cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial epidemiology of eastern equine encephalitis in Florida

Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) is an alphavirus with high pathogenicity in both humans and horses. Florida continues to have the highest occurrence of human cases in the USA, with four fatalities recorded in 2010. Unlike other states, Florida supports year-round EEEV transmission. This research uses GIS to examine spatial patterns of documented horse cases during 2005–2010 in order to understand the relationships between habitat and transmission intensity of EEEV in Florida. Cumulative incidence rates of EEE in horses were calculated for each county. Two cluster analyses were performed using density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). The first analysis was based on regional clustering while the second focused on local clustering. Ecological associations of EEEV were examined using compositional analysis and Euclidean distance analysis to determine if the proportion or proximity of certain habitats played a role in transmission. The DBSCAN algorithm identified five distinct regional spatial clusters that contained 360 of the 438 horse cases. The local clustering resulted in 18 separate clusters containing 105 of the 438 cases. Both the compositional analysis and Euclidean distance analysis indicated that the top five habitats positively associated with horse cases were rural residential areas, crop and pastureland, upland hardwood forests, vegetated non-forested wetlands, and tree plantations. This study demonstrates that in Florida tree plantations are a focus for epizootic transmission of EEEV. It appears both the abundance and proximity of tree plantations are factors associated with increased risk of EEE in horses and therefore humans. This association helps to explain why there is are spatially distinct differences in the amount of EEE horse cases across Florida.
Ambiguity Aversion and Comparative Ignorance

Decisions under uncertainty depend not only on the degree of uncertainty but also on its source, as illustrated by Ellsberg's observation of ambiguity aversion. In this article we propose the comparative ignorance hypothesis, according to which ambiguity aversion is produced by a comparison with less ambiguous events or with more knowledgeable individuals. This hypothesis is supported in a series of studies showing that ambiguity aversion, present in a comparative context in which a person evaluates both clear and vague prospects, seems to disappear in a noncomparative context in which a person evaluates only one of these prospects in isolation.
Comparison of Strong Ground Motion from Several Dislocation Models

Summary To examine the effects of different earthquake sources, ground motion near the rupture for several dislocation models has been calculated. Quite different dislocation models of the rupture can give very similar displacements at stations located only one fault dimension from the fault in an infinite homogeneous elastic space. In particular: (1) models with fault motions and rupture geometry quite different from Haskell's propagating ramp can often have near-field motions very similar to those from a ramp model; and (2) quite similar near-field motions are found, for different ramp models in which the rupture velocity and rise time are varied together over rather large ranges (e.g. a factor of three in rise time). We infer that there is considerable ambiguity in interpreting near-field displacement data in terms of a model of fault motion. The ambiguity may be reduced by using acceleration data, although this entails a considerable increase in computer time for solving forward problems.
Genetic and molecular analysis of the GAL3 gene in the expression of the galactose/melibiose regulon of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

During the galactose adaptation period of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain bearing a naturally occurring gal3 allele, we found a longer induction lag and slower rate of accumulation of GAL10 and MEL1 RNAs compared to wild-type strains. A strain of genotype gal3 gal1 gal7 is noninducible for MEL1 gene expression, but this expression block is bypassed by overexpression of the GAL4 gene or by deletion of the GAL80 gene, either of which causes a constitutive phenotype. An otherwise wild-type strain that bears a chromosomal gal3 gene disruption mutation does not produce wild-type GAL3 RNA and exhibits induction comparable to a strain bearing the naturally occurring gal3. Based on this array of results, we conclude that the GAL3 gene product executes its function at a point before GAL4 mediated transcription of the GAL1-10-7 and MEL1 genes. Thus, the data are consistent with the previously advanced hypothesis that the GAL3 gene product functions to synthesize the inducer or coinducer molecule. In experiments in which the presence of either the plasmid-carried cloned GAL3 gene or the plasmid-carried cloned GAL1-10-7 genes allows MEL1 induction of a gal3 gal1 gal7 cell, we find that loss of the plasmid results in the shutoff of MEL1 expression even when galactose is continuously present. Either GAL3 function or GAL1-10-7 functions are therefore required for both the initiation and the maintenance of the induced state. Since the strains bearing either the naturally occurring gal3 allele or the gal3 disruption (null) allele do induce, the plasmid loss experiments indicate the existence of two completely independent induction initiation-maintenance pathways, one requiring GAL3 function, the other requiring GAL1-10-7 function. Finally, Northern blot analysis reveals two major GAL3 transcripts that differ in size by approximately 500 nucleotides.
Area-level Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Use of Mammography Screening: A Multilevel Analysis of the Health of Houston Survey

