cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is echocardiographic assessment of dyssynchrony useful to select candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy? Echocardiography is useful before cardiac resynchronization therapy if QRS duration is available.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has emerged as one of the few therapies available for patients with advanced heart failure (HF) that favorably affects symptoms, functional status, hospitalization rates, and mortality rate.1,2 It is thought that CRT achieves these benefits by coordinating contraction between ventricular segments that at baseline are dyssynchronous.3 Synchronized electrical excitation of the ventricles leads to near-simultaneous mechanical activation of the normal and delayed segments, resulting in greater stroke volume and reduction of mitral regurgitation with improved neurohormonal profile and reversal of adverse ventricular remodeling. The early large-scale clinical trials that established these benefits of CRT were limited to patients with prolonged QRS duration, a simple and convenient marker of delayed electrical activation. On the basis of these data, current guidelines recommend CRT for patients with ejection fraction 120 ms. Response by Prinzen and Auricchio p 79 A consistent finding from all trials of CRT, however, is a lack of clinical or echocardiographic benefit in approximately one third of patients (“nonresponders”).4 Unlike pharmacological therapy, CRT is complex, invasive, and costly; therefore, improved identification of patients likely to benefit is a clinical imperative. One factor among many underlying this high rate of nonresponse is that QRS duration is an imperfect surrogate for the disorder actually targeted by CRT: mechanical dyssynchrony. Mechanical dyssynchrony may involve delay in mechanical activation of the left ventricle (LV) relative to the right ventricle (RV) (interventricular dyssynchrony) or of one LV region relative to another (intraventricular dyssynchrony). Several lines of evidence suggest that QRS duration may not always be concordant with mechanical dyssynchrony. Leclercq et al5 used an experimental model of tachypacing-induced HF with left bundle-branch block to demonstrate improvement in invasive indices of ventricular contractility …
A semi-automated method to create a lidar-based hydro-flattened DEM

The response of water surfaces to light detection and ranging lidar pulses is unpredictable, which results in sparse lidar point density with varying intensity values. Due to the sparseness of the point cloud and lack of natural breaklines, lidar-derived digital elevation model DEM can produce unnatural surface over waterbodies. Such surfaces are not cartographically pleasing and can cause issues in the hydrologic and hydraulic modelling of a river. Hydro-flattening is the process of creating a lidar-derived DEM in which water surfaces appear and behave as they would in traditional topographic DEMs generated from photogrammetric digital terrain models. Hydro-flattened DEMs, created using lidar data, exclude the lidar points over waterbodies and include three-dimensional 3D bank shorelines. In this article, a semi-automated method is presented for extracting bank shorelines for the purpose of creating lidar-derived hydro-flatten DEMs. Lidar point cloud and an approximate stream centreline are the primary data for this process. In the first step, a continuous bare ground surface CBGS is created by eliminating non-ground lidar points and by adding artificial underwater points. In the second step, the lowest elevation from the lidar point cloud within a radius distance from the river centreline is used to create a virtual water surface VWS. This VWS is revised to consider water surface undulations such as ripples or waves, protruding underwater objects, etc. The revised VWS is then intersected with the CBGS to locate the two-dimensional 2D bank shorelines. The 2D shorelines are assigned the elevations of the VWS and are used to produce a hydro-flattened DEM. The planimetric absolute mean separation of 0.94, 0.69, and 0.63 m for the three water surfaces is observed between the bank shoreline extracted using raw lidar points and a GPS global positioning system survey. The mean separation using vendor classified lidar points is 0.74, 0.67, and 0.64 m which are very similar to those using raw lidar.
Investigating Thematic Roles through Implicit Learning: Evidence from Light Verb Constructions.

The syntactic structure of a sentence is usually a strong predictor of its meaning: Each argument noun phrase (i.e., Subject and Object) should map onto exactly one thematic role (i.e., Agent and Patient, respectively). Some constructions, however, are exceptions to this pattern. This paper investigates how the syntactic structure of an utterance contributes to its construal, using ditransitive English light verb constructions, such as “Nils gave a hug to his brother”, as an example of such mismatches: Hugging is a two-role event, but the ditransitive syntactic structure suggests a three-role event. Data from an eye-tracking experiment and behavioral categorization data reveal that listeners learn to categorize sentences according to the number of thematic roles they convey, independent of their syntax. Light verb constructions, however, seem to form a category of their own, in which the syntactic structure leads listeners down an initial incorrect assignment of thematic roles, from which they only partly recover. These results suggest an automatic influence of syntactic argument structure on semantic interpretation and event construal, even in highly frequent constructions.
Space Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) Radar

In previous chapters, the use of Doppler processing was discussed as a key method to discriminate both in distance and velocity. Discrimination in direction (or angle of arrival to the antennas) is provided by aiming the radar signal, using either traditional parabolic or more advanced electronic steering of array antennas.
Protecting Oak Flat: Narratives Of Survivance As Observed Through Digital Activism

