cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (hPTHrP) and parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor type 1 (PTHR1) expression in human thymus

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (hPTHrP) is expressed in human tissues and regulates cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis by an autocrine/paracrine loop. In rodent thymus, both parathormone and parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) are expressed by thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The present study demonstrated by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry that hPTHrP and parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor type 1 (PTHR1) were expressed in human thymus at both RNA and protein levels. hPTHrP was expressed mainly in the thymic medulla by epithelial (cytokeratin-positive), mature dendritic (CD40+/86+) and plasmacytoid interleukin (IL)-3Ralpha1 cells. This protein was also present in some cells forming Hassall's bodies and a few subcapsular and cortical TECs. PTHR1 was expressed by scattered subcapsular and cortical TECs and by rare TECs in the medulla. Thymocytes did not express either hPTHrP or PTHR1. Primary cultures of human TECs revealed the presence of both hPTHrP and PTHR1 mRNAs, confirming the capacity of TECs to synthesize both peptides. Moreover, synthetic (1-39) hPTHrP peptide administered on cultured TECs induced the expression of IL-6 mRNA, suggesting that hPTHrP can regulate thymic functions by inducing in TECs the expression of IL-6, which is involved in the development and maturation of thymocytes.
Social influence and crime-victim decision making.

Other people can affect a crime-victim's decision to notify the police in at least four different ways: (a) by cuing the victim to a particular “script” or particular actions within a script, (b) by providing arguments and advice, (c) by indicating what normative standards operate within some group important to the victim, and (d) by providing socioemotional support or nonsupport. These four functions others serve can operate when the victim is labeling an event as a crime, when the victim is determining its seriousness, and when the victim is deciding what to do about it. This paper discusses these four functions in terms of relevant theoretical and empirical work.
An Evaluation of Material Weight and Contained Fluid Volume for Eccentric Intersecting Cylinders of Arbitrary Size

The enclosed work develops three single-integral expressions which can be programmed and numerically integrated to obtain accurate estimates for both the material volume and also the containment volume present in a pair of eccentrically, or concentrically, intersecting thinwalled cylinders of arbitrary diameters. A table of such values is presented for a wide range of values of the standard nozzle pipe diameter and vessel diameter, for the special case of a concentric nozzle
UNA DIDACTICA DEL SABER: UN CAMINO HACIA LA OPTIMIZACION DE LAS TRANSPOSICIONES DIDACTICAS

Resumen es: Preocupados por la educacion de calidad, y dentro del marco de la Teoria de las Situaciones Didacticas (Brousseau, 2004), y particularmente en la aproxim...
Generic language facilitates children's cross-classification.

Abstract Four studies examined the role of generic language in facilitating 4- and 5-year-old children's ability to cross-classify. Participants were asked to classify an item into a familiar (taxonomic or script) category, then cross-classify it into a novel (script or taxonomic) category with the help of a clue expressed in either generic or specific language. Experiment 1 showed that generics facilitate 5-year-olds’ and adults’ cross-classification when expressed at an appropriate level of generalization (e.g., “foods” and “birthday party things”), whereas Experiment 2 showed that such effects disappeared when labels were at an inappropriate level of generalization (e.g., “pizzas” and “balloons”). Experiments 3 and 4 offered additional controls. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that language can guide and direct children's multiple categorizations.
The surface recombination model of p-n diode flicker noise

Abstract It is shown that the surface model of p-n diode flicker noise, if properly refined, can explain the recent experiments by Hsu et al. and by Gutkov.
Discriminatory Effects of the Annual Computation of the Corporation Income Tax

The problem, 51. — Analysis of Statistics of Income data, 52. — Qualifications, 53. — Analysis of data for individual corporations, 53. — Discriminatory effects increase in proportion to tax-rate, 58. — Cyclical effects of the excess profits tax, 58. — Incidence of the undistributed profits tax, 60. — Probable effects on revenue of loss carry forward provisions, 60. — Analysis of data for forty corporations, 65. — Effectiveness of such provisions, 68. — British practice, 69. — Conclusion, 71.
A 0.25- /spl mu/m CMOS ultra-wideband amplifier for time-domain UWB applications

An ultra-wideband (UWB) amplifier has been developed using a standard low cost 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS process for UWB applications. A finite-ground coplanar waveguide (CPW) is used for easy shunt connection and low loss. The developed UWB amplifier works over the entire ultra-wide bandwidth of 3.1-10.6 GHz under the non-sinusoidal time-domain signal operation needed for UWB systems. The amplifier was designed and characterized completely in the time domain. Time-domain measurement results show gain around 6 dB and return loss greater than 13 dB. The UWB CPW CMOS amplifier has linear phase and produces amplified signals which resemble faithfully the input UWB non-sinusoidal pulses, demonstrating its suitability for time-domain UWB applications.
Unplanned 30-Day Readmissions in a General Internal Medicine Hospitalist Service at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

