cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PPARG Regulates Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Signaling in LbetaT2 Cells In Vitro and Pituitary Gonadotroph Function In Vivo in Mice

Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) ligands improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Despite clinical studies showing normalization of pituitary responsiveness to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in patients with PCOS, the precise role of PPARG in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis remains unclear. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the PPARG agonist rosiglitazone has a direct effect on the pituitary. In mouse LbetaT2 immortalized gonadotrophs, rosiglitazone treatment inhibited GnRH stimulation of the stress kinases p38MAPK and MAPKs/JNKs, but did not alter activation of ERKs, both in the presence and absence of activin. Furthermore, p38MAPK signaling was critical for both Lhb and Fshb promoter activity, and rosiglitazone suppressed the GnRH-mediated induction of Lhb and Fshb mRNA. Depletion of PPARG using a lentivirally encoded short hairpin RNA abolishes the effect of rosiglitazone to suppress activation of JNKs and induction of the transcription factors EGR1 and FOS as well as the gonadotropin genes Lhb and Fshb. Lastly, we show conditional knockout of Pparg in pituitary gonadotrophs caused an increase in luteinizing hormone levels in female mice, a decrease in follicle-stimulating hormone in male mice, and a fertility defect characterized by reduced litter size. Taken together, our data support a direct role for PPARG in modulating pituitary function in vitro and in vivo.
Cell rheology: mush rather than machine.

The cytoplasm of living cells responds to deformation in much the same way as a water-filled sponge does. This behaviour, although intuitive, is connected to long-standing and unsolved fundamental questions in cell mechanics.
Accuracy of the middle-cerebral-to-umbilical-artery resistance index ratio in the prediction of neonatal outcome in patients at high risk for fetal and neonatal complications.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of the middle-cerebral-to-umbilical-artery resistance index ratio in the prediction of fetal outcome in pregnancies at high risk for fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective controlled nonrandomized study was conducted in the high-risk pregnancy unit of a teaching hospital. The control group was formed by 20 healthy women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies and healthy children delivered at term. The study group consisted of 115 women referred to the high-risk pregnancy unit because of a variety of pregnancy complications. Longitudinal evaluation of the control group and cross-sectional evaluation of the study group were carried out at different gestational ages by means of duplex Doppler ultrasonography. The main outcome measures were fetal growth retardation, preterm birth, and neonatal morbidity. RESULTS: The middle-cerebral-to-umbilical-artery ratio remains relatively constant (mean ± SD 1.33 ± 0.19) between 27 and 37 weeks. A cutoff value of 1.0 (sensitivity 57.9%, specificity 75.6%, false-positive rate 24.4%) was selected from the receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis. This cutoff value successfully identified a population at significant risk of fetal growth retardation (relative risk 3.07, 95% confidence interval 1.73 to 5.45, exact two-tailed p = 0.0009) and severe neonatal morbidity (Mann-Whitney U = 463.5, two-tailed p = 0.03). The middle-cerebral-to-umbilical-artery ratio was not useful in the prediction of preterm birth. CONCLUSIONS: A middle-cerebral-to-umbilical-artery ratio of ≤ 1.0 identifies a subgroup of patients at high risk for fetal growth retardation and severe neonatal morbidity.
Compensation, Convexity, and the Incentives to Manage Risk: An Empirical Analysis

To control risk-related stockholder/manager agency conflicts effectively, equity holders are expected to manage, in addition to the pay-performance slope, the convexity of the relation between firm performance and managers' wealth. I examine the stock-based compensation of 278 corporate CEOs and find stock options play an economically significant role in increasing the convexity of the wealth-performance relation. The magnitude of the convexity provided by common stock is several orders of magnitude lower than that of stock options and of little economic importance for most CEOs in the sample. In cross-sectional tests, after controlling for the slope of the pay-performance relation, convexity is positively related to the proportion of growth options in firms' investment opportunity sets. This is consistent with firms providing managers with incentives to take risky projects when the potential loss from underinvestment in valuable risk projects is greatest. Convexity is also found to be negatively related to financial leverage and positively related to firm size. This result supports extant risk-management theory, and is consistent with firms providing managers with lower risk- taking incentives when the value created from hedging is likely to be greatest.
Publishing Construction Contracts as a Tool for Efficiency and Good Governance

