cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BDNF Val66Met Impairs Fluoxetine-Induced Enhancement of Adult Hippocampus Plasticity

Recently, a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene (BDNF Val66Met) has been linked to the development of multiple forms of neuropsychiatric illness. This SNP, when genetically introduced into mice, recapitulates core phenotypes identified in human BDNF Val66Met carriers. In mice, this SNP also leads to elevated expression of anxiety-like behaviors that are not rescued with the prototypic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine. A prominent hypothesis is that SSRI-induced augmentation of BDNF protein expression and the beneficial trophic effects of BDNF on neural plasticity are critical components for drug response. Thus, these mice represent a potential model to study the biological mechanism underlying treatment-resistant forms of affective disorders. To test whether the BDNF Val66Met SNP alters SSRI-induced changes in neural plasticity, we used wild-type (BDNF(Val/Val)) mice, and mice homozygous for the BDNF Val66Met SNP (BDNF(Met/Met)). We assessed hippocampal BDNF protein levels, survival rates of adult born cells, and synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation, LTP) in the dentate gyrus either with or without chronic (28-day) fluoxetine treatment. BDNF(Met/Met) mice had decreased basal BDNF protein levels in the hippocampus that did not significantly increase following fluoxetine treatment. BDNF(Met/Met) mice had impaired survival of newly born cells and LTP in the dentate gyrus; the LTP effects remained blunted following fluoxetine treatment. The observed effects of the BDNF Val66Met SNP on hippocampal BDNF expression and synaptic plasticity provide a possible mechanistic basis by which this common BDNF SNP may impair efficacy of SSRI drug treatment.
Chemically Bonded Phosphorus/Graphene Hybrid as a High Performance Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Room temperature sodium-ion batteries are of great interest for high-energy-density energy storage systems because of low-cost and natural abundance of sodium. Here, we report a novel phosphorus/graphene nanosheet hybrid as a high performance anode for sodium-ion batteries through facile ball milling of red phosphorus and graphene stacks. The graphene stacks are mechanically exfoliated to nanosheets that chemically bond with the surfaces of phosphorus particles. This chemical bonding can facilitate robust and intimate contact between phosphorus and graphene nanosheets, and the graphene at the particle surfaces can help maintain electrical contact and stabilize the solid electrolyte interphase upon the large volume change of phosphorus during cycling. As a result, the phosphorus/graphene nanosheet hybrid nanostructured anode delivers a high reversible capacity of 2077 mAh/g with excellent cycling stability (1700 mAh/g after 60 cycles) and high Coulombic efficiency (>98%). This simple synthesis approach and...
Computational modelling of the inflammatory response in trauma, sepsis and wound healing: implications for modelling resilience

Resilience refers to the ability to recover from illness or adversity. At the cell, tissue, organ and whole-organism levels, the response to perturbations such as infections and injury involves the acute inflammatory response, which in turn is connected to and controlled by changes in physiology across all organ systems. When coordinated properly, inflammation can lead to the clearance of infection and healing of damaged tissues. However, when either overly or insufficiently robust, inflammation can drive further cell stress, tissue damage, organ dysfunction and death through a feed-forward process of inflammation → damage → inflammation. To address this complexity, we have obtained extensive datasets regarding the dynamics of inflammation in cells, animals and patients, and created data-driven and mechanistic computational simulations of inflammation and its recursive effects on tissue, organ and whole-organism (patho)physiology. Through this approach, we have discerned key regulatory mechanisms, recapitulated in silico key features of clinical trials for acute inflammation and captured diverse, patient-specific outcomes. These insights may allow for the determination of individual-specific tolerances to illness and adversity, thereby defining the role of inflammation in resilience.
A comparison of joint control algorithms for teleoperated pick and place tasks using a flexible manipulator

This paper presents initial results of an on going study of robot control algorithms used for teleoperation of long reach manipulators. The focus of the paper is the effect of the slave robot control algorithm on the performance of a teleoperation schemes that uses long reach, flexible manipulators. This study investigates the influence of PD, PD with input shaping, and PD with modified command filtering on pick and place teleoperation tasks. Data from 90 trials using 6 operators is used in an attempt to identify any increase in performance resulting from the use of any of the above control schemes. The results of this investigation indicate an increase in performance, based upon a combination of interaction forces and task execution time, of teleoperated pick and place tasks when a flexible robot uses either PD with input shaping or PD with modified command filtering. >
The Effects of Speech Presentation Level on Acceptance of Noise in Listeners With Normal and Impaired Hearing

Purpose To compare the effects of speech presentation level on acceptance of noise in listeners with normal and impaired hearing. Method Participants were listeners with normal (n = 24) and impaire...
Scaling tests of late stages of spinodal decomposition in PC/PMMA blends

Time-resolved light scattering studies were undertaken to elucidate the kinetics of phase separation in polycarbonate (PC)/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) blends. The 40:60 PC/PMMA blend undergoes thermally induced phase separation through spinodal decomposition. Temperature jump experiments were carried out from a single-phase to a two-phase temperature region. The general trend of spinodal decomposition in this blend system is nonlinear in character and obeys the power laws. The time evolution of scattering curves was analyzed in accordance with dynamical scaling laws for self-similarity and the shape of scaled structure functions.
ASCO core values: essential to progress in innovative, quality cancer care.