Abstract Background An emerging literature reports that women who reside in socioeconomically deprived communities are less likely to adhere to mammography screening. This study explored associations between area-level socioeconomic measures and mammography screening among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of women in Texas. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, multilevel study linking individual-level data from the 2010 Health of Houston Survey and contextual data from the U.S. Census. Women ages 40 to 74 years ( n = 1,541) were included in the analyses. We examined tract-level poverty, unemployment, education, Hispanic and Black composition, female-headed householder families, and crowding as contextual measures. Using multilevel logistic regression modeling, we compared most disadvantaged tracts (quartiles 2–4) to the most advantaged tract (quartile 1). Results Overall, 64% of the sample was adherent to mammography screening. Screening rates were lower ( p Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of examining area-level socioeconomic inequalities in mammography screening. The study represents an advance on previous research because we examined multiple area measures, controlled for key individual-level covariates, used data aggregated at the tract level, and accounted for the nested structure of the data.
Managing the Pharmacy Benefit: The Formulary System

OBJECTIVE: To review the development and implementation of prescription formularies by managed care organizations, identify their current applications, and recognize future trends in the managed ca...
Comparative Study of Second-Harmonic Generation from Epsilon-Near-Zero Indium Tin Oxide and Titanium Nitride Nanolayers Excited in the Near-Infrared Spectral Range

We perform a comparative study of second-harmonic generation (SHG) from indium tin oxide (ITO) and from titanium nitride (TiN) nanolayers excited in the near-infrared spectrum. Both materials are compatible with Si technology and are candidate platforms for integrated nonlinear optics. In this work, we fabricate ITO samples with an e-near-zero (ENZ) condition, which can be continuously tailored in the 1150–1670 nm spectral range, and TiN samples with a metallic behavior in the same spectral range. For the ITO nanolayers, we observe tunability and enhancement of the SHG intensity when the samples are excited at their respective ENZ condition, in agreement with the electromagnetic modeling and analogous to its third-harmonic generation studied earlier. On the other hand, we show that the SHG efficiency of TiN nanolayers is lower by a factor of 50. We determine experimentally that the dominant component of the second-order susceptibility for our best ITO nanolayer is χzzz(2ω) = 0.18 pm V–1, and we theoretica...
NON-BREAKING AND BREAKING WAVE LOADS ON A COOLING WATER OUTFALL

Cooling water from a power generating station in Eastern Canada is pumped to an outfall and distributed into the ocean through discharge ports in the sidewalls of a diffuser cap. The cap is essentially a shell-type structure consisting of a submerged circular cylinder 26.5 ft in diameter and 14 ft high. It is located in 25 ft of water at low water level and 54 ft at high water level. Horizontal forces, vertical forces and overturning moments exerted by waves on a 1:36 scale model of the diffuser cap were measured with and without cooling water discharging from the outfall. Tests were run with regular and irregular waves producing both non-breaking and breaking wave loads on the diffuser cap. The overturning moments measured on the diffuser cap were up to 150 percent greater than those on a solid submerged cylinder sealed to the seabed. Unlike sealed cylinders, all of the wave loads measured on the relatively open structure reached maximum values at approximately the same time. The largest wave loads were measured on the diffuser structure when it was subjected to spilling breakers at low water level. For a given wave height, the spilling breakers caused wave loads up to 100 percent greater than those due to non-breaking waves.
Spatial-scale considerations for a large-area forest inventory regression model

Numerous statistical models are employed when processing forest inventory data. These models primarily provide predicted values for attributes that are difficult and/or time-consuming to measure. In some applications, models are applied across a large geographic area, which assumes the relationship between the response variable and predictors is constant within the area. The extent to which this assumption holds for a tree height prediction modelwas evaluated at regional, ecoprovince and ecosection scales in the northeastern US. Two nonlinear regression modelswere tested, a spatially ambiguous model that utilized tree and stand-level predictors, and a spatially explicit model that incorporated latitude, longitude and elevation as predictors. When the regional-scale models were evaluated at the state level, both showed considerable bias for some states, which suggests that the statistical significance of spatial predictor variables does not translate into effective accounting for spatial variability. Similar results were obtained when fitting the model to an ecoprovince and evaluating bias within ecosections. Finally, fitting the model to ecosections within the ecoprovince provided a moderate level of local robustness as assessed by Moran's I statistic; however, there are cases where local biases maystill exist. This outcome suggests that models should be developed and applied at small spatial scales to reduce local biaseswhenmodel predictions are aggregated to larger geographic domains. Alternatively, more advanced modelling techniques may be more effectiveataddressing local variability usingasinglemodelhaving large-areaapplication.However, the practicality of implementing these more complex techniques in the context of continuous large-area forest inventories is not well understood and should be fully explored prior to operational employment.
Fusion Algorithm Based on Linear Minimum Variance and Recursive Least Squares

