cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review: A review of advanced techniques for detecting plant diseases

Diseases in plants cause major production and economic losses in agricultural industry worldwide. Monitoring of health and detection of diseases in plants and trees is critical for sustainable agriculture. To the best of our knowledge, there is no sensor commercially available for real-time assessment of health conditions in trees. Currently, scouting is most widely used mechanism for monitoring stress in trees, which is an expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming process. Molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction are used for the identification of plant diseases that require detailed sampling and processing procedure. Early information on crop health and disease detection can facilitate the control of diseases through proper management strategies such as vector control through pesticide applications, fungicide applications, and disease-specific chemical applications; and can improve productivity. The present review recognizes the need for developing a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable health-monitoring sensor that would facilitate advancements in agriculture. It describes the currently used technologies that can be used for developing a ground-based sensor system to assist in monitoring health and diseases in plants under field conditions. These technologies include spectroscopic and imaging-based, and volatile profiling-based plant disease detection methods. The paper compares the benefits and limitations of these potential methods.
IglE Is an Outer Membrane-Associated Lipoprotein Essential for Intracellular Survival and Murine Virulence of Type A Francisella tularensis

ABSTRACT IglE is a small, hypothetical protein encoded by the duplicated Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI). Inactivation of both copies of iglE rendered Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis Schu S4 avirulent and incapable of intracellular replication, owing to an inability to escape the phagosome. This defect was fully reversed following single-copy expression of iglE in trans from attTn7 under the control of the Francisella rpsL promoter, thereby establishing that the loss of iglE, and not polar effects on downstream vgrG gene expression, was responsible for the defect. IglE is exported to the Francisella outer membrane as an ∼13.9-kDa lipoprotein, determined on the basis of a combination of selective Triton X-114 solubilization, radiolabeling with [3H]palmitic acid, and sucrose density gradient membrane partitioning studies. Lastly, a genetic screen using the iglE-null live vaccine strain resulted in the identification of key regions in the carboxyl terminus of IglE that are required for intracellular replication of Francisella tularensis in J774A.1 macrophages. Thus, IglE is essential for Francisella tularensis virulence. Our data support a model that likely includes protein-protein interactions at or near the bacterial cell surface that are unknown at present.
Morphology, Anatomy, and Development of Cunninghamia lanceolata (Cupressaceae) Pollen Cones

Cupressaceae (Cypress family) is the most widespread and one of the most economically important conifer lineages [1]. Some well-known representatives of Cupressaceae are Sequoia (redwoods), Juniperus (junipers), and False Cedars (Thuja, Calocedrus, Chamaecyparis). This family has a long and rich fossil history that dates back to the Early Jurassic [2]. Due to its impressively long and complex evolutionary history, Cupressaceae has been a subject of numerous morphological, anatomical, paleobotanical, and evolutionary studies.
The effects of speed on the in vivo activity and length of a limb muscle during the locomotion of the iguanian lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis.

SUMMARY The caudofemoralis muscle is the largest muscle that inserts onto the hindlimb of most ectothermic tetrapods, and previous studies hypothesize that it causes several movements that characterize the locomotion of vertebrates with a sprawling limb posture. Predicting caudofemoralis function is complicated because the muscle spans multiple joints with movements that vary with speed. Furthermore, depending on when any muscle is active relative to its change in length, its function can change from actively generating mechanical work to absorbing externally applied forces. We used synchronized electromyography, sonomicrometry and three-dimensional kinematics to determine in vivo caudofemoralis function in the desert iguana Dipsosaurus dorsalis for a wide range of speeds of locomotion from a walk to nearly maximal sprinting (50–350 cm s –1 ). Strain of the caudofemoralis increased with increasing tail elevation and long-axis rotation and protraction of the femur. However, knee extension only increased caudofemoralis strain when the femur was protracted. The maximum and minimum length of the caudofemoralis muscle and its average shortening velocity increased from the slowest speed up to the walk–run transition, but changed little with further increases in speed. The times of muscle shortening and lengthening were often not equal at higher locomotor speeds. Some (20–25 ms) activity occurred during lengthening of the caudofemoralis muscle before footfall. However, most caudofemoralis activity was consistent with performing positive mechanical work to flex the knee shortly after foot contact and to retract and rotate the femur throughout the propulsive phase.
Characterization of insulin receptor kinase activity and autophosphorylation in different skeletal muscle types.