Advances in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care have converged to result in dramatic changes in cancer mortality. Despite population growth and aging, the past year marked the first declineincancerdeathsintheUnitedStatessincecancerstatisticswere initially recorded in 1931, and both early detection and improved treatments have led to an increase in overall cancer survivorship. Today, the total number of cancer survivors in the United States exceeds 10 million, compared with 3 million in 1971. As a member of the oncology community, I am proud of these accomplishments. However, even in this era of great advances in basic and clinical science—and sometimes because of them—we face significant challenges. The rising costs of oncology treatment and the chasms created by health disparities can preclude equal access to treatment, and the commercial nature of the United States health careindustrymaycreateeithertheperceptionoforactualconflicts of interest that erode the public trust. We must ensure that these challenges do not slow the pace of research or delay the development and delivery of new oncology products to all cancer patients. Upholding the highest professional standards, ensuring equitable access to treatment, and maintaining the trust of our patients are essential if we are to maintain our momentum. Withtheseobjectives,theAmericanSocietyofClinicalOncology (ASCO) recently revised its Core Values to reflect the Society’s aspirations and document the fundamental elements of professionalethicalbehaviorintherealmofoncologycare:commitment, integrity, competence, innovation, and inclusivity. By articulating thesevalues,ASCOreaffirmsitscommitmenttokeepthemcentral to our mission and activities. ASCO advises oncologists to adhere to these principles in their interactions with patients, colleagues and the health care industry. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, readers will find a Special Article by Dr Rebecca Pentz et al 1 in which the authors discuss the history of physician codes, including ASCO’s Core Values, and use examples to highlight how these values apply in daily oncology practice. ASCO strives to abide by these principles in its own work. Through initiatives like the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI), which was recently expanded to all members, ASCO has demonstrated its commitment to innovation, maximizing the quality of cancer care, and ensuring provider competence through self-assessment. The work of the Advisory Group on health disparities is evidence of ASCO’s dedication to ensuring that cancer care, including the availability of clinical trials, is both culturally sensitive andavailabletoall.Aseriesofvignettes,intendedtoprovideguidance tomembersoncircumstancesthatraiseethical,aswellasmedicaland
Long QT syndrome in children: the value of the rate corrected QT interval in children who present with fainting.

OBJECTIVE:A strategy was evaluated for identifying a proportion of children with long QT syndrome (LQTS) using the rate corrected QT interval (QTc) to systematically evaluate children who faint. ME...
The Joint Training System: a pillar of joint readiness and an automation challenge

The Joint Training System (JTS) (Figure 1) defines a multi-step approach to identify training requirements, plan, execute, and assess joint training events. First, and foremost, the JTS is focused on warfighting. "The specific objective is to develop a joint training program that bolsters the combatant commanders' ability to execute the National Military Strategy while simultaneously maintaining high readiness of our forces as a pro-requisite to deterring aggression and responding to crisis. The desired end state is the improved readiness of joint forces, a training and exercise strategy better aligned with the National Military Strategy, improved interoperability, and a more stable process for optimizing the application of scarce resources (dollars, forces, time)." Successful implementation of the JTS depends upon automating the system's processes so that the development, sharing, and reporting of training information and products is conducted as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Role of ω‐Conotoxin GVIA‐Sensitive Ca2+ Entry in Angiotensin II‐Stimulated [3H]Phorbol 12, 13‐Dibutyrate Binding in Bovine Adrenal Medullary Cells

The relative contributions of Ca2+ influx and intracellular Ca2+ mobilization were examined for angiotensin II-stimulated [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding, which reflects the level of activated protein kinase C in bovine chromaffin cells. Angiotensin II receptors activate phospholipase C in chromaffin cells, leading to a short-lived mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. Angiotensin II-stimulated [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding was largely blocked in Ca(2+)-free buffer and by pretreatment with the Ca(2+)-channel blocker omega-conotoxin GVIA. The [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding response to [Sar1]angiotensin II also appeared to be voltage sensitive, as no additivity was observed with the response to the depolarizing agent 4-aminopyridine (3 mM). Threshold sensitivities of the extra- and intracellular Ca(2+)-mobilizing pathways to angiotensin II were similar, and all examined effects of angiotensin II in these cells were apparently mediated by losartan-sensitive (AT1-like) receptors. The dependence of angiotensin II-stimulated [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate binding on extracellular Ca2+ entry, in contrast to stimulation by other phospholipase C-linked receptor agonists (bradykinin and methacholine), suggests that angiotensin II preferentially stimulates protein kinase C translocation to the plasma membrane, rather than to internal membranes, in bovine adrenal medullary cells.
The effect of multiple time scales and subexponentiality in MPEG video streams on queueing behavior