In view of the present underwater target location data fusion algorithm accuracy was of large error,This paper proposed a new data fusion algorithm of underwater target positioning for the distributed sensor network based on the linear minimum square estimation(LMSE) criterion.The algorithm used two-stage adaptive adjustment to acquire optimized weighting factor by the recursive least squares(RLS) algorithm.Simulation results of underwater static and moving target positioning showed that,compared with the single node localization,the positioning precision of the fusion algorithm was about one or two orders of magnitude higher.
Practical Pulmonary Physiology: A Functional Analysis of Symptoms and Therapeutic Measures in Respiratory Disorders of Newborn Infants

Clinical signs and symptoms, discussed from a functional point of view, include skin color, chest configuration, tachypnea, periodic breathing, grunting, wheezing, and others. Therapeutic measures and measurement of lung function are briefly reviewed.
On the use of upper extremity proximal nerve action potentials in the localization of focal nerve lesions producing axonotmesis

Ulnar, median, and radial proximal nerve action potentials (PNAPs) were recorded from the axilla and supraclavicularly, with stimulation of the nerves at the elbow or the radial groove, in 30 control subjects for each nerve. In addition to routine nerve conduction studies, wrist to elbow median nerve action potentials were recorded proximal to the lesion in 76 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome of varying degrees of severity to determine the effect that the distal lesion might have on more proximal nerve conduction. Utilizing this information, PNAPs, standard nerve conduction studies, and needle electrode examinations were carried out in patients with focal elbow area nerve or brachial plexus lesions producing axonotmesis. PNAPs confirmed the site of the lesions producing axonotmesis when localization was possible with standard nerve conduction and/or needle electrode studies and were the sole means by which localization of the lesions producing only sensory axonotmesis was accomplished.
High-power 1.3-μm InGaAsP-InP amplifiers with tapered gain regions

Tapered structures fabricated in InGaAsP-InP 1.3-/spl mu/m quantum-well material have been evaluated as high-gain high-saturation-power amplifiers. The devices, which had a 1-mm-long ridge-waveguide input gain section followed by a 2-mm-long tapered section, demonstrated an unsaturated gain of 26 dB at 2.0 A and about 30 dB at 2.8 A. Saturated output power at 2.8 A was >750 mW. At 2.0-A drive current and /spl ap/10-mW input power, the relative intensity noise of the amplified signal was /spl les/-160 dB/Hz at frequencies /spl ges/2 GHz.
Treatment of ear and bone disease in the Phex mouse mutant with dietary supplementation

Abstract Hypothesis Phosphorus and vitamin D (calcitriol) supplementation in the Phex mouse, a murine model for endolymphatic hydrops (ELH), will improve otic capsule mineralization and secondarily ameliorate the postnatal development of ELH and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Background Male Phex mice have X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH), which includes osteomalacia of the otic capsule. The treatment for XLH is supplementation with phosphorus and calcitriol. The effect of this treatment has never been studied on otic capsule bone and it is unclear if improving the otic capsule bone could impact the mice's postnatal development of ELH and SNHL. Methods Four cohorts were studied: 1) wild-type control, 2) Phex control, 3) Phex prevention, and 4) Phex rescue. The control groups were not given any dietary supplementation. The Phex prevention group was supplemented with phosphorus added to its drinking water and intraperitoneal calcitriol from postnatal day (P) 7–P40. The Phex rescue group was also supplemented with phosphorus and calcium but only from P20 to P40. At P40, all mice underwent auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, serum analysis, and temporal bone histologic analysis. Primary outcome was otic capsule mineralization. Secondary outcomes were degree of SNHL and presence ELH. Results Both treatment groups had markedly improved otic capsule mineralization with less osteoid deposition. The improved otic capsule mineralized did not prevent the development of ELH or SNHL. Conclusion Supplementation with phosphorus and calcitriol improves otic capsule bone morphology in the Phex male mouse but does not alter development of ELH or SNHL.
Mormon Semitism and Anti-Semitism

This paper investigates the relation between the attitudes of Mormons toward modern Jews and the belief in the unique Mormon doctrine of "Semitic identification," which holds that Mormons and Jews literally have the same ethnic origin. The study is based upon a purposive sample of 250 Mormons in the San Francisco Bay Area, who are compared to a larger sample of Catholics and Protestants in the same area, studied by Charles Y. Glock and Rodney Stark in their recent book, Christian Beliefs and Anti-Semitism. The Mormon study used a questionnaire and a theoretical model which were very similar to those of Glock and Stark. The results of the study showed Mormons less likely than any of the other denominations to hold secular anti-Jewish notions, such as that Jews cheat in business or are disloyal and unpatriotic. While Mormons did tend to believe in certain negative religious ideas about Jews (such as that God was punishing them for their unfaithfulness), these ideas were "<neutralized" by a simultaneous belief in the doctrine of "Semitic identification," and thus were not carried over in the form of negative secular ideas about Jews, as was the case with other denominations. Various sub-categories of Mormons in the sample were studied, with no resulting change in the basic finding, which would seem to have important generalizable implications for the secular functions of theological indoctrination.
Using Graduate Students as Consultants to Teach Action Research to Residence Hall Staff

