cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of skin graft thickness on scar development in a porcine burn model

Animal models provide a way to investigate scar therapies in a controlled environment. It is necessary to produce uniform, reproducible scars with high anatomic and biologic similarity to human scars to better evaluate the efficacy of treatment strategies and to develop new treatments. In this study, scar development and maturation were assessed in a porcine full-thickness burn model with immediate excision and split-thickness autograft coverage. Red Duroc pigs were treated with split-thickness autografts of varying thickness: 0.026in. ("thin") or 0.058in. ("thick"). Additionally, the thin skin grafts were meshed and expanded at 1:1.5 or 1:4 to evaluate the role of skin expansion in scar formation. Overall, the burn-excise-autograft model resulted in thick, raised scars. Treatment with thick split-thickness skin grafts resulted in less contraction and reduced scarring as well as improved biomechanics. Thin skin autograft expansion at a 1:4 ratio tended to result in scars that contracted more with increased scar height compared to the 1:1.5 expansion ratio. All treatment groups showed Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGF-β1) expression that increased over time and peaked 4 weeks after grafting. Burns treated with thick split-thickness grafts showed decreased expression of pro-inflammatory genes 1 week after grafting, including insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and TGF-β1, compared to wounds treated with thin split-thickness grafts. Overall, the burn-excise-autograft model using split-thickness autograft meshed and expanded to 1:1.5 or 1:4, resulted in thick, raised scars similar in appearance and structure to human hypertrophic scars. This model can be used in future studies to study burn treatment outcomes and new therapies.
Reforming Article V: The Problems Created by the National Convention Amendment Method and How to Fix Them

The amendment provisions of the United States Constitution have a serious defect. Although some commentators claim that the supermajority rules in these provisions are too strict, that is by no means clear. Rather, the clear defect in the amendment provisions is that the only effective way they provide of amending the Constitution requires Congress’s approval and therefore Congress enjoys a veto over all amendments. While the Constitution does formally allow the state legislatures to seek to amend the Constitution through a national convention, that amendment method is broken. Not only has the national convention method never been used to pass an amendment or even to call a convention, the state legislatures are unlikely to ever use this method, because of the state legislatures’ fear of a runaway convention that might seek to enact constitutional amendments that they strongly dislike. This congressional veto over amendments has significant normative implications. It suggests that the Constitution cannot be amended in a way that will constrain congressional power. It also makes it unlikely that the Constitution can be amended to limit the federal government or to expand state authority, because Congress is unlikely to support these changes. While it has often been assumed that the increased nationalism of the Constitution and government over the course of American history reflects changes in technology and values, a significant portion of this nationalist movement may instead be the result of a biased amendment procedure. In addition to exploring the normative implications of the broken amendment procedure, the article also proposes a new amendment method. Under this state drafting procedure, an amendment would be enacted when it was approved by two thirds of the state legislatures and was ratified by three quarters of the states through either state conventions or ballot measures. Finally, the article argues that this reform of the amendment procedure could actually be passed under the national convention method and proposes a strategy for enacting it.
Sizing Up the “Small Wars” of African Empire: An Assessment of the Context and Legacies of Nineteenth-Century Colonial Warfare

This short essay makes the case that the theories and practices employed by European armies during the “small wars” of nineteenth-century imperialism were military innovations produced within the distinctly modern and global context of colonial conquest. Colonial military experiences spurred new tactics and strategies which were captured in treatises written by British and French military theorists at the same time that they transformed the nature of warfare in colonized spaces—often with devastating effects. Military approaches developed in response to these “small wars” have important legacies, both in shaping the contours of military operations within postcolonial Africa and contributing to worldwide “counterinsurgency” theories of the twenty-first century. Understanding the specific historical context in which colonial violence was produced can contribute to a fuller understanding of the meaning, impact and multiple legacies of imperial warfare.
Protein degradation in cultured fetal hepatocytes. Absence of an inhibitory effect of insulin.