The authors observed a high unplanned readmission rate among their population of patients with cancer.
Some additional quantitative observations of immediate memory in a patient with bilateral hippocampal lesions

Abstract Additional behavioral data are reported on a well-documented patient who had undergone bilateral medial temporal-lobe resection. After a brief interruption from a visual discrimination task, he was unable to describe accurately what he had been doing; yet his subsequent performance was quantitatively similar to his earlier one. With verbal material, his delayed matching-to-sample performance was unimpaired up to 40 sec, the longest delay tested. With nonverbal material that required the patient to devise his own verbal coding, the sample stimuli lost control over his behavior after delays of 24–32 sec. Although other factors undoubtedly contribute to the patient's forgetfulness, the suggestion was offered that his failure to use verbal coding plays an important role in preventing him from extending his immediate memory span.
TARP: Timing Analysis Resilient Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

In timing analysis attackers study the transmission pattern of different nodes in a network with the goal of extracting information about users, applications, or the structure of the network, even when the traffic is encrypted. Defeating timing analysis attacks requires expensive traffic mixing measures that equalize the transmission pattern at all nodes; such measures are especially expensive for battery operated wireless devices. In this paper, we first introduce TARP, a traffic mixing approach for defeating timing analysis tailored towards sensor networks. While TARP improves on traffic mixing approaches by combining multiple packets destined to different destinations in a single frame (amortizing packet overhead), traffic mixing remains expensive. To this end, we propose two techniques for improving the energy efficiency of TARP: (1) Using multi-path routing to exploit the available capacity engineered to defeat timing analysis; and (2) Adaptive transmission control to allow the transmission pattern to be adapted to the offered load without exposing the structure of the network. Furthermore, we define and explore the notion of relaxed timing analysis resilience where resilience is provided with a limited scope that is well defined in space and/or time. By controlling the scope to fit the application requirements, substantial savings in energy (or delay) can be achieved, while retaining desired levels of timing analysis resilience. Together, the proposed techniques significantly reduce the overhead of TARP, making timing analysis resilience more affordable for critical applications.
Collaborative practice: a critical theory perspective.

The purpose of this critical theory study was to investigate the observed failure of nurses and physicians to collaborate, and the underlying meaning behind this failure. Using a phenomenological and participatory approach, 18 family nurse practitioners and physicians in joint practice were interviewed separately and together about their practice relationships. Transcribed interviews and data summaries were returned to the participants for review and validation. Emergent themes were analyzed using the critical theory of Jurgen Habermas. Results demonstrated that distorted communication and nonmeaningful interactions were promoted by both nurses and physicians. Elements identified as contributing to more successful collaborative practices included a willingness to move beyond basic information exchange in nurse/physician interactions, the willingness and ability to challenge distortions and assumptions in the relationship, and a belief system based on critical self-reflection.
A Video-Based Module for Teaching Communication Skills to Otolaryngology Residents

Objective To determine whether instructional videos modeling examples of “good” and “bad” patient communication skills are useful as an educational tool for improving resident-patient communication. Design Retrospective study in which resident participants in the module gave survey responses indicating perceived utility of the exercise. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Participants A total of 11 otolaryngology trainees from postgraduate year 1-5 who attended the course over 2 separate sessions and provided feedback on the benefits of the module. Results All 11 residents attended both sessions. Of 22 total survey responses, 21 found that the videos were “realistic and engaging” and were a true representation of commonly encountered clinical scenarios. Residents identified multiple themes and behaviors distinguishing “good” vs “bad” communication with patients and felt they could incorporate these into daily practice. A perceived weakness was the lack of opportunity for “role playing” with a video-based module as opposed to standardized patients. Conclusions Instructional videos, when realistic, are useful for modeling effective patient communication skills for residents. By watching the videos, residents are able to identify specific techniques they can incorporate into their daily practice.
Statin Use With the ATP III Guidelines Compared to the 2013 ACC/AHA Guidelines in HIV Primary Care Patients:

Background:The 2013 Cholesterol Guidelines include a new atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk calculator that determines the 10-year risk of coronary heart disease and/or stroke. The applicability of this calculator and its predecessor, the Framingham risk score (FRS) in Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III, has been limited in patients with HIV. The objective of this study was to compare the risk scores of ASCVD and FRS in the initiation of statin therapy in patients with HIV.Methods:We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with HIV on statin therapy from October 1, 2013, to April 1, 2014. Data collection included patient demographics, pertinent laboratory test results, and medication list. The primary end point evaluated the level of agreement between the guidelines.Results:Of 155 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 116 were treated similarly with both guidelines. This showed a moderate level of agreement (P < .001). Forty-eight of 86 patients requiring statins were placed on...
Not the Same Old Complaint

A complaint is the document that initiates a legal action by providing the defendant and the court with notice of the nature of the plaintiff's case. But an effective complaint also identifies the legal issues for the court, clarifies the facts and law for the plaintiff and his or her attorney, and sometimes even encourages the defendant to come forward with a settlement offer.
Application of the Subgroup Decomposition Method (SDM) for Reactor Simulation