We have examined insulin binding, autophosphorylation, and tyrosine kinase activity in detergent-solubilized and wheat germ agglutinin-purified insulin receptor preparations from four rat muscles of different fiber composition (i.e., tensor fascia latae, soleus, vastus intermedius, and plantaris). Insulin binding activity was similar in three of the four muscles but lower in tensor fascia latae. No significant differences were noted in the affinity of insulin for its receptor from various muscle types. Insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity measured in the absence (basal) and presence of insulin (0.3-300 nM) was comparable in all muscle types (normalized to the amount of insulin bound). Insulin sensitivity, measured as the dose of insulin required for half-maximal activation of kinase activity, was also similar in all muscle types. Likewise, incubation of receptor preparations with [gamma-32P]ATP, Mn2+, and insulin (0.25-100 nM) resulted in a dose-dependent autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit (relative molecular weight approximately 95 kDa) with similar kinetics in all muscle types. In conclusion, these results show that the functional behavior of the insulin receptor autophosphorylation-kinase system (in vitro) is not changed by alterations in muscle fiber composition, indicating that differences in insulin sensitivity between different skeletal muscle types is probably not due to modulation of the insulin receptor phosphorylation system.
Extracapsular Dissection with Facial Nerve Dissection for Benign Parotid Tumors.

Poster published by the Christiana Care Learning Institute ABSTRACT Technique and outcomes for Extracapsular Dissection with Facial Nerve Dissection for benign parotid tumors are reported. This technique, not previously published, uses standard surgical landmarks to identify and ante-­‐grade dissect the facial nerve trunk. The branches of the facial nerve are dissected up to the anterior extracapsular margin of the tumor, than the tumor is dissected with a thin 1-­‐2 mm layer of parenchyma and fascia around it. This technique is compared to the authors previously reported series on Partial Superficial Parotidectomy with ante-­‐grade facial nerve dissection with a 1-­‐2 cm layer of normal parotid tissue around the tumor. Extracapsular Dissection with Facial nerve Dissection for benign parotid tumors resulted in significantly lower rates of transient facial nerve dysfunction, and sialocele compared to Partial Superficial Parotidectomy without increasing permanent facial nerve dysfunction and thus far recurrence. Longer follow-­‐ up is necessary to more accurately define the recurrence rate of this technique.
"Fruiting bodies" of aspergillus on the skin of a burned patient.

A case of a young man with an extensive total-body-surface burn complicated by wound infection is presented. One of the fungal organisms in the cutaneous burn wound had morphologically characteristic and diagnostic features by development of conidiophores ("fruiting bodies") pathognomonic of Aspergillus spp.
Enhanced surfactant supramicellar assembly by hydrophobic dopants.

The light scattering peak (LS peak) near the surfactant critical micelle concentration (cmc) demonstrates that low hydrophobic dopant levels can cause supramolecular assembly of surfactants into metastable structures much more massive than dopant-free micelles. These supramicellar assemblies (SA) exist over the entire LS peak region, which extends from above the cmc down to well below the cmc. Dodecanol (D) was the dopant, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTABr) were the surfactants in this work. Well above the cmc dopant is solubilized by micelles. The SA appear above the cmc, dependent on dopant level and solution ionic strength, as seen by an abrupt increase in LS. Hence, the micelles do not simply release their hydrophobic payload at the cmc; rather, the dopant causes a morphological change from normal micelles above the LS peak concentration regime into SA as the LS regime is entered from above the cmc. Below the cmc the LS peak has a cutoff concentration corre...
Modeling and Prediction of Nonstationary Ground Motions as Time–Frequency Images

Proper modeling of nonstationary characteristics of ground motions is critical in estimating the seismic performance of structures. The importance of ground motion nonstationarity is being increasingly recognized in seismic design codes and provisions. This paper develops a new method for predicting seismic ground motions in the joint time–frequency domain based on recorded ground motions. We treat wavelet energy maps of acceleration records as images and extract essential patterns from them using principal component analysis. These patterns are then linked to the seismic source, path, and site variables using general regression neural network. The resulting model predicts an image representing the expected evolutionary power spectrum conditioned on the input variables. An example application is presented using records from the Next Generation Attenuation of Ground Motions Database of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center. As opposed to conventional ground motion prediction models, the proposed approach retains the time domain characteristics of ground motions. The results show that the proposed model can predict significant patterns in the seismic energy distribution, acceleration time series, and 5% damped elastic spectral accelerations.
Determination of Surgical Variables for a Brain Shift Correction Pipeline Using an Android Application

Brain shift describes the deformation that the brain undergoes from mechanical and physiological effects typically during a neurosurgical or neurointerventional procedure. With respect to image guidance techniques, brain shift has been shown to compromise the fidelity of these approaches. In recent work, a computational pipeline has been developed to predict “brain shift” based on preoperatively determined surgical variables (such as head orientation), and subsequently correct preoperative images to more closely match the intraoperative state of the brain. However, a clinical workflow difficulty in the execution of this pipeline has been acquiring the surgical variables by the neurosurgeon prior to surgery. In order to simplify and expedite this process, an Android, Java-based application designed for tablets was developed to provide the neurosurgeon with the ability to orient 3D computer graphic models of the patient’s head, determine expected location and size of the craniotomy, and provide the trajectory into the tumor. These variables are exported for use as inputs for the biomechanical models of the preoperative computing phase for the brain shift correction pipeline. The accuracy of the application’s exported data was determined by comparing it to data acquired from the physical execution of the surgeon’s plan on a phantom head. Results indicated good overlap of craniotomy predictions, craniotomy centroid locations, and estimates of patient’s head orientation with respect to gravity. However, improvements in the app interface and mock surgical setup are needed to minimize error.
Crohn’s disease stricture evaluation and management