American Indians are increasingly using social media/social network platforms as a tool to influence policy through social change. The activist group Apache Stronghold represents a case of American Indians utilising social media tools to protect Oak Flat and influence federal Indian policy. Oak Flat is sacred Apache land located in Superior, Arizona. United States legislators transferred Oak Flat to the mining company Resolution Copper as part of the omnibus National Defense Authorization Act of 2015. Qualitative analysis of social media content and advocacy tactics – specifically through use of timeline and digital ethnography – of Apache Stronghold from 2015-2016 reveal the interrelated nature of on-the-ground efforts, online efforts, solidarity efforts, and legislative support efforts. In sum, these efforts express narratives of survivance, healing, and a future orientation, as a unique dimension of social change.
Resilience and Thinking Perpendicularly: A Meditation or Morning Jog.

In this article, we explore the topic of resilience. We consider some of the ways that resilience relates to managing stress levels, with the intention of developing a capacity to “keep going.” How...
Social capital and folk lending in China’s hottest financial market

AbstractIn 2011, responding to a credit crunch, Wenzhou became the first and only municipality to institute complete financial reform. Wenzhou had been the fastest growing municipal economy in Chin...
Transplantation of Neural Progenitors and V2a Interneurons after Spinal Cord Injury

There is growing interest in the use of neural precursor cells to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite extensive pre-clinical research, it remains unclear as to which donor neuron phenotypes are available for transplantation, whether the same populations exist across different sources of donor tissue (e.g., developing tissue vs. cultured cells), and whether donor cells retain their phenotype once transplanted into the hostile internal milieu of the injured adult spinal cord. In addition, while functional improvements have been reported after neural precursor transplantation post-SCI, the extent of recovery is limited and variable. The present work begins to address these issues by harnessing ventrally derived excitatory pre-motor V2a spinal interneurons (SpINs) to repair the phrenic motor circuit after cervical SCI. Recent studies have demonstrated that Chx10-positive V2a SpINs contribute to anatomical plasticity within the phrenic circuitry after cervical SCI, thus identifying them as a therapeutic candidate. Building upon this discovery, the present work tests the hypothesis that transplantation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) enriched with V2a INs can contribute to neural networks that promote repair and enhance respiratory plasticity after cervical SCI. Cultured NPCs (neuronal and glial restricted progenitor cells) isolated from E13.5 Green fluorescent protein rats were aggregated with TdTomato-mouse embryonic stem cell-derived V2a INs in vitro, then transplanted into the injured cervical (C3-4) spinal cord. Donor cells survive, differentiate and integrate with the host spinal cord. Functional diaphragm electromyography indicated recovery 1 month following treatment in transplant recipients. Animals that received donor cells enriched with V2a INs showed significantly greater functional improvement than animals that received NPCs alone. The results from this study offer insight into the neuronal phenotypes that might be effective for (re)establishing neuronal circuits in the injured adult central nervous system.
Neonatal bladder inflammation alters the role of the central amygdala in hypersensitivity produced by Acute Footshock stress in adult female rats

There is increasing evidence that chronic pain may be associated with events that occur during critical periods of development. Recent studies have identified behavioral, spinal neurophysiological and spinal/peripheral neurochemical differences in rats that have experienced neonatal bladder inflammation (NBI): a putative model of the chronically painful bladder disorder, interstitial cystitis. Stress has been shown to exacerbate symptoms of interstitial cystitis and produces bladder hypersensitivity in animal models. We recently reported that Acute Footshock-induced bladder hypersensitivity was eliminated in otherwise normal rats by prior bilateral lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala. Since the spinal and peripheral nervous systems of NBI-treated rats are known to differ from normal rats, the present experiments sought to determine whether a supraspinal nervous system structure, the central amygdala, is still necessary for the induction of Acute Footshock-induced hypersensitivity. The effect of bilateral amygdala electrolytic lesions on Acute Footshock-induced bladder hypersensitivity in adult female rats was tested in Control rats which underwent a control protocol as neonates and in experimental rats which experienced NBI. Consistent with our previous report, in Control rats, Acute Footshock-induced bladder hypersensitivity was eliminated by bilateral Amygdala Lesions. In contrast, Acute Footshock-induced bladder hypersensitivity in NBI-treated rats was unaffected by bilateral Amygdala Lesions. These findings provide evidence that NBI results in the recruitment of substrates of bladder hypersensitivity that may differ from those of normal rats. This, in turn, suggests that unique therapeutics may be needed for painful bladder disorders like interstitial cystitis.
Redefining secondary injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage in light of multimodal advanced neuroimaging, intracranial and transcranial neuromonitoring: beyond vasospasm.