The role of insulin to regulate protein turnover in fetal liver was investigated using primary cultures of fetal-rat hepatocytes. The basal rate of protein degradation (in the presence of insulin and amino acids) was the same in cultured fetal and adult hepatocytes (2.48 +/- 0.16 versus 2.46 +/- 0.06% of total protein degraded/h respectively). Incubation of cells in an unsupplemented media (without insulin or amino acids) resulted in a deprivation-induced increase in degradation in cells from both groups (P less than 0.05). Rates of proteolysis could be returned to their respective basal values by the addition of amino acids at 5 times their normal plasma concentrations. In adult cells, addition of insulin alone significantly inhibited protein degradation (P less than 0.05), whereas, in contrast, insulin was without effect on protein degradation in fetal hepatocytes. Both fetal and adults cells responded to dibutyryl cyclic AMP with an increase in protein degradation above that seen in the no-additions group. Results of experiments in which the effect of inhibitors of protein degradation (chloroquine, NH4Cl, amino acids and dinitrophenol) were tested suggested that lysosomes were responsible for 20-30% of total protein degradation in fetal hepatocytes. Impaired insulin processing in fetal hepatocytes was examined as a possible cause of the insulin-resistance in these cells. As determined by h.p.l.c. analysis, the same pattern of initial degradation products of insulin was found in fetal hepatocytes as had previously been found in adult hepatocytes. Incubation of cells with various doses of chloroquine resulted in an increase in cell-associated 125I-insulin and a decrease in insulin degradation in both fetal and adult cells. At the highest dose of chloroquine tested (500 microM), a slightly greater increase in insulin binding and a decrease in insulin degradation were observed in fetal cells as compared with adult cells. Rates of insulin internalization were also compared between fetal and adult cells. A 30% slower rate of insulin internalization was observed in fetal cells, as compared with adult cells. It was concluded that the absence of an effect of insulin on protein degradation in fetal hepatocytes is not the result of a major difference in insulin internalization and processing between fetal and adult hepatocytes.
HealthTvizer: Exploring Health Awareness in Twitter Data through Coordinated Multiple Views

Analyzing public user posts and shared information on social media can assist us in measuring various population characteristics, patterns, movements, and as well as the public health conditions. In recent years, researchers have been analyzing social media (such as Facebook or Twitter feeds) to detect and predict various emerging events and market trends. Fewer attentions have been paid to the epidemic of the diseases. In this paper, we present a social media analytics tool, called HealthTvizer, for exploring health awareness using Twitter data through interactive and interconnected multiple views. We use topic modeling to pick the relevant and meaningful terms from more than 57 million tweets. We detect the disease name and related contents which are shared by the users of different geographical locations (mostly in the United States). We believe that the collected geolocations from the users’ tweets can reveal the patterns of diseases for a given term which allows a researcher to detect, analyze, and explore information about the diseases and hence take necessary steps to improve public health awareness. We validate the effectiveness of HealthTvizer through an informal user study. The feedback from this study also motivates us on interesting future extensions of the tool.
Spectral domain optical coherence tomography evaluation of the feline optic nerve and peripapillary retina.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and to establish normative data for the feline optic nerve and peripapillary retina using SD‐OCT (Spectralis® HRA+OCT2). METHODS: Slit‐lamp biomicroscopy and rebound tonometry were performed in seven male‐intact (0.65 ± 0.02 years;4.34 ± 0.33 kg) and seven female‐spayed (0.74 ± 0.03 years; 3.13 ± 0.28 kg) cats. All eyes were pharmacologically dilated with 1% tropicamide prior to indirect ophthalmoscopy examination. Animals were then placed under general anesthesia. Optic nerve and peripapillary retinal morphology was evaluated using SD‐OCT device by infrared imaging and volumetric scans (circle and radial). Optic disc area, optic cup depth, peripapillary retinal thickness (RT), and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) were measured. The RNFLT:RT ratio was calculated in the superior, nasal, temporal, and inferior peripapillary region. RESULTS: Intraocular pressure in all cats was 20.68 ± 4.87 mm Hg (mean ± SD). Mean RT and RNFL were thickest in the superior retina (264.7 ± 13.95 µm and 70.22 ± 11.78 µm, respectively) (P < 0.0001). Inferior RT was significantly thinner than nasal and temporal retina (P = 0.0013 and P = 0.0010, respectively). The RNFLT:RT was significantly higher in the superior retina (0.27 ± 0.04) (P < 0.0001). Optic disc area OU was 1.39 ± 0.26 mm². Optic cup depth OU was 168.36 ± 67.74 µm. All parameters tested were not affected by gender, intraocular pressure, body weight, or tested eye. Most eyes had a Bergmeister papilla that was only visible on OCT. Some animals had a recessed area over the center of the ONH meniscus. CONCLUSION: Normative peripapillary ONH OCT data have been introduced. A Bergmeister papillae is commonly seen in young cats on OCT examination. OCT is a helpful tool to evaluate the retina in cats.
Determination of internal reflectance for photonic glasses

We experimentally show that the angular distribution of diffusely transmitted light from highly scattering dense media, such as photonic glasses, deviates significantly from Fresnel's law. We model a system of a photonic glass on a substrate by introducing an optical boundary layer that is sandwiched between the bulk effective medium and the substrate. Based on the model, we calculate the extrapolation length ratio, the photon transport/scattering mean-free paths, and the angular distribution of transmitted light intensity. The internal reflectance of the photonic glass is accurately determined by considering the diffuse scattering in the boundary layer. The modeling results agree well with the experimentally measured angular distribution and transport mean-free path. Our modeling also reaffirms that the real physical process of light scattering near the interface between photonic glass and the substrate cannot be simply described as internal reflection from a flat surface. The extrapolation length ratio of a photonic glass calculated from our boundary layer model is considerably larger than that from Fresnel's law. This indicates that the transport mean-free paths determined in other reported experiments for highly scattering dense media may have included significant errors and that the boundary layer analysis could be a good replacement to accurately describe the internal reflectance for photonic glasses.
(332) The Association between Mindfulness, Pain Catastrophizing, and Opioid Misuse