The performance of the TITAN-SDM algorithm for solving a reactor pressure vessel dosimetry problem is evaluated. Douglass and Rahnema recently developed the he subgroup decomposition method (SDM); a methodology which directly couples a consistent coarse-group transport calculation with a set of “decomposition sweeps” to provide a fine-group flux spectrum. The SDM has been implemented into the TITAN three-dimensional transport code and has been shown to accurately solve core criticality problems while significantly reducing computation time. This paper addresses the use of SDM for fixed-source problems. The VENUS-2 dosimetry benchmark problem is selected with an emphasis on fast neutron analysis; therefore, material cross sections are generated from the BUGLE-96 library considering neutron energies greater than 0.1 MeV. The accuracy and efficiency of TITAN-SDM is evaluated by comparison with a standard TITAN multigroup calculation.
Healthy Communities Initiative: a preliminary assessment of the University of Missouri-Sedalia health promotion partnership

AbstractThe persistence and growth of health disparities among different population groups have heightened interest in understanding the unique role University–community partnerships can play in promoting health and well-being. Through a qualitative approach, this study used in-depth interviews to understand the conditions and factors that determine the effectiveness of collaborative University–community partnerships, and how collective action can impact members and their communities. Findings show that the success of a partnership stems from the community’s social protective factors such as community capacity to participate in collaborative projects, sense of community, community participation, and community extent of empowerment fostered by the collective process. The study concludes with a call for committed collaboration between partnership members and among community coalitions.
On the Toxicity of Atabrine.

SummaryAtabrine is a strong inhibitor of choline esterase. This finding is discussed in relation to toxic and antimalarial activity and chemical configuration of drugs.
The activation of gamete migration, maturation and spawning in Pectinaria gouldii

A substance obtained from extracts of the subesophageal ganglion and cement gland complex of Pectinaria gouldii will activate the admission of only fully developed coelomic oocytes into the nephromixia, where they exhibit cell surface changes, undergo germinal vesicle breakdown, initiate meiosis and culminate in spawning as ripe oocytes. In the male, similar extracts cause packets of spermatozoa to move into the reproductive chamber, break apart and spawn as free sperm. The stimulus of activation is reciprocal between the sexes. Extracts of the cerebral ganglia are equally effective in males, but the active factor from this tissue is greatly reduced or absent in females. Properties of the active factor are defined. Maturation effectors for starfish oocytes were also tested.
A Decision Support Tool for High Density Area Departure and Arrival Traffic Management

An operational concept is proposed to improve high-density area departure and arrival traffic management that specifically accounts for complications arising from multiple airports located in close proximity. In the proposed concept, the roles and responsibilities are redistributed among the Traffic Management Coordinators in different facilities, which include the Air Route Traffic Control Center, Terminal Radar Approach Control, and the Airport Traffic Control Tower. The redistribution of roles and responsibilities facilitates improved decision making capabilities thereby increasing safe, efficient, and stable operation of departure and arrival traffic in the Next Generation Air Transportation System. This paper proposes a set of functions and capabilities needed to support the roles and responsibilities defined in the proposed concept. The decision support system framework defines three levels of decision making and incorporates an optimization methodology to assist decision makers at the different phases of the decision process. A detailed description of the decomposition and corresponding decision support system structure are presented and a description of the optimization models is provided. An analysis is performed on a realistic traffic example to demonstrate the optimization model and illustrate the concept.
Privileged Phosphine-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks for Broad-Scope Asymmetric Catalysis

A robust and porous Zr metal–organic framework (MOF) based on a BINAP-derived dicarboxylate linker, BINAP-MOF, was synthesized and post-synthetically metalated with Ru and Rh complexes to afford highly enantioselective catalysts for important organic transformations. The Rh-functionalized MOF is not only highly enantioselective (up to >99% ee) but also 3 times as active as the homogeneous control. XAFS studies revealed that the Ru-functionalized MOF contains Ru-BINAP precatalysts with the same coordination environment as the homogeneous Ru complex. The post-synthetically metalated BINAP-MOFs provide a versatile family of single-site solid catalysts for catalyzing a broad scope of asymmetric organic transformations, including addition of aryl and alkyl groups to α,β-unsaturated ketones and hydrogenation of substituted alkene and carbonyl compounds.
Spatially controlled optogenetic light stimulation and recording platform via imaging fiber bundles(Conference Presentation)

