantum chemistry may be calculated accurately and efficiently with electron propagator methods. Low-order, quasiparticle approximations and their renormalized extensions are compared. A procedure for reducing the dimension of the virtual orbital space introduces low errors with respect to ordinary calculations. A study of the vertical ionization energies of the C 60 fullerene reveals the presence of many closely coinciding cationic states, some of which exhibit strong correlation effects. Calculations on the electron detachment energies of anionic fragments of nucleic acids produce many final states and indicate that corrections to Hartree–Fock orbital energies are necessary to obtain the correct order.
Phylogenetics of Caviomorph Rodents and Genetic Perspectives on the Evolution of Sociality and Mating Systems in the Caviidae

The diversity of terrestrial mammals in South America is the result of both isolation and continental interchanges, preceded and followed by extinction and speciation (Simpson 1980; Marshall 1988). Mammalian biodiversity in South America can be partitioned into three major phases, beginning in the Paleocene (65.5–55.8 million years ago – Ma) with xenarthrans, notoungulates, marsupials, and ending with the “Great American Interchange” that occurred with the influx of North American mammals upon formation of the Panamanian land bridge approximately 3 Ma (Simpson 1980; Marshall 1988; Flynn and Wyss 1998). South America’s first rodents, the New World Hystricognathi (Caviomorpha), termed “old native rodents” by Simpson (1980) appear in the fossil record around 37.5–31 Ma in the Eocene/Oligocene transition (Wyss et al. 1993; Vucetich et al. 1999; Flynn et al. 2003). The origin of South American caviomorph rodents is apparently a consequence of over-water dispersal from Africa during the Late Paleocene (c.58 Ma) to Middle Eocene (c.40 Ma; Lavocat 1969, 1980; Huchon and Douzery 2001; Rowe 2002; Rowe et al. 2010). The Late Eocene to Early Oligocene of South America represents a period of transition in terms of climatic and environmental changes (Flynn and Wyss 1998). According to both Mares and Ojeda (1982) and Simpson (1980), caviomorph rodents during this time period experienced an adaptive radiation that resulted in these “hypsodont herbivores” (herbivores with high-crowned cheek teeth) filling niches previously occupied by archaic ungulates from the first phase of mammalian history in South America (Flynn and Wyss 1998). One particular Pliocene/Pleistocene (4–2 Ma) form, Josephoartigasia monesi, was the size of a rhinoceros and adapted for a semiaquatic life style (Rinderknecht and Blanco 2008). By the Late Oligocene (24 Ma), representatives of all four superfamilies and 8 of the 14 recent families of caviomorph rodents were present in the fossil record (Simpson 1980; Vucetich et al. 1999).
What Locality Isn’t: A Response to Jarrett

Jarrett claims to have shown that a logical equivalence holds between the condition he calls “locality” and the relativistic ban on superluminal signalling. This is misleading in an important respect: the speed of the signalling plays no essential role in the proof. Given this, an argument against the validity of the proof is easily constructed.
Chapter 4 – The Third Law and Absolute Entropy Measurements

The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that every substance has finite positive entropy, but at the absolute zero of temperature, the entropy may become zero, and does so become in the case of a perfect crystalline substance. Third Law is based on experimental measurements, not deduction and it is easy to rationalize such a law. In a perfectly ordered a crystal, every atom is in its proper place in the crystal lattice. At T = 0 Kelvin, all molecules are in their lowest energy state. Such a configuration would have perfect order; and since entropy is a measure of the disorder in a system, perfect order would result in entropy of zero. Thus, the Third Law gives an absolute reference point and enables one to assign values to entropy, S , and not just to changes in entropy, Δ S .
Fussing over food: factors affecting the vocalizations American crows utter around food

American crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos, often loudly vocalize when gathered around a food source. Because doing so would attract unwanted attention from predators and competitors, animals that have congregated around food are only expected to vocalize if the benefits (e.g. recruiting or announcing themselves to allies, deterring competitors, warning of danger, begging for a meal, appeasing a dominant) outweigh these costs. Here we demonstrate that wild crows change the quality of their calls depending on the amount of food present. The crows near a large food windfall gave shorter calls compared to their vocalizations in food's absence, and playback of these short calls only prompted a mild aggressive response from listening crows. In contrast, the calls given before the appearance of food were longer, and their playback elicited behaviours from the listening crows associated with aggression and territory defence. These findings suggest that crows avoid giving territorial calls near an exploitable food resource and vocalize for other reasons. Taken together, this study provides insights on how the caller's current context can shift the costs and benefits of vocalizing.
Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers

Stress reduction through contact with nature is well established, but far less is known about the contribution of contact parameters - duration, frequency, and nature quality. This study describes the relationship between duration of a nature experience (NE), and changes in two physiological biomarkers of stress - salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. It is the first study to employ long-term, repeated-measure assessment and the first evaluation wherein study participants are free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of a NE in response to personal preference and changing daily schedules. During an 8-week study period, 36 urban dwellers were asked to have a NE, defined as spending time in an outdoor place that brings a sense of contact with nature, at least three times a week for a duration of 10 min or more. Their goal was compliance within the context of unpredictable opportunity for taking a nature pill. Participants provided saliva samples before and after a NE at four points over the study period. Before-NE samples established the diurnal trajectory of each stress indicator and these were in line with published outcomes of more closely controlled experiments. For salivary cortisol, an NE produced a 21.3%/hour drop beyond that of the hormone's 11.7% diurnal drop. The efficiency of a nature pill per time expended was greatest between 20 and 30 min, after which benefits continued to accrue, but at a reduced rate. For salivary alpha-amylase, there was a 28.1%/h drop after adjusting for its diurnal rise of 3.5%/h, but only for participants that were least active sitting or sitting with some walking. Activity type did not influence cortisol response. The methods for this adaptive management study of nature-based restoration break new ground in addressing some complexities of measuring an effective nature dose in the context of normal daily life, while bypassing the limitations of a clinical pharmacology dose-response study. The results provide a validated starting point for healthcare practitioners prescribing a nature pill to those in their care. This line of inquiry is timely in light of expanding urbanization and rising healthcare costs.
Opening Up the “Pandora’s Box” That Comes with Academic, Legal, and Public Acknowledgments of “Colonial Genocides”

In this chapter the author explains how many communities who are familiar with Holocaust arguments are often unwilling to take seriously calls for social redress for those who suffered, or continue to suffer, from the perpetration of colonial genocides. Using the metaphor of “Pandora’s Box” many of those who wish to avoid discussion acknowledgments, apologies, reparations, or repatriations of human remains argue that if colonial genocides are recognized this might lead to litigation like the British settlements with former Mau Mau fighters. The author argues that these expressed anxieties do not provide sufficient warrants for closing off needed debates about colonial genocides or restorative justice for indigenous survivors.
How Can Bunge’s Scientific-Humanistic Ethics Engage Islamic Moral Law?

In the eighth volume of his Treatise on Basic Philosophy (Bunge M, Treaties on Basic Philosophy. Vol. 8, Ethics: the Good and the Right. Reidel, Dordrecht, 1989) Mario Bunge articulates a detailed theory establishing ethics on the basis of a scientific philosophy. Analogously, the Islamic legal theorist of Andalusia, Shāṭibī (1320–1388 C.E.), sought to resolve massive Islamic doctrinal disagreements by establishing a common denominator that could unify the Islamic legal theories of his time. This paper argues that Shāṭibī’s ethical theory when compared with Bunge’s scientific-humanistic ethics, will (1) transform our understanding of the secular-religious divide in ethics and (2) will assist contemporary Islamic ethicists in finding common grounds with scientific-humanistic ethics.
1966 Optimal foraging based on time and energy

