cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of Tetracaine Block of Cyclic Nucleotide-gated Channels

Local anesthetics are a diverse group of ion channel blockers that can be used to probe conformational changes in the pore. We examined the effects of the local anesthetic tetracaine on rod and olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated channels expressed from subunit 1 in Xenopus oocytes. We found that 40 μM tetracaine effectively blocked the bovine rod channel but not the rat olfactory channel at saturating concentrations of cGMP. By testing chimeric channels containing regions of sequence from both rod and olfactory channels, we found that determinants of apparent affinity for tetracaine at saturating cGMP did not map to any one region of the channel sequence. Rather, the differences in apparent affinity could be explained by differences between the chimeras in the free energy of the opening allosteric transition. If a channel construct (such as the rod channel) spent appreciable time in the closed state at saturating cGMP, then it had a high apparent affinity for tetracaine. If, on the other hand, a channel construct (such as the olfactory channel) spent little time in the closed state at saturating cGMP, then it had a low apparent affinity for tetracaine. Furthermore, tetracaine became more effective at low concentrations of cGMP and at saturating concentrations of cAMP, conditions which permit the channels to spend more time in the closed configuration. These results were well fit by a model in which tetracaine binds more tightly to the closed channel than to the open channel. Dose-response curves for tetracaine in the presence of saturating cGMP are well fit with a Michaelis-Menten binding scheme Indicating that a single tetracaine molecule is sufficient to produce block. In addition, tetracaine block is voltage dependent with an effective zδ of +0.56. These data are consistent with a pore-block hypothesis. The finding that tetracaine is a state-dependent pore blocker suggests that the inner mouth of the pore of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels undergoes a conformational change during channel opening.
A formal model for the problem of view selection for aggregate queries

We present a formal analysis of the following view-selection problem: Given a set of queries and a database, return definitions of views that, when materialized in the database, would reduce the evaluation costs of the queries. Optimizing the layout of stored data using view selection has a direct impact on the performance of the entire database system. At the same time, the optimization problem is intractable, even under natural restrictions on the types of queries of interest. In this paper we use an integer-programming model to obtain optimal solutions to the problem of view selection for aggregate queries on data warehouses. We also report the results of the post-optimality analysis that we performed to determine/observe the impact of changing certain input characteristics on the optimal solution.
Search for financial returns and social security privatization

Abstract I develop a general equilibrium model in which the quality of household financial decisions is endogenously determined by the incentives to exert effort in learning about financial opportunities. The model generates predictions for asset market participation and returns across households. Moreover, search for financial returns enables the model to generate a more skewed equilibrium wealth distribution. In this context, social security privatization affects household search effort, asset market participation and the competitiveness of the asset market. Privatization reduces average welfare and this reduction is somewhat magnified by the search friction. While some have suggested that household decision making could be important for the consequences of privatization, my analysis does not bear this out.
Iterative MAP multi-user detection of synchronous CDMA with channel distortion

This paper proposes an iterative algorithm for multi-user detection of a synchronous CDMA communication system in the presence of channel distortion based on a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation. The proposed algorithm employs the known finite alphabet of discrete symbols as a priori information to improve symbol estimation accuracy. This paper extends our previous work (Blunt and Ho, 2002) to develop a MAP estimator that takes into account both the structure of the particular symbol constellation and the transmission diversity resulting from channel distortion to increase dramatically the accuracy of multi-user symbol estimation.
Key characteristics of successful quality improvement curricula in physician education: a realist review.

Purpose Quality improvement (QI) is a common competency that must be taught in all physician training programmes, yet, there is no clear best approach to teach this content in clinical settings. We conducted a realist systematic review of the existing literature in QI curricula within the clinical setting, highlighting examples of trainees learning QI by doing QI. Method Candidate theories describing successful QI curricula were articulated a priori . We searched MEDLINE (1 January 2000 to 12 March 2013), the Cochrane Library (2013) and Web of Science (15 March 2013) and reviewed references of prior systematic reviews. Inclusion criteria included study design, setting, population, interventions, clinical and educational outcomes. The data abstraction tool included categories for setting, population, intervention, outcomes and qualitative comments. Themes were iteratively developed and synthesised using realist review methodology. A methodological quality tool assessed the biases, confounders, secular trends, reporting and study quality. Results Among 39 studies, most were before–after design with resident physicians as the primary population. Twenty-one described clinical interventions and 18 described educational interventions with a mean intervention length of 6.58 (SD=9.16) months. Twenty-eight reported successful clinical improvements; no studies reported clinical outcomes that worsened. Characteristics of successful clinical QI curricula include attention to the interface of educational and clinical systems, careful choice of QI work for the trainees and appropriately trained local faculty. Conclusions This realist review identified success characteristics to guide training programmes, medical schools, faculty, trainees, accrediting organisations and funders to further develop educational and improvement resources in QI educational programmes.
Replay debugging: leveraging record and replay for program debugging