The classic idea that arterial narrowing, called vasospasm (VSP), represents the hallmark of secondary injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage, has been challenged. The more complex and pleiotropic pathophysiological repercussions from the irruption of arterial blood into the subarachnoid layers go beyond the ascribed VSP. Putting adjectives in front of this term, such as “symptomatic,” “microdialytic,” or “angiographic” VSP, is misleading. Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a better term but remains restrictive to severe hypoperfusive injury and neglects oligemia, edema, and metabolic nonischemic injuries. In recognition of these issues, the international conference on VSP integrated “neurovascular events” into its name (www.vasospasm2013.com) and a multidisciplinary research group was formed in 2010 to study subgroups of DCI/VSP and their respective significance.
Effects of implant regimens (trenbolone acetate-estradiol administered alone or in combination with zeranol) and vitamin D3 on fresh beef color and quality

In the first oftwo experiments, 123 calf-fed steers were used over a 2-yr period to evaluate the effects of trenbolone acetate (TBA)-based implants administered alone or in combination with zeranol implants on fresh beef muscle quality, color, and physiological maturity of the carcass. Implant treatments decreased (P < 0.05) a* values (d 0 and d 3 of retail display) and b* values (d 0, d 1, and d 3 of retail display) after 14 d of aging. Carcasses from cattle initially implanted with Revalor-S and reimplanted with Revalor-S on d 60 of the finishing period showed increased lean and bone maturity scores and ash content of the 9th to 11th thoracic buttons and Warner-Bratzler shear force values (WBS) compared to those initially implanted with Ralgro and subsequently reimplanted with Revalor-S or control cattle. In addition, implants decreased (P < 0.05) marbling, percentage of the carcasses grading Choice, and kidney, pelvic, and heart fat (KPH). Implant treatments increased (P < 0.05) ADG, hot carcass weights, and longissimus muscle (LM) area. In the second experiment over a 2-yr period, 166 steers fed as yearlings were allotted to one of two implant treatments and one of two vitamin D3 preharvest supplementation treatments. Implanted steers had heavier (P < 0.05) final body weights and higher (P < 0.05) ADG, less (P < 0.05) KPH fat, and larger (P < 0.05) LM. Also, implanted steers had more (P < 0.05) advanced bone maturity scores, higher (P < 0.05) ash content of the 9th to 11th thoracic buttons, and higher (P < 0.05) WBS values on 5-d postmortem loin steaks. Vitamin D3 feeding decreased (P < 0.05) final live weight, ADG (P < 0.05), and LM (P < 0.05), but did not significantly improve WBS values. In Experiment 2, neither implant treatment nor vitamin D3 supplementation had significant effects on L*, a*, or b* values of muscles in steaks before or during simulated retail display.
Impact of Swine Manure Applications on Nitrate and Phosphorus in Subsurface Drainage Water

Introduction Nonpoint source nutrient pollution related to land application of manures is recognized as an important environmental and social issue for several reasons. First, manure from swine production facilities can have serious impacts on the quality of ground water resources. Second, several states are in the process of creating laws and/or regulations to reduce nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loadings from manure to soil and water resources. Third, pollution of water resources from nutrients supplied by manure to croplands will help set parameters for developing public policies on the management of manure.
Modulation of GABA-augmented norepinephrine release in female rat brain slices by opioids and adenosine.

GABAA receptor activation augments electrically-stimulated release of norepinephrine (NE) from rat brain slices. Because this effect is not observed in synaptoneurosomes, GABA probably acts on inhibitory interneurons to disinhibit NE release. To determine whether opioids or adenosine influence GABA-augmented NE release, hypothalamic and cortical slices from female rats were superfused with GABA or vehicle in the presence and absence of 10 μM morphine or 100 μM adenosine. GABA augments [3H]NE release in the cortex and hypothalamus. Morphine alone has no effect on [3H]NE release, but attenuates GABA augmentation of [3H]NE release in both brain regions. Adenosine alone modestly inhibits [3H]NE release in the cortex, but not in the hypothalamus. Adenosine inhibits GABA-augmented [3H]NE release in both brain regions. The general protein kinase inhibitor H-7, augments [3H]NE release in both brain regions and may have additive effects with GABA in cortical slices. These results implicate opioid and adenosine interneurons and possibly protein kinases in regulating GABAergic influences on NE transmission.
Immune receptor recombinations from breast cancer exome files, independently and in combination with specific HLA alleles, correlate with better survival rates

Immune characterizations of cancers, including breast cancer, have led to information useful for prognoses and are considered to be important in the future of refining the use of immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies. In this study, we sought to extend these characterizations with genomics approaches, particularly with cost-effective employment of exome files. By recovery of immune receptor recombination reads from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) breast cancer dataset, we observed associations of these recombinations with T-cell and B-cell biomarkers and with distinct survival rates. Recovery of TRD or IGH recombination reads was associated with an improved disease-free survival (p = 0.047 and 0.045, respectively). Determination of the HLA types using the exome files allowed matching of T-cell receptor V- and J-gene segment usage with specific HLA alleles, in turn allowing a refinement of the association of immune receptor recombination read recoveries with survival. For example, the TRBV7, HLA-C*07:01 combination represented a significantly worse, disease-free outcome (p = 0.014) compared to all other breast cancer samples. By direct comparisons of distinct TRB gene segment usage, HLA allele combinations revealed breast cancer subgroups, within the entire TCGA breast cancer dataset with even more dramatic survival distinctions. In sum, the use of exome files for recovery of adaptive immune receptor recombination reads, and the simultaneous determination of HLA types, has the potential of advancing the use of immunogenomics for immune characterization of breast tumor samples.
CHAPTER 1 – *Endocrine Systems