Construction is a $1.7 trillion industry worldwide, much of which is linked to publicly financed projects. Outcomes from this financing are frequently suboptimal. Cost and time escalation, as well as poor quality, are linked to weak governance and corruption, which are endemic in the sector. There is considerable evidence that transparency and oversight are potentially powerful tools to reduce the development impact of corruption. One comparatively cheap and potentially powerful tool to improve outcomes in public procurement is the regular publication of contract and implementation details. In particular, the publication of government contracts would considerably improve transparency. Publication would also provide a large stock of public intellectual capital which should (i) reduce legal costs of contracting; and (ii) help spread best practices and ease the process of learning lessons from failed approaches. The approach is feasible: some jurisdictions have already introduced it.
Abstract P128: Type II Deiodinase Upregulation in Patients with End-Stage Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common form of heart disease, with a 50% survival rate 5yrs after diagnosis. Low thyroid hormone levels are an independent risk factor for heart failure progression. Recent studies in animal models with heart failure have shown re-expression of a fetal enzyme, type III deiodinase (D3) that functions to reduce thyroid hormone concentrations. Alternatively, an increase in β-adrenergic stimulation during heart failure may increase expression of type II deiodinase (D2) that would function to increase thyroid hormone concentration. We hypothesized that human hearts in end-stage dilated heart failure would have increased D3/D2 expression and lower myocardial and serum thyroid hormone concentrations. Methods and Results: Serum and left ventricular (LV) tissue from patients with dilated heart failure undergoing heart transplantation, and organ donors not meeting the criteria for heart donation were obtained with full consent and Institutional Review Board approval. Deiodinase expression was measures with real time rtPCR and thyroid hormone concentrations measured with radioimmunoassay. Interestingly, D3 expression and protein levels were not elevated in DCM patients vs. “non-failing” heart samples. On the other hand, D2 expression and protein levels were increased in DCM hearts and tended to have greater myocardial thyroid hormone concentrations (P =0.10). In spite of the increase in D2 expression in DCM patients, serum thyroid hormone concentrations were significantly lower than serum obtained from healthy volunteers, (P Conclusions: Contrary to our hypothesis, patients with end-stage DCM have a reduced D3/D2 expression ratio and tend to have elevated myocardial thyroid hormone concentrations. Compensatory increases in D2 expression may enhance myocardial T3 production in DCM patients; however changes in thyroid hormone receptors and downstream signaling may negate this effect. Importantly, serum T3 concentrations were significantly reduced which likely contributed to patients progression toward end stage heart failure.
The Financial Meltdown Crisis – Does the Nature of the Regulatory Failure Presage the Unlikelihood of an Effective Solution?

This article is a summary of a talk presented on March 8, 2010, at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, for The Ninth Conference on Portuguese and American Law. The timing of this talk was post financial meltdown but ante restructuring of our financial regulatory system. The question that the talk focused upon is whether the nature of the financial meltdown suggests regulatory misfeasance or malfeasance. In hindsight, we now know that, in America, a massive package of new financial oversight reforms was indeed adopted in the summer of 2010. This legislation incorporated many of the proposals for legislation that were being discussed at the time that the talk was presented. One might ask whether the adoption of this legislation negates the importance of the talk itself. This article argues that recent legislative initiatives augment the importance of the previous discussion. Part of the thesis of the talk and of the article is that the financial world is too creative and moves too fast for any regulation to keep pace with it. Does that mean that we should not bother regulating the financial markets? Absolutely not. If nothing else, the newly adopted legislation indeed will hopefully serve to lessen the possibility of a repeat of a similarly caused financial meltdown. But, as we see from the last financial meltdown, we did not have in place the kind of regulation to respond to the precise nature of the crises through which we passed. In all likelihood, we will again be saying that when the next financial crises befalls our economy.
Planning for a Payout Effectiveness of Special Purpose Entities as State Lottery Administrations

Public management literature has previously examined privatization in which government contracts with private firms or other organizations to provide goods or services to the public. However, privatization of organizational structure through the creation of special purpose organizations remains relatively underexplored. This study examines the policy consequences of privatizing state lottery organizations by comparing the revenue returned to state governments from lotteries managed by independent state agencies to lotteries managed by privatized special purpose organizations. Using data on the organizational structure and revenue returns of the state lottery administrations in the United States from 1985-2008, fixed effects analyses demonstrate that independent state lottery agencies are more effective than privatized special purpose administrations. The revenue costs of lottery administrative privatization are robust to multiple measurements and specifications, and suggest that choosing a privatized orga...
Calcium-Protein Relation in Hyperproteinemia Total and Diffusible Serum Calcium in Lymphogranuloma Inguinale and Myeloma.