Abstract Crohn's disease (CD) is chronic inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract. Majority of Crohn's disease patients would go on to develop a complicated disease course over time including stricturing and penetrating disease. Stricturing CD requires a multidisciplinary approach between the surgical and medical team for comprehensive management. Despite significant advances in the therapeutic armamentarium for CD, there is no approved medical therapy and none on the horizon that can reverse fibrostenotic disease. Therefore, stricturing CD remains a therapeutic challenge and is associated with considerable morbidity and cost. Recent imaging technique such as MR enterography helps to better delineate stricturing disease. The therapeutic options for fibrostenotic CD comprise of endoscopic balloon dilation and surgical measures. Endoscopic balloon dilation delays the need for surgery, reduces the risk of short bowel syndrome, and has lower complication rate than surgery. The goal of this review is to present a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge, identification, and management of strictures in patient with CD, with a focus on the role of endoscopic therapy.
MK-0646 (MK), insulin growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) antibody combined with pemetrexed (P) and cisplatin (C) in stage IIIb or IV metastatic nonsquamous lung cancer (NSQL).

e13551 Background: IGF-1R regulates cell growth, proliferation and apoptosis. Adenocarcinoma and never smokers have higher expression of IGF-1R and it is associated with worse survival. MK is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets IGF-1R. P has higher activity in NSQL. We initiated a randomized phase II trial to evaluate the combination of P and C +/- MK in NSQL. Methods: Eligibility criteria: untreated NSQL stage IIIB or IV, ECOG 0 or 1, measurable disease, adequate organ function and no other intercurrent illness. Standard B12 and folic acid were given. P at 500mg/m2 and C at 75mg/m2 IV were given every 3 weeks. MK was given at the dose of 10mg/kg IV weekly on days 1, 8 and 15 of every 3 week cycle in the experimental group. The patients had radiographic assessment after every 2 cycles and treated for a maximum of 6 cycles if there was either response or stable disease. The primary objective of the study was to estimate the individual response rate of standard and experimental arm. IRB reviewed an...
Table algebras with exactly one irreducible character whose degree and multiplicity are not equal

ABSTRACTCommutative standard table algebras with exactly one multiplicity not equal to 1 are characterized by the wreath product of some special table algebras in [1]. A natural and much more general question is the characterization of standard table algebras (not necessarily commutative) with exactly one irreducible character whose degree and multiplicity are not equal and the degree is 1. We will give a characterization of such table algebras, including the main result of [1] as a special case. Applications to association schemes are also discussed.
Polyester-based microdisc systems for sustained release of neuroprotective phosphine-borane complexes.

Phosphine-borane complexes are recently developed redox-active drugs that are neuroprotective in models of optic nerve injury and radioprotective in endothelial cells. However, a single dose of the...
Medieval Sex Education, Or: What About Canidia?

This essay considers two witnesses to the reception of Horace in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, particularly Epode 5, which features one of Horace's most disturbing and disruptive figures, the witch Canidia. One witness is the comic reworking of Epode 5 in Anselmo da Besate's Rhetorimachia ; the other is a drawing in Leiden ms. Gronovius 15, which shows Canidia and her young victim, the boy whom she is intending to kill in order to make a love charm. Horace was a standard school author, and these two witnesses also point to a scholastic context of some sort. I examine them closely to consider what sort of "sex education," or socialization and initiation to a sexual role, might be accomplished by exposing young students to the more bizarre and obscene elements of Horace's poetry (even when deflected into comedy), and the threat to one's poise and composure, the embarrassment that comes with them.
Pathological Effects of Exosomes in Mediating Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

Diabetic subjects are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which accounts for 60–80% of diabetes-related mortality. Atherosclerosis is still considered as a leading cause of heart failure in diabetic patients, but it could also be an intrinsic and long-term effect of contractile cardiac cells malfunction, known as diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Pathologically, this cardiac dysfunction is manifested by inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis, hypertrophy and altered cardiomyocytes metabolism. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of DCM pathophysiology are not clearly understood. Recent and several studies have suggested that exosomes are contributed to the regulation of cell-to-cell communication. Therefore, their in-depth investigation can interpret the complex pathophysiology of DCM. Structurally, exosomes are membrane-bounded vesicles (10–200 nm in diameter), which are actively released from all types of cells and detected in all biological fluids. They carry a wide array of bioactive molecules, including mRNAs, none-coding RNAs (e.g., microRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, etc), proteins and lipids. Importantly, the abundance and nature of loaded molecules inside exosomes fluctuate with cell types and pathological conditions. This chapter summarizes currently available studies on the exosomes’ role in the regulation of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Specifically, the advances on the pathological effects of exosomes in diabetic cardiomyopathy as well as the therapeutic potentials and perspectives are also discussed.
Diagnostic accuracy of the D-dimer in children.