Hardware-assisted Record and Deterministic Replay (RnR) of programs has been proposed as a primitive for debugging hard-to-repeat software bugs. However, simply providing support for repeatedly stumbling on the same bug does not help diagnose it. For bug diagnosis, developers typically want to modify the code, e.g., by creating and operating on new variables, or printing state. Unfortunately, this renders the RnR log inconsistent and makes Replay Debugging (i.e., debugging while using an RnR log for replay) dicey at bestThis paper presents rdb, the first scheme for replay debugging that guarantees exact replay. rdb relies on two mechanisms. The first one is compiler support to split the instrumented application into two executables: one that is identical to the original program binary, and another that encapsulates all the added debug code. The second mechanism is a runtime infrastructure that replays the application and, without affecting it in any way, invokes the appropriate debug code at the appropriate locations. We describe an implementation of rdb based on LLVM and Pin, and show an example of how rdb's replay debugging helps diagnose a real bug
A MULTILEVEL MODEL OF DRUG ABUSE INSIDE PRISON

Elements from differential association and importation theory were incorporated into a contextual model to explain drug abuse inside prison. Data came from self-administered questionnaires given to more than 1,000 inmates in 30 different correctional institutions throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the impact of correctional context on individual behavior. Results indicated that drug abuse inside prison varies across different correctional institutions. The effect of prior street-drug use on drug abuse in prison also varied across contexts. Moreover, an aggregate measure of crowding explained both drug abuse in prison as well as the effect of prior street-drug use on substance abuse in prison.
A population-based study of long-term outcome of epilepsy in childhood with a focal or hemispheric lesion on neuroimaging

SUMMARY Purpose: To evaluate long-term seizure outcome in children with epilepsy and a focal or hemispheric neuroimaging abnormality. Methods: All children (<18 years and residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota) with new-onset epilepsy diagnosed between 1980 and 2004 and a single focal lesion on neuroimaging were identified by review of the Rochester Epidemiologic Project database. Outcomes were divided into three categories: (1) seizure freedom for 1 or more years at last follow-up, (2) ongoing seizures but not medically intractable epilepsy, and (3) medically intractable epilepsy or undergoing epilepsy surgery. We also evaluated the proportion who achieved seizure control without surgical intervention and whether lesion type predicted intractability. Key Findings: Of the 359 children with newly diagnosed epilepsy, 37 (10%) had a focal or hemispheric lesion on neuroimaging. Median age of diagnosis was 89 months (25th percentile 26 months, 75th percentile 142 months) and at follow-up was 137 months (25th percentile 95 months, 75th percentile 211 months). Eighty-three percent of children with malformations of cortical development, 67% with mesial temporal sclerosis, 33% with encephalomalacia, and 50% with vascular malformations had intractable epilepsy at follow-up or underwent resective surgery for medically intractable epilepsy. Among the different etiologies, presence of encephalomalacia predicted the lowest likelihood of medical intractability or undergoing surgery (p < 0.01). At final followup, 24 (65%) of our entire cohort was seizure free. Following surgery, seizure freedom was achieved in 80% with mesial temporal sclerosis, 67% with encephalomalacia, 67% with vascular malformation, and 50% with malformations of cortical development. There was no statistically significant difference between the different etiologies on neuroimaging and seizure freedom after surgery. Twelve children (32%) achieved seizure freedom with medical management alone. Significance: Focal lesions on neuroimaging confer a high risk of medical intractability among children with newonset epilepsy. However, 32% of this cohort achieved seizure remission with medical management alone, including 58% with encephalomalacia and 33% with mesial temporal sclerosis.
The Polistes war: weak immune function in the invasive P. dominulus relative to the native P. fuscatus

Invasive species are of growing ecological concern, in part because of conflicts arising with native congeners. The European paper wasp Polistes dominulus was first introduced to North America in the 1970s, and may be displacing at least one native species, P. fuscatus. Previous reports indicate that in native territories over half of P. dominulus colonies are infected by Strepsipteran parasites, which decrease host fitness. In North America, P. fuscatus are parasitized to a lesser degree (approximately one-third), but no infected colonies of invasive P. dominulus have been reported. Because immune function is an indicator of susceptibility to parasitism, we quantified activated levels of immune function by measuring the encapsulation response and phenoloxidase activity and then compared these levels between species. Counterintuitively, our results indicate that P. dominulus has lower levels of both mechanisms of immunity. Additionally, P. dominulus displayed less self-grooming activity than P. fuscatus. We briefly discuss possible immunological explanations for this invasion success, including the selective expression of low immunocompetence.
Comparison of the posttraumatic stress disorder scale versus the clinician-administered posttraumatic stress disorder scale in domestic violence survivors