Prescription opioid misuse in the USA has become a serious public health concern and has contributed to an opioid crisis. However, how psychosocial factors are associated to opioid misuse remains unclear. In this study we assessed the association between pain catastrophizing and opioid misuse and examined whether mindfulness mediated this association. In this cross-sectional study, participants (291 chronic low back pain (CLBP) completed self-report measures of mindfulness (MAAS), pain (BPI) and opioid misuse (COMM). Pearson's correlations examined the associations between study variables in CLBP patients and controls. Bootstrapping mediation analyses assessed the mediating role of mindfulness on the association between pain catastrophizing and opioid misuse. Pain catastrophizing was significantly associated with mindfulness (r = -.02) and opioid misuse (r = .22) in CLBP patients. Results of mediation analyses revealed that pain catastrophizing mediated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and opioid misuse in CLBP patients (ab = .28, 95% CI = .21 - .35). The findings from this study suggest that mindfulness may be the mechanism by which pain catastrophizing can lead to opioid misuse in CLBP patients prescribed opioids.
The value of the untenured forest: land rights, green labor, and forest carbon in the Brazilian Amazon

Tropical forests are newly valuable because of the carbon they sequester. Yet it is not clear who will benefit as a result. This article examines forest carbon’s new value in Acre, Brazil. It argue...
Guidelines for Integrating Young Children with Visual Impairments in General Educational Settings

To achieve success in educating visually impaired children in general educational settings, best-practice initiatives should be established before implementation occurs. This article examines the l...
Determining patient’s interest in patient portal use in a primary care clinic to improve portal adoption

Patients accessing their personal health information has the potential to improve their healthcare decision-making. Despite the potential benefits of patient portals and government reform, adoption has been poor. The objective of this project is to determine patients’ awareness of their patient portal and their interest in portal functionalities to assist with increasing patient portal adoption. Forty-two patients completed a 9-item survey at a primary care clinic. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. 83% of patients were interested in having access to their health information. 55% were aware of the patient portal and only 35% were signed up. The main reason for not signing up was unawareness of service (35%). Majority of participants (77%) were most interested in viewing personal health information and 50% were interested in secure messaging. These results provide valuable information about patient’s interest in accessing the patient portal and provides information on functionalities of interest.
Knowledge About Oral PrEP Among Transgender Women in New York City.

This paper grows our understanding about PrEP knowledge in transgender women (TW) to improve PrEP-focused education/outreach. Research took place in New York City. We conducted four focus groups in English or Spanish (N = 18). Discussions focused on participants’ perceptions and knowledge of oral PrEP. Most participants knew that PrEP is efficacious and requires consistent use. However, some participants were skeptical of medications; others acknowledged that false assumptions about PrEP exist among TW. Most TW in our focus groups were informed about PrEP through clinics or community-based organizations. Some participants felt that messages about medications were oversimplified, and wanted more information.
Collateral vein dynamics in mouse models of venous thrombosis: Pathways consistent with humans.

Abstract Introduction Prolific collateralization in the venous system has been associated with more severe disease. However, there is a scarcity of information on venogenesis and collateral vessel progression over time. Further, little is understood regarding the relevance of the most common preclinical model—the mouse—for studying venous collateralization. The purpose of this work was to non-invasively and quantitatively characterize collateral vein development and progression in two murine models of deep vein thrombosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Venous thrombosis (VT) was induced in 12–14-week-old male C57BL/6 mice using either the inferior vena cava (IVC) ligation model (n = 5) or the electrolytic IVC model (n = 5). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods optimized for small venous imaging were used on days 2, 6, 14, and 21 following venous thrombosis induction to quantify collateral development and thrombus volume. Results Collateral veins ~150–200 μm in diameter could be tracked in three dimensions. Collateral pathways were influenced by pre-existing anatomy; mice with bilateral IVC branches showed a predominant superficial collateral pathway (superficial and internal epigastric veins), whereas mice with no lateral branches exhibited a strong intermediate collateral pathway (gonadal and periureteric veins) and were less likely to develop ascending lumbar collaterals. The degree of venogenesis showed a positive correlation with thrombus volume in both models (combined R2 = 0.64, p Conclusions Venous collateral pathways in C57BL/6 mice are consistent with those described in humans. Collateral pathways are influenced by pre-existing anatomy, and the degree of collateralization correlates with thrombus volume.
Infection Control Standards of Care: A Global Perspective

Objective: The objective of this chapter is to provide general information on the Standard of Care for Dental Infection Control in various developed and developing countries. This chapter is a review of resources, references, and excerpts from Dental Infection Control Standards of Care manuals and articles.
Pandemic Policy in Developing Countries: Recommendations for India