Background We sought to measure the diagnostic accuracy of D-dimer in children with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods We queried our electronic medical record for quantitative D-dimer values obtained in all children ages 5–17 over 10 years in our 10-hospital system. Patients who had a D-dimer obtained in the evaluation of PE underwent supervised chart review to extract baseline demographics (age, sex, ethnicity), medical history, laboratory data and imaging results. PE was confirmed by imaging positive for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or PE and excluded by imaging or no DVT or PE diagnosis within 90 days. Results Over a 10-year period, we identified 13 792 orders for D-dimer testing in 2554 unique patients. Chart review indicated that 526 (20.6%) unique patients had D-dimer testing performed in the evaluation of PE (Cohen’s kappa=0.95, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.0). Most D-dimers (465/526, 88%) were ordered in children aged >12 years. Of these 526 children, 34 (6.4%, 95% CI) had a criterion standard positive for new or recurrent PE. The mean D-dimer value was 2104±1394 ng/mL in the 34/34 PE+ children and 586±962 ng/mL in PE− children with a sensitivity of 34/34 (100%, 89% to 100%) and a specificity of 290/492 (58%, 54% to 63%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.90 ((0.9)87–0.94). Conclusions D-dimer is currently ordered in children for suspected PE in the emergency care setting, mostly in teenagers. The observed lower limit 95% CIs of 89% and 54% for diagnostic sensitivity and the specificity, respectively, suggest if used in patients with low-clinical probability, a normal D-dimer can safely exclude PE in children.
You want me to talk to whom? Explorations in fear and faith from the underside of the Bible:

This article utilizes an African American/womanist biblical hermeneutic that focuses on the intersectionality of the key players in the text to conduct an exegetical analysis of Philip’s encounter ...
Effects of [N II] and H α line blending on the WFIRST Galaxy redshift survey

Simons Foundation; U.S. Department of Energy [DE-AC02-76SF00515]; Packard Foundation; NSF; NASA [NNG16PJ25C]; NASA ROSES ATP [16-ATP16-0084]; U.S. Department of Energy Office
Somatic Embryogenesis in Asparagus

The genus Asparagus belongs to the family Liliaceae, and is comprised of about 150–300 herbaceous and woody perennial species spread throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world (Lawrence 1982). Among these species Asparagus officinalis L. is the most well-known edible, and is considered one of the oldest garden vegetable plants (Luzny 1979). It is an European-Siberian continental plant which belongs to the northeast Mediterranean vegetation gene center (Luzny 1979), where it is well adapted to sandy soils. Asparagus is widely distributed and grown as a high-value crop in different parts of the world.
Rational and Elliptic Functions

We consider the classic case of algebraic function theory because, in many ways, it influenced algebraic number theory as much as any case of an algebraic number field. The treatment will not be any deeper than needed to acquire the “background”.
Soil Improvement for Damage Mitigation Along Izmit Bay During the 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake

Ground treatment has been widely used to mitigate earthquake damages at poor soil sites. Following the 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake in Turkey (MW=7.4), we studied the performance of industrial and commercial sites along Izmit Bay that had been improved. Soil conditions along the Bay consist of soft, weak soils that increase damage potential. Four sites presented here showed that soil treatment was effective in mitigating damage.
Genetically Compromising Phospholipid Metabolism Limits Candida albicans’ Virulence

Perturbing ergosterol synthesis has been previously shown to reduce the virulence of Candida albicans. We tested the hypothesis that further altering cell membrane composition by limiting phospholipid synthesis or remodeling will have the same effect. To model partial inhibition, C. albicans strains independently harboring heterozygous deletion of four genes that encode for enzymes that mediate phospholipid synthesis or modification were generated. Quantitative PCR determined that heterozygous deletion routinely caused a nearly 50% reduction in the respective gene’s transcript abundance. Compensatory increased transcript abundance was only found with the deletion of LRO1, a homolog of phospholipid diacylglycerol acyltransferases. Virulence of the mutants was assayed in a Caenorhabditis elegans host model. Even modestly reduced expression of LRO1, phosphatidylserine synthase (CHO1), and lysophospholipid acyltransferase (LPT1) significantly reduced virulence by 23–38%. Reintroducing a second functional allele, respectively, to all three mutants restored virulence. Heterozygous deletion of SLC1, a homolog of 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferases, did not significantly reduce virulence. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis of phospholipid composition followed by principal component analysis identified comprehensive changes in the LRO1 and CHO1 deletion heterozygotes. Strikingly (p < 0.001), univariate comparisons found that both deletion heterozygotes had 20% more phosphatidylinositol, 75% less lysophosphatidylcholine, and 35% less lysophosphatidylethanolamine compared to wild type. Heterozygous deletion of LPT1 also significantly increased phosphatidylinositol abundance. No growth phenotype, including filamentation, was affected by any mutation. Together, these data predict that even partial pharmacological inhibition of Lro1p, Cho1p, and Lpt1p will limit C. albicans virulence through altering phospholipid composition.
Male gender is associated with seizure risk in low-grade glioma (LGG) patients.