Guided by the empirical observation that real-time MPEG video streams exhibit both multiple time scale and subexponential characteristics, we construct a video model that captures both of these characteristics and is amenable to queueing analysis. We investigate two fundamental approaches for extracting the model parameters: using sample path and second-order statistics-based methods. The model exhibits the following two canonical queueing behaviors. When strict stability conditions are satisfied, i.e., the conditional mean of each scene is smaller than the capacity of the server, precise modeling of the interscene dynamics (long-term dependency) is not essential for the accurate prediction of small to moderately large queue sizes. In this case, the queue length distribution is determined using quasistationary (perturbation theory) analysis. When weak stability conditions are satisfied, i.e., the conditional mean of at least one scene type is greater than the capacity of the server, the dominant effect for building a large queue size is the subexponential (long-tailed) scene length distribution. In this case, precise modeling of intrascene statistics is of secondary importance for predicting the large queueing behavior. A fluid model, whose arrival process is obtained from the video data by replacing scene statistics with their means, is shown to asymptotically converge to the exact queue distribution. Using the transition scenario of moving from one stability region to the other by a change in the value of the server capacity, we synthesize recent queueing theoretic advances and ad hoc results in video modeling, and unify a broad range of seemingly contradictory experimental observations found in the literature. As a word of caution for the widespread usage of second-order statistics modeling methods, we construct two processes with the same second-order statistics that produce distinctly different queueing behaviors.
Studies on the Gymnantheminae (Asteraceae: Vernonieae). II: a new genus, Decaneuropis, from China, India, southeast Asia, and Malaysia

ABSTRACT The genus Decaneuropsis of the Asteraceae, Vernonieae, subtribe Gymnantheminae, is named as new, with the transfer of 12 species from southeast Asia and Malaysia. Combinations are provided for the type species, Vernonia cumingiana, and 11 other known members of the genus, V. andamanica, V. andersonii, V. blanda, V. chingiana, V. craibiana, V. eberhardtii, V. garrettiana, V. gratiosa, V. obovata, V. philippinensis, and V. vagans.
Influence of Season, Geomorphic Surface and Cover Item on Capture, Size and Weight of Desmognathus ochrophaeus and Plethodon cinereus in Allegheny Plateau Riparian Forests

Abstract We examined the influence of cover item type (rock, down wood, leaf litter) on capture, size (snout-vent length) and weight of two plethodontid salamander species, Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope (Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander) and Plethodon cinereus (Green) (red-backed salamander), common in riparian forests of northwestern Pennsylvania. We wanted to determine if cover item use differed seasonally and/or by geomorphic surface within stream valleys and if cover item type and/or geomorphic surface influenced size and weight of salamanders. We also tested the hypothesis that larger salamanders are associated with larger cover items. Captures of D. ochrophaeus and P. cinereus differed significantly by season and were inversely related: captures of D. ochrophaeus peaked in the spring and midsummer; captures of P. cinereus peaked in the fall. Capture rates did not differ by geomorphic surface. Cover item use was similar for D. ochrophaeus and P. cinereus with most captures associated with rock or ...
An eigenvalue relation in spheroidal wave functions related to potential theory and its applications to contact problems

Abstract Eigenvalue and related integral relations for an integral operator with a symmetrical kernel, defined in a circular region, in the form of the ratio of an exponential function of the distance between two points to its distance, are established by methods of generalized potential theory, related to the Helmholtz equation, in an orthogonal system of coordinates of an oblate spheroid, where one of the coordinate surfaces is degenerate in a plane doubly covered circular disc. These relations extend corresponding relations for the integral operator with a symmetric kernel in the form of the Weber–Sonin integral and contain spheroidal wave functions. Using the integral relations obtained, an exact solution of the integral equation of the contact problem of the indentation of a punch, circular in plan, into a linearly deformed base of an elastic half-space with a kernel identical with a kernel, which varies exponentially with distance, is constructed. Other applications of the eigenvalue and related integral relations obtained are also indicated.
Role of the Proximal Cysteine Hydrogen Bonding Interaction in Cytochrome P450 2B4 Studied by Cryoreduction, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, and Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance Spectroscopy.