Residence hall life can be impersonal and devoid of a community atmosphere particularly in a large university. Students living in the residence tialls have little in common except their pursuit of education. Concerted efforts need to be made to enhance the residential living situation so that it becomes a significant part of the students learning environment outside of the classroom.
High‐Spatial Resolution Mass Spectrometry Imaging: Toward Single Cell Metabolomics in Plant Tissues

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful tool that has advanced our understanding of complex biological processes by enabling unprecedented details of metabolic biology to be uncovered. Through the use of high-spatial resolution MSI, metabolite localizations can be obtained with high precision. Here we describe our recent progress to enhance the spatial resolution of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MSI from ∼50 μm with the commercial configuration to ∼5 μm. Additionally, we describe our efforts to develop a 'multiplex MSI' data acquisition method to allow more chemical information to be obtained on a single tissue in a single instrument run, and the development of new matrices to improve the ionization efficiency for a variety of small molecule metabolites. In combination, these contributions, along with the efforts of others, will bring MSI experiments closer to achieving metabolomic scale.
Method to Identify Silent Codon Mutations That May Alter Peptide Elongation Kinetics and Co-translational Protein Folding

Due to the redundancy of the protein genetic code, mutational changes in the second or third nucleotide of an existing codon may not change the amino acid specification of the resulting modified codon. When peptide primary sequence is unchanged by mutation, that mutation is assumed to have no functional consequences. However, for one key gene involved in drug transport, MDR-1, several silent, synonymous mutations have been shown to alter protein structure and substrate affinity (Kimchi-Sarfaty et al., Science 315:525-528, 2007). The mechanism of these changes, in the absence of primary amino acid sequence changes, appears to be the change in abundance of the transfer RNA molecules complementary to the mutated, although synonymous, new codon. Transfer RNA abundance is proportional to the frequency of each codon as found in human protein coding DNA (Sharp et al., Nucleic Acids Res 14(13):5125-5143, 1986). These frequencies have been mapped for many thousands of human proteins (Nakamura et al., Nucleic Acids Res 28:292, 2000). This method analyzes silent codon mutations in whole genome data. Where there are large changes in codon frequency resulting from codon sequence mutation, the affected proteins are mapped to potential disease pathways, in the context of clinical phenotypes associated with the patient genome data.
Older Adults’ Internet Use Is Varied, Suggesting the Need for Targeted Rather Than Broadly Focused Outreach

A Review of: van Boekel, L.C., Peek, S. T., & Luijkx, K.G. (2017). Diversity in older adults’ use of the Internet: Identifying subgroups through latent class analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(5:e180), 1-10. doi: 10.2196/jmir.6853 Abstract Objective – To determine the amount and types of variation in Internet use among older adults, and to test its relationship to social and health factors. Design – Representative longitudinal survey panel of households Setting – The Netherlands Subjects – A panel with 1,418 members who were over 65 years of age had answered the survey questionnaire that included Internet use questions, and who reported access to and use of the Internet. Methods – Using information about the Internet activities the respondents reported, the authors conducted latent class analysis and extracted a best-fitting model including four clusters of respondent Internet use types. The four groups were analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared using ANOVA and chi-square tests. Analysis and comparisons were conducted both between groups, and on the relationship of the groups with a range of social and health variables. Main Results – The four clusters identified included: 1) practical users using the Internet for practical purposes such as financial transactions; 2) social users using the Internet for activities such as social media and gaming; 3) minimizers, who spent the least time on the Internet and were the oldest group; and 4) maximizers, who used the Internet for the widest range of purposes, for the most time, and who were the youngest group. Once the clusters were delineated, social and health factors were examined (specifically social and emotional loneliness, psychological well-being, and two activities of daily living (ADL) measures). There were significant differences between groups, but the effect sizes were small. Practical users had higher psychological well-being, whereas minimizers had the lowest scores related to ADLs and overall health (however, they were also the oldest group). Conclusions – The establishment of four clusters of Internet use types demonstrates that older adults are not homogeneous in their Internet practices. However, there were no marked findings showing differences between the clusters in social and health-related variables (the minimizers reported lower health status, but they were also the oldest group). Nevertheless, the finding of Internet use heterogeneity is an important one for those who wish to connect with older adults through Internet-based programming. The different patterns evidenced in each cluster will require differing outreach strategies. It also highlights the need for ongoing longitudinal research, to determine whether those who are currently younger and more technologically savvy will age into similar patterns that these authors found, or whether a new set of older adult Internet use profiles will emerge as younger generations with more Internet experience and affinity become older.
An experimental evaluation of MPTCP-tunnel-based hybrid access