e13520Background: Up to 90% of LGG patients present with seizures, but the risk of developing seizure is not known. Our goal was to determine the association between clinical and molecular factors ...
Genetics of Colorectal Cancer

The annual incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the United States is approximately 131,600.1A positive family history is the most common risk factor for hereditary colon cancer (CRC).2 If one accepts the most conservative estimate that 10% of CRC is hereditary, more than 13,000 of these CRC cases will have a hereditary etiology. The majority of hereditary CRC cases will be hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), although the exact frequency is not known. Estimates range from a low of about 2% to a high of 10–15% of the total CRC burden. The rare hereditary CRC disorders, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), account for less than 1% of all cases. Table 1 describes hereditary disorders that predispose to CRC.Advancing knowledge may aid in additional molecular genetic diagnoses for hereditary forms of cancer.
Variation in Prescribing and Factors Associated With the Use of Prophylactic Antibiotics for Mohs Surgery: A Single-Institution Retrospective Study.

Background Antibiotic use associated with Mohs surgery is increasing. Objective To understand variation in practice patterns and factors associated with antibiotic use. Materials and methods The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of antibiotic use among patients treated with Mohs micrographic surgery between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2017, at an academic medical center. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate for associations between antibiotic prescribing and the surgeon, site, reconstruction, and patient characteristics. Results The odds of prescribing antibiotics differed significantly between each surgeon evaluated; 3.35-fold variation in postoperative antibiotic use was observed. Increasing number of surgical sites (odds ratio [OR] 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.41), number of Mohs stages required (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.08-1.28), and defect area (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.25-1.37), as well as patient female sex (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.03-1.27), were associated with increased postoperative antibiotic use, whereas age >80 was associated with decreased use (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.64-0.87) compared with age Conclusion Antibiotics are more commonly prescribed for repairs that are considered higher risk for infection. However, significant variation exists between surgeons, even within a single institution, suggesting a need for prospective trials and consensus guideline development.
The Age of Aryamehr: Late Pahlavi Iran and its Global Entanglements

Roham Alvandi notes in the introductory chapter to the volume under review that the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi “marked the high-point of Iran’s global interconnectedness” (p. 1). As editor...
A versatile dual-use RT-PCR control for use in assays for the detection of peste des petits ruminants virus

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute and highly contagious disease with high mortality in small ruminants and significant socioeconomic impact in developing countries. The causative agent is peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have set up a goal for the global eradication of PPR by 2030. To assist in this effort, an easily produced, specific, non-pathogenic bacteriophage Qβ based real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) PPRV positive control was developed. This control is compatible for use with two previously described PPRV qRT-PCR assays either as singleplex or multiplex platform. Additionally, the control can also be used for assembling proficiency testing panels for competency testing in diagnostic laboratories. Use of the Qβ phage based PPRV control as a positive control or in proficiency testing panels reduces the risk of inadvertent release of pathogenic PPRV from diagnostic laboratories, which would be especially important should PPR be eradicated in the future.
Kauffman Firm Survey: Fourth Follow-Up Annotated Questionnaire

The Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) is a panel study of new businesses founded in 2004 and tracked over their early years of operation. The survey focuses on the nature of new business formation activity; characteristics of the strategy, offerings, and employment patterns of new businesses; the nature of the financial and organizational arrangements of these businesses; and the characteristics of their founders. The fourth follow-up survey covers calendar year 2008.
Onyx embolization of skull base paragangliomas: a single-center experience

Skull base paragangliomas are highly vascular tumors that are often embolized before surgical resection; however, the safety and efficacy of preoperative embolization using an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx; Medtronic, Dublin, Republic of Ireland) in these tumors is unknown. This retrospective cohort study evaluated patient outcomes after preoperative embolization of skull base paragangliomas using Onyx. We retrospectively analyzed data from all patients with skull base paragangliomas who underwent preoperative Onyx embolization at our institution (January 01, 2005–December 31, 2017). Patient, tumor, embolization, and outcomes data were extracted by reviewing inpatient and outpatient clinical and imaging records. Seven patients were studied (5/7 [71%] female), 6 with glomus jugulares and 1 with a glomus vagale. The median age was 52 years, and the most common presenting symptom was cranial neuropathy (6/7 [86%]). The tumor vascular supply was from the ascending pharyngeal artery in all 7 cases (100%) with additional feeders including the occipital artery in 5 (71%); internal carotid artery in 3 (43%); middle meningeal, vertebral, and internal maxillary artery each in 2 (29%); and posterior auricular artery in 1 (14%). The median postembolization tumor devascularization was 80% (range, 64–95%). The only postembolization complication was a facial palsy in 1 patient. Preoperative embolization with Onyx affords excellent devascularization for the majority of skull base paragangliomas, and it may facilitate resection of these hypervascular lesions. The advantages provided by Onyx with respect to penetration of intratumoral vessels must be weighed against the risk of cranial neuropathy.
Extraintestinal Manifestations of Crohn's Disease in the Form of Pulmonary Nodules: A Case Report.