Conclusion1. Contrary to the prevailing view, hyperproteinemia (hypcrglobulinemia) is not “a cause of” or “responsible for” hypercalcemia; it does not lead to abstraction of calcium from the bones either directly, or indirectly lq upsetting the mass law relation3 in the. blood. In hyperproteinemia, even in the absence of hyperphosphatemia, there is no proportionality between total serum protein and serum calcium levels, and no inference as to the calcium content of the blood can be drawn from the total protein content.2 Where hypercalcemia does occur in conjunction with hyperproteinemia, as in some cases of multiple myeloma, the calcium increase may well be due, not to hyperproteinemia, but to the complication of co-existent bone destruction by neoplastic tissue; like the hypercalcemia occurring occasionally with metastatic osteolytic carcinoma, in which serum protein levels are normal or low.6,9 The influx of Ca++ caused by bone destruction leads to an increase in protein-bound as well as in ionized calc...
What Does a Concept Script Do

Implicit in this program is a threefold philosophical methodology. The task of philosophy is seen as the determination of the objective content of philosophically interesting statements, a critique of their expression in ordinary language, and their translation into an adequate language. It is a methodology which the analytic tradition has endeavored to carry out. It has done so by adopting the outline of Frege's program but modifying the details. (Sluga, p. 67)
Picturing Queer Desire in the Vernon Manuscript

This article examines an anomalous miniature that depicts two monks in bed attached to a Middle English Miracle of the Virgin about a priest who had sex with a nun. In it, I examine the historical context of the manuscript’s production and readership to understand the queer and heretical potential the unorthodox image creates in the Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Eng. poet. a.1. I argue that its non-heterosexist depiction of homosexual desire opens previously orthodox and heterosexual encounters to queer readings.
First Source Hiring: An Essential Tool for Linking the Poor to Employment or a “Dead Letter” Progressive Policy?:

Although cities have revived as economic centers for the middle and upper classes, poor and minority communities continue to be locked out of urban job markets. First Source Hiring is designed to a...
Chronic Kidney Disease and Liver Disease

Kidney disease is a common complication in patients with liver disease. The development of kidney disease is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The interrelationship between the kidneys and the liver is complex, as kidney failure may be functional or structural in nature. Functional renal failure is a common feature in patients with liver disease, due to underlying hepatorenal pathophysiology, marked by splanchnic vasodilation, arterial underfilling and renal vasoconstriction that progresses in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Functional renal compromise may be further complicated by structural kidney disease associated with either primary liver or systemic disease. Aside from under recognition of decreased GFR due to inaccurate S[Cr]-based estimates, differentiating functional renal impairment from parenchymal injury is problematic. Moreover, the clinical setting of these often critically ill patients, coupled with intense renal vasoconstriction, predisposes them to many types of renal dysfunction and disease. Clinically, varying combinations of both functional and structural kidney disease characterize the spectrum of kidney disease in the patients with liver disease. Clinical status may be further understood by classifying renal failure as acute, chronic or AKI superimposed on chronic kidney disease, but determination of classifications may be indistinct. Understanding the spectrum of kidney disease in the setting of liver failure not only allows for therapy to be individualized but also provides insight regarding the reversibility of kidney disease with implications regarding liver and simultaneous liver–kidney transplantation.
Structuration Theory as an Ontology for Communication Research

A persistent complaint by communication scholars points to the fragmentation of the field and the lack of dominant theoretical paradigms. In response to this call, structuration theory as developed by Anthony Giddens is advocated as a foundational set of ontological principles for the grounding of communication research and theorizing. An interpretation of Giddens’s work and a review of communication research programs that have used structuration theory yield two major difficulties— the en passant problem and the metatheory fallacy. These issues are addressed as problematics, and the corrective of treating structuration as an ontology of potentials is then illustrated by a brief description of the authors’ ongoing project to study talk and power in institutional settings.
Coastal Erosion Processes and Impacts: The Consequences of Earth’s Changing Climate and Human Modifications of the Environment

The erosion of ocean beaches and shorefront properties is generally the result of multiple processes and environmental factors acting together. Of importance are the climate controls on the erosion processes, the foremost being the global warming responsible for increased rates of sea-level rise that began as early as the late nineteenth century, with global mean ocean levels having risen some 0.15–0.20 m during the twentieth century. With the continued addition of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the expected increases in temperatures and rates of glacial melting, the prospects are that sea levels during the present century will rise by significantly greater amounts, possibly by the order of 0.5–1 m. At the same time, global warming and increased ocean-water temperatures appear to be the primary cause of increased storm intensities of tropical hurricanes and extratropical storms at high latitudes, with their generated wave heights measured by ocean buoys having progressively increased in recent decades. The prospect is that the erosion and flooding of ocean shores will be substantially enhanced during the twenty-first century, compared with that experienced in the past.
Rate-weakening friction characterizes both slow sliding and catastrophic failure of landslides.