Publisher Summary Hormones are the chemical messengers of multicellular organisms that allow the cells to communicate and engage in coordinated responses. They are especially pervasive in insect systems, affecting a wide variety of physiological processes including embryogenesis, postembryonic development, behavior, water balance, metabolism, caste determination, polymorphism, mating, reproduction, and diapause. This chapter discusses the hormone releasing sites, including endocrine glands, tissues, and cells, present in insect bodies. Insects have classical endocrine glands, which are tissues that specialize in the secretion of chemical messengers that are transported by the blood and act on receptor-bearing target tissues elsewhere in the body. Examples of endocrine glands in insects are the prothoracic glands, which produce ecdysteroids, and the corpus allatum, which produces juvenile hormones. Insects, like vertebrates, also have nerve cells that generate electrical impulses and translate these to chemical messages at the synapse and then propagate the messages to other neurons to which they are connected. Insects produce steroid hormones, such as ecdysteroids, sesquiterpenes that include all the juvenile hormones, and a number of peptide hormones produced by neurosecretory cells throughout the central nervous system and the midgut. There are also a number of biogenic amines, including octopamine, tyramine, and serotonin, that are primarily neurotransmitters derived from amino acids, but that also may have more widespread effects on the organism. Other hormones, such as prostaglandin, are derived from fatty acids. The chapter describes the synthesis, release, modes of actions, and physiological impacts of these insect hormones.
Role of Phosphorylation in the Modulation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor’s Intrinsically Disordered Domain

Protein phosphorylation often switches cellular activity from one state to another, and this post-translational modification plays an important role in gene regulation by the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, including the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Cell signaling pathways that regulate phosphorylation of the GR are important determinants of GR actions, including lymphoid cell apoptosis, DNA binding, and interaction with coregulatory proteins. All major functionally important phosphorylation sites in the human GR are located in its N-terminal domain (NTD), which possesses a powerful transactivation domain, AF1. The GR NTD exists as an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) and undergoes disorder-order transition for AF1’s efficient interaction with several coregulatory proteins and subsequent AF1-mediated GR activity. It has been reported that GR’s NTD/AF1 undergoes such disorder-order transition following site-specific phosphorylation. This review provides currently available information regarding the role of GR phosphorylation in its action and highlights the possible underlying mechanisms of action.
Optimizing Robot-Assisted Surgery Suture Plans to Avoid Joint Limits and Singularities

Laparoscopic robots such as the da Vinci Research Kit encounter joint limits and singularities during procedures, leading to errors and prolonged operating times. We propose the Circle Suture Placement Problem to optimize the location and direction of four evenly-spaced stay sutures on surgical mesh for robot-assisted hernia surgery. We present an algorithm for this problem that runs in 0.4 seconds on a desktop equipped with commodity hardware. Simulated results integrating data from expert surgeon demonstrations suggest that optimizing over both suture position and direction increases dexterity reward by 11%-57% over baseline algorithms that optimize over either suture position or direction only.
Physicochemical properties of circulating red blood cells of lethally x-irradiated mice treated with rat bone marrow.

1. Two months after injection of rat bone marrow into lethally X-irradiated mice (950 r-RBM mice), 100% of the circulating RBC were serologically of the rat type, indicating that the surface molecular configuration of RBC from these experimental mice are of the rat type. 2. The hemoglobin was found to be also very much like the rat type in its ease in crystallization, its alkali denaturation property, its electrophoretic property, and its tendency to form a paracrystalline state at low temperature. 3. These cells possessed dual osmotic properties; the relative hemoglobin concentration released when cells were lysed in water was more comparable to the rat type, but its temperature dependency was more comparable to the mouse type.
Discrimination between respiratory and non-respiratory sound waveforms in dogs using acoustic wave recordings: An objective metric of cough