Crohn's disease is a systemic illness with a plethora of extraintestinal manifestations affecting various organs, of which the lungs are relatively rare. Pulmonary involvement may include airway diseases, lung parenchymal diseases, pleural diseases, or drug-related diseases. Tracheobronchial involvement is the most common respiratory presentation, whereas Crohn's disease-related interstitial lung disease is seen less frequently. A 41-year-old woman with a past medical history of Crohn's disease (status-post subtotal colectomy) presented to the hospital for an enlarging ground-glass opacity in her right middle lobe detected on routine computed tomography of the abdomen six months earlier. The opacity had increased in size from 21 x 18 mm to 28 x 18 mm and another ground-glass opacity in the right lower lobe increased in size from 5 mm to 12.4 mm. A robotic right middle lobectomy with lymph node dissection was done and bronchoscopy showed benign nodular lymphoid hyperplasia and a single perivascular epithelioid granuloma. A year later, her relapsing episodes of cough and shortness of breath were managed with prednisone, 20 mg, for a probable pulmonary manifestation of Crohn's disease. A non-contrast computed tomography of the chest showed interval resolution of the right lower lobe ground-glass opacity. A year after that, she presented to the hospital with increasing cough, shortness of breath, and a new right lower lobe ground-glass opacity (14 x 14 mm) on non-contrast computed tomography of the chest and has been managed with steroids with consideration of immunosuppression. In conclusion, pulmonary manifestations of Crohn's disease present in a myriad of varieties and often present confounding diagnostic problems necessitating an extensive work-up. Thus, Crohn's disease should be kept in the differential list in case of unusual clinical symptoms and radiological signs of idiopathic pulmonary presentations. These infrequent, and sometimes life-threatening, extraintestinal manifestations need to be considered when dealing with Crohn's disease to avoid further impairment of health status and alleviate patient symptoms by prompt recognition and treatment.
Sounding the Alarm and Putting Out the Fire: New Mechanistic Insights into Inflammatory Cell Death

Inflammasomes are multi-protein signaling scaffolds that assemble in response to invasive pathogens and sterile danger signals to activate inflammatory caspases, which trigger inflammatory death (p...
Multiple Mechanisms Appear to Underlie the Antisecretory Action of Somatostatin on Acid Secretion

In recent years a reductionistic approach has been applied to study of the mechanisms regulating acid secretion. Although many of these regulatory events remain incompletely understood, a basis is beginning to emerge for understanding the mechanisms by which antisecretory agents inhibit acid secretion.
Caudal paramedian approach to cryptorchidectomy in 29 small ruminants (2011-2019).

Objective To describe a caudal paramedian approach to cryptorchidectomy in small ruminants. Study design Retrospective case series. Animals Sheep (n = 20) and goats (n = 9) with cryptorchidism. Methods Medical records from January 2011 to July 2019 of small ruminants that underwent caudal paramedian cryptorchidectomy at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Data from animal signalment, operative and postoperative complications, and client satisfaction were evaluated. Results Twenty sheep and nine goats underwent caudal paramedian cryptorchidectomy during the study period. The median age of rams was 2 months, and the median age of bucks was 3 months; median weights for rams and bucks were 20.5 kg (range, 14.5-41.3) and 28.1 kg (range, 12.9-82), respectively. Cryptorchidism was bilateral in 27.6% (8/29) of cases and unilateral in 72.4% (21/29). Among unilateral cases, 85.7% (18/21) were right sided and 14.3% (3/21) were left sided. Twenty-four of 29 (82.8%) cases were performed under sedation. One operative complication occurred in a 4-year-old 82 kg buck (rate, 3.4% [95% CI: 0.1%-17.2%]). Postoperatively, there were two minor and one major complications (rates, 6.9% [95% CI: 0.8%-22.1%] and 3.4% [95% CI: 0.1%-17.2%], respectively). Long-term follow-up (range, 8-117 months) reports described owner satisfaction and all animals doing well at the time of follow-up telephone call. Conclusion Caudal paramedian approach to cryptorchidectomy was safely performed in small ruminants less than 4 months old. Clinical significance Ease of surgical technique, minimal operative and postoperative complications, and owner satisfaction make this a suitable method for cryptorchidectomy.
Faculty Survey on OER: Perceptions, Behaviors, and Implications for Library Practice