Each country faces unique challenges in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic Indiaâ€™s relatively low healthcare resources, limited state capacity, and large populat
A rare case of renal cell carcinoma with hematogenous extension into the right atrium discovered incidentally on echocardiogram

While hematogenous spread of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is common, isolated extension into the renal vein and inferior vena cava (IVC) is rare and extension to the right atrium is even less likely. In the case, a 62-year-old Hispanic female was admitted for a suspected inferior myocardial infarction, and her echocardiogram revealed a right atrial mass consistent with the appearance of an atrial myxoma. Following cardiac catheterization, a histopathological examination of the mass revealed a clear cell tumor consistent with metastatic clear cell RCC. Following a CABG with excision of the atrial mas, the CT demonstrated a 5 cm right lower pole renal mass with hilar involvement, as well as filling defects in the IVC extending into the right renal vein; these findings were consistent with RCC tumor thrombus extension into the renal vein, IVC, and right atrium. The radical nephrectomy necessary for tumor removal could not be performed at this hospital, so the patient was discharged to a higher level of care. The incidence rate for RCC with extension into the right atrium is quite low, but clinicians should understand the lethality of RCC warrants immediate clinical investigation upon diagnosis. The increased utilization of sophisticated imaging modalities will likely continue to increase the rate of incidental discovery of such neoplasms, and physicians should keep RCC on the differential when a right atrial mass is discovered incidentally on echocardiogram.
Horizontal Correlation Analysis of Elliptic Curve Diffie Hellman

The world is facing a new revolutionary technology transition, Internet of things (IoT). IoT systems requires secure connectivity of distributed entities, including in-field sensors. For such external devices, Side Channel Analysis poses a potential threat as it does not require complete knowledge about the crypto algorithm. In this work, we perform Horizontal Correlation Power Analysis (HCPA) which is a type of Side Channel Analysis (SCA) over the Elliptic Curve Diffie Hellman (ECDH) key exchange protocol. ChipWhisperer (CW) by NewAE Technologies is an open source toolchain which is utilized to perform the HCPA by using CW toolchain. To best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to implemented ECDH on Artix-7 FPGA for HCPA. We compare our correlation results with the results from AES -128 bits provided by CW. Our point of attack is the Double and Add algorithm which is used to perform Scalar multiplication in ECC. We obtain a maximum correlation of 7% for the key guess using the HCPA. We also discuss about the possible cause for lower correlation and few potentials ways to improve it. In Addition to HCPA we also perform Simple Power Analysis (SPA) (visual) for ECDH, to guess the trailing zeros in the 128- bit secret key for different power traces.
The Role of Advanced Imaging in the Management of Brain Metastases

Imaging plays a major role in the management of brain metastases, both to diagnose metastases in the pretreatment period and to differentiate recurrent metastasis from radiation change in the posttreatment period. Since approximately half of brain metastases are solitary at initial presentation, imaging is important to differentiate metastasis from other neoplastic lesions, including primary brain tumors and nonneoplastic lesions. Magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion, particularly dynamic susceptibility contrast, MR spectroscopy, and diffusion-weighted imaging have all been extensively studied to assess the tumoral and peritumoral region to aid in this differential diagnosis. Susceptibility-weighted imaging has shown promise in diagnosing hemorrhagic metastases, including melanoma.
Evidence favoring the efficacy of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 therapy

Abstract To determine the effect of COVID-19 convalescent plasma on mortality, we aggregated patient outcome data from 10 randomized clinical trials (RCT), 20 matched-control studies, two dose-response studies, and 96 case-reports or case-series. Studies published between January 1, 2020 – January 16, 2021 were identified through a systematic search of online PubMed and MEDLINE databases. Random-effects analyses of RCT and matched-control data demonstrated that COVID-19 patients transfused with convalescent plasma exhibited a lower mortality rate compared to patients receiving standard treatments. Additional analyses showed that early transfusion (within 3 days of hospital admission) of higher-titer plasma is associated with lower patient mortality. These data provide evidence favoring the efficacy of human convalescent plasma as a therapeutic agent in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Naturaleza, arte y amor en tres poemas largos de Javier Sologuren: Estancias (1960), Recinto (1967) y La hora (1980)

Este trabajo analizara tres poemas largos escritos por Javier Sologuren: Estancias (1960), Recinto (1967) y La hora (1980), composiciones que tienen como eje la pregunta sobre el origen y las posibilidades del arte, entretejida con una reflexion sobre la naturaleza y el amor. Sin embargo, estos elementos no seran tratados con igual intensidad en los tres poemas mencionados. En Estancias, la reflexion sobre el arte se hara desde una perspectiva muy ligada a una naturaleza de ascendencia romantica, aunque sera un amor arquetipico el que permitira mayor trascendencia. Luego, Recinto utilizara imagenes de excavaciones en la tierra para mostrar como a traves de la poesia se puede revitalizar el pasado y vencer la paralisis de la muerte. Finalmente, en La hora, el escenario sera la ciudad moderna, con sus vicios y virtudes, en que el arte y el amor se esgrimiran como medios contrarios al «espectaculo de la muerte».
Stability Theorems for Graph Vulnerability Parameters