Cough is an important respiratory protective mechanism, which when persistent also contributes to disease pathology. It is therefore both a marker for and a target of therapeutic intervention. In dogs, assessment of cough is subjective, generally based on owner's perceptions of clinical signs. In humans, acoustic cough monitoring provides objective data on cough frequency by examining acoustic waveforms. We hypothesized that healthy mesocephalic dogs would demonstrate characteristic cough waveforms which could be distinguished from other acoustic behaviors (AB); whine, bark, growl, lick, drink, chew and throat-clear. Data were obtained from 10 healthy employee-owned dogs. Acoustic behaviors were recorded using a CTA-laryngeal-microphone and analyzed using RavenPro bioacoustics software for nine objective acoustic parameters (AP). Similarity between AB were assessed using a one-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) with a P<0.001 significance level. Inter- and intra-group statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA on ranks with P<0.05 significance level. With the exception of throat-clear, cough was dissimilar to every other evaluated AB (P<0.0001), with significant differences in one or more of the analyzed waveform parameters (P<0.001 for each). No between-subject differences were identified between cough and throat-clear groups for any parameter. All other behaviors showed statistically significant within-group variation (P<0.001). Cough and throat-clear (a clinically similar mechanism to protect the airways) have repeatable acoustic features that are distinguishable from other common AB and are consistent between dogs. Acoustic monitoring may provide an objective means for evaluating cough frequency and intensity in dogs with respiratory disease and assessing response to therapeutic intervention.
Bodily Norms and the Ethics of Diagnosis

What are the ethical obligations of the diagnostician? A patient presents herself with certain complaints, and these complaints reflect deficiencies she perceives in somatic (or psychosomatic) form or function. These deficiencies only make sense in terms of the values she places on her body. The prospect of mastectomy will mean different things for the aged nun than for the young female professional still planning on marriage and family, and the different values and designs each has for her body ought to be appreciated by the physician in diagnosis. As Maintetti points out, the patient’s views of what calls for medical intervention may differ from the physician’s [3]. In case there is a difference, whose values ought to have priority, and why? (This question is ethical, not primarily legal.) Can the diagnosing physician claim priority for the norms of good health? Or ought these normsl be subjected to the patient’s informed desires?
22 – Oxygen Transport

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the process of oxygen transport in the body. Of all the nutrients required by the body, the most crucial to life is oxygen. The transport of oxygen is important in understanding a number of clinical conditions, including the most important problem of shock. Except for the very small amount that passes through the skin, all oxygen is transported to the respiring cells of the body by the bloodstream. The exchange of oxygen between the body tissues and the bloodstream occurs in the complex network of capillaries distributed throughout all metabolizing tissues of the body. Oxygen is carried in the gaseous phase from the outside environment to the alveoli of the lung; it diffuses across the respiratory membrane into the bloodstream that carries it to the tissues where it is released. Blood performs this function many times more efficiently than water because of the peculiar physical chemistry of its major protein constituent, which is the respiratory pigment hemoglobin. The chapter focuses on the oxygen transport medium and on the site of oxygen exchange and describes the transport of oxygen in tissues.
The genome of the nonphotosynthetic diatom, Nitzschia sp.: Insights into the metabolic shift to heterotrophy and the rarity of loss of photosynthesis in diatoms

Abstract Although most of the tens of thousands of diatom species are obligate photoautotrophs, many mixotrophic species can also use extracellular organic carbon for growth, and a small number of obligate heterotrophs have lost photosynthesis entirely. We sequenced the genome of a nonphotosynthetic diatom, Nitzschia sp. strain Nitz4, to determine how carbon metabolism was altered in the wake of this rare and radical trophic shift. Like other groups that have lost photosynthesis, the genomic consequences were most evident in the plastid genome, which is exceptionally AT-rich and missing photosynthesis-related genes. The relatively small (27 Mb) nuclear genome did not differ dramatically in gene and intron density from photosynthetic diatoms. Genome-based models suggest that central carbon metabolism, including a central role for the plastid, remains relatively intact in the absence of photosynthesis. All diatom plastids lack an oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), leaving photosynthesis as the main source of NADPH. Consequently, nonphotosynthetic diatoms lack the primary source of NADPH required for numerous plastid-localized biosynthetic pathways. Genomic models highlighted similarities between nonphotosynthetic diatoms and apicomplexan parasites for provisioning NADPH in their plastids. The ancestral absence of a plastid PPP might constrain loss of photosynthesis in diatoms compared to archaeplastids, whose plastid PPP continues to produce reducing cofactors following loss of photosynthesis. Finally, Nitzschia possesses a complete β-ketoadipate pathway, which was previously known only from fungi and bacteria, that may allow mixotrophic and heterotrophic diatoms to obtain energy through the degradation of abundant plant-derived aromatic compounds.
Familiarity breeds overconfidence: Group membership and shared experience in the closeness-communication bias

Abstract Though both spouses and strangers understand a speaker equally well in a novel communication task, people overestimate their success of communication more with spouses than strangers ( Savitsky, Keysar, Epley, Carter, & Swanson, 2011 ). This phenomenon, termed the closeness-communication bias, is presumed to occur because people anchor their common ground assessments egocentrically and only minimally adjust when they perceive their interlocutors to be similar to themselves. In four experiments on college undergraduates, we investigated whether (1) friendship, (2) college affiliation, (3) minimal groups, and (4) familiarity (as defined as shared experience) affected the closeness-communication bias. As predicted, participants predicted greater prosody comprehension for friends than strangers (ηp2 = 0.56), as did minimal group members (ηp2 = 0.220) and individuals who engaged in a short online chat (ηp2 = 0.116). However, we did not find evidence of the bias when comparing undergraduates speaking to another student from the same college vs. speaking to a student from a rival college (ηp2 = 0.04). Thus, people are more likely to overestimate common ground both when they have prior personal experience with their interlocutors or when they have minimal knowledge about their interlocutors' group characteristics. In addition, the amount of personal experience or prior knowledge influences the magnitude of the bias.
Ablative Neurosurgical Procedures

Falling more in the realm of neurosurgery, neuroablative procedures have been utilized to varying relief of pain. This relatively short chapter tests a basic knowledge of these procedures aimed at knowledge that would be useful for pain practitioners.
Alcohol testing and alcohol involvement among violent deaths by state, 2014-2016.