Crystallographic studies have shown that the F429H mutation of cytochrome P450 2B4 introduces an H-bond between His429 and the proximal thiolate ligand, Cys436, without altering the protein fold but sharply decreases the enzymatic activity and stabilizes the oxyferrous P450 2B4 complex. To characterize the influence of this hydrogen bond on the states of the catalytic cycle, we have used radiolytic cryoreduction combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and (electron–nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy to study and compare their characteristics for wild-type (WT) P450 2B4 and the F429H mutant. (i) The addition of an H-bond to the axial Cys436 thiolate significantly changes the EPR signals of both low-spin and high-spin heme-iron(III) and the hyperfine couplings of the heme-pyrrole 14N but has relatively little effect on the 1H ENDOR spectra of the water ligand in the six-coordinate low-spin ferriheme state. These changes indicate that the H-bond introduced between His and the proximal ...
Manifestations of Complement-Mediated and Immune Complex-Mediated Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis: A Comparative Consecutive Series.

Purpose Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) recently was reclassified to reflect the underlying cause as a complement-mediated and immune complex-mediated disease. This classification is based on renal biopsy immunofluorescence examination, making the former electron-microscopy classification obsolete. In this report, we describe related eye findings in patients with MPGN based on the new classification. Design Retrospective case series. Participants All Mayo Clinic Rochester patients with pathology-confirmed complement- and immune complex-mediated MPGN who had available ophthalmology records from 1997 through 2014 were included in this study. Methods The medical and pathologic records of patients with MPGN and eye examination results were reviewed from years 1997 through 2014. Main Outcome Measures The number of patients and the number of eyes with MPGN-related pathologic features were examined. Visual acuity also was considered. Results There were 23 patients with complement-mediated MPGN and available eye examination results. Of these, 9 patients (39%) and 17 eyes (37%) had retinal pathologic features that likely were related to the same underlying pathophysiologic process as their renal disease. Five patients (22%) and 6 eyes (13%) had significant vision loss. There were 23 patients with immune complex-mediated MPGN and available eye examination results. Only 2 (9%) of these patients (4 eyes) had retinal pathologic features that potentially could be related to the same underlying pathophysiologic process as their renal disease, and neither had vision loss. Conclusions Retinal abnormalities are more prominent among patients with complement-mediated MPGN when compared with patients with immune complex-mediated MPGN. It is critical for ophthalmologists to recognize the updated MPGN classification system, and all patients with complement-mediated MPGN require screening eye examinations.
Integrated Nonlinear Optical Resonators Based on AlN-on-insulator Platform

Optical frequency combs can be generated by cascaded four-wave mixing with Kerr nonlinearity. Recently, by taking advantage of the field enhancement effect in high quality (Q) factor cavities, comb generations using continuous wave (CW) laser have been demonstrated in various materials, such as silica toroids, doped silica glass ring resonators, silicon nitride micro-ring resonators, diamond micro-ring resonators, crystalline CaF2 and MgF2 micro-toroids and etc. Aluminum nitride (AlN) possesses strong Kerr nonlinearity which can be used to generate optical frequency comb by cascaded four wave mixing [1. Also it has strong Pockels effect which allows electro-optic modulation [2. Here, we take advantage of both effects and demonstrate comb generation using on-chip aluminum nitride microring, high speed switching of the optical frequency comb,[3 and cascaded frequency conversions among the comb lines. [4. (a) IR frequency comb generated in 60 µm radius microring resonator (left inset) with 650 nm height and 3.5 μm width structure (right inset). Estimated power in the bus waveguide is 600 mW and 0.5 % of gathered output power is used for spectrum measurement. (b) The greenly glowing microring under daylight. (c) The microscope image without a filter and (d) with a 750 nm long pass filter. (e) The microscope image with the 750 nm long pass filter when on-resonance (top) and off-resonance (bottom). The white dashed lines represent the bus waveguides and the white dotted boxes on the left represent the input fibers. The white arrows indicate the ends of the bus waveguides of the chip.
DNA and Weight Determinations on 12 to 14 Day Embryonic Muscle Tissue of Fast and Slow Growing Crossbreds

Abstract SELECTION for rapid growth rate or large size could be made more efficient by the use of supplemental measurements to predict growth of individuals. Larger body size has been found to be positively correlated with increased numbers of muscle cells (Smith, 1962; Lepore et al., 1965) and higher levels of glutathione (Charkey et al., 1965). A critical age for obtaining efficient indicators of potential growth may be embryos that are about two-thirds developed. At this stage, the numbers of muscle fibers are established during a gradual cessation of proliferation of the embryonic myoblast cells in mammalian (Bardeen, 1900; Joubert, 1956) and in chick embryos (Kitiyakara, 1959). The growth curve of chick embryos described by Lerner (1939) from 7 to 20 days showed a “sharp acceleration” in growth at 13 days, reaching a maximum rate at 14 days. Genetic effects for rate of embryonic growth have been reported as maximal at …
Local Autonomy in China During the Cultural Revolution: The Theoretical Uses of an Atypical Case