Abstract If simple assumptions are made about the time a forager spends traveling, searching for food and the relative intake of energy, then predictions can be made about the breadth of a forager's diet, and when it should move to a new patch to seek food. These predictions assume that natural selection will favor those genotypes that optimize energy intake and that behaviors will reflect this optimization.
HWProfile UI: facilitating the exploration of a patient centered risk model

When machine learning is applied in healthcare, exploring the output model is a critical part of research but can also help the healthcare practitioners. We present Health Wellness Profile UI (shortened as HWProfile UI, available at https://hwprofile.eu-de.mybluemix.net), an exploratory interface developed as part of ProACT (https://proact2020.eu), an H2020 European funded project which aims at advancing home-based integrated care through IoT, analytics and a behaviour change framework. This interface has been conceived with the aim of easing the exploration of a holistic model for the person or cohort of patients, based on a Bayesian Network that represents older patients with multimorbidity, with variables scattered on several dimensions (demographics, clinical, behavioural). HWProfile UI demonstrates a novel and interactive way to navigate probabilistic conditional dependencies through a dynamic view, with the goal of being easily understandable by stakeholders coming from different domains (e.g. IT specialists, nurses, psychologists, etc.).
Combined Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Navigating Between Scylla and Charybdis

Khan and colleagues' meta-analysis addresses the care of patients with atrial fibrillation following coronary stent placement who require anticoagulation to mitigate stroke risk and antiplatelet th...
Enhanced magnetization in proton irradiated Mn3Si2Te6 van der Waals crystals

van der Waals (vdW) engineering of magnetism is a topic of increasing research interest in the community at present. We study the magnetic properties of quasi-two-dimensional layered vdW Mn3Si2Te6 (MST) crystals upon proton irradiation as a function of fluences of 1 × 1015, 5 × 1015, 1 × 1016, and 1 × 1018 H+/cm2. We find that the magnetization is significantly enhanced by 53 % and 37 % in the ferrimagnetic phase (at 50 K) when the MST crystal was irradiated with the proton fluence of 5 × 1015, both in ab and c planes, respectively. The ferrimagnetic ordering temperature and magnetic anisotropy are retained even after proton irradiation. From the fluence dependence of magnetization, electron paramagnetic resonance spectral parameters (g-value and signal width), and Raman data, we show that the magnetic exchange interactions (Mn–Te–Mn) are significantly modified at this fluence. This work shows that it is possible to employ proton irradiation in tuning the magnetic properties of vdW crystals and provide many opportunities to design desired magnetic phases.
Imatinib, cheese and migraines.

Here we report a patient with maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis who developed imatinib-induced cheese sensitivity manifest as migraine headaches. We discuss possible mechanisms of imatinib induc...
Utilizing Big Data to Identify Tiny Toxic Components: Digitalis

The botanical genus Digitalis is equal parts colorful, toxic, and medicinal, and its bioactive compounds have a long history of therapeutic use. However, with an extremely narrow therapeutic range, even trace amounts of Digitalis can cause adverse effects. Using chemical methods, the United States Food and Drug Administration traced a 1997 case of Digitalis toxicity to a shipment of Plantago (a common ingredient in dietary supplements marketed to improve digestion) contaminated with Digitalis lanata. With increased accessibility to next generation sequencing technology, here we ask whether this case could have been cracked rapidly using shallow genome sequencing strategies (e.g., genome skims). Using a modified implementation of the Site Identification from Short Read Sequences (SISRS) bioinformatics pipeline with whole-genome sequence data, we generated over 2 M genus-level single nucleotide polymorphisms in addition to species-informative single nucleotide polymorphisms. We simulated dietary supplement contamination by spiking low quantities (0–10%) of Digitalis whole-genome sequence data into a background of commonly used ingredients in products marketed for “digestive cleansing” and reliably detected Digitalis at the genus level while also discriminating between Digitalis species. This work serves as a roadmap for the development of novel DNA-based assays to quickly and reliably detect the presence of toxic species such as Digitalis in food products or dietary supplements using genomic methods and highlights the power of harnessing the entire genome to identify botanical species.
Using Receptor Autoradiography to Visualize and Quantify Oxytocin and Vasopressin 1a Receptors in the Human and Nonhuman Primate Brain.