Abstract Catastrophic landslides cause billions of dollars in damages and claim thousands of lives annually, whereas slow-moving landslides with negligible inertia dominate sediment transport on many weathered hillslopes. Surprisingly, both failure modes are displayed by nearby landslides (and individual landslides in different years) subjected to almost identical environmental conditions. Such observations have motivated the search for mechanisms that can cause slow-moving landslides to transition via runaway acceleration to catastrophic failure. A similarly diverse range of sliding behavior, including earthquakes and slow-slip events, occurs along tectonic faults. Our understanding of these phenomena has benefitted from mechanical treatments that rely upon key ingredients that are notably absent from previous landslide descriptions. Here, we describe landslide motion using a rate- and state-dependent frictional model that incorporates a nonlocal stress balance to account for the elastic response to gradients in slip. Our idealized, one-dimensional model reproduces both the displacement patterns observed in slow-moving landslides and the acceleration toward failure exhibited by catastrophic events. Catastrophic failure occurs only when the slip surface is characterized by rate-weakening friction and its lateral dimensions exceed a critical nucleation length h * h* that is shorter for higher effective stresses. However, landslides that are extensive enough to fall within this regime can nevertheless slide slowly for months or years before catastrophic failure. Our results suggest that the diversity of slip behavior observed during landslides can be described with a single model adapted from standard fault mechanics treatments.
Elective Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair Continues to Cost More than Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Background Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is now established as first-line treatment for infrarenal aortic aneurysms in the United States. Recent data from randomized trials suggest that elective EVAR is cost-effective compared with open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (oAAA). Cost analysis for urgent aneurysm repair has not been reported. We evaluated the cost of elective and urgent EVAR and compared it with oAAA at a tertiary academic medical center. Methods All infrarenal AAA repairs performed from 2004 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed (n = 172). Clinical characteristics of patients receiving EVAR and oAAA repair were compared. Direct costs, payments, and direct cost margin for the index inpatient episode were obtained from the hospital for all patients. Subsequent financial information including clinical, radiologic, and procedural cost was also available for 52 patients who had received all follow-up care in our institution for at least 1 year (EVAR 34, oAAA 18). Results Overall, elective EVAR patients were older, but oAAA patients had more comorbidities, with significantly more patients having dyspnea at rest and being totally dependent for activities of daily living. EVAR patients had significantly shorter lengths of stay, regardless of urgency and urgent AAA repair occurred more often by oAAA than EVAR (P Conclusions At a tertiary academic institution, costs for elective EVAR are significantly higher than oAAA. EVAR may be relatively more cost-effective in urgent situations. Negative cost margins were more common in EVAR patients and 1-year follow-up with imaging in the same institution did not result in a positive margin.
Derivation of EEG information from rates of change in order parameter and free energy dissipation

EEG patterns correlated with conditioned stimuli were sought in amplitude modulation of synchronous beta-gamma oscillations (12-80 Hz). EEG signals were recorded from high-density 8/spl times/8 (5.6/spl times/5.6 mm) arrays fixed on the surfaces of primary sensory areas in rabbits trained to discriminate visual, auditory, or tactile conditioned stimuli. EEG preprocessing was by (i) band pass filtering to extract the beta-gamma range (deleting theta-alpha); (H) low-pass spatial filtering (not high-pass Laplacians used for localization), (iii) spatial averaging (not time averaging used for evoked potentials); (iv) close spacing of electrodes for simultaneous recording in each area (not sampling single signals from several areas); (v) calculating variances among patterns in 64-space derived from the 8/spl times/8 arrays (not by fitting equivalent dipoles). These methodological differences were essential to reveal discontinuities in cortical activity: "state transitions". Each transition began with an abrupt phase re-setting, followed sequentially by resynchronization, stabilization of a spatial pattern of amplitude, and dramatic increase in global pattern amplitude. State transitions recurred at irregular intervals in the theta range. An estimate of perceptual information in the beta-gamma EEG disclosed 2 to 3 patterns with high information content in each trial that began with a state transition, lasted /spl sim/0.1 s, and recurred at theta rates.
Epigenetic Effects of IDH1/IDH2 Mutations