This article explores the extent to which Shanghai City, and its subordinate units, have been politically independent of higher authorities in the Chinese government. Evidence from the ‘fifties and early’ sixties suggests increasing managerial and cultural independence at the city level. Evidence from the early Cultural Revolution however suggests conceptual problems in the connection of usual notions of “autonomy” with substantive issue areas, and in their connection with local and central patterns of factions. The slow reconstruction of a local Party hierarchy in Shanghai was paralleled by a decentralization of some commercial and industrial decisions. Shanghai's role as a model in Party rebuilding increased the fully national role of the city's top leadership. Analysis of autonomy, power, or dependence in administrative units is affected when strong local leaders acquire national ambitions. Suggestions are made about the characteristics of an organization these words might describe.
Case Histories in Integrated Pest Management

In the previous pages a wide variety of IPM cases have been discussed. Those perhaps represent the majority of programs in the USA. In this chapter, a few case histories of IPM implementation are described in greater detail.
Surgical Experience with the Inflatable Penile Prosthesis

AbstractMore than 100 inflatable penile prostheses have been implanted at our medical center since 1974. The 50 patients who are at least 1 year postoperative are the basis of this report. Complications occurred in 10 patients (20 per cent) and 8 were repaired successfully. Of the 50 patients 48 presently have a normally functioning prosthesis and satisfactory intercourse.
Mountain Range Teacher Education Program Case Study

Chapter 5 presents findings from the Mountain Range Teacher Education Program case study site. A description of the program and the efforts of administrative leaders to support the preparation experiences of teacher candidates are explored. Individual cases of teacher educators and their teacher candidates of color in the program are also included to examine the role culturally responsive pedagogy played in the teacher education classroom. The chapter ends with a case analysis of the teacher education program that makes connections between organizational features, structures, and program practices, and faculty pedagogical practices and the learning experiences of teacher candidates of color.
Growth Characteristics of Yersinia enterocolitica in Pasteurized Skim Milk.

Experiments were undertaken to determine the growth characteristics of five strains of Yersinia enterocolitica in pasteurized milk at 4°C. Pasteurized milk was inoculated with approximately 10 or 1000 cells/ml of Y. enterocolitica , and was incubated at 4°C for 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 d. Each sample was spread-plated in duplicate on Tryptone Soya Agar, MacConkey Agar and Cefsulodin-Irgasan-Novobiocin (CIN) agar. Plates were incubated at 25°C for 48 h or at 32°C for 24 h and enumerated for total and Yersinia plate count. All five strains of Y. enterocolitica competed very well with background microflora of pasteurized milk and reached levels of log 5.0 to 7.0/ml after 7 d at 4°C. Level of inoculation had little or no effect on the total number of Y. enterocolitica after 14 or 21 d in pasteurized milk at 4°C. Generation times at 4°C were highly strain-dependent.
Observers in the Medical Setting

Requests for observation experiences are common in the emergency department and other medical settings. There is little guidance in the literature or in professional societies' polices about who should be granted this privilege. This article reviews the ethical and legal issues that should be taken into account when one decides whether to allow observers in the medical setting. At the heart of the issue is patient privacy. This article recommends that institutions have policies in place that address these activities and suggests content for such policies.
Use of pharmacokinetic modeling to optimize direct inhibition of the "undruggable" target EWS-FLI1 of Ewing sarcoma.

9575 Background: Chimeric transcription factors are ideal anti-cancer targets; however, they lack enzymatic activity thus rendering them ‘undruggable’ proteins. The EWS-FLI1 fusion protein of Ewing...
MRI Definition of Involved Muscle in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The degree of muscle involvement of lower leg muscles of 34 patients with DMD >8 years, using muscle MRI, was estimated in a multicenter study at the Institute of Child Health and other centers in London, in the UK, and 1 in Rome, Italy.
Analysis of driving behavior at expressway toll plazas

Abstract Drivers are required to make many rapid decisions at expressway toll plazas, which could result in drivers’ confusion, speed variation, and sudden lane change maneuvers. Thus, toll plazas are considered one of the most dangerous segments on expressways. Nevertheless, only a limited number of studies have explored the factors that affect driving behavior and safety at toll plazas. This study assessed driving behavior at a section, including a hybrid toll plaza, on one of the main expressways in Central Florida using a driving simulator. The details of the section and the plaza were accurately replicated in the simulator. Overall, 72 participants were recruited and each driver performed three different scenarios out of a total of 24 scenarios. Subsequently, four behavioral variables were extracted from the experimental data (i.e., average speed, speed variation, standard deviation of lane deviation, and standard deviation of acceleration) to explore risky driving behaviors with various paths, signs, pavement markings, segment lengths, and traffic conditions. In addition, the effects of drivers’ individual characteristics on driving behavior were investigated. A series of linear mixed models with random effects to account for multiple observations from the same participant were developed to reveal the contributing factors for driving behavior at toll plazas. The results uncovered that drivers experiencing the open road tolling (ORT) have safer driving behavior than those who use the tollbooth. Also, providing dynamic message sign (DMS) on the ramp before the toll plaza has a significant effect on reducing sudden lane change maneuvers. Adjustment of the locations of overhead signs was also recommended in this study. Moreover, the existence of arrow pavement marking before and after the toll plaza is important for reducing unsafe driving behavior before and after the toll plaza.
Prevalence and Predictors of Cholesterol Screening, Awareness, and Statin Treatment Among US Adults With Familial Hypercholesterolemia or Other Forms of Severe Dyslipidemia (1999-2014).