In numerous countries, the nation-wide roll-out of high-speed Internet access is progressing slowly, in particular in rural areas, where the investment of laying fiber is high compared to potential revenue. Regulatory pressure however has forced ISPs to act and to provide reliable broadband services to all. The solution that has been deployed or is currently being trialed in various countries is to bond existing DSL with existing high-speed wireless data access provided by LTE to deliver an adequate aggregate bandwidth. There are currently at least two technologies being used, based on either layer-3 tunnels (implemented using GRE) or multi-path TCP (MPTCP) proxies that translate regular TCP into a multi-path TCP connection for the access segment of an end-to-end path. In both cases, the respective protocols cannot be used simply as is as either protocol extensions are needed or some sort of elaborate logic needs to be implemented to deal with issues such as packet reordering. Alternatively, it would be possible to simply use MPTCP unmodified as an underlying transport protocol for existing tunneling technologies such as SSH or OpenVPN. Such an approach could be used today without any modifications to software or protocols. While layer-7 tunneling over an MPTCP transport comes with its own merits it has potential drawbacks, such as bad interactions of congestion control feedback loops. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the properties of such an approach and contrast the properties of all three approaches as technologies to provide high-speed, reliable broadband to end consumers.
From kinematics to shape: an approach to innovative design

We address the problem of designing the shape of solid objects to satisfy a given set of functional specifications. In particular, we show how to design elementary components of mechanical devices (kinematic pairs) from a description of their desired behavior and a set of constraints. This is done using a backtracking algorithm that modifies (or creates) object shapes by adding and deleting line and arc segments to the objects' contours. These modifications are guided by the configuration space description of the desired behavior. The algorithm is extended to handle both qualitative and causal descriptions of desired behaviors. This work is based on the theory of shape and kinematics developed in [Joskowicz, 1988].
Rating Scales for the Psychosocial Evaluation of Organ Transplant Candidates: Comparison of the PACT and TERS With Bone Marrow Transplant Patients

Two scaled formats for summarizing the results of psychosocial evaluations of transplant candidates have been published, the Psychosocial Assessment of Candidates for Transplantation (PACT) and the Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS). In this study, 40 consecutive candidates for bone marrow transplant were rated on the PACT and TERS. The PACT and TERS were comparable in interrater reliability. Similar conceptual items for each scale correlated fairly highly with one another. The PACT and TERS differ in several scale characteristics. The authors discuss the relationship between scale characteristics and clinical utility.
Perioperative Outcomes and Complications after Robotic Radical Cystectomy With Intracorporeal or Extracorporeal Ileal Conduit Urinary Diversion: Head-to-head Comparison From a Single-Institutional Prospective Study.

ABSTRACT Objective To compare perioperative and oncological outcomes of intracorporeal (ICUD) vs extracorporeal urinary diversion (ECUD) after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). Methods From January 2014 to December 2017, data of consecutive patients who underwent RARC performed by 2 institutional surgeons were prospectively collected in a dedicated database (IRB: 251647). Patients were divided in 2 groups according to the operating surgeon, one performing ECUD, the other ICUD. Groups were compared in perioperative outcomes and Clavien complications (during admission, within 30- and 90-days postoperatively). Univariable and multivariable analyses tested the impact of variables of interest on the occurrence of complications at the different time points. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate recurrence and metastasis-free survivals. Results Sixty to 66 patients underwent RARC with ileal conduit ICUD and ECUD, respectively. ICUD patients were younger (69 vs 73 years old, P = .009). No differences were found in other baseline characteristics and final pathology. Regarding perioperative outcomes, shorter operative time favored ECUD (7 vs 6 hours, P = .0004). Specifically, no differences were found in postoperative complications while admitted, either overall (ICUD: 16 [26.7%] vs ECUD: 23 [34.8%] patients, P = .3) or major (ICUD: 10 [16.7%] vs ECUD: 14 [21.2%], P = .6); same was for reassessment within 30- and 90-days postoperatively. At multivariable analysis, Charlson's Comorbidity Index ≥3 and blood losses >600 mL predicted complications during the admission (P = .02). Male gender, higher body mass index, and ureteral involvement predicted 30-days complications (P = .04). No differences in oncological outcomes. Conclusion At head-to-head comparison of 2 expert surgeons, ICUD and ECUD for ileal conduit had comparable perioperative outcomes.
Correction to the article An infinite-rank summand of topologically slice knots

We describe an error in the proof of a key proposition of our paper An infinite-rank summand of topologically slice knots (Geom. Topol. 19 (2015) 1063–1110), which was necessary for the proof of the main result. Alternative proofs of the main result are given by Ozsvath, Stipsicz and Szabo, and Dai, Hom, Stoffregen and Truong.
The Cross versus the Crescent: Karl Kumm’s Missiology

This article surveys the missiology promoted in the writings of the Protestant missionary Karl Kumm during the first decades of the twentieth century. Kumm was famous as a missionary explorer. He w...
CMOS based Ultra-low Power High-Precision Analog Vector Matrix Multiplication Circuit with ±0.1% Error for Vision Application