Despite its development almost 40 years ago, receptor autoradiography remains a regular and reliable practice for the localization of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors in brain tissue sections. It is used across many laboratories, institutions, and animal species to characterize and quantify the distribution and density of these receptors at baseline and/or in response to experimental manipulations or lived experience. This powerful tool and the neuroanatomical receptor maps that it generates have allowed researchers to more accurately investigate and understand the neural substrates upon which oxytocin and vasopressin act to affect behavior. Researchers have used these maps to design site-specific pharmacological manipulations and electrophysiological recordings in animal studies to directly probe the underlying neural mechanisms in this system. This methods chapter describes the specific procedures by which a pharmacologically optimized, competitive binding modification to receptor autoradiography can be used to reliably localize oxytocin and vasopressin receptors in the human brain and in the brains of nonhuman primates. The ability to reliably perform receptor autoradiography for these targets in human brain tissue can finally inform our interpretation of past intranasal oxytocin neuroimaging studies and allows us to move past the reliance on transcriptomic studies using brain tissue homogenates so that we can directly investigate the involvement of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors in human behavior, physiology, and neuropsychiatric disease.
Identification of Tissue Optical Properties During Thermal Laser-Tissue Interactions: An Ensemble Kalman Filter-Based Approach

In this paper, we propose a computational framework to estimate the physical properties that govern the thermal response of laser-irradiated tissue. We focus in particular on two quantities, the absorption and scattering coefficients, which describe the optical absorption of light in the tissue and whose knowledge is vital to correctly plan medical laser treatments. To perform the estimation, we utilize an implementation of the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF), a type of Bayesian filtering algorithm for data assimilation. Unlike prior approaches, in this work we estimate the tissue optical properties based on observations of the tissue thermal response to laser irradiation. This method has the potential for straightforward implementation in a clinical setup, as it would only require a simple thermal sensor, e.g., a miniaturized infrared camera. Because the optical properties of tissue can undergo shifts during laser exposure, we employ a variant of EnKF capable of tracking time-varying parameters. Through simulated experimental studies, we demonstrate the ability of the proposed technique to identify the tissue optical properties and track their dynamic changes during laser exposure, while simultaneously tracking changes in the tissue temperature at locations beneath the surface. We further demonstrate the framework's capability in estimating additional unknown tissue properties (i.e., the volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity) along with the optical properties of interest.
Numerical investigation of fluid-particle interactions for embolic stroke

Roughly one-third of all strokes are caused by an embolus traveling to a cerebral artery and blocking blood flow in the brain. The objective of this study is to gain a detailed understanding of the dynamics of embolic particles within arteries. Patient computed tomography image is used to construct a three-dimensional model of the carotid bifurcation. An idealized carotid bifurcation model of same vessel diameters was also constructed for comparison. Blood flow velocities and embolic particle trajectories are resolved using a coupled Euler–Lagrange approach. Blood is modeled as a Newtonian fluid, discretized using the finite volume method, with physiologically appropriate inflow and outflow boundary conditions. The embolus trajectory is modeled using Lagrangian particle equations accounting for embolus interaction with blood as well as vessel wall. Both one- and two-way fluid–particle coupling are considered, the latter being implemented using momentum sources augmented to the discretized flow equations. It was observed that for small-to-moderate particle sizes (relative to vessel diameters), the estimated particle distribution ratio—with and without the inclusion of two-way fluid–particle momentum exchange—were found to be similar. The maximum observed differences in distribution ratio with and without the coupling were found to be higher for the idealized bifurcation model. Additionally, the distribution was found to be reasonably matching the volumetric flow distribution for the idealized model, while a notable deviation from volumetric flow was observed in the anatomical model. It was also observed from an analysis of particle path lines that particle interaction with helical flow, characteristic of anatomical vasculature models, could play a prominent role in transport of embolic particle. The results indicate therefore that flow helicity could be an important hemodynamic indicator for analysis of embolus particle transport. Additionally, in the presence of helical flow, and vessel curvature, inclusion of two-way momentum exchange was found to have a secondary effect for transporting small to moderate embolus particles—and one-way coupling could be used as a reasonable approximation, thereby causing substantial savings in computational resources.
Teaching Adult Learner Characteristics and Facilitation Strategies through Simulation-Based Practice.