Current methods for light delivery in in vivo optogenetic applications are typically accomplished via a single multimode fiber that diffuses light over a large area of the brain, and relies on the spatial distribution of transfected light-sensitive neurons for targeted control. In our investigations, an imaging fiber bundle (Schott) containing 4,500 individual fibers, each with a diameter of 7.5 µm, and an overall outer bundle diameter of 530 µm, served as a conduit for light delivery and optical recording/imaging. The use of this fiber bundle, in contrast to a single multimode fiber, allows for individually-addressable fibers, spatial selectivity at the stimulus site, more precise control of light delivery, and full field-of-view imaging and/or optical recordings of individual neurons in local neural circuits. An objective coupled the two continuous wave diode laser sources (561nm/488nm) (Coherent) for stimulation and imaging into the fiber bundle while a set of galvanometer-scanning mirrors was used to couple the light stimulus to distinct fibers within the proximal end of the imaging fiber bundle. In our study, C1V1(E122T/E162T)-TS-p2A-mCherry (Karl Deisseroth, Stanford) and GCaMP6s transgenic mice (Jackson Labs) were utilized for this all-optical approach. The results of our investigation demonstrate that imaging fiber bundles provide a new level of spatial selectivity and control of light delivery to specific neurons, as well as function as a conduit for optical imaging and recording at the in vivo site of stimulation, in contrast to the use of single multimode fibers that diffusely illuminate neural tissue and lack in vivo imaging capabilities.
Evaluation of Foliar-Applied Insecticides for Control of Adult Corn Rootworm in Corn, 2015C

The efficacy of foliar applied insecticides was evaluated against adult corn rootworm (CRW) populations in field corn near Clay Center, NE during 2015. Adult CRW populations consisted of > 95% WCR and <5% SCR. Experimental design was a RCB with four replicates. Plot size was 8 rows × 30 ft length with 30-inch row spacing. ‘Pioneer P0157R’ corn hybrid was planted on 28 May …
Communication and its disorders.

This article defines communication and describes its various disorders. Some of these disorders are associated with other DSMIV conditions, such as mental retardation or pervasive developmental disorder. Others are specific to the language-learning process. The interactions between communication and psychiatric disorders are discussed. Suggestions for integrating treating approaches among communication disorders and mental health professionals are presented.
Investigation of the Arabidopsis nonhost resistance mechanism against the soybean pathogen, Phytophthora sojae

vi CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Overview of plant nonhost disease resistance 1 Nonhost resistance 1 Arabidopsis – Phytophthora sojae interaction 5 Thesis Organization 7 CHAPTER 2. SEQUENCE BASED POLYMORPHIC (SBP) MARKER TECHNOLOGY FOR TARGETED GENOMIC REGIONS: ITS APPLICATION IN GENERATING A MOLECULAR MAP OF THE ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA GENOME 9 Abstract 9 Introduction 10 Material and Methods 13 Plant materials and growth conditions 13 DNA preparation and the whole genome sequencing 13 Analysis of the raw reads from Solexa Sequencing 14 SSLP and CAPS markers polymorphic between Col-0 and Nd-0 14 PCR conditions and digestion with restriction endonucleases 14 Results 15 Generation of a global molecular map for the polymorphic loci of the Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes, Col-0 and Nd-0 15 Generation of SBP markers for saturating a global genome map in Arabidopsis thaliana ... 16 Discussion 18 Conclusions 19 Tables 21 Figures 23 Figure Descriptions 35 Additional files 36 References 37
Why Do Most People Follow the Default Matrimonial Property Regime in Chile

Spouses in Chile have three different choices of matrimonial property regimes to regulate their pecuniary relationships among themselves and with third parties: marital partnership, separation of goods, and community of gains. The default regime is the marital partnership, and most people go along with it at the moment of marriage. Spouses can, however, opt out before and after the marriage to any of the two other alternatives. Taking into consideration data from 2006 to 2014, on average, 55% of spouses went along with the default regime. The prevalence of marital partnership occurs despite the increase in divorce rates, the discriminatory nature of the regime towards women, and a significant rate of ex-post opt-outs. The preceding sheds doubt on the reasons why people—and particularly women—might prefer the marital partnership. This study intends to determine: (i) whether the default regime imposes an emotional tax on spouses or prevails because of inertia; (ii) the impact of social norms in people’s decision making; (iii) misperceptions about divorce rates; (iv) optimism bias; and (v) knowledge of current restrictions women face under the marital partnership. Finally, this study assessed (vi) whether people would find it acceptable to switch the default rule to separation of property. With this purpose, I surveyed married people in Chile with the help of social media. The findings showed that the default did not impose an emotional burden for most people who decided to stick to it. While inertia and herd behavior might have influenced 33% of people who went along with the default, ignorance about the actual divorce rates, optimism, and unawareness about the restrictions the marital partnership imposes on women provided a better explanation on the high rate of spouses that stuck to the marital partnership. In light of current divorce rates, this is a sub-optimal outcome. Informational campaigns should overcome this failure. Also, switching the default rule would be a positive nudge to help people make better decisions.
Solar thermal decoupled water electrolysis process II: An extended investigation of the anodic electrochemical reaction