This paper presents the design of a low power multiplier cell which multiplies an input voltage with current. The multiplier achieves high precision with ±0.1% error for a wide range of both voltage and current. An approach to increase the range of the current is also presented. The multiplier cell is used to perform 2-D discrete convolution on an input matrix of size 3×3 with a 2×2 kernel. The outputs of the matrix multiplier are available after 7.5 µs, which is independent of the matrix size.
Neutrophils Promote Hematopoiesis Via a Novel Mechanism Involving Leucine Rich α-2 Glycoprotein (LRG)

Leucine-rich α2 glycoprotein (LRG), the founding member of the leucine-rich repeat superfamily of proteins, was initially identified in serum more than 30 years ago, but its biologic function has remained elusive. A role for LRG has been implicated in inflammation and angiogenesis. Our laboratory previously identified cDNA and genomic clones for human and murine LRG, and showed that ectopically expressed LRG localizes to the granule compartment in transfected myeloid cell lines and promotes their granulocytic differentiation. We also demonstrated that expression of LRG is transcriptionally regulated during neutrophil granulocyte differentiation in a manner similar to that reported for genes encoding the different subsets of neutrophil granule proteins. The presence of LRG in primary neutrophils and a role for LRG in hematopoiesis, however, have not been previously described. Based on our prior studies in transfected myeloid cell lines, we considered the tantalizing possibility that LRG is a novel neutrophil granule protein that is secreted extracellularly upon neutrophil activation to modulate hematopoiesis. To investigate this, we examined LRG in primary human neutrophils isolated from healthy volunteers. Immunoblot analysis of whole cell lysates from neutrophils (97% purity) identified a higher molecular weight LRG species in neutrophils (62 kDa) compared to serum (50 kDa); our data demonstrate the difference in apparent molecular weight is due to differential glycosylation. Immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to human LRG and antibodies to the neutrophil granule proteins myeloperoxidase (MPO), lactoferrin (LF), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9, also known as gelatinase), along with fluorescently-labeled secondary antibodies, demonstrated the presence of LRG in the cytoplasm of neutrophils in a compartment corresponding to LF. ELISA and immunoblot analyses of subcellular fractions from isolated neutrophils prepared by nitrogen cavitation demonstrated the presence of LRG in LF-containing fractions as well as some MMP-9-containing fractions, consistent with localization of LRG to the secondary/tertiary granule compartment. Neutrophil exocytosis assays using ionomycin, phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate, and f-Met-Leu-Phe as stimulants also indicated that LRG is co-released with LF and MMP9, but not with MPO. Notably, LRG secreted from activated neutrophils could bind cytochrome c as reported for LRG purified from serum. Recent reports that LRG can also bind to the TGFβR1 receptor on endothelial cells prompted us to investigate the effects of LRG on TGFβ signaling in hematopoietic cells. LRG significantly antagonized the inhibitory effect of TGFβ on HL-60 cell proliferation (n=3; p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Distal Biceps Injuries

Distal biceps tendon injuries typically occur from forced eccentric contraction against a heavy load and are more common in males than females. Most patients who rupture their distal biceps tendon undergo operative repair to minimize strength loss and fatigue. Single-incision and two-incision techniques have been developed in recent decades and achieve satisfactory outcomes. Cortical button and bone tunnel fixation demonstrate superior strength relative to suture anchors and interference screws for acute repairs. Patients who present late or who undergo surgery greater than 4 to 6 weeks from their injury are deemed chronic ruptures and may require autograft or allograft reconstruction.
A Faculty Development Model for Academic Leadership Education Across A Health Care Organization

Academic leadership in undergraduate and graduate medical education requires a specific set of leadership and managerial skills that are unique to academic leadership positions. While leadership de...
Population Genomics Trace Clonal Diversification and Intercontinental Migration of an Emerging Fungal Pathogen of Boxwood.

Boxwood blight was first documented in Europe, prior to its recent colonization of North America, where it continues to have significant negative impacts on the ornamental industry. Due to near gen...
Reframing Suburbs: Race, Place, and Opportunity in Suburban Educational Spaces:

Most students in the United States attend suburban schools. However, most education research focuses on urban school districts. This may be in part because many of the core issues that currently dr...
Bridging Liturgies in the Black Lives Matter Era

Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests against police brutality have recently resurged in the wake of the killing of Minneapolis, Minnesota, resident George Floyd. 1 Likewise, pastors of predominantly b...
The Veterinarian's Role in Profitable Cattle Production

• Has the practicing veterinarian played a role in the profitability of livestock enterprises?• Shouldn't this role be expanded?• How will this expansion take place?These are challenging questions for today's members of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. How one may respond to these challenges will influence the rate of success in a given food animal practice.
Randomized Trial to Increase Speech Sound Differentiation in Infants Born Preterm.