This article relates a project in which a curriculum module was developed to help graduate students more effectively manage behaviors of adults in facilitation sessions. The module was piloted in the project and later included in a graduate level course in the Creative Studies Department of SUNY Buffalo State. The curriculum identified characteristics of adult learners and behaviors that manifest from those characteristics and helped Creative Studies graduate students develop strategies to manage such behaviors in facilitation sessions. The module included practice sessions for facilitation using TeachLivE™, a mixed reality simulation that offers education students practice in classroom management with avatars to enhance their teaching skills. Results indicated that students felt they were more capable of managing adult learner behaviors and more confident and effective in facilitations as a result of the module and TeachLivE™ simulation.
Astrochemistry and Star Formation: Successes and Challenges

The study of star formation has been helped immeasurably by the observation and analysis of molecules in various stages of the evolutionary process. Interpretation of molecular spectra reveals current physical conditions while an understanding of the chemical processes that form and destroy these molecules tells us much about both the present and the history of the sources. The use of chemistry to aid in our understanding of star formation will become increasingly powerful as a deeper comprehension of the exotic chemical processes occurring in such regions on interstellar dust particles becomes available.
The bowel bag: a sterile, transportable method for warming infants with skin defects.

A simple, easily available method can simultaneously protect against heat loss, drying and bacterial contamination in newly born infants with skin defects. The method applies to infants with omphalocele, gastroschisis, meningomyelocele, epidermolysis bullosa congenita letalis, severe hydrops with skin tears and the harlequin fetus among others. Typically in the past, the child with one of these defects was packed in saline-soaked gauze in an effort to prevent drying.
DISPOSITIONAL OPTIMISM AND THE EMERGENCE OF SOCIAL NETWORK DIVERSITY

Personality has yet to be examined as an indirect yet powerful determinant of the diversity of personal social networks that is independent of preference- and population-based mechanisms. I use the...
The replication of bacteriophage phi-X174 in a mutant of Escherichia coli strain C. II. Evidence that the C-SM17ts mutation is not at the rep locus.

Abstract Several lines of experimental evidence strongly suggest that C-SM17 ts bacteria do not carry a temperature-sensitive mutation in the rep gene, even though the prime physiological defect of phage ∅X174 replication in C-SM17 ts bacteria and REP − bacteria is the inability of the cells to synthesize ∅X progeny replicative form DNA (RF DNA).
A framework for discovering discrete event models

Abstract Complex systems are frequently reasoned about by their discrete event models. A discrete event model of a system represents its behavior by a set of rules describing temporal and causal relationships. The process of constructing such models has been essentially an art. In this paper we present a framework for discovering discrete event models. The framework includes the fundamentals of discrete event modeling, specification of a system's observations necessary for model discovery, the form of causal and temporal rules that constitute discrete event models, and a method for discovering a discrete event model from observations. The discovery algorithm partitions observations into subsets and incrementally discovers a model. The observations are partitioned according to the type of temporal relationship to be discovered. The algorithm can discover three types of temporal relationships typified by the connectives whenever, after and unless. It uses the FAHRENHEIT discovery system to discover functional relationships among variables and events. The capability of FAHRENHEIT to find regularities separated by boundaries is important in detecting complex functional relationships that typically occur in discrete event models. We discuss the limitations of our algorithm and point out the richness of data and forms of knowledge in the domain of discrete event modeling to be managed by the future discovery systems.