Abstract SCI-33 Epigenetic deregulation of gene expression through aberrant DNA methylation or histone modification plays an important role in the malignant transformation of hematopoietic cells. In particular, acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) can be classified according to epigenetic signatures affecting DNA methylation or histone modifications affecting specific gene sets. Heterozygous somatic mutations in the loci encoding isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1/2) occur in ∼20% of AMLs and are accompanied by global DNA hypermethylation and hypermethylation and silencing of a number of specific gene promoters. IDH1/2 mutations are almost completely mutually exclusive with somatic loss-of-function mutations in TET2, which hydroxylates methylcytosine (mCpG). DNA hydroxymethylation can function as an intermediate step in mCpG demethylation. TET2 mutant de novo AMLs also display global and promoter specific hypermethylation partially overlapping with IDH1/2 mutant cases. Mutations in the IDH1/2 loci result in a neomorphic enzyme that generates the aberrant oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) using α-ketoglutarate (αKG) as a substrate. 2HG can disrupt the activity of enzymes that use αKG as a cofactor, including TET2 and the jumonji family of histone demethylases. Expression of mutant IDH isoforms inhibits TET2 hydroxymethylation and jumonji histone demethylase functions. IDH and TET2 mutant AMLs accordingly exhibit reduced levels of hydroxymethylcytosine and a trend towards increased histone methylation. Mutant IDH or TET2 loss of function causes differentiation blockade and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells and TET2 knockout results in a myeloproliferative phenotype in mice. Hydroxymethylcytosine is in abundance in hematopoietic stem cells and displays specific distribution patterns, yet the function of this covalent modification is not fully understood. Recent data link TET2 with the function of cytosine deaminases as a pathway towards DNA demethylation, which has implications as well for B cell lymphomas and CML lymphoid blast crisis, which are linked with the actions of activation induced cytosine deaminase. Altogether, the available data implicate mutations in IDH1/2 and TET2 in promoting malignant transformation in several tissues, by disrupting epigenomics programming and altering gene expression patterning. Disclosures: Thompson:Agios Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy.
Loneliness predicts self-reported cold symptoms after a viral challenge.

Objective Loneliness is a well-established risk factor for poor physical health. Much less is known about how loneliness affects patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as somatic symptoms, which are increasingly important for guiding symptom management and assessing quality of patient care. The current study investigates whether (a) loneliness and social isolation predict cold symptoms independent of each other, and (b) whether loneliness is a more robust risk factor than objective social isolation for experiencing cold symptoms. Method As part of a larger parent study, 213 healthy participants completed the Short Loneliness Scale (LON) and the Social Network Index (SNI) at baseline. They were given nasal drops containing rhinovirus 39 (RV39; i.e., a common cold virus), then quarantined for 5 days during which they reported on subjective cold symptoms in addition to being monitored for objective indicators of infection. Data from 160 of the participants (who were infected with the virus) were used in the present analyses. Results A hierarchical multiple regression revealed that baseline loneliness predicted self-reported cold symptoms over time (assessed via area under the curve), over and above demographic variables, season of participation, and depressive affect. Interestingly, social network size and diversity did not predict cold symptoms. Conclusions These findings suggest that the perception of loneliness is more closely linked to self-reported illness symptoms than objectively measured social isolation. Assessing psychosocial factors such as loneliness when treating and evaluating the common cold could contribute to health care practitioners' understanding of their patients' experiences with acute illness. (PsycINFO Database Record
Distance-Dependence of Interparticle Energy Transfer in the Near-Infrared within Electrostatic Assemblies of PbS Quantum Dots.

This paper describes control of the rate constant for near-infrared excitonic energy transfer (EnT) within soluble aqueous assemblies of PbS quantum dots, cross-linked by Zn2+, by changing the length of the mercapto-alkanoic acid (MAA) that serves as the cross-linking ligand. Sequestration of Zn2+ by a chelating agent or zinc hydroxide species results in deaggregation of the assemblies with EnT turned “off”. Upon decreasing the number of methylene groups in MAAs from 16 to 3, the interparticle separation decreases from 5.8 nm to 3.7 nm and the average observed EnT rate increases from ∼(150 ns)−1 to ∼(2 ns)−1. A master equation translates intrinsic (single-donor–single-acceptor) EnT rate constants predicted for each ligand length using Forster theory to observed average rate constants. For interparticle distances greater than ∼4 nm, the point dipole approximation (PDA) implementation of Forster theory agrees with experimentally measured rates. At shorter interparticle distances, the PDA drastically underes...
State of Groove

Over the last couple of decades, I have seen Nikki Armstrong perform several times in New York City clubs or at blues festivals. While I have anticipated each of her new releases, I never found tha...
Survey of the genomic landscape surrounding the 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate‐3‐phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene in glyphosate‐resistant Amaranthus palmeri from geographically distant populations in the USA