INTRODUCTION The Mary Couts Burnett Library at Texas Christian University (TCU) seeks to learn more about university faculty members’ perceptions and behaviors related to open educational resources (OER), and to identify one or more initiatives to increase adoption of OER at the university. METHODS The researchers sent a survey to all university faculty using Qualtrics™, and 104 persons responded. The survey used a combination of multiple-choice and free-text questions, and covered OER adoption and creation by faculty members, their perceptions of OER, and recommendations related to possible initiatives to increase OER interest. RESULTS Among respondents, almost half used OER either currently or in the past, while a fifth created their own OER. When comparing OER to traditional textbooks in terms of being scholarly, the majority indicated that OER and traditional textbooks were about the same level, but a quarter of faculty indicated that traditional textbooks were more scholarly. When asked about initiatives the library could pursue to increase faculty OER creation, the leading responses included financial support of faculty using OER, along with training opportunities. DISCUSSION The researchers were pleased to see that many faculty have used OER either currently or in the past, and that many had positive views surrounding OER. The researchers now have data that support the establishment of OER initiatives. CONCLUSION The survey informs the TCU Library and academic libraries in general. Two initiatives that libraries should consider are establishing an OER training program for faculty and developing a grant program to support faculty members who are adopting or creating OER. Libraries should collaborate with other units on campus such as the center for teaching excellence or the faculty senate.
The Role of Parents in Reducing Academic, Health, and Behavioral Problems for Native American, African American, and Latinx Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine how parental modeling of thoughtful behavior and the home physical environment may reduce the number of developmental problems exhibited by Native American, African American, and Latinx adolescents. METHOD Demographic and home environmental data were collected from 54 Native American, 131 African American, and 159 Latinx families living in 4 states as part of a home visit. Parents and adolescents were administered surveys that captured adolescent health, social skills, problem behavior, self-efficacy beliefs, vocabulary attainment, and school grades. Scores from the surveys were combined to construct both an adolescent problems index and a household risk index. For each of the 3 racial/ethnic groups examined, the adolescent problems index was regressed on parental modeling and encouragement of mature behavior, the home physical environment, and the household risk index. RESULTS Modeling and encouragement of mature behavior was a significant bivariate predictor of overall problems in all 3 groups of adolescents-albeit the overall regression model was nonsignificant for Native Americans. By contrast, the other 2 predictors were nonsignificant in regression models for all 3 groups. CONCLUSION Native American, African American, and Latinx adolescents often face a multitude of risks, including poverty and discrimination. As a consequence, adolescents from these 3 racial/ethnic groups frequently display problems pertaining to health, competence, and adaptive behavior. The results from this study suggest that adolescents from such demographic groups are less likely to manifest developmental problems if their parents model mature behavior and encourage the adolescent to act in thoughtful ways.
Library Impact on Online-Only Graduate Student Success: A Roadmap

Research on library impact on online-only graduate student success has been limited. This paper will present a structure to evaluate the effect early program instruction and contact with library pr...
Optical control of X-ray emission

We theoretically show that photonic structures can be used to control the X-ray spectrum generated through spontaneous parametric down-conversion. As an example, we show how 1D and 3D photonic crystals can enable enhanced X-ray emission.
A step-by-step guide to peer review: a template for patients and novice reviewers

While relatively novel, patient peer review has the potential to change the healthcare publishing paradigm. It can do this by helping researchers enlarge the pool of people who are welcome to read, understand and participate in healthcare research. Academic journals who are early adopters of patient
Integrated molecular analysis identifies a conserved pericyte gene signature in zebrafish

ABSTRACT Pericytes reside in capillary beds where they share a basement membrane with endothelial cells and regulate their function. However, little is known about embryonic pericyte development, in part, due to lack of specific molecular markers and genetic tools. Here, we applied single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of platelet derived growth factor beta (pdgfrb)-positive cells to molecularly characterize pericytes in zebrafish larvae. scRNA-seq revealed zebrafish cells expressing mouse pericyte gene orthologs while comparison to bulk RNA-seq from wild type and pdgfrb mutant larvae further refined a pericyte geneset. Subsequent integration with mouse pericyte scRNA-seq profiles revealed a core set of conserved pericyte genes. Using transgenic reporter lines, we validated pericyte expression of two genes identified in our analysis: NDUFA4 mitochondrial complex associated like 2a (ndufa4l2a), and potassium voltage-gated channel, Isk-related family, member 4 (kcne4). Both reporter lines exhibited pericyte expression in multiple anatomical locations, while kcne4 was also detected in a subset of vascular smooth muscle cells. Thus, our integrated molecular analysis revealed a molecular profile for zebrafish pericytes and allowed us to develop new tools to observe these cells in vivo. SUMMARY STATEMENT An integrated molecular analysis in zebrafish identifies new molecular markers for pericytes.
Effects of inactivation of d,d-transpeptidases of Acinetobacter baumannii on bacterial growth and susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics.