Given a graph property P, Bondy and Chvatal defined P to be k-stable if for any nonadjacent $$u,v\in V(G)$$ , whenever $$G+uv$$ has the property P and $$d(u)+d(v)\ge k$$ , then G itself has the property P. The smallest such k is called the stability of P. We consider the graph parameters integrity, toughness, tenacity, and binding number. For each of these parameters, we provide the stability for the property that G has a value for that parameter which is at least c, for some fixed c. We also demonstrate how stability can lead to degree sequence theorems and compare these results to known degree sequence theorems that are best possible in a certain sense.
Workplace Well-Being: The Role of Job Crafting, Perceived Organizational Support and Perceived Autonomy Support

At workplace, managers have adopted practices to increase the well-being of the staff. Job crafting has been recently recognized as something that organizations can stimulate them to do so themselves by making them think about job design that puts employees “ in the driver’s seat” in cultivating meaningfulness in their work. Along with job crafting, perceived organizational support, perceived autonomy support can also play a lot of role in the well-being of employees. The present paper results revealed a significant positive relationship between all the variables and regression also predicted Perceived organizational Support as the most contributing factor to Workplace Well-being.
Depletion of Trp53 and Cdkn2a Does Not Promote Self-Renewal in the Mammary Gland but Amplifies Proliferation Induced by TNF-α

The mammary epithelium undergoes several rounds of extensive proliferation during the female reproductive cycle. Its expansion is a tightly regulated process, fueled by the mammary stem cells and these cells' unique property of self-renewal. Sufficient new cells have to be produced to maintain the integrity of a tissue, but excessive proliferation resulting in tumorigenesis needs to be prevented. Three well-known tumor suppressors, p53, p16INK4a, and p19ARF, have been connected to the limiting of stem cell self-renewal and proliferation. Here we investigate the roles of these three proteins in the regulation of self-renewal and proliferation of mammary epithelial cells. Using mammary epithelial-specific mouse models targeting Trp53 and Cdkn2a, the gene coding for p16INK4a and p19ARF, we demonstrate that p53, p16INK4a, and p19ARF do not play a significant role in the limitation of normal mammary epithelium self-renewal and proliferation, whereas in the presence of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, Trp53-/-Cdkn2a-/- mammary basal cells exhibit amplified proliferation.
Under-standing: How embodied states shape inference-making.

Abstract How do embodied states influence the inferences people make about the meaning that is intended by communicators? We propose that embodied states encourage mental representation of certain meanings while inhibiting others, thereby facilitating or hindering comprehension in social interactions and potentially causing miscommunication. Four experiments demonstrate that bodily postures incompatible with the intended meaning of a sentence attenuated inferences of those meanings, especially when the intended meaning was not articulated directly and required more extensive inference-making effort. Participants were faster at responding to sentences containing verbs inferring a sitting position when they were sitting than when they were standing, and vice versa. Participants were also more likely to interpret the intended meaning of sentences as relevant to sitting when participants were themselves sitting, and relevant to standing when participants were standing. These outcomes were especially evident when the sentences required higher-interpretive effort (e.g., used indirect language) than lower-interpretive effort (e.g., used literal language). These results suggest that embodied states shape inference-making and can thereby influence comprehension and affect communication success, especially when inferences are more effortful to make.
“Protein aggregates” contain RNA and DNA, entrapped by misfolded proteins but largely rescued by slowing translational elongation

All neurodegenerative diseases feature aggregates, which usually contain disease-specific diagnostic proteins; non-protein constituents, however, have rarely been explored. Aggregates from SY5Y-APPSw neuroblastoma, a cell model of familial Alzheimer's disease, were crosslinked and sequences of linked peptides identified. We constructed a normalized "contactome" comprising 11 subnetworks, centered on 24 high-connectivity hubs. Remarkably, all 24 are nucleic acid-binding proteins. This led us to isolate and sequence RNA and DNA from Alzheimer's and control aggregates. RNA fragments were mapped to the human genome by RNA-seq and DNA by ChIP-seq. Nearly all aggregate RNA sequences mapped to specific genes, whereas DNA fragments were predominantly intergenic. These nucleic acid mappings are all significantly nonrandom, making an artifactual origin extremely unlikely. RNA (mostly cytoplasmic) exceeded DNA (chiefly nuclear) by twofold to fivefold. RNA fragments recovered from AD tissue were ~1.5-to 2.5-fold more abundant than those recovered from control tissue, similar to the increase in protein. Aggregate abundances of specific RNA sequences were strikingly differential between cultured SY5Y-APPSw glioblastoma cells expressing APOE3 vs. APOE4, consistent with APOE4 competition for E-box/CLEAR motifs. We identified many G-quadruplex and viral sequences within RNA and DNA of aggregates, suggesting that sequestration of viral genomes may have driven the evolution of disordered nucleic acid-binding proteins. After RNA-interference knockdown of the translational-procession factor EEF2 to suppress translation in SY5Y-APPSw cells, the RNA content of aggregates declined by >90%, while reducing protein content by only 30% and altering DNA content by ≤10%. This implies that cotranslational misfolding of nascent proteins may ensnare polysomes into aggregates, accounting for most of their RNA content.
Current Paradigms of Combination therapy in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Bacteremia: Does it Work, Which Combination and For Which Patients?