BACKGROUND Glyphosate-resistance in Amaranthus palmeri, one of the most prevalent herbicide-resistant weeds in the United States, is due to amplification and increased expression of the gene encoding the target site of glyphosate, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS). The EPSPS gene and the surrounding 287 kilobases (kb) of amplified sequence is unique to glyphosate-resistant plants and termed the EPSPS cassette. It has only been sequenced from one A. palmeri population from Mississippi. This research compares EPSPS cassettes from seven resistant and five sensitive populations from geographically distant locations within the United States including Mississippi, Arizona, Kansas, Maryland, Delaware and Georgia. RESULTS PCR products from forty primer pairs specific to the cassette were similar in size and sequence in resistant populations. Several primer pairs failed to generate PCR products from sensitive populations. Regions of the cassette sequenced in the resistant populations were found to be nearly identical to that from Mississippi. Gene expression analysis showed that both EPSPS and another gene in the cassette, a reverse transcriptase, were elevated in all resistant populations tested relative to the sensitive populations. CONCLUSIONS EPSPS cassettes from distant resistant populations were nearly homologous. Considering the complexity of the cassette, and the degree of similarity among some cassette sequences, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that glyphosate resistance most likely evolved once and then rapidly spread across the United States.
Mobilité, rêves et révoltes: les paradoxes Le Cléziens dans Onitsha

In Onitsha (1991), J.M.G. Le Clezio is concerned to depict a multifaceted imaginary in which idyllic adventures and dreams, but also disillusion and revolt, are intertwined. If the author’s main focus in this work is an openness to the values pertaining to multiculturalism, notably those of Onitsha as reflected through the character of Boni, he shows at the same time the historical and socio-cultural factors that hinder the realization of this project of dreams of mobility in the quest for other intersections of cultures, spaces and identity values. As well as analyzing the aesthetic dimensions of Le Clezio’s novel, this article aims to illuminate the compromise techniques used by the author, which may seem paradoxical, but are useful in terms of an individual’s introduction to a new universe exposed to violent changes of identity values.
Healthcare providers need to address misconceptions young women have around IUDs and their fertility

Commentary on: Payne JB, Sundstrom B, DeMaria AL, et al . A qualitative study of young women’s beliefs about intrauterine devices: fear of infertility. J Midwifery Womens Health 2016;61:482–8. Most pregnancies among adolescent and unmarried young women in the USA are unintended. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are safe and highly effective contraceptives, and recommended as first-line options for women, including adolescents.1 Although IUD use among American women has been increasing over the last …
Kantor’s Anticipation of Current Approaches in Anthropology

Recent anthropological approaches to problems relating to race, mental endowments, sociocultural development, and language are compared with Kantor’s much earlier statements on these matters.
Comparison of genetic and visual identification of cisco and lake whitefish larvae from Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario

Cisco (Coregonus artedi) are an important component of native food webs in the Great Lakes, and their restoration is instrumental to the recovery of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Difficulties with visual identification of larvae can confound early life history surveys, as cisco are often difficult to distinguish from lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). We compared traditional visual species identification methods with genetic identifications based on barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene for 726 coregonine larvae caught in Chaumont Bay, Lake Ontario. We found little agreement between the visual characteristics of cisco identified by genetic barcoding and the most widely used dichotomous key, and the considerable overlap in ranges of traditionally utilized metrics suggests that visual identification of coregonine larvae from Chaumont Bay is impractical. Coregonines are highly variable and plastic species and often display wide variations in m...
High-Performance WSe2 Phototransistors with 2D/2D Ohmic Contacts.

We report high-performance WSe2 phototransistors with two-dimensional (2D) contacts formed between degenerately p-doped WSe2 and undoped WSe2 channel. A photoresponsivity of ∼600 mA/W with a high external quantum efficiency up to 100% and a fast response time (both rise and decay times) shorter than 8 μs have been achieved concurrently. More importantly, our WSe2 phototransistor exhibits a high specific detectivity (∼1013 Jones) in vacuum, comparable or higher than commercial Si- and InGaAs-based photodetectors. Further studies have shown that the high photoresponsivity and short response time of our WSe2 phototransistor are mainly attributed to the lack of Schottky-barriers between degenerately p-doped WSe2 source/drain contacts and undoped WSe2 channel, which can reduce the RC time constant and carrier transit time of a photodetector. Our experimental results provide an accessible strategy to achieve high-performance WSe2 phototransistor architectures by improving their electrical transport and photocur...
Foolproof and Other Mathematical Meditations, by Brian Hayes.

Brian Hayes is not a mathematician. In his own words, Hayes is “not a native citizen of the Republic of Numbers.” But, he says, “I have been living there, an expatriate literateur, for most of my a...
Quality and Safety in Women's Health

Designed for all providers of women's healthcare - including those undertaking Maintenance of Certification programs, trainees preparing for postgraduate examinations, and those initiating or growing a program of quality improvement and patient safety - this practical manual guides those implementing QI and safety programs with specific emphasis on Obstetrics and Gynecology practice. The content contains a strong case-based element to improve accessibility and understanding. An introductory section covers core attributes needed by all physicians to build a culture of patient safety, including leadership, communication and QI skills. Core clinical skills are then reviewed - in a variety of labor ward, office, operating room, and outpatient settings. Finally systems implications are highlighted, including information transparency and disclosure, training programs, and regulatory and legal implications. The editors are involved with national and international initiatives educating physicians in safety aspects of practice. The book is published in collaboration with the Foundation for EXXcellence.
New insights on the signaling and function of the high-affinity receptor for IgE.