The posttraumatic diagnostic scale (PDS) is a self-report instrument for PTSD that is simple to administer and has demonstrated good psychometric properties. We compared the PDS with the gold standard clinician administered PTSD scale (CAPS) diagnostic interview for PTSD. We assessed 138 women who were victims of domestic violence using both the PDS and the CAPS. Findings confirmed that PTSD develops at a high base rate in this sample. The PDS generally performed well in relation to the CAPS although with a tendency to overdiagnose PTSD. The findings lend further support to the use of the PDS as a diagnostic tool for PTSD but indicate that it is better at identifying survivors with PTSD than those without the disorder.
First record of Neoergasilus japonicus (Poecilostomatoida: Ergasilidae), a parasitic copepod new to the Laurentian Great Lakes.

The parasitic copepod Neoergasilus japonicus, native to eastern Asia, was first collected from 4 species of fish (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas; largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides; pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus; and yellow perch, Perca flavescens) in July 1994 in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, Michigan. Further sampling in the bay in 2001 revealed infections on 7 additional species (bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus; carp, Cyprinus carpio; channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; goldfish, Carassius auratus; green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus; rock bass, Ambloplites rupestris; and smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu). An additional 21 species examined in 2001 were devoid of the parasite. A limited collection of fish from Lake Superior (n = 8) and Lake Michigan (n = 46) in 1994 showed no infection. Neoergasilus japonicus is most frequently found attached to the dorsal fin and, in decreasing frequency, on the anal, tail, pelvic, and pectoral fins. Prevalence generally ranged from 15 to 70 and intensity...
An alternative cyclin-D1 splice site is not linked to inflammatory bowel disease-associated neoplasia.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) encompass inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal tract, primarily ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). The risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) is increased in patients with IBD. The CCND1 protein is the regulatory subunit of an enzyme that inactivates the retinoblastoma protein, a tumor suppressor protein, and promotes progression through the G1-S phase of the cell cycle. The CCND1 870G-A gene polymorphism influences susceptibility to colorectal cancer. The mutant allele of CCND1 in IBD-associated neoplasia leads to a greater frequency of alternate splicing during transcription, resulting in a more stable CCND1 protein. This creates a higher concentration of CCND1, facilitating easier passage through the G1/S checkpoint, abnormal cell cycle progression, and possibly carcinogenesis. Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving 396 individuals with IBD. IBD subgroups included CD, UC, and indeterminate colitis (IC). We studied patients with sporadic colorectal cancer (n=75) and patients without gastrointestinal disease as a control group (n=93). We extracted DNA from blood and performed polymerase chain reaction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography to screen for mutations. We confirmed the polymorphism at nucleotide A870G in exon 4. For statistical analysis, we used exact analyses of two-way contingency tables. Power calculations were done and correction for multiple testing was performed by computing the false discovery rate (FDR). Results and discussion: Our study had a power of 75% at a 0.05 significance level. A870G SNP allele frequency in the IBD group was 44.8%, compared to 51.6% in the control population. Only the IC group showed a significant association with CCND1 splice site after correction for multiple testing (FDR=0.042). There were no differences between the other IBD groups and controls. Conclusion: We found an association between CCND1 A870G SNP and IC group only (p=0.014, FDR=0.042). However, our data do not show an association between CCND1 A870G SNP and CD-associated or UC-associated neoplasia.
A Method for Thermal Performance Characterization of Ultrathin Vapor Chambers Cooled by Natural Convection

Vapor chamber technologies offer an attractive approach for passive cooling in portable electronic devices. Due to the market trends in device power consumption and thickness, vapor chamber effectiveness must be compared with alternative heat spreading materials at ultrathin form factors and low heat dissipation rates. A test facility is developed to experimentally characterize performance and analyze the behavior of ultrathin vapor chambers that must reject heat to the ambient via natural convection. The evaporator-side and ambient temperatures are measured directly; the condenser-side surface temperature distribution, which has critical ergonomics implications, is measured using an infrared (IR) camera calibrated pixel-by-pixel over the field of view and operating temperature range. The high thermal resistance imposed by natural convection in the vapor chamber heat dissipation pathway requires accurate prediction of the parasitic heat losses from the test facility using a combined experimental and numerical calibration procedure. Solid metal heat spreaders of known thermal conductivity are first tested, and the temperature distribution is reproduced using a numerical model for conduction in the heat spreader and thermal insulation by iteratively adjusting the external boundary conditions. A regression expression for the heat loss is developed as a function of measured operating conditions using the numerical model. A sample vapor chamber is tested for heat inputs below 2.5 W. Performance metrics are developed to characterize heat spreader performance in terms of the effective thermal resistance and the condenser-side temperature uniformity. The study offers a rigorous approach for testing and analysis of new vapor chamber designs, with accurate characterization of their performance relative to other heat spreaders.
Laboratory Learning in a Research Methods Course: Successes and Challenges