The last several years have seen an emergence of literature documenting the utility of combination antimicrobial therapy, particularly in the salvage of refractory MRSA bacteremia. Recent clinical data are shaping conundrums of which regimens may be more beneficial, which can be potentially harmful, and which subset of patients stand to benefit from more aggressive treatment regimens than called for by current standards. In addition, the incorporation of combination therapy for MRSA bacteremia should be accompanied by the reminder that antimicrobial therapy does not need to be uniform for the entire duration, with an early intensive phase in high inoculum infections (e.g. with combination therapy), followed by a consolidation phase (i.e. monotherapy). This review and perspective consolidates the recent data on this subject and directs future goals in filling the knowledge gaps to methodically move forward towards improving patient outcomes.
Left abomasal displacement

All 315 cases were in females. Amongst breeds the highest incidence of left abomasal displacement was in Holstein (82.9%) followed by Jersey (9.8%) cows. Nearly 56% of all cases were 4-6 years old (mean 5 years). Over 69% cases occurred between January and June. 97.5% cows were lactating and 91% were less than 6 weeks post-partum. The history was associated with other diseases including milk fever (12.4%), ketosis (42%), metritis (41%) and retained placenta (30%). Concurrent disease conditions included metritis (43.5%) and mastitis (19%). Right flank laparotomy revealed liver adhesions in 8% and peritonitis in 7.4% of cases. Of 312 surgically treated cows, 33 died; 10 had recurrence. Post-operative treatment often included systemic administration of sugar solutions and antibiotics. The most common post-operative complication was mastitis (7%). Casual factors are discussed.
“Who says I am coping”: The emotional affect of New Jersey academic librarians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a seismic shift to academic libraries. The state of New Jersey, one of the earliest affected regions in the United States, mandated the closure of all higher education institutions in March 2020, followed by a partial reopening of several campuses in Fall 2020. With the mandated closure and subsequent reopening, librarians needed to adjust their workflow during a time of high uncertainty and stress. Conducted in Fall 2020, this study reports on the emotional affect of New Jersey academic librarians working in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to provide a snapshot of the experiences and emotions of academic librarians in this region. In addition to gathering data such as their position roles and library policies, written responses were also collected describing their experiences and emotions. All responses to these open-ended questions were categorized and coded according to similar themes. Common trends in the responses, as well as similarities with previous research on emotional labor events and occupational burnout, are discussed. These results have implications for anyone working in an academic library during a pandemic, or even simply working remotely in an academic library.
Metformin and leucine increase satellite cells and collagen remodeling during disuse and recovery in aged muscle.

Loss of muscle mass and strength after disuse followed by impaired muscle recovery commonly occurs with aging. Metformin (MET) and leucine (LEU) individually have shown positive effects in skeletal muscle during atrophy conditions but have not been evaluated in combination nor tested as a remedy to enhance muscle recovery following disuse atrophy in aging. The purpose of this study was to determine if a dual treatment of metformin and leucine (MET + LEU) would prevent disuse-induced atrophy and/or promote muscle recovery in aged mice and if these muscle responses correspond to changes in satellite cells and collagen remodeling. Aged mice (22-24 months) underwent 14 days of hindlimb unloading (HU) followed by 7 or 14 days of reloading (7 or 14 days RL). MET, LEU, or MET + LEU was administered via drinking water and were compared to Vehicle (standard drinking water) and ambulatory baseline. We observed that during HU, MET + LEU resolved whole body grip strength and soleus muscle specific force decrements caused by HU. Gastrocnemius satellite cell abundance was increased with MET + LEU treatment but did not alter muscle size during disuse or recovery conditions. Moreover, MET + LEU treatment alleviated gastrocnemius collagen accumulation caused by HU and increased collagen turnover during 7 and 14 days RL driven by a decrease in collagen IV content. Transcriptional pathway analysis revealed that MET + LEU altered muscle hallmark pathways related to inflammation and myogenesis during HU. Together, the dual treatment of MET and LEU was able to increase muscle function, satellite cell content, and reduce collagen accumulation, thus improving muscle quality during disuse and recovery in aging.
Grumpy Old Ethnographers: A Review of David Silverman ’s A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Qualitative Research