Abstract Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing rates vary across states, potentially biasing estimates of alcohol involvement in violent deaths. The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) collects information on violent deaths, including decedents' BACs. This study assessed characteristics of violent deaths by BAC testing status, and the proportion of decedents with a positive BAC or BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dL. NVDRS data from 2014 to 2016 (2014: 18 states; 2015: 27 states; 2016: 32 states) were analyzed to assess BAC testing (tested, not tested, unknown/missing) by state, decedent characteristics, and death investigation system (e.g., state medical examiner, coroners), in 2019. The proportion of violent deaths with a BAC > 0.0 or ≥ 0.08 g/dL was also assessed. Among 95,390 violent death decedents, 57.1% had a BAC test (range: 9.5% in Georgia to 95.8% in Utah), 2.3% were not tested, and 40.6% had an unknown/missing BAC testing status (range: 1.3% in Alaska to 78.0% in Georgia). Decedents who were 21–44 years, American Indian/Alaska Native or Hispanic, died by poisoning, died by undetermined intent, or were investigated by a state medical examiner were most likely to receive BAC testing. Among the violent deaths with a reported BAC, 41.1% had a positive BAC and 27.7% had a BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dL. About 2 in 5 violent deaths were missing data on alcohol testing. Increased testing and reporting of alcohol among violent deaths could inform the development and use of evidence-based prevention strategies (e.g., increasing alcohol taxes, regulating alcohol outlet density) for reducing violent deaths.
Substrate-activated expression of a biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli

Background Microbes can facilitate production of valuable chemicals more sustainably than traditional chemical processes in many cases: they utilize renewable feedstocks, require less energy intensive process conditions, and perform a variety of chemical reactions using endogenous or heterologous enzymes. In response to the metabolic burden imposed by production pathways, chemical inducers are frequently used to initiate gene expression after the cells have reached sufficient density. While chemically inducible promoters are a common research tool used for pathway expression, they introduce a compound extrinsic to the process along with the associated costs. We developed an expression control system for a biosynthetic pathway for the production of D-glyceric acid that utilizes galacturonate as both the inducer and the substrate, thereby eliminating the need for an extrinsic chemical inducer. Methods and results Activation of expression in response to the feed is actuated by a galacturonate-responsive transcription factor biosensor. We constructed variants of the galacturonate biosensor with a heterologous transcription factor and cognate hybrid promoter, and selected for the best performer through fluorescence characterization. We showed that native E. coli regulatory systems do not interact with our biosensor and favorable biosensor response exists in the presence and absence of galacturonate consumption. We then employed the control circuit to regulate the expression of the heterologous genes of a biosynthetic pathway for the production D-glyceric acid that was previously developed in our lab. Productivity via substrate-induction with our control circuit was comparable to IPTG-controlled induction and significantly outperformed a constitutive expression control, producing 2.13±0.03 g/L D-glyceric acid within six hours of galacturonate substrate addition. Conclusion This work demonstrated feed-activated pathway expression to be an attractive control strategy for more readily scalable microbial biosynthesis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Soil Greenhouse Gas Responses to Biomass Removal in the Annual and Perennial Cropping Phases of an Integrated Crop Livestock System

Diversifying agronomic production systems by combining crops and livestock (i.e., Integrated Crop Livestock systems; ICL) may help mitigate the environmental impacts of intensive single-commodity production. In addition, harvesting row-crop residues and/or perennial biomass could increase the multi-functionality of ICL systems as a potential source for second-generation bioenergy feedstock. Here, we evaluated non-CO2 soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from both row-crop and perennial grass phases of a field-scale model ICL system established on marginally productive, poorly drained cropland in the western US Corn Belt. Soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) were measured during the 2017–2019 growing seasons under continuous corn (Zea mays L.) and perennial grass treatments consisting of a common pasture species, ‘Newell’ smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.), and two cultivars of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), ‘Liberty’ and ‘Shawnee.’ In the continuous corn system, we evaluated the impact of stover removal by mechanical baling vs. livestock grazing for systems with and without winter cover crop, triticale (x Triticosecale neoblaringhemii A. Camus; hexaploid AABBRR). In perennial grasslands, we evaluated the effect of livestock grazing vs. no grazing. We found that (1) soil N2O emissions are generally higher in continuous corn systems than perennial grasslands due to synthetic N fertilizer use; (2) winter cover crop use had no effect on total soil GHG emissions regardless of stover management treatment; (3) stover baling decreased total soil GHG emissions, though grazing stover significantly increased emissions in one year; (4) grazing perennial grasslands tended to increase GHG emissions in pastures selected for forage quality, but were highly variable from year to year; (5) ICL systems that incorporate perennial grasses will provide the most effective GHG mitigation outcomes.
A cost–based analysis for risk–averse explore–then–commit finite–time bandits