Laboratory-based learning is increasingly considered to be an integral component of undergraduate education. However, students do not always perceive the value of laboratory learning in the college...
Abstract 2379: Cyclin D3 is important for ErbB2-induced mammary cancer initiation and progression in the absence of Cyclin D1

The cell cycle regulatory protein Cyclin D1 has been reported to be essential for both normal mammary gland development during pregnancy and the malignant transformation of the mammary epithelium in response to receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling. We have recently reported that the prolactin receptor-associated kinase Jak2 controls the transcriptional activation and, more importantly, the nuclear accumulation of Cyclin D1 in normal mammary epithelial cells via expression and activation of Akt1. We also demonstrated that the functional ablation of Jak2 and Stat5 in ErbB2-expressing mammary epithelial cells protects against the onset of mammary tumorigenesis. Jak2, however, is not required for the survival and proliferation of neoplastic cells. The constitutive activation of ErbB2 signaling, which is an initial event in the formation of mammary cancer in this model, was able to override the functional role of Jak2 in regulating the expression of Akt1 and Cyclin D1. To further define the role of the downstream effector Cyclin D1 during cancer initiation and progression in response to Jak2 and RTK signaling, we generated an ErbB2-associated mammary cancer model that allows a functional ablation of Cyclin D1 either prior to or following neoplastic transformation. Surprisingly, and in sharp contrast to previous reports, nearly all Cyclin D1-deficient females expressing wildtype ErbB2 developed mammary tumors. While Cyclin D1 deficiency extended the tumor-free survival, this particular cell cycle regulatory protein was clearly not required for tumor maintenance and progression. Growth and proliferation of the vast majority of Cyclin D1-deficient primary mammary cancers was accompanied by an upregulation of Cyclin D3. Since Cyclin D2 expression remained very low, knocking down the last remaining D-type cyclin (i.e. Cyclin D3) in tumor-derived primary cancer cells using three different shRNA constructs was sufficient to attenuate the proliferation rates. Interestingly, the ablation of the pool of all three D-type cyclins did not result in an upregulation of Cyclin E. Collectively, the results of this study show that Cyclin D1 is dispensable for neoplastic transformation of mammary epithelial cells and it might therefore not serve as a sole therapeutic target to treat ErbB2-associated breast cancers as previously suggested. In addition, these observations indicate that Cyclin D1 is most likely not the only downstream effector of Jak2 signaling that mediates the protective effects of a functional ablation of Jak2 in ErbB2-induced mammary carcinogenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2379. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2379
Thermodynamic approach provides insights into the aging process of biological apatite

In a recent of issue American Mineralogist , Rollin-Martinet et al. (2013, vol. 98, p. 2037–2045) take a thermodynamic, in contrast to a medical-biological, approach to the maturation process of biological apatite. They do so by focusing on changes in the HPO42− concentration in biomimetic apatite over time. In this first-of-its-kind analysis, they conclude that the increase in stability of bone mineral over time ultimately demands that bone be remodeled (i.e., replaced by new bone) in order for the mineral to retain its biologically important functional properties.
Pulmonary Vascular Responses of Newborn Goats to Aerosolized Prostaglandin E1

SummaryEffects of aerosolized prosta-glandin E1 (PGE1) on pulmonary vascular resistance, systemic arterial pressure, and heart rate of anesthetized newborn goats were evaluated in situ during normoxia and hypoxia by means of an open-chest, pump-perfused lung preparation. Pulmonary vascular resistance, systemic arterial pressure, and heart rate were reduced during 10-min administration of PGE1 aerosols. PGE1 aerosols produced small effects on pulmonary vascular resistance and pronounced effects on systemic arterial pressure. The effect of PGE1 on systemic arterial pressure was not different whether administered as an aerosol or infused directly into the left ventricle. PGE1 infused into left pulmonary arterial blood has a greater effect on pulmonary vascular resistance and less effect on systemic arterial pressure than PGE1 administered as an aerosol.We acknowledge the excellent technical assistance of N. L. Murtha, L. Tumarkin, J. Howard, and P. Eitzman. The aid of D. Dessautels in selecting a nebulizer i...
Basal energy utilization in mammalian skeletal muscle.