Background:Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and other extreme elevations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly increase the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; however,...
The Respiratory Function of the Blood

Study of the physiological mechanisms of oxygen transport makes particularly clear the distinction between the pressure of oxygen (or its chemical potential — an intensity factor) and the amount of oxygen (or, per unit volume, its concentration — a quantity factor). This distinction is more recognized in thermodynamics than in physiological chemistry; it is especially important in considering systems capable of dissociating (1,2,7).
Frequency Analysis in the Cochlea

It would seem axiomatic that if the sense of hearing is to be useful rapid vibrations (high frequency sounds) should give a different sensation than slow vibrations (low frequency sounds). We saw in our early view of the pattern of the traveling wave in Fig. 9 that this frequency separation begins in the cochlea. A more detailed view can be constructed from measuring the electrical response (cochlear microphonic) at a number of points. This looks like the curves in Fig. 14 (Eldredge, 1978).
Cultural Development in Amazonia

This chapter discusses the cultural development in Amazonia. The first large body of data about aboriginal cultural development in South America was provided by the publication of the six-volume handbook of South American Indians under the editorship of Julian Steward. Julian Steward recognized that the contrast in political development between the lowlands and highlands in Amazonia was accompanied by contrasts in social, demographic, and subsistence patterns. The highland state supported its large dense population with animal husbandry and highly intensive cultivation of root and seed crops in desert and mountain valleys. Occupation or hereditary class determined the status of people. The small lowland villages had their support in swidden cultivation of root crops in forests and hunting and fishing of wild faunas. For the villagers, status and occupation were determined by distinctions of age and sex. Steward suggested that the contrasts in demographic, economic, and sociopolitical patterns were related to ecological adaptation to contrasting environments.
Reliability Methods for Estimating the Probability of Failure

This chapter introduces reliability methods to give approximate and inexpensive methods to estimate the probability of failure of a system. It begins with the definition of the reliability and the simple first-order second-moment method, which relies heavily on a host of assumptions about the underlying QoI. Then the advanced first-order second-moment method is presented and applied to several problems.
Increased Risk of MenB Infection in College Students: Time to Reconsider Vaccine Recommendations?

* Abbreviation: MenB — : serogroup B meningococcal Meningococcal infections can be fulminant and result in death only a few hours after symptom onset. The mortality rate ranges between 10% and 15%, and those who survive can have severe sequelae.1 Globally, it is estimated that 1.2 million cases of invasive meningococcal infections occur annually and result in 135 000 deaths.2 Primary prevention of disease through vaccination is essential for control of endemic and epidemic meningococcal disease. Serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) infections account for 65% of cases in infants in the United States (incidence: 3.3 cases per 100 000) and the majority of cases overall in some European countries, including England.2 In 2014 and 2015, 2 recombinant MenB vaccines were licensed in the United States for individuals 10 to 25 years of age.2 MenB vaccines are currently recommended routinely for high-risk groups in the appropriate age category (Category A recommendation) and may be considered in adolescents and young adults (Category B recommendation). In this issue of Pediatrics , Mbaeyi et al3 used the enhanced meningococcal disease … Address correspondence to Lucila Marquez, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Ave, Suite 1150, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: lm043062{at}bcm.edu
Production of hydrogen using immobilizedrhodospirillium rubrum

A standard method for assayingRhodospirillium rubrum for hydrogen production with malate rather than pyruvate was developed. It was also found thatR. rubrum could produce H2 over extended, periods of time when immobilized.
Representational and processing constraints on the acquisition of case and gender by heritage and L2 learners of Russian: a corpus study.

Morphological errors are prevalent in adult second language production, particularly among learners whose first languages have less complex inflectional systems. Thus, U.S. learners of Russian can provide a testing ground for competing approaches to L2 morphological acquisition. This study utilizes the Russian Learner Corpus of Academic Writing (2017) to compare case and gender-marking error frequencies in timed versus untimed essays by advanced heritage and traditional L2 learners in Portland State University’s Russian Language Flagship program. It was predicted that higher error rates in timed compositions would support the position that advanced learners’ morphological errors reflect processing difficulties under time pressure. However, such differences did not reach significance for either heritage or L2 learners; in the latter group, error rates were higher in students’ untimed texts. These results could be interpreted as demonstrating representational deficits in interlanguage grammar, particularly in the L2 group. However, greater complexity (words per T-unit) of the untimed essays provides an alternative explanation for the higher untimed error rate among this group. The heritage group had lower overall case and gender-marking error rates than the L2 group, suggesting heritage learners are less likely to show evidence of possible representational deficits of nominal functional features in their interlanguage grammar.
Efficient thrust generation in robotic fish caudal fins using policy search