Resistance to β-lactams, the most used antibiotics worldwide, constitutes the major problem for treatment of bacterial infections. In the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, β-lactamase-mediated resistance to the family of β-lactam antibiotics, carbapenems, has resulted in the selection and dissemination of multidrug-resistant isolates, which often cause infections characterized by high mortality rates. There is thus an urgent demand for new β-lactamase-resistant antibiotics that also inhibit their targets, penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). As some PBPs are indispensable for biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall and survival, we evaluated their importance for growth of A. baumannii by performing gene inactivation studies of d,d-transpeptidase domains of high-molecular mass (HMM) PBPs individually and in combination with one another. We showed that PBP3 is essential for A. baumannii survival, as deletion mutants of this d,d-transpeptidase were not viable. Inactivation of PBP1a resulted in partial cell lysis and retardation of bacterial growth, and these effects were further enhanced by additional inactivation of PBP2 but not PBP1b. Susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics increased 4-8-fold for the A. baumannii PBP1a/PBP1b/PBP2 triple mutant and 2-4-fold for all remaining mutants. Analysis of peptidoglycan structure revealed a significant change in the muropeptide composition of the triple mutant and demonstrated that lack of d,d-transpeptidase activity of PBP1a, PBP1b, and PBP2 is compensated by an increase in l,d-transpeptidase-mediated crosslinking activity of LdtJ. Overall, our data showed that in addition to essential PBP3, simultaneous inhibition of PBP1a and PBP2 or PBPs in combination with LdtJ could represent potential strategies for design of novel drugs against A. baumannii.
Films Blancs : Luminosity in the Films of Michael Mann

This paper is a study of the place of luminosity in the films of Michael Mann and the way in which luminosity is not a tool of illumination but a radiance that signals the bodying forth of appearances. The event of luminosity in Mann's films is an attempt to re-imagine the conventional value structures that create a link between film and indexicality, as if his admiration for the photoreal effects of film belies an insistence that the advenience of an appearance (a central conceptual category I elaborate) is what eventuates when objects ingress between reference and expression, between realism and dream. By using the most advanced high definition digital cameras to film his nightscapes - and his movies more generally - Mann defeats the illuminatory and transcriptual demands of a filmic iconography that rely on the power of light to tether a representation to a thing in the world. In doing so, however, he neither refuses nor rejects the power of representation as such. His picturing of luminous nightscapes in cities, for instance, transubstantiates the objecthood of urban spaces so that the iridescence of the lights makes the city feel at once vivid and unlike any object that might exist in the world. I conclude that Mann's commitment to filming luminosity presents a problem to the dominant methodologies for the analysis of aesthetics and politics that offer a moral theory of the image. Michael Mann's films, finally, offer an alternative to the moral theory of the image: a politics of appearances rooted in the experience of advenience.
(S)‐4‐(phenylmethyl)‐2‐oxazolidinone

(S)-4-(Phenylmethyl)-2-oxazolidinone intermediate: (S)-Phenylalanol product: (S)-4-(Phenylmethyl)-2-oxazolidinone Keywords: cyclization, condensation; reduction, CO2H CH2OH; assay methods, of enantiomeric purity of alcohols by GLC analysis of mosher ester; boron trifluoride etherate; l-phenylalanine; tetrahydrofuran; benzene
Sulfadiazine sensitivity: An unusual case with successful passive transfer

Abstract 1. 1. Marked sensitivity to sulfadiazine (and to sulfathiazole) was observed in a patient, who had previously taken sulfadiazine for the treatment of furunculosis. 2. 2. Scratch tests with sodium sulfadiazine and sodium sulfathiazole performed on the patient ten and twenty-five days, and seven months after the occurrence of the reaction to sulfadiazine were positive. 3. 3. Passive transfer tests with the patient's sera obtained at the time of her reaction to sulfadiazine, and again ten and twenty-five days later were markedly positive when challenged with sodium sulfadiazine and slightly positive with sodium sulfathiazole.
The Limits of Backlash

The Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London generated a massive political backlash from across the political spectrum (545 U.S. 469 [2005]). Kelo’s holding that the Public Use Clause allows the taking of private property for transfer to new private owners for the purpose of promoting “economic development” was denounced by many on both the right and the left. Over forty states have enacted post-Kelo reform legislation to curb eminent domain.1 The Kelo backlash probably resulted in more new state legislation than any other Supreme Court decision in history.2
Analysis of Environmental and General Science Teaching Efficacy Among Instructors with Contrasting Class Ethnicity Distributions: A Four-Dimensional Assessment

The context and nature of teacher efficacy beliefs provide a method upon which to explore science teachers' perceptions of their teaching effectiveness and student achievement as a function of ethnicity. Promotion of a more in-depth knowledge of science teaching efficacy requires cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations. In this study, a bi-disciplinary four-dimensional assessment is utilized to measure personal teacher efficacy, outcome expectancy, classroom management (CM), and student engagement (SE). Major findings from this study conclude that science teaching efficacy was markedly lower for science teachers with high minority class ethnicity distribution (CED) when compared with efficacy levels of teachers with high nonminority CED. Additionally, when examining efficacy dimensions separately, markedly lower mean efficacy dimension responses were consistent for teachers with high minority CED; however, only CM and SE were considered statistically different. Results were consistent for both the environmental and general science disciplines.