SummaryThe “basal” rate of energy utilization, as measured by PC disappearance, in mouse anterior tibial muscles exposed to a N2-IAA environment is about 0.25 μM/gm per min or 2.5 mcal/gm per min. This rate, as expected, is greater than the “basal” value for amphibian skeletal muscle and less than the “basal” value for mammalian cardiac muscle. By making certain assumptions about active ion transport and by using certain data from other investigators, the conclusion is reached that mammalian skeletal muscle sustains itself with a restricted energy supply much less well than amphibian skeletal muscle.
Epidemiological Analysis on Esophagus Cancer Among Rural Residents,Wenshang County,2009-2012

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of esophageal cancer in different townships of Wenshang county,2009-2012,so as to provide scientific basis for prevention and control measures of esophageal cancer.Methods Excel and SPSS 16.0 were used to analyze the incidence of esophageal cancer,and the data were collected from Wenshang Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Results The incidence of esophageal cancer in rural area of Wenshang was 60.34/105 in 2009,but 66.83/105 in 2012.The three towns with highest incidence rate were Juntun,Yangdian,and Guocang respectively.The cases distribution were not uniform in age,and the number of cases above 55 years increased obviously,about 87.69% of total cases.The different incidence rate was statistically significant(P0.001).The number of incidence of esophageal cancer were 1 925 from 2009 to 2012,including 1 272 males and 653 females,The sex ratio was 1.95∶1.The male incidence rate of esophageal cancer was 79.38/105,and female incidence was 43.31/105(P0.01). Conclusion There is a high incidence of esophageal cancer in Wenshang county,causing serious health hazards to county residents.The effective strategy should be developed for esophageal cancer.
The role of early limited thoracotomy in the treatment of empyema

On the basis of clinical experience with 80 patients at Denver General Hospital from 1979 through 1984, we devised a three-part classification of empyema. Class I empyema (n = 12) is pleural effusion with pH less than 7.2 and with no bacteria. Patients with this type of empyema were treated with short-duration chest tubes. Further treatment was required in two of 12. There were no deaths. Class II (n = 28) is classic uniloculate empyema. Patients with this category of empyema were treated with chest tubes, with two deaths. Class III (n = 40) is complicated empyema, with multiple loculations. Tube thoracostomy failed more often than not; decortication was required in 10 of 18 patients treated with prolonged tube drainage. Limited thoracotomy for drainage and placement of tubes was done in 22 patients. Five required extension of the thoracotomy and decortication. All 22 had resolution of the empyema with no additional procedures. Limited thoracotomy immediately or during the first week of treatment is recommended for all multiloculated or complex empyemas.
Cutting Choline with Radical Scissors

The human gut microbiome is the source of not only microbial diversity, but also of interesting chemical reactions and enzymology. An excellent example of this is CutC, an enzyme that makes trimethylamine (TMA). In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Bodea et al. (2016) show how CutC uses a glycyl radical to perform C-N bond cleavage needed for TMA production.
Spurious Turn-On inside a Power Module of Paralleled SiC MOSFETs

Abstract Silicon carbide (SiC) dice are often paralleled to realize power modules with high-current rating. Owing to the large network of interconnect (parasitic) impedances, terminal waveforms could appear benign while the dice experience detrimental fault currents generated by spurious cross-turn-on. This paper will quantify the non-uniform distribution of current stress and switching energy among the dice, as well as the penalty caused by cross-turn-on, versus layout symmetry, number of dice, gate resistance, input voltage, and load current. Cross-turn-on currents inside a module increase the high-side switching energy and total switching energy by 44% and 20%, respectively, at 800 V / 300 A. Peak cross-turn-on current of the symmetrical module is only 16% of that of asymmetrical module at nominal condition. Symmetrical layout greatly decreases the cross-turn-on currents without increasing the total switching energy. Four modules are constructed based on the asymmetrical layout to explore how number of...
Load Transfer in a Space Frame Connection

The connection of the Unistrut “System 1” double layer grid space frame transfers loads statically indeterminately from a member to the connection plate through two lugs and a bolt. The connection ...
CRT-100.81 More Bleeding And Myocardial Infarctions Post-PCI In Patients With BMI Over 30

It has been previously described that obese patients have better outcomes post coronary intervention (PCI) as compared to non-obese patients given their younger age and fewer co-morbidities, however this is not apparent in clinical practice. This study sought to evaluate the in-hospital outcomes
Insomnia as a Precipitating Factor in New Onset Mental Illness: a Systematic Review of Recent Findings.