In this article, a multi–armed bandit problem is studied in an explore–then–commit setting where the cost of pulling an arm in the experimentation (exploration) phase may not be negligible. Identif...
High-Resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Organometallic (C5H4SiMe3)3LnIII and [(C5H4SiMe3)3LnII]1- Complexes (Ln = Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb).

The capacity of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to provide information on the electronic structure of molecular organometallic complexes of Ln(II) ions (Ln = lanthanide) has been examined for the first time. XPS spectra were obtained on the air-sensitive molecular trivalent 4fn Cp'3LnIII complexes (Ln = Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb; Cp' = C5H4SiMe3) and compared to those of the highly reactive divalent complexes, [K(crypt)][Cp'3LnII] (crypt = 2.2.2-cryptand), which have either 4fn+1 (Sm, Eu) or 4fn5d1 electron configurations (Gd, Tb). The Ln 4d, Si 2p, and C 1s regions of the Ln(III) and Ln(II) complexes were identified and compared. The metal 4d peaks of these molecular lanthanide complexes were used diagnostically to compare oxidation states. The valence region of the Gd(III) and Gd(II) complexes was also examined with XPS and density function theory/random phase approximation (DFT/RPA) calculations, and this led to the tentative assignment of a signal from the 5d1 electron consistent with a 4f75d1 electron configuration for Gd(II).
Tornado Storm Data Synthesization Using Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network

Predicting violent storms and dangerous weather conditions with current models can take a long time due to the immense complexity associated with weather simulation. Machine learning has the potential to classify tornadic weather patterns much more rapidly, thus allowing for more timely alerts to the public. A challenge in applying machine learning in tornado prediction is the imbalance between tornadic data and non-tornadic data. To have more balanced data, we created in this work a new data synthesization system to augment tornado storm data by implementing a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DCGAN) and qualitatively compare its output to natural data.
Clinical and biologic characterization of T-cell neoplasias with rearrangements of chromosome 7 band q34

In T cell malignancy, rearrangements of chromosome 14 have been observed with a break in the band that contains the alpha chain gene for the T cell receptor (TCR). Because the beta chain TCR gene is in chromosome band 7q34, we searched for and report finding specific rearrangements of 7q34 exclusively in T cell malignancies. The rearrangements were reciprocal translocations between 7q34 and other points: 1p34, 9q32, 9q34, 15q22, and 19p13. The malignancies containing a 7q34 translocation were either T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias or T cell lymphoblastic lymphomas that had similarities in clinical, enzyme, immunologic, and cellular characteristics. Hybridization using a probe to the beta-TCR gene disclosed unique rearrangements consistent with clonality in every case. A common pattern with chromosome breakpoints involving TCR genes may be emerging in T cell neoplasia.
A concept-first approach for an introductory computer science course

Several weaknesses have been identified to the programming-first approach often used in introductory computer science courses. Despite these weaknesses, programming continues to be the central focus in CS1 for many institutions. This paper proposes a concept-first approach that can be integrated into existing programming-first curriculum.The approach is based on three principles: a) drawing from the students' everyday experiences to introduce new ideas and skills; b) allowing students time to acquire a foundation in these concepts before introducing a high-level programming language; and c) separating fundamental concepts from language syntax. A feasibility study for integrating this new approach in a CS1 class at USU is described.
Facilitators and barriers to twice daily tooth brushing among children with special health care needs.

Purpose The oral hygiene routines of preschool-age children with special health care needs (CSHCN) were examined to identify caregiver behaviors and beliefs associated with twice daily tooth brushing. Methods Ninety caregivers of CSHCN, ages 23 to 62 months, were interviewed to determine supports or barriers to tooth brushing. Results Ninety-eight percent of caregivers had begun brushing their child's teeth and half reported brushing twice daily. Caregivers’ brushing skills and the availability of child-friendly supplies were associated with twice daily versus less frequent brushing (p = .02). Conclusions This study adds insight into the challenges of establishing daily oral health care for children who must rely on others for their care. The facilitators and barriers to tooth brushing by caregivers of CSHCN are similar to those noted previously among parents of typically developing children. Efforts to improve all caregivers’ oral hygiene skills are needed. For caregivers of CSHCN, oral health teaching opportunities may exist among professionals who provide ongoing medical care, special services and therapies.
Pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine binds at a single site on isolated alpha-subunit from Escherichia coli F1-ATPase and specifically reacts with lysine 201.