Thrust generation is a crucial aspect of fish locomotion that depends on a variety of morphological and kinematic parameters. In this work, the kinematics of caudal fin motion of a robotic fish are optimised experimentally. The robotic fish actuates its caudal fin with flapping and rotation motion, and also measures the fin hydrodynamic force and torque. Total nine designs of the caudal fins are investigated, with three different shapes (or inclination angles) and three stiffness. The optimisation is based on a policy search (PS) algorithm, which is used to maximise the thrust-generation efficiency of the caudal fins. The authors first parametrise fin spanwise-rotation as a sinusoidal function using rotation amplitude and phase delay and test whether it is beneficial to thrust-generation efficiency. The result shows that the rotation does not contribute to the efficiency, as the efficiency is maximised at zero amplitude. Next, the authors optimise flapping amplitude and trajectory profile without fin rotation. Results show that smaller flapping amplitude results in higher efficiency and linear flapping trajectories are preferred over sinusoidal ones. Fins that have the highest flexibility are more efficient in thrust generation although they generate less thrust, while an inclination angle of 30° yields the most efficient fin shape.
Financial Margins for Prostate Cancer Surgery: Quantifying the Impact of Modifiable Cost Inputs in an Episode Based Reimbursement Model.

Purpose:The United States health care system is rapidly moving away from fee for service reimbursement in an effort to improve quality and contain costs. Episode based reimbursement is an increasin...
Nonsequential Task Model of Bi/Pan/Polysexual Identity Development

There are several existing bisexual identity development models, however, there are still gaps in fully understanding the identity development of individuals who are bisexual, pansexual, and polyse...
Network Insights into Improving Drug Target Inference Algorithms

Abstract To improve the efficacy of drug research and development (R&D), a better understanding of drug mechanisms of action (MoA) is needed to improve drug discovery. Computational algorithms, such as ProTINA, that integrate protein-protein interactions (PPIs), protein-gene interactions (PGIs) and gene expression data have shown promising performance on drug target inference. In this work, we evaluated how network and gene expression data affect ProTINA’s accuracy. Network data predominantly determines the accuracy of ProTINA instead of gene expression, while the size of an interaction network or selecting cell/tissue-specific networks have limited effects on the accuracy. However, we found that protein network betweenness values showed high accuracy in predicting drug targets. Therefore, we suggested a new algorithm, TREAP (https://github.com/ImmuSystems-Lab/TREAP), that combines betweenness values and adjusted p-values for target inference. This algorithm has resulted in higher accuracy than ProTINA using the same datasets.
Mechanical alloying produces grain boundary segregation in Fe–Mg powders

Abstract Although mechanical alloying can force immiscible elements into homogeneous solid solution due to its chemically “randomizing” nature, as microstructure design of powder-processed alloys advances, other alloy configurations are also sought. Here we study ball milling of Fe–Mg alloys and obtain a heterogeneous nanostructure, with grain boundaries decorated by solute even after reaching complete supersaturation and a steady-state grain size. Such nanocrystalline powders having grain boundary segregation in the as-milled state are particularly useful for thermal stability against grain growth. The high diffusivity of Mg is thought to shift the competition between ballistic mixing and equilibration, permitting such a structure to form.
Costs and benefits of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in spinal surgeries

Abstract Intraoperative neurophysiology (ION) applied existing electromyography, and evoked potential technologies previously used primarily in ambulatory care to common usage in routine spine surgeries, largely independent of cost considerations and without randomized clinical trials to establish efficacy. We review decision modeling methodologies in detail and demonstrate their application in determining the cost-effectiveness of ION for spine surgeries. We discuss the published outcomes research studies that address cost, healthcare utilization, and health outcomes of ION in routine operations of the spine, as well as future directions for research in cost and implications for healthcare policy in an evolving payer landscape.
CHAPTER 6 – STATISTICS

Publisher Summary There is a widespread agreement that concordances should provide statistics of some kind, although the kinds of figures and tables that should be made available in the published concordance are often not specified. The difficulty is to determine the extent to which the concorder should provide the results of analysis beyond the materials on which subsequent analyses may depend. Nevertheless, consistency with the conception of the literary concordance as a general purpose tool recommends the conclusion that the concordance should provide the basic figures that allow the derivation of other statistics. Although a statistician can scan the entries beneath each HW and refine the categories according to his understanding of “word,” there is little point in providing a table of words in frequency of occurrence unless certain conditions have been met. Old spellings should be listed under modern-spelling headings and the modern-spelling HWs themselves should not admit spelling variation. For counting, there should be no inconsistency amongst hyphenated and other compounds. There must be consistent treatment of “words,” particularly elisions, perhaps even lemmatization. There should also be correct distinction of homographs, with the exclusion of non-authorial text, extensive quotations, and text in foreign languages.
LiIn2SbO6: A New Rutile-Related Structure-type with Unique Ion Channels

Single crystals of LiIn2SbO6 have been synthesized using a Li2MoO4 flux and characterized with X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in a new structure-type with a rutile-related framework. ...
Genomic evidence for gene flow between monarchs with divergent migratory phenotypes and flight performance.