We aimed to systematically review recent publications (01/2014–03/2017) with longitudinal designs allowing for the assessment of the prospective risk of insomnia on new onset mental illness in key conditions: anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, and suicide. A literature yielded 1859 unique articles meeting search criteria were identified; 16 articles met all selection criteria and reviewed with some studies reporting on more than one mental health outcome. Overall, the review supports the hypothesis that insomnia is a predictor of subsequent mental illness. The evidence is strongest for an insomnia-depression relationship. The new studies identified and reviewed add to a modest number of publications supporting a prospective role of insomnia in new onset mental illness in three areas: anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and suicide. The few selected new studies focused on SUD were mixed, and no studies focused on PTSD were identified that met the selection criteria. Treatment of insomnia may also be a preventive mental health strategy.
Technical Tips for Difficult Stomas

Although a mental and technical exercise, stoma creation is often straightforward. However, formation of a protruding, tension-free, well-vascularized stoma in an obese individual with a thick abdominal wall and short, thickened mesentery can be a substantial challenge. Preoperative planning including site marking, thoughtful consideration of alternatives, and attention to technical detail will help create a stoma that will serve the patient well. The technical tips provided in this article should facilitate the process of selecting the appropriate intestinal segment, identifying the correct stoma site, and creating a functional stoma even in the most challenging situations.
The Learning Home: An Ethnographic Case-Study of Curriculum, Place, and Design

An overemphasis on exams or tests marks the present educational scenario in India (Majumdar & Mooij, 2011; Mehrotra, 2007) and the United States (Eisner, 2002; Noddings, 2003; Pinar, 2004; Schubert, 2010). The mainstream schooling system in India disregards the student’s individual needs, abilities, and lived realities (Sarangapani, 2003; Thapan, 2015). My experience of schooling in a mainstream school in India was marked by a sense of monotony, boredom, disengagement, and drudgery. The search for a pedagogical site where the students’ experiences differ from mine motivates this research. The Learning Home, an alternative school in Pune, India, is a pedagogical site where every child is nurtured, celebrated, and respected. Education is conceived of as a life-long pursuit rather than reproduction of standardized content at the Learning Home. This study examines how the Learning Home as a site of living curriculum (Kissling, 2012a, 2012b) and design process(es) informs and is informed by the lived experiences of the individuals there. The central finding of this study suggests the curricular experiences of educators, facilitators, and children are enriching and empowering because curriculum is understood as a creative endeavor. This study advocates for teachers and students’ empowerment through creative agency in order to recognize and respond to the curricular potential of objects, place, people, and entities around them.
Donne and the Reign of Figures

John Donne wrote poetry at the heart of a world of ideal constructions—including good measures, good love, great faith—that are no longer readily supported in the modern age of deconstruction. Whereas Shakespeare’s plays, works of genius that they are and requiring conflict as they do, anticipate the doubts and turbulence of twentieth-century poetry, Donne held steady to a secure set of ideas and positions that were the standard properties of his age, and made great work out of them. (He would have been an astonishing poet in any age.) He had a particular genius for dramatistic voice (that which obviously distinguishes Shakespeare’s plays but is subdued in his sonnets)—,for drama in the midst of a nonetheless unusually reasoning and frequently songful poetry. His strongest performances can be said to consist of uniquely vivid types of speech-figures, stanzaic figures, and figures of speech, especially metaphors, which were not ornaments to his thought but their very axis
A multicomponent approach to thinning reinforcer delivery during noncontingent reinforcement schedules

We evaluated a noncontingent reinforcement procedure that involved initially providing three subjects with signaled, continuous access to the functional reinforcer for aggression and slowly increasing the amount of time subjects were exposed to the signaled unavailability of the reinforcer. Additionally, alternative potential reinforcers were available throughout the sessions. Results showed immediate and substantial reductions in aggression for all three subjects. The clinical utility of this intervention is discussed, and future research directions are recommended.
Lower Sustained Diphtheria and Pertussis Antibody Concentrations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are often immunosuppressed, and those patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor α (TNF) therapy can have lower antibody responses to vaccines. Pertussis cases are at their highest levels in the post-vaccine era. There is little data regarding responses to the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) vaccine in IBD patients. The aim of this study was to compare sustained vaccine-induced Tdap antibody concentrations in a cohort of IBD patients stratified by medication regimens with healthy controls (HC) who had received an adult Tdap booster. We performed a cross-sectional study evaluating antibody responses to Tdap vaccine among IBD patients compared to HC. Our study consisted of three patient groups: adults with IBD stratified by maintenance medication regimen: (1) thiopurine monotherapy; (2) anti-TNF monotherapy; and (3) combination therapy (anti-TNF and immunomodulator (thiopurine or methotrexate)). Ninety IBD patients and 20 HC participated. Pertussis pertactin antibody concentrations were significantly lower in IBD patients (p = 0.021) compared to HC, and those on anti-TNF agents (monotherapy or combination) had lower antibody concentrations compared to those on thiopurine monotherapy (p = 0.028). Diphtheria antibody concentrations were also lower in IBD patients (p < 0.001), and those on anti-TNF agents (monotherapy or combination) had lower antibody concentrations compared to the thiopurine monotherapy group (p < 0.001). IBD patients on anti-TNF agents had lower antibody concentrations to diphtheria and pertussis. These findings suggest a need for different Tdap booster schedules for IBD patients on anti-TNF therapy. Clinical Trials Registry NCT02434133.
Hydrocarbon transport in a plasma boundary layer