Objective To test whether infant-directed foreign language active learning would specifically increase speech sound differentiation to the intervention language while not decreasing differentiation in response to English. Study design Pilot randomized controlled trial of stable infants born preterm in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit with normal auditory brainstem responses, whose parents spoke only English and had no musical training or familial hearing abnormality. Assignment was to one of three groups: passive exposure to English infant-directed lullabies and readings (English-enrichment, control group); contingent exposure by active sucking on a sensor-equipped pacifier to infant-directed French lullabies and readings (English environment, French-contingent learning) or Mandarin lullabies and readings (English environment, Chinese-contingent learning). The main outcome measures were pre- and post-intervention event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to standardized speech syllables in each language. Results Forty-one subjects completed the study: 15 in English-enrichment control, and 13 each in French-contingent and Chinese-contingent groups. Median gestational age at birth was 34 (IQR 8.75) weeks; postmenstrual age at intervention ranged from 36-46 weeks and was similar across groups. Post-intervention ERP mean amplitude to pairs of English speech sounds across the 3 groups was not different. However, ERP amplitude in French sound differentiation was greater in the French-contingent group than in the Chinese-contingent or English-enrichment groups, and greater in Chinese sound differentiation in the Chinese-contingent group compared with French-contingent and English-enrichment groups. Conclusion Contingent infant-directed foreign language exposure increased speech sound differentiation specific to the intervention language and did not decrease differentiation in response to English.
Structures of Pyruvoyl-Dependent Histidine Decarboxylase and Mutant-3 Prohistidine Decarboxylase from Lactobacillus 30A

In man, the decarboxylatlon of histidine to form histamine is most often associated with the clinical treatment of colds, allergies, and ulcers. However, mammalian histidine decarboxylase activity is low, and attempts to isolate and characterize it have been frustrated by instability (Boeker and Snell, 1972; Snell, 1977; Tran and Snyder, 1981) . On the other hand, much histidine decarboxylase activity is found in mammalian intestines due to the presence of lactic acid bacteria similar to Lactobacillus 30a. This organism produces large amounts of histidine decarboxylase, which has been studied extensively. Although the biological function of the histamine produced is not yet understood, histamine is known to be a powerful regulator of the vascular and digestive systems. Histamine of bacterial origin may cause a selective advantage to the microorganisms by altering the physiology of the host (Recsei and Snell, 1984).
Use of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Environmental Health Epidemiology: a Systematic Review and Comparison with Guidelines

Systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) have potential to contribute substantially to environmental health (EH) risk assessment and policy-making, provided study questions are clear and methods sound. We undertook a systematic review of the published epidemiological literature for studies using both SR and MA examining associations between chronic low-dose chemical exposures and adverse health outcomes in general populations and compared actual methods and reporting with a checklist based on available published guidelines. We identified 48 EH SRMAs meeting these criteria. Associations were mainly positive and statistically significant, often involving large populations. A majority of studies followed most general SRMA guidance, although we identified weaknesses in problem formulation, study search, selection and data extraction, and integrating policy implications. Fewer studies followed EH-specific SRMA recommendations, particularly regarding exposure heterogeneity and other risks of bias. Development and adoption of EH-specific SRMA guidelines would contribute to strengthening these tools for public health decision-making.
Cryoablation of AVNRT in Children and Adolescents: Early Intervention Leads to a Better Outcome

Cryoablation of AVNRT in Children and Adolescents Introduction Currently, transcatheter cryoablation is a well-established technique for the treatment of atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) in children. In the past decade, many studies have focused on identifying factors that may affect acute and long-term outcome, but none has been shown to be strongly predictive of treatment success. The aim of our study was to determine whether patient age and cryoablation method correlate with acute and long-term success. Methods and Results We retrospectively reviewed 202 consecutive patients (98 male, mean age 11.5 years; range: 4–20 years) who underwent cryoablation for AVNRT at our institution from October 2002 to August 2012. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to age: group A <12 years (n = 101) and group B ≥12 years (n = 101). A single lesion or linear lesion technique was employed. A total of 217 cryoablation procedures were performed: 106 (49%) in group A and 111 (51%) in group B. All patients were evaluated in our postoperative follow-up program. The overall recurrence rate was 10.9% (22/202). AVNRT recurrence was significantly lower in group A than in group B (4.95% vs 16.8%, P = 0.000). No significant differences in recurrence rate were observed between groups when using the single lesion versus linear lesion technique. There were no permanent cryoablation-related complications. Conclusion Our findings show that cryoablation had no complications and a very good success rate. Type of cryolesion is not predictive of long-term success, whereas lower recurrence rate is achieved when cryoablation is performed at a younger age.
The Speeches and Self-Fashioning of King James VI and I to the English Parliament, 1604-1624