Clustering of the high-affinity receptor for immunoglobulin E (FceRI ) through the interaction of receptor-bound immunoglobulin E (IgE ) antibodies with their cognate antigen is required to couple IgE antibody production to cellular responses and physiological consequences. IgE -induced responses through FceRI are well known to defend the host against certain infectious agents and to lead to unwanted allergic responses to normally innocuous substances. However, the cellular and/or physiological response of individuals that produce IgE antibodies may be markedly different and such antibodies (even to the same antigenic epitope) can differ in their antigen-binding affinity. How affinity variation in the interaction of FceRI -bound IgE antibodies with antigen is interpreted into cellular responses and how the local environment may influence these responses is of interest. In this chapter, we focus on recent advances that begin to unravel how FceRI distinguishes differences in the affinity of IgE –antigen interactions and how such discrimination along with surrounding environmental stimuli can shape the (patho) physiological response.
Elliptic and Modular Curves over Rings

In Chap. 1, we studied nonvanishing properties modulo p of Dirichlet L-values, and in Sect. 3.5, we outlined the proof of the vanishing of the μ-invariant of p-adic Hecke L-functions.
Plate Tectonics and Inter-Theory Relations

The aim of this paper is to test (T1.1), (T2.1), (T2.2), and (T1.2) concerning the sorts of specific scientific theories scientists prefer and how they appraise specific theories by drawing upon the sixty year controversy over the reality of continental drift.
Generating Test Templates via Automated Theorem Proving

Testing can be used during the software development process to maintain fidelity between evolving specifications, program designs, and code implementations. We use a form of specification-based testing that employs the use of an automated theorem prover to generate test templates. A similar approach was developed using a model checker on state-intensive systems. This method applies to systems with functional rather than state-based behaviors. This approach allows for the use of incomplete specifications to aid in generation of tests for potential failure cases. We illustrate the technique on the cannonical triangle testing problem and discuss its use on analysis of a spacecraft scheduling system.
Developing Imaginative Engagement in Young Children Using Children’s Literature

AbstractGiven the cultural diversity and pluralistic nature of the United States, an important part of citizenship education is helping children learn how to engage respectfully and dialogically with people whose beliefs and ways of life may differ significantly from their own. Such engagement is necessary for peaceful co-existence, as well as in the pursuit of goals for the common good. This article presents the concept of imaginative engagement as one way to develop such skills and understanding in young children through the medium of children’s literature. Imaginative engagement and its importance to citizenship is described, followed by an explanation of ways that children’s literature can help students develop imaginative engagement, with a caveat on the limitations of using children’s literature. The article ends with some suggestions for ways to use appropriate texts in the elementary classroom, as well as the crucial role of the teacher in this process.
Are We Alone in the Universe

The commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, en route back to Earth, with its cargo of ore and crew of seven in suspended animation, intercepts a radio signal from a planetary system along the way. The ship’s computer determines that the transmission has a very high probability of originating from an intelligent civilization. This triggers an override of the default programming to return home: the computer begins to awaken the crew from their sleep and deviates from its original course to investigate. At first unaware of the change in plans, the crew go about their normal routines, under the very reasonable assumption that they have completed their journey and are about to dock at Earth. They soon discover that they are only about half way home and are approaching an unfamiliar solar system. Most of the crew are only interested in getting their fair share of the mining profits and are annoyed at the unexpected detour. But their science officer points out a clause in their contract, which requires them to investigate any radio signal of potentially intelligent origin, on penalty of forfeiture of their shares.
U.S. Army air ambulance operations in El Paso, Texas: A descriptive study and system review

Objective: Analysis of a high-volume military air ambulance unit and review of the U.S. Army air medical transport system and Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) program. Setting: A remote medical system with numerous ground emergency medical services. Inclusion: All patients transported between January 1, 1996, and February 28, 1998. Exclusion: Patients who were dead on the scene or for whom records were unavailable. Methods: Retrospective review of transport and available inpatient records. Results: A total of 517 patients were transported during the study period; 461 patients met the inclusion criteria (89%). Of these, 70% were classified as trauma patients, and 30% had medical or other surgical diagnoses. Prehospital responses accounted for 71.6% of transports, and 28.4% were interhospital transfers. Missions averaged 23.4 minutes per flight, with no major aircraft mishaps. Prehospital utilization review showed appropriate use; 35% of interhospital trauma missions and 11% of interhospital nontrauma missions were staffed inadequately by our criteria. Time intervals, procedures, and program impact are discussed. Conclusion: This and similar units participating in the MAST program provide effective air transport in settings underserved by civilian programs. Quality and wartime readiness could be improved by centralized medical direction, treatment and transfer protocols, and enhanced training of medics. Further investigations of the clinical impact of advanced training and a two-medic aircrew model are warranted.
Death and Dying