Abstract We examined the kinetic and transport processes involved in the production of H 2 from water with Co 2+ as the electroactive species being oxidized at a Ni electrode in 40 wt% KOH at 318 K. The relevant transport parameters such as electrochemical rate constants, transfer coefficients, diffusion coefficients, and adsorption coefficients were estimated from a combination of cyclic voltammetry experiments and numerical modeling. Fourteen parameters characterize the electrochemical reaction on a clean electrode, with the Butler-Volmer equation describing the electron transfer step to solution and to adsorption bound electroactive species. A Frumkin Isotherm describes the thermodynamics of the adsorption process. Experimentally realized anodic current densities at cell voltages below 1.23 V were circa 1 mA cm −2 , a hydrogen production level far too low for commercial viability of the solar thermal decoupled water electrolysis process. However, our 3-D finite element model of the electrochemical cell operating at 318 K, suggests that current densities approaching 20 mA cm −2 can be reached in a cell with forced convection and a solvent that increases the solubility of CoO by a factor of 10 above that for KOH. Finally, the current density calculations from the perspective of industrial viability suggest producing porous metal anodes for which the actual surface area is 10–100 times larger than the electrode’s planar area.
Pilot evaluation of PD-1 inhibition in metastatic cancer patients with liver transplantations (LT): The Mayo Clinic experience.

328Background: Patients with a history of solid organ transplants have been excluded from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor clinical trials due to concern for graft rejection. Only 2 case reports of PD-1 inhibi...
Wideband Dual-Injection Path Self-Interference Cancellation Architecture for Full-Duplex Transceivers

A transceiver front end including a dual-injection path self-interference (SI) cancellation architecture is proposed for use in wideband full-duplex networks. The SI cancellation circuitry is implemented using: 1) one feedforward cancellation path containing a five-tap analog adaptive finite-impulse response (FIR) filter between the transmitter (TX) output and the receiver (RX) input; 2) a second baseband (BB) cancellation path containing a 14-tap low-frequency FIR filter with a point of injection at the RX BB output; 3) a phase noise cancellation method that suppresses the reciprocal mixing products associated with the downconversion in the BB cancellation path for the TX SI signal; and 4) an integrated noise cancelling power amplifier (PA). A prototype of 40-nm TSMC device was fabricated, which demonstrates more than 50-dB SI cancellation over 42-MHz bandwidth and a 10-dB attenuation of TX SI phase noise in the RX signal path. The two cancelling filters dissipate 11.5 mW, with a measured $P_{\mathrm {-1\,dB}}$ and IIP3 of 27/26.5 and 36/34.5 dBm, respectively. The RX noise figure is degraded by less than 1.55 dB, when both cancellers are enabled. The PA has a measured output of $P_{\mathrm {-1\,dB}}/P_{\mathrm {sat}}$ of 25.1/26.5 dBm, respectively. The total chip die area is 3.5 mm2 with an overall transceiver power consumption of 49 mW, excluding the integrated PA.
Microgeographic morphological variation across larval wood frog populations associated with environment despite gene flow.

Gene flow has historically been thought to constrain local adaptation; yet, recent research suggests that populations can diverge despite exchanging genes. Here I use a common garden experiment to assess the combined effects of gene flow and natural selection on morphological variation of 16 wood frog (Rana sylvatica) populations, a species known to experience divergent selection pressures in open- and closed-canopy ponds across relatively small geographic scales. Wood frog tadpoles from different ponds showed significant morphological variation associated with canopy type with a trade-off between tail length and body depth consistent with previous research. In contrast, neutral genetic differentiation of nine microsatellite loci as measured by Jost's D was not associated with canopy type, indicating no pattern of isolation by environment. Genetic structure analyses indicated some substructure across the 16 ponds (K = 4); however, three out of four assigned clusters included both open- and closed-canopy ponds. Together, these results suggest that morphological divergence among these wood frog populations is occurring despite gene flow and that selection within these environments is strong. Furthermore, morphological variation among ponds differed across two sampling periods during larval development, demonstrating the importance of evaluating phenotypic divergence over multiple time periods and at a time relevant to the processes being studied.
A Multiple-Design, Experimental Strategy: Academic Probation Warning Letter's Impact on Student Achievement

We aimed to compare the findings of three research designs to bracket effect estimates of a strongly worded warning letter delivered by certified mail to students on academic probation.We embedded ...
DEVELOPMENT OF TOLERANCE TO OPIATES IN EXPLANTS OF MOUSE SPINAL CORD WITH ATTACHED DORSAL ROOT GANGLIA