The theory of carbon transport in a plasma boundary layers is important for understanding the impurity penetration, and carbon and hydrogen recycling, in tokamaks using carbon compounds as limiters and as wall coatings. Neutral carbon kinetics and transport at the edge of plasma devices where chemical release is a source of carbon are modeled. Plasma reactions with carbon and hydrocarbons are important for such modeling, and these collisional processes are summarized. Combining the reaction schemes and kinetics in the DEGAS code makes it possible to treat the neutral transport at the plasma boundary layer. Results of such modeling of the atomic carbon and methane distribution at the edge are presented for comparison with recent carbon probe experiments performed on the Divertor and Injection Tokamak Experiment (DITE).
Hyperspectral Imaging in Diabetic Foot Wound Care

Diabetic foot ulceration is a major complication of diabetes and afflicts as many as 15 to 25% of type 1 and 2 diabetes patients during their lifetime. If untreated, diabetic foot ulcers may become infected and require total or partial amputation of the affected limb. Early identification of tissue at risk of ulcerating could enable proper preventive care, thereby reducing the incidence of foot ulceration. Furthermore, noninvasive assessment of tissue viability around already formed ulcers could inform the diabetes caregiver about the severity of the wound and help assess the need for amputation. This article reviews how hyperspectral imaging between 450 and 700 nm can be used to assess the risk of diabetic foot ulcer development and to predict the likelihood of healing noninvasively. Two methods are described to analyze the in vivo hyperspectral measurements. The first method is based on the modified Beer-Lambert law and produces a map of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations in the dermis of the foot. The second is based on a two-layer optical model of skin and can retrieve not only oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations but also epidermal thickness and melanin concentration along with skin scattering properties. It can detect changes in the diabetic foot and help predict and understand ulceration mechanisms.
Development of Plastic Microfluidic Devices for Sample Preparation

Microfluidics technology shows excellent potential for applications in biotechnology, chemical sensing, and drug delivery. The use of microfluidics results in cycle time reduction, reagent cost and labor intensity savings due to the benefits of miniaturization, and functional integration. As a result, miniature DNA sample preparation and analytical devices may potentially become part of a point-of-care systems for rapid medical diagnoses. Similar diagnostic devices will benefit veterinary and food safety applications. In this paper, we discuss design, fabrication, and testing of plastic microfluidic devices for on-chip genetic sample preparation. These fabrication methods are being used to produce components of a complete genetic sample preparation micro-system. The detailed discussion on the development of micro-PCR (polymerase chain reaction) devices and bio-channel hybridization arrays is given. We also describe a path to further individual component integration.
Civil society and exposure to domestic terrorist attacks: Evidence from a cross-national quantitative analysis, 1970–2010:

This article examines the connection between a nation’s level of civil society organizational openness and the number of domestic terrorist attacks across 167 countries from 1970 to 2010. Following...
Application of Artificial Intelligence in Automation of Supply Chain Management

A well-functioning supply chain is a key to success for every business entity. Having an accurate projection on inventory offers a substantial competitive advantage. There are many internal factors like product introductions, distribution network expansion; and external factors such as weather, extreme seasonality, and changes in customer perception or media coverage that affects the performance of the supply chain. In recent years Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been proved to become an extension of our brain, expanding our cognitive abilities to levels that we never thought would be possible. Though many believe AI will replace humans, it is not true, rather it will help us to unleash our true strategic and creative potential. AI consists of a set of computational technologies developed to sense, learn, reason, and act appropriately. With the technological advancement in mobile computing, the capacity to store huge data on the internet, cloud-based machine learning and information processing algorithms etc. AI has been integrated into many sectors of business and been proved to reduce costs, increase revenue, and enhance asset utilization. AI is helping businesses to get almost 100% accurate projection and forecast the customer demand, optimizing their R&D and increase manufacturing with lower cost and higher quality, helping them in the promotion (identifying target customers, demography, defining the price, and designing the right message, etc.) and providing their customers a better experience. These four areas of value creation are extremely important for gaining competitive advantage. Supply-chain leaders use AI-powered technologies to a) make efficient designs to eliminate waste b) real-time monitoring and error-free production and c) facilitate lower process cycle times. These processes are crucial in bringing Innovation faster to the market.
Application of FTMS to the analysis of glycosaminoglycans