Renowned scholar of qualitative research methods David Silverman delivers an indictment of contemporary qualitative research methods. The book is meant to be an introduction (or “pre textbook”) to the subject of qualitative research and definitely not a “how to” manual. In evaluating contemporary qualitative research methods, Silverman’s book primarily focuses on ethnography and conversation analysis. Intentionally personal and biased, Silverman’s plainly stated goal for this book is to “debunk the accepted understandings” of qualitative research and elicit an interest in the arguments within the field of qualitative inquiry , and he succeeds on both accounts .
Television Camera Tubes: A Research Review

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a research review of television camera tubes. In an ideal tube, the sensitivity, resolution, and contrast discrimination would be limited only by the statistical fluctuations in the number of pho- tons comprising the image. The tube itself should introduce no limitations in the process of generating the video signal. The use of a low-velocity scanning beam eliminates the spurious shading and loss of efficiency caused by the redistribution of secondary electrons in the Iconoscope. Since the electron beam is decelerated just prior to striking the target a strong electric field in front of the target draws all photoelectrons and reflected beam electrons away from the target. A low-velocity electron beam from a gun whose cathode is held within a few volts of the target mesh scans the reverse side of the target depositing electrons in the areas corresponding to the bright, parts of the scene. The two-sided target has been a major fabrication problem as well as a source of some of the most desirable performance characteristics found in the Image Orthicon. The camera tubes based on photoconductivity are also elaborated.
A nuclear magnetic resonance study of the inhibition of lysozyme by N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and di-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.

Abstract The rate constants k1 and k-1 for N-acetyl-α- and -β-D-glucosamine and di-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine exchanging with lysozyme have been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance methods, along with the chemical shifts of the acetyl proton resonances upon binding to lysozyme. The results suggest that the binding of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosamine to lysozyme is significantly different from that of other monosaccharide inhibitors, that the value of k1 for monosaccharide inhibitors is significantly different from that for the di- and trisaccharide, and that the phenomenon measured by nuclear magnetic resonance methods is the same as that measured by temperature jump methods.
An examination of silver as a radiographic contrast agent in dual-energy breast x-ray imaging

Silver nanoaprticles have been investigated as an alternative to iodine in dual-energy breast x-ray imaging. Dual-energy imaging involves acquiring images at two distinct energy windows (low and high). Weighting factors are then applied to create an image where the contrast between background tissues has been suppressed. Silver (Ag) represents an attractive contrast material due to its favorable x-ray attenuation properties (k-edge of 25.5 keV). Theoretical analysis using polychromatic spectra shows that silver can provide similar, if not better, contrast to iodine. Spherical Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of 4 ±2 nm were synthesized using the Brust method in water. The particles were surface stabilized with polyethylene glycol and showed little cellular toxicity in T6-17 fibroblast cells. These results have encouraged further investigation into validation and testing in living system models. Silver nanoparticles represent an exciting avenue for the development of a novel dual-energy, x-ray breast imaging agent.
Construction of Generic Web-Based User Interfaces

Several middleware technologies exist today that facilitate the development of applications in distributed heterogeneous environments. Interoperability is the property by which an application can span different middleware technologies. Much attention has been given to the application–to–application interoperability. With the rise of web services, we introduce a generic model for user–to–application interoperabilty. At the core of this concept is a mapping from user–friendly web forms to arbitrary middleware technologies.
A Space Efficient Engine for Subsumption-Based Tabled Evaluation of Logic Programs

Tabled resolution improves efficiency as well as termination properties of logic programs by sharing answer computations across “similar” subgoals. Similarity based on subsumption of subgoals rather than variance (i.e., identity modulo variable renaming) promotes more aggressive sharing, but requires mechanisms to index answers from dynamically growing sets. Earlier we proposed Dynamic Threaded Sequential Automata (DTSA) as the data structure for organizing answer tables in subsumption-based tabling. Using a DTSA, we can retrieve answers one at a time from the table, strictly in the order of their insertion. Although DTSA performed very well, its space usage was high. Here we present an alternative data structure called Time-Stamped Trie (TST) that relaxes the retrieval order, and yet ensures that all answers will be eventually retrieved. We show that TST has superior space performance to DTSA in theory as well as practice, without sacrificing time performance.
Mechanisms linking advanced airway management and cardiac arrest outcomes

Advanced airway management – such as endotracheal intubation (ETI) or supraglottic airway (SGA) insertion – is one of the most prominent interventions in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation. While randomized controlled trials are currently in progress to identify the best advanced airway technique in OHCA, the mechanisms by which airway management may influence OHCA outcomes remain unknown. We provide a conceptual model describing potential mechanisms linking advanced airway management with OHCA outcomes.
Characterization of MOCVD lateral epitaxial overgrown III-V semiconductor layers on GaAs substrates

We have studied the lateral epitaxial overgrowth by MOCVD of a variety of highly mismatched III-V semiconductors on GaAs substrates. For [001] substrates we determined the oxide stripe orientation that gives the maximum lateral growth rate to be /spl sim/ 25/sup o/ from [110]. We successfully achieved that lateral overgrowth of In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As alloys on GaAs and found that the use of Bi as a surfactant led to an improvement in the morphology and luminescence uniformity. The studies have been extended to the lateral epitaxial overgrowth of InAs, GaP, and InP.
DILEMMAS IN END-STAGE HEART FAILURE