Summary Acute opiate-depressant effects on sensory-evoked dorsal-horn network responses of organotypic explants of fetal mouse spinal cord with attached dorsal root ganglia disappeared after chronic exposure to analgesic levels of morphine (1 μM) for 2-3days in culture at 35°. Characteristic dorsal cord responses could then be evoked by dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimuli in the presence of morphine - even after increases in concentration (up to 100-fold). The tolerant state did not develop if the cultures were incubated at lower temperature, 20°, during exposure to 1 μM morphine for as long as 7 days. (Control 2-week-old cultures incubated in regular media at 20° for 1 week showed no significant electrophysiologic deficits.) The sensory-evoked dorsal-horn population responses in tolerant cultures often developed unusually large amplitudes during maintenance in 1 μM morphine or after acute introduction of naloxone.
Raynaud’s Disease

Raynaud’s disease is a disorder of the vascular system in which the individual experiences pain in the hands, feet, or (rarely) the face as a result of cold stimulation and/or emotional stress. The pain is thought to result from extreme vasoconstriction that reduces peripheral blood flow and may leave the extremities cold to the touch. In a severe case, the individual may experience extreme pain during a Raynaud’s attack and may avoid such common activities as going outside during the winter or shopping in the frozen goods section of a grocery store. Although the frequency of severe cases is quite low, the disorder is found five times more often among women than among men, and, as would be expected, episodes are more frequent during the cold winter months than during warmer weather (Surwit, Pilon, & Fenton, 1978; Taub, 1977). Since the disorder is associated with vasoconstriction and reduced peripheral blood flow, biofeedback treatments for Raynaud’s disease have been of two types, designed to maintain normal peripheral blood flow levels: direct training in peripheral vasodilation feedback and handwarming feedback.
Advances and Challenges in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Research on Motor Systems

Abstract Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a technique for noninvasive brain stimulation to modulate function, with a range of applications across neuroscience research and the clinical management of brain disorders. Currently, there are two major categories of applied TMS paradigms: (1) the application of single pulses with high temporal precision for brain mapping and various diagnostic objectives and (2) neural stimulation with trains of repeated pulses to alter cortical excitability, primarily for therapeutic purposes. Recently, exploration of noninvasive neuromodulation has increased considerably in both scientific and clinical research fields. The unique capabilities to both assess and change brain circuits noninvasively have made TMS a widely adopted and fast-growing applied methodology in neuromodulation. This chapter reviews recent advances, challenges, and future trends in the field of TMS as applied to the human motor systems.
Feasible generalized least squares using support vector regression

Abstract We investigate semiparametric Feasible Generalized Least Squares using Support Vector Regression to estimate the conditional variance function. Monte Carlo results indicate the resulting estimator and an accompanying standard error correction offer substantially improved precision, nominal coverage rates, and shorter confidence intervals than Ordinary Least Squares with heteroskedasticity-consistent standard errors. Reductions in root mean squared error can be over 90% of those achievable when the form of heteroskedasticity is known.
'Voting' to Audit the Fed

Federal Reserve independence is a chimera. We derive and test predictions about when members of Congress will support legislation to curtail the Fed’s powers and independence. We posit that members of Congress have partisan monetary policy preferences (Democrats like loose policy, Republicans like tight policy) and will support such legislation when the Fed pursues policies that are in tension with their own party preferences. We model the Fed as a strategic agent of Congress with hawkish preferences of its own that are closer to Republicans than to Democrats. We make predictions about the propensity of members of Congress to co-sponsor attacks on the Fed based on whether members are naive or sophisticated with respect to the Fed’s partisan bias. If members of Congress are naive and do not anticipate that the Fed can adjust its policy to influence presidential electoral outcomes, then the propensity to threaten to audit the Fed should be based strictly on partisan identity: Naive Democrats (Republicans) should always respond to increases in the Federal Funds Rate by increasing (decreasing) their propensity to co-sponsor attacks. However, if members of Congress are sophisticated and understand that the Fed acts strategically to aid in the election or re-election of Republican presidential candidates, then the relationship between the Federal Funds rate and the tendency to threaten the Fed should be moderated by both the electoral calendar and the party of the president: Republicans (Democrats) won’t attack (reward) the Fed when it loosens policy late in the term of a Republican president because they understand the Fed is actively engaged in aiding the electoral efforts of Republican presidential candidates. Our results suggest that House Democrats are sophisticated partisans, Senate Democrats are naive partisans, and the behavior of Republicans in both chambers is inconsistent with the partisan model.
37. NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF BOARD PREPARATION CURRICULA AND CERTIFICATION RATES AMONG U.S. PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY PROGRAMS