Pyridoxal 5‘-diphospho-5‘-adenosine (PLP-AMP), an adenine nucleotide affinity analog, was found to bind in a saturable fashion to isolated alpha-subunit from Escherichia coli F1-ATPase with a stoichiometry of one mol/mol and a Kd approximately 150 microM. The binding was shown to be specific by the following criteria: 1) ATP reduced the binding of PLP-AMP by 80%, and 2) PLP-AMP, like ATP, induced a conformational change which increased the mobility of alpha-subunit in nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and rendered alpha-subunit resistant to mild trypsin proteolysis. A stable adduct was formed between isolated alpha-subunit and [3H] PLP-AMP after reduction with NaBH4. alpha-Subunit labeled to the extent of 0.4-0.7 mol/mol was digested with trypsin and subjected to high pressure liquid chromatography purification, yielding a single labeled peptide. Automated amino acid sequencing showed that residue alpha-Lys-201 was specifically labeled. The results suggest that Lys-201 occupies a position proximate to the phosphate groups of bound ATP in the alpha.ATP complex. PLP-AMP did not support repolymerization of isolated alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits, consistent with previous reports that subunit repolymerization in vitro is dependent upon the presence of nucleoside triphosphate. Further, PLP-AMP-labeled alpha-subunit could not be reconstituted with isolated beta- and gamma-subunits in the presence of ATP, showing that occupation of the alpha-subunit nucleotide site by PLP-AMP impairs normal subunit-subunit interaction.
Security-aware functional modeling of Cyber-Physical Systems

Security is one of the major challenges for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) design. Identifying flaws as early as possible in the CPS design saves time and money [6]; between 5× to 10× less expensive [7] than finding them during the detailed design stages. This paper makes a case for finding cybersecurity flaws as early as possible. Not only for the temporal and cost benefits, but more importantly, for the integrity of the system once in operation. We introduce a security-aware functional modeling methodology, supported by simulation to validate the robustness of the system in the presence of attacks and countermeasures. Our ideas are implemented in a design automation tool in Amesim and Matlab/Simulink. We use an automotive use-case as an example to validate the methodology and the tool.
A Histochemical Method for the Demonstration of Diphosphopyridine Nucleotide Diaphorase

The present investigation concerning the histochemical demonstration of DPN diaphorase follows the development of a new reagent, Nitro-BT, which has already been used successfully for the cytochemical localization of the succinic dehydrogenase system. The most consistently favorable results were obtained with the lactate-lactic dehydrogenase system buffered at pH 7.4. Using sections of rat kidney and stomach, it was found that the intensity of stain was optimal after 15 minutes incubation at 37°C., conducted aerobically. By appropriate variations in the substrate mixture it was possible to selectively demonstrate the histochemical distribution of certain DPN-linked dehydrogenases in addition to DPN diaphorase. This was made possible by the special distribution of some of these dehydrogenases which distinguished them from one another. Of the dehydrogenases studied the distribution pattern of β-hydroxybutyric dehydrogenase was the most singular. In the gastric mucosa β-hydroxybutyric dehydrogenase was restricted to the cells of the mucous lining epithelium and the gland necks; and in the kidney the enzyme was limited to the cells of the proximal convoluted tubule and thick limbs of Henle's loop. In contrast, lactic dehydrogenase like DPN diaphorase was demonstrable in almost all cytologic elements of both the stomach and the kidney.
Office Management of Weight Loss in Older Persons

Weight loss in older persons is associated with a variety of deleterious effects, including hip fracture, pressure ulcers, decreasing immune function, decreased functional status, and death. There are 4 major causes of weight loss: anorexia, sarcopenia, cachexia, and dehydration. Many of the reasons for the development of these conditions are treatable. For example, depression is the most common cause of weight loss in the elderly. Early screening for anorexia can be undertaken in the physician's office utilizing the Simplified Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire. An algorithmic approach to the office management of weight loss is provided.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter response from methane ebullition bubbles trapped by thermokarst lake ice

Thermokarst lakes, formed by permafrost thaw, are an important source of atmospheric methane (CH4), a powerful greenhouse gas. Ebullition (bubbling) is often the dominant mode of lake CH4 emission. Because extrapolating spatially limited field measurements of CH4 ebullition induces large uncertainties in regional emission estimates, there is a need for remote sensing based approaches to detect and quantify CH4 ebullition at larger spatial scales in lakes. We examined the relationship between spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) pixel values of lake ice and biogeochemical field measurements of CH4 ebullition on ten lakes on the northern Seward Peninsula. Among lakes, ebullition ranged from low to high. We found that both the area of ice-bound ebullition-bubble clusters and the bubbling rates that generated the clusters were correlated with L-band single-polarized (HH) SAR (R2 = 0.70, p = 0.002, n = 10) and with the “roughness” component of a Pauli decomposition of L-band quad-polarized SAR (R2 = 0.77,...