James sat through approximately 33 months of Parliament during his twenty-two year reign in England (r.1603-1625). His first Parliament, which was also his longest, convened on 19 March 1604 and lasted through five sessions until 1610. His second Parliament lasted only three months (5 April 1614 – 7 June 1614) and was dubbed the Addled Parliament because no new legislation was passed. James did not call another Parliament until 1621. The seven-year absence was England’s longest since 1515. The Parliament of 1621 lasted from 30 January to 18 December. James dissolved each of these Parliaments in anger—he was frustrated with Parliament for not granting him adequate supply and, in 1621, for meddling in foreign affairs and other matters he believed were not within their jurisdiction. His final Parliament, which he convened in 1624, lasted from 19 February to 29 May and was dissolved at the King’s death on 27 March 1625. This article is available in Constructing the Past: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol8/iss1/11 The Speeches and Self-Fashioning of King James VI and I 139 The Speeches and Self-Fashioning of King James VI and I to the English Parliament, 1604-1624
Star Formation in the Andromeda Galaxy

An overview is given of the star formation characteristics of the Andromeda galaxy, as derived from various surveys of the Population I material. Particular attention is given to the analysis of infrared data. The contribution to the infrared emission of dust in diffuse HI clouds, heated by the interstellar radiation field, is significant. Observations of other spirals are consistent with this, as is shown by application of a simple model of the heating of dust in diffuse HI clouds, to infrared measurements of galaxies in the Virgo cluster. The star formation rate in M31, calculated in several independent ways, is between 0.2 and 0.5 Mq per year, which is a factor ten lower than in the Galaxy. Comparison of the main star forming regions of the two galaxies shows that the HI surface densities are comparable, while the molecular gas surface densities in M31 are about 2.5 times lower. A brief discussion is given of some individual objects and of the relation between star formation and gas content. However, the data are still too limited to determine to what extent the difference in global star formation characteristics is reflected in the properties of individual objects.
Plasma motion into a transverse magnetic field and plasma

In a transverse magnetic field a tenuous plasma beam follows a curved Lorentzian trajectory. In contrast, a collisionless dense beam propagates undeflected by collective plasma processes including diamagnetic flux exclusion and the E*B drift. In recent laboratory and space experiments the magnetic field has been observed to diffuse much more rapidly than classically predicted, even in the limit of high beta and small ion gyroradius where diamagnetic flux exclusion is normally expected. In space experiments the mechanism for rapid diffusion has been attributed to a lower hybrid drift instability. However, in laboratory experiments the instability growth time is too long to account for the observations. Solving the nonlinear magnetic diffusion equation gives a conductivity substantially reduced from its classical value by the square of the plasma collisionality parameter. The resulting diffusion time scale is more consistent with experimental observations. Rapid diffusion is also observed for high-beta beam propagation in a magnetized plasma. By varying the background plasma density the perpendicular conductivity can be increased to a value that prevents polarized E*B propagation. The measured limits for complete shorting agree with a dynamic calculation of the beam polarization and shorting time scales and has resulted in an analytic expression for the ratio of beam to plasma density. >
Childhood epidermolysis bullosa acquisita: Report of three cases and review of literature

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita is an acquired subepidermal blistering disease with variable clinical, pathologic, and immunologic features. The disease has been reported infrequently in adults and only rarely in children. We describe three new cases of childhood epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, review three previously reported cases, and contrast the features of the disease in children with those in adults. The results suggest that both children and adults with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita have variable clinical and pathologic features that may mimic other bullous diseases. Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita is characterized by a chronic course, poor response to therapy, and occasional clinical remissions.
Polarization-correlated photon pairs from a single quantum dot

Summary form only given. Quantum dots have recently shown potential as single-photon sources, but they can also generate sequences of photons in a radiative cascade. In such a cascade, each photon has a unique wavelength, and the photons may also have correlated, or even entangled polarizations. Here, we present an experimental study of the polarization properties of photon pairs emitted through biexciton decay in a single InAs quantum dot. A sample was fabricated containing self-assembled InAs quantum dots (11 /spl mu/m/sup -2/) in a GaAs matrix.
Perception-based bit-allocation algorithms for audio coding

We describe six algorithms for bit-allocation in audio coding. Each algorithm stems from the minimization of a different perceptually-motivated objective function. Three of these objective functions are extensions of existing ones, and three are new. Closed-form bit-allocation equations result in five cases, and an iterative approach is required in the sixth.
Pseudoclubbing in chronic renal failure.

Seven patients with chronic renal failure developed a peculiar abnormality of the fingers referred to as pseudoclubbing. All had radiological evidence of severe secondary hyperparathy roidism and elevated parathormone levels measured by C-terminal assay. Treatment with vitamin D and calcium, parathyroidectomy or renal transplantation resulted in radiological healing but the deformity of the finger tips did not improve. Although these patients represent a group with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism, autonomous secretion of parathormone is not a necessary accompaniment of this disorder.