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires pediatric residency programs to achieve an overall 70% pass rate on the American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam. There is high variability in board preparation curricula among programs and minimal evidence showing which are the most effective in producing the highest certification rates. Objective To gain an understanding of the current board preparation landscape across pediatric residency programs and to evaluate the need for individualized and/or focused board preparation curricula. Methods A survey was distributed to all U.S. pediatric residency program directors by the Academic Pediatric Program Directors (n=209; response rate=35%). Programs were anonymously asked about their demographics, average in-training examination (ITE) scores and board pass rates, board preparation styles, and whether they are individualized and/or required for certain residents. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact tests. Results Overall, board preparation consists of a combination of lectures/didactics (n=68, 100%), completion of board-style questions (n=70, 98.5%), and/or a formalized comprehensive review course (n=68, 26.5%). While almost all programs required didactics (91.2%), only about half (52.2%) of programs required completion of self-directed questions for all residents. ITE scores were the most commonly used means of identifying which residents needed an individualized curriculum. Board pass rates were divided into 80% (above goal). Seven programs (10%) were considered below goal, while 13 (18.6%) were at risk. Table 1 shows that there is a statistically significant association between a requirement for completing self-directed questions and pass rates (p = 0.03). There were no statistically significant associations between other forms of board preparation and certification rates. Conclusion Future efforts should focus on personalizing each resident's board preparation curriculum, especially based on ITE scores.
Improving Photocatalysis for the Reduction of CO 2 through Non-covalent Supramolecular Assembly

We report the enhancement of photocatalytic performance by introduction of hydrogen-bonding interactions to a Re bipyridine catalyst and Ru photosensitizer system (ReDAC/RuDAC) by the addition of amide substituents, with carbon monoxide (CO) and carbonate/bicarbonate as products. This system demonstrates a more-than-3-fold increase in turnover number (TONCO = 100 ± 4) and quantum yield (ΦCO = 23.3 ± 0.8%) for CO formation compared to the control system using unsubstituted Ru photosensitizer (RuBPY) and ReDAC (TONCO = 28 ± 4 and ΦCO = 7 ± 1%) in acetonitrile (MeCN) with 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (BIH) as sacrificial reductant. In dimethylformamide (DMF), a solvent that disrupts hydrogen bonds, the ReDAC/RuDAC system showed a decrease in catalytic performance while the control system exhibited an increase, indicating the role of hydrogen bonding in enhancing the photocatalysis for CO2 reduction through supramolecular assembly. The similar properties of RuDAC and RuBPY demonstrated in lifetime measurements, spectroscopic analysis, and electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies revealed that the enhancement in photocatalysis is due not to differences in intrinsic properties of the catalyst or photosensitizer, but to hydrogen-bonding interactions between them.
Zarela. Una historia feminista novela de Leonor Espinoza de Menéndez: sin educación la mujer no avanza

This research focuses on Leonor Espinoza de Menendez´s novel, Zarela. A feminist story (1915?)raising the need to change the status of women in the early 20th century in Peru through legalrecognition of civic, educational and labour rights of women. The gender issues, ideologicalrepresentations of male and female characters and abusive relationships help understand thetraditional and misogynist society´s context that was backed by State, legal and cultural institutions inorder to maintain the status quo and social and sexual differences. The writer Espinoza emphasizesthe need for education of women so that she can develop and play a role at work autonomouslyand independently. Her equality feminism calls for urgent changes.
A Review for the Peripheral Nerve Interface Designer.

Informational density and relative accessibility of the peripheral nervous system make it an attractive site for therapeutic intervention. Electrode-based electrophysiological interfaces with peripheral nerves have been under development since the 1960s and, for several applications, have seen widespread clinical implementation. However, many applications require a combination of neural target resolution and stability which has thus far eluded existing peripheral nerve interfaces (PNIs). With the goal of aiding PNI designers in development of devices that meet the demands of next-generation applications, this review seeks to collect and present practical considerations and best practices which emerge from the literature, including both lessons learned during early PNI development and recent ideas. Fundamental and practical principles guiding PNI design are reviewed, followed by an updated and critical account of existing PNI designs and strategies. Finally, a brief survey of in vitro and in vivo PNI characterization methods is presented.
Older Age is Associated with a Higher Incidence of Melanoma Death but a Lower Incidence of Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis in the SEER Databases (2003-2011)

Elderly melanoma patients are known to have lower survival rates than younger patients with melanoma. Paradoxically, a few recent studies have shown a lower frequency of sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity in older individuals. This is the first analysis of a large national sample to examine the relationship between SLN metastasis and melanoma death across all age groups. The U.S. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Databases were queried to examine SLN biopsy and mortality outcomes in 158,813 melanoma cases reported from 2003 to 2011, the most current data available in SEER. In bivariate analyses of the 47,577 cases with coded tumor depths and nodal surgery, increasing age varied directly with melanoma death and inversely with SLN positivity, for tumor depths >1 mm (P < 0.001). In multivariate regression analyses, 60–79 year-olds were more likely to die of melanoma compared with 20–39 year-olds [odds ratio (OR) 1.83, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.64–2.05], but they were less likely to be SLN-positive (OR 0.62, 95 % CI 0.57–0.68). The inverse association between melanoma mortality and SLN positivity was most pronounced at the extremes of age. The finding that increasing age is associated with a higher incidence of melanoma death but a lower incidence of SLN metastasis highlights the need for further study into age-related differences in melanoma biology, immunological surveillance, and host response. It also questions whether the 5- and 10-year survival rates associated with the current melanoma staging system should be stratified by age to predict outcomes more accurately for melanoma patients.
The Neil deGrasse Tyson Problem: Methods for Exploring Base Memes in Web Archives