Monarch butterflies are known for their spectacular annual migration in eastern North America, with millions of monarchs flying up to 4,500 kilometers to overwintering sites in central Mexico. Monarchs also live west of the Rocky Mountains, where they travel shorter distances to overwinter along the Pacific Coast. It is often assumed that eastern and western monarchs form distinct evolutionary units, but genomic studies to support this notion are lacking. We used a tethered flight mill to show that migratory eastern monarchs have greater flight performance than western monarchs, consistent with their greater migratory distances. However, analyzing more than 20 million SNPs in 43 monarch genomes, we found no evidence for genomic differentiation between eastern and western monarchs. Genomic analysis also showed identical and low levels of genetic diversity, and demographic analyses indicated similar effective population sizes and ongoing gene flow between eastern and western monarchs. Gene expression analysis of a subset of candidate genes during active flight revealed differential gene expression related to non-muscular motor activity. Our results demonstrate that eastern and western monarchs maintain migratory differences despite ongoing gene flow, and suggest that migratory differences between eastern and western monarchs are not driven by select major-effects alleles. Instead, variation in migratory distance and destination may be driven by environmentally induced differential gene expression, or by many alleles of small effect.
Pharmacological Management of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are universal across all stages and types of dementia and can cause significant challenges for patients and caregivers. While there are currently no approved medications for treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, a variety of psychotropic medications such as antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants are used off-label to treat these symptoms. This systematic review evaluated the available evidence for effectiveness and tolerability of pharmacologic treatments in addressing behavioral disturbances in dementia. Inclusion criteria were placebo-controlled, randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) or meta-analyses; a total of 38 studies and 3 meta-analyses representing an additional 27 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Of the medication classes evaluated, atypical antipsychotics had the greatest available evidence for use; however, the treatment effect size was modest. Nine trials of antidepressants were included; 3 trials supported use in dementia. Eight trials of anticonvulsants were included; only one showed benefit. For benzodiazepines, 2 RCTs were included; only one trial of lorazepam showed improvement. Six trials of melatonin agonists were included; none showed efficacy outside of improved sleep measures. Evidence for effectiveness of pimavanserin and dextromethorphan-quinidine was limited to one study each, both of which showed benefit. Despite the widespread off-label use of psychotropic medications for treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia, there are relatively few RCTs to evaluate their use with treatment effect sizes absent or modest for most medication classes. Of the medication classes reviewed, atypical antipsychotics have the best evidence for effectiveness; however, the overall magnitude of treatment effect is modest and must be balanced with risk of serious adverse events including death.
Weakly-Supervised Amodal Instance Segmentation with Compositional Priors

Amodal segmentation in biological vision refers to the perception of the entire object when only a fraction is visible. This ability of seeing through occluders and reasoning about occlusion is innate to biological vision but not adequately modeled in current machine vision approaches. A key challenge is that ground-truth supervisions of amodal object segmentation are inherently difficult to obtain. In this paper, we present a neural network architecture that is capable of amodal perception, when weakly supervised with standard (modal) bounding box annotations. Our model extends compositional convolutional neural networks (CompositionalNets), which have been shown to be robust to partial occlusion by explicitly representing objects as composition of parts. In particular, we extend CompositionalNets by: 1) Expanding the innate part-voting mechanism in the CompositionalNets to perform instance segmentation; 2) and by exploiting the internal representations of CompositionalNets to enable amodal completion for both bounding box and segmentation mask. Our extensive experiments show that our proposed model can segment amodal masks robustly, with much improved mask prediction qualities compared to state-of-the-art amodal segmentation approaches.
Is ergothioneine a 'longevity vitamin' limited in the American diet?

There is mounting evidence for the potential for the natural dietary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory amino acid l-Ergothioneine (ERGO) to prevent or mitigate chronic diseases of aging. This has led to the suggestion that it could be considered a ‘longevity vitamin.’ ERGO is produced in nature only by certain fungi and a few other microbes. Mushrooms are, by far, the leading dietary source of ERGO, but it is found in small amounts throughout the food chain, most likely due to soil-borne fungi passing it on to plants. Because some common agricultural practices can disrupt beneficial fungus–plant root relationships, ERGO levels in foods grown under those conditions could be compromised. Thus, research is needed to further analyse the role agricultural practices play in the availability of ERGO in the human diet and its potential to improve our long-term health.