Heart failure (HF), a complex clinical syndrome due to structural or functional disorder of the heart, is a major global health issue, with a prevalence of over 5.8 million in the USA alone, and over 23 million worldwide. As a leading cause of hospitalizations among patients aged 65 years or older, HF is a major consumer of healthcare resources, creating a substantial strain on the healthcare system. This paper discusses the epidemiology of HF, financial impact, and multifaceted predicaments in end-stage HF care. A search was conducted on the U.S. National Library of Medicine website (www.pubmed.gov) using keywords such as end-stage heart failure, palliative care, ethical dilemmas. Despite the poor prognosis of HF (worse than that for many cancers), many HF patients, caregivers, and clinicians are unaware of the poor prognosis. In addition, the unpredictable clinical trajectory of HF complicates the planning of end-of-life care, such as palliative care and hospice, leading to underutilization of such resources. In conclusion, ethical dilemmas in end-stage HF are numerous, embroiling not only the patient, but also the caregiver, healthcare team, and society.
Epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting infrared microbolometers on silicon

Superconducting transition-edge infrared microbolometers have been fabricated by silicon micromachining using an epitaxial YLa.05Ba1.95Cu3O7-x (YBCO) film on a epitaxial yttria-stabilized zirconia buffer layer on silicon. The low thermal conductance of the micromachined structures combined with the sharp resistance change at the superconducting transition results in very sensitive infrared detectors. The broadband response of these thermal detectors makes them particularly useful at wavelengths longer than the typical operating range of semiconductor detectors ((lambda) greater than about 20 micrometers ) at moderately high temperatures (T approximately 70 K and higher). The use of standard silicon processing promises low-cost monolithic integration of the readout electronics for arrays of these devices. Preliminary measurements are reported here on a device 140 micrometers X 105 micrometers in size with a detectivity, D*, of 8 +/- 2 X 109 cm Hz1/2/Watt, and NEP of 1.5 X 10-12 Watts/Hz1/2 at 2 Hz and 80.7 K. This value of D* exceeds the highest previously reported D* for a YBCO transition-edge bolometer, and is comparable to the highest reported D* for a thermal detector operating at greater than about 70 K. The thermal time constant for this device was 105 +/- 20 msec.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dynamics of Aggregate Culture of Mammalian Cells

Many mammalian cells grow as aggregates when deprived of surface for attachment. Ease of cell retention and higher cell concentration are among the potential benefits of aggregate culture. We investigated the dynamics of aggregate formation by measuring the kinetics of growth and the particle size distributions. The formation of aggregates was dependent on the chemical environment. At low Ca+ + concentrations the aggregates formed were smaller in size and were less compacted than those formed at higher Ca+ +, as observed by scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy. In the initial stages of culture, the increase in aggregate size was mostly due to cell growth. In later stages of culture, the aggregate size appears to have an upper limit and its distribution becomes relatively invariant with time. For cells which do not form aggregates readily, microspheres with controlled — charge density were used to induce aggregate formation. Optical sectioning with confocal microscopy revealed that non-viable cells were predominantly localized in the interior, especially in large sized aggregates. These results indicate that growth kinetics may differ in aggregates of different size. The implication of such uneven property distribution on production processes will be discussed.
Deleterious effect of HIV-1 plasma viremia on B cell costimulatory function.

HIV infection leads to numerous immunologic defects, including impaired B cell function. An effective humoral response requires bidirectional interactions between B cells and CD4 + T cells, critical of which are interactions between CD80/CD86 expressed on activated B cells and CD28 expressed on responder CD4 + T cells. In the present study, we examined the effect of active HIV replication on B cell costimulatory function. Induction of CD80/CD86 on B cells following B cell receptor and CD40 triggering and responsiveness of CD4 + T cells to activated B cells were investigated in a system where B cells of HIV-infected patients were compared concurrently to B cells of HIV-negative donors. In contrast to HIV-aviremic patients, B cells of HIV-viremic patients were ineffective at stimulating CD4 + T cells, as measured by the induction of activation markers and proliferation. The importance of interactions of CD80/CD86 and CD28 in activating CD4 + T cells was clear; the ablation of a normal response following the addition of neutralizing anti-CD86/CD80 Abs mirrored the response of CD4 + T cells to B cells of HIV-viremic patients, while the addition of exogenous CD28 ligands partially restored the poor CD4 + T cell response to the B cells of HIV-viremic patients. Ineffective B cell costimulatory function in HIV-viremic patients was associated with low induction of CD80/CD86 expression on B cells. Our findings further delineate the scope of defects associated with cognate B cell-CD4 + T cell interactions in HIV infection and suggest that therapeutic interventions designed to enhance CD28-dependent costimulatory pathways may help restore immune functions.