In this paper we introduce the concept of the “base meme” for characterizing unique information artifacts that are used to make derivative, new, and related memes. Base memes are antecedents to many versions of derivative memes that are published all across the web. While they can be created in meme template generator websites, their origins and diffusion can be difficult for researchers to verify. Despite the often ephemeral nature of memes that are shared via platforms, they can be fairly reliably found in web archive collections, such as the Internet Archive and the US Library of Congress’ Web Cultures Web Archive. In this paper, we first present the existing research on memes and discuss the challenges for researchers who study them (such as identification and language detection). We then describe the importance of web archives to social media research and building robust methods of inquiry for internet history. Using archived data from the Library of Congress’ Meme Generator Archive (N=57,652), we use descriptive analysis to calculate, measure, and describe this important public web archive of memes. Our results show that this collection has a variety of “base memes” that can be grouped with their related derivative memes (which we consider to be their related works). We use language detection software to identify a variety of languages present in the archived dataset of memes. We close by describing why approaching these metrics on “base meme” image macros alongside findings for derivative versions and the multiple languages present in web archives of social media allows researchers to study a diversity of voices, including linguistic diversity, distinctions in humor, and the variety of cultural expressions present in memes.
Mitochondrial dynamics and quality control are altered in a hepatic cell culture model of cancer cachexia.

Hepatic mitochondrial function loss is associated with cancer cachexia pathology in vivo. Here, we examined if hepatic mitochondrial defects observed in vivo in the cachexic liver also recapitulate during the in vitro treatment of mouse hepatocytes with tumor conditioned media. In vitro experiments were combined with proteome-wide expression analysis of cachexic liver tissue curated for mitochondrial dynamics and quality control proteins, to determine the fidelity of hepatic mitochondrial maladaptation in cancer cachexia pathology. AML12 hepatocytes were exposed to colon-26 (C26) and Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) conditioned media for 6–72 h and assayed for cell viability, membrane potential, respiratory function, H2O2 production, total ROS/RNS, and mitochondrial dynamics and quality control proteins by immunoblotting. Liver tissue from cachexic C26 mice was analyzed by TMT-based quantitative proteomics for in vivo comparison. Cell viability, membrane potential, H2O2 production, total ROS/RNS, and respiration were decreased 48–72 h after exposure to C26 and/or LLC. Protein expression of treated hepatocytes and cachexic liver tissue showed altered mitochondrial dynamics and quality control, in a manner that suggests limited fusion and content mixing, but also impaired ability to fragment and clear damaged mitochondria. Two strategies to maintain mitochondrial health, therefore, may not be functioning sufficiently in the cachexic liver. Together these findings imply adverse effects of C26 and LLC exposure on hepatocyte health, due to impaired mitochondrial function and remodeling. Exposure of mouse hepatocytes to tumor conditioned media models aspects of cachexic liver mitochondria dysfunction in vivo and validates the importance of hepatic mitochondrial maladaptation in cancer cachexia pathology.
Warning Labels Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake among College Students

Background Health-related warning labels may reduce the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), but the effectiveness of such labels in real-world settings is not well established. Objectives We investigated the influence of warning labels on SSB intake among college students at a large public Midwestern university. Methods We conducted a quasi-experimental intervention study among 840 undergraduate students recruited from 3 dining halls on 1 university campus. One dining hall was selected as the intervention (I) site, whereas the other dining halls served as control (C) sites. In January 2019, warning labels were posted on SSB dispensers at the I site. All students reported their beverage intake using a modified beverage frequency questionnaire 2 mo before and 2 mo after the warning label implementation. Generalized linear models examined the influence of the warning labels on SSB consumption at the I site compared with the C sites, adjusting for students' sociodemographic characteristics. Results In the sample, 68% were aged 17-18 y old at baseline, and 51% identified as female. From baseline to follow-up, there was a 19% decrease in SSB intake at the I site, compared with a 5% decrease at the C sites (P = 0.049 comparing I with C). This difference was driven by significant decreases in the intakes of fruit-flavored drinks, sweetened teas, and flavored milk at the I site compared with the C sites. Although not an SSB, 100% fruit juce consumption decreased 21% at the I site, compared with a 1% increase at the C sites (P = 0.01 comparing I with C). No significant differences were observed in the intakes of soda, energy drinks, sweetened coffees, and nonsugary drinks at the I site compared with the C sites. Conclusions Warning labels were effective in reducing SSB intake among college students, particularly for fruit-flavored drinks, sweetened teas, and flavored milk.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04435145.
Is it time to replace the star ratings adherence measures

Measures of medication adherence to noninsulin diabetes medications (NIDM), statins, and renin angiotensin system antagonists (RASA) have been continuously used in the star ratings program since 20...