Abstract Glycosaminoglycan (GAGs) are linear chain glycans consisting of repeating uronic sugar and amino sugar copolymers and play major roles in fundamental biological processes. Despite being ubiquitous in cells, the structure of GAGs remains relatively elusive and is challenging to characterize with mass spectrometry. This chapter discusses how Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) plays a vital role in developing methods for high throughput structural elucidation of GAGs. High mass accuracy measurements of the mass spectrum allow for composition assignment of the intact glycan; tandem mass spectrometry with various ion activation techniques have been used to determine the location of structural microheterogeneities with high specificity. Software analysis packages for GAGs have also been developed recently, allowing for the option of high-throughput analysis without the need for any user supervision. New and promising developments in FTMS have significantly improved structural characterization possibilities in the field of glycomics.
Systems Biology of Cancer Metastasis

Cancer metastasis is no longer viewed as a linear cascade of events but rather as a series of concurrent, partially overlapping processes, as successfully metastasizing cells assume new phenotypes while jettisoning older behaviors. The lack of a systemic understanding of this complex phenomenon has limited progress in developing treatments for metastatic disease. Because metastasis has traditionally been investigated in distinct physiological compartments, the integration of these complex and interlinked aspects remains a challenge for both systems-level experimental and computational modeling of metastasis. Here, we present some of the current perspectives on the complexity of cancer metastasis, the multiscale nature of its progression, and a systems-level view of the processes underlying the invasive spread of cancer cells. We also highlight the gaps in our current understanding of cancer metastasis as well as insights emerging from interdisciplinary systems biology approaches to understand this complex phenomenon.
Application of Machine Learning Algorithms For Crack Detection in PVC Pipes

Most of the underground sewer infrastructure in United States uses Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes to transport toxic fluids. Cracks in underground PVC pipes are a major cause of effluent discharge in underground sewer systems. Released effluents not only pose risk to the environment, but are also a threat to public health. As current industry standard, utility operators use a closed circuit Television (CCTV) camera mounted crawler to pass through the pipes, and record video to classify condition of the piping network. CCTV based systems are expensive and crew-hour intensive. Recently developed acoustic based pipeline inspection systems are being adopted by the utility operators. These systems, however, do not detect presence of cracks in pipes. This paper reports results of a study to monitor presence of cracks in PVC pipes using acoustic signals. The collected data from extensive laboratory trials is processed using machine learning algorithms to classify the difference between a clean and cracked pipe samples. We use Decision Tree, K-nearest neighbors (KNN), and Naive Bayes (NB) algorithms. The DT and KNN algorithm scores show the highest convergence between acoustic samples from a cracked pipe at frequencies greater than 3.0 kHz. The paper also lays out precision scores obtained from using machine learning algorithms on acoustic data from clean and cracked pipe samples.
Telomere fusions and translocations: a bridge too far?

Telomere fusions inevitably arise as a cell’s last-ditch effort to protect exposed chromosomal ends when telomeres are lost due to aging-associated erosion, breakage, failed replication, or a plethora of other cellular mistakes. Fusion of an exposed chromosomal end to another telomere presumably presents a superficially attractive option to the cell as opposed to the alternative of the impending degradation of the unprotected chromosomal terminus. However, when allowed to progress to mitosis these fusion events subsequently foster non-disjunction or bridge:breakage events — both of which drive highly pathogenic genomic instability and additional chromosomal translocations. Thus, the question becomes how and when telomere fusion events arise and, most importantly, is there a mechanism available to resolve these telomere bridges such that proper repair, and not genomic instability, results? Recent evidence suggests that the formation, and then the resolution of, ultrafine bridges may facilitate this process.
Prevalence and Characteristics of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in the United States: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Although anecdotally coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents most commonly with respiratory symptoms, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) obtains cellular entry via the widely expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, thus increasing the risk of not only respiratory but also alimentary tract involvement.1, 2, 3 Early reports from China have described gastrointestinal symptoms in as many as half of patients diagnosed with COVID-19; however, data regarding the potential gastrointestinal implications of COVID-19 among the US patient population remain limited.4, 5, 6 Therefore, we aimed to systematically characterize the prevalence and features of gastrointestinal manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and evaluate gastrointestinal-specific health outcomes among a cohort of US adults.