This chapter focuses upon the end-of-life, which is a significant, if rarely closely examined, part of healthcare. It offers two vignettes of patients and their families facing the end-of-life: one which describes a dying person and her family accepting the ways in which death and dying are part of a well-lived life, and another which describes the “frenzy” of a dying person’s family, which has not considered the place of dying in ongoing life. It also offers Leo Tolstoy’s classic account of The Death of Ivan Ilych and John Donne’s religious contemplation of death and dying, “Death Be Not Proud.”
Cli-Fi: Environmental Literature for the Anthropocene

In 2008, Dan Bloom coined the term “cli-fi;” since then, study of this genre has become increasingly popular. The appeal of examining fiction in terms of its focus on human-made climate change is unsurprising given our growing awareness of the ways that our actions are impacting the planet and given the increase in speculative fiction about the possible end results of unchecked human activity. In this essay, I analyse two very different novels that have been consistently characterised as cli-fi, Margaret Atwood’s 2003 Oryx and Crake and Ian McEwan’s 2010 Solar in terms of what they can teach us about climate change and how they might nudge us to different actions as well as the ways that both highlight the tensions between art and science.
Antirheumatic medications in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Purpose of review As active rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease during pregnancy increases the risk for pregnancy loss, preterm birth, and maternal illness, ongoing management with pregnancy-compatible medications can improve these outcomes. Selecting and taking these medications can be challenging for rheumatologists and patients due to limited knowledge about potential risks and benefits. Recent findings Fortunately, the American College of Rheumatology, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, British Rheumatology Society, and the European League Against Rheumatism have each published recommendations to guide the use of antirheumatic medications in pregnancy and lactation. Each of these groups endorsed the use of hydroxychloroquine, azathioprine, sulfasalazine, corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in pregnancy. They also agreed that methotrexate, mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, and leflunomide should be avoided in pregnancy. New medications, including small-molecules and biologics, have limited data to support safety in pregnancy and are not currently recommended during this period. Most antirheumatic medications are compatible with lactation. Summary Because many patients are hesitant to use antirheumatic medications during pregnancy, honest and accurate discussions about pregnancy planning and management are important to help women make decisions that are in their and their offspring's best interest.
Prevalence and Management of Adult Obesity in a Large U.S. Academic Health System

Introduction Both medication and surgical interventions can be used to treat obesity, yet their use and effectiveness in routine clinical practice are not clear. This study sought to characterize the prevalence and management of patients with obesity within a large U.S. academic medical center. Methods All patients aged ≥18 years who were seen in a primary care clinic within the Duke Health System between 2013 and 2016 were included. Patients were categorized according to baseline BMI as underweight or normal weight ( Results Of the 173,462 included patients, most were overweight (32%) or obese (40%). Overall, Conclusions Despite a high prevalence of obesity within primary care clinics of a large, U.S. academic health center, the use of pharmacologic and surgical therapies was low, and most patients had no weight change over 3 years. This highlights the significant need for improvement in obesity care at a health system level.
NV: an intermediate language for verification of network control planes

Network misconfiguration has caused a raft of high-profile outages over the past decade, spurring researchers to develop a variety of network analysis and verification tools. Unfortunately, developing and maintaining such tools is an enormous challenge due to the complexity of network configuration languages. Inspired by work on intermediate languages for verification such as Boogie and Why3, we develop NV, an intermediate language for verification of network control planes. NV carefully walks the line between expressiveness and tractability, making it possible to build models for a practical subset of real protocols and their configurations, and also facilitate rapid development of tools that outperform state-of-the-art simulators (seconds vs minutes) and verifiers (often 10x faster). Furthermore, we show that it is possible to develop novel analyses just by writing new NV programs. In particular, we implement a new fault-tolerance analysis that scales to far larger networks than existing tools.
Automatic Permittivity and Thickness Characterization of Body-Bome Weak Dielectric Threats Using Wideband Radar

This paper proposes a method for determining permittivity and thickness of body-borne objects automatically by processing wideband radar images. The algorithm can be used to find the explosive threats and rule out the benign objects. Having the reconstructed millimeter wave radar image of the body with an anomaly attached to it, we extract the nominal body contour, which shows the body surface in the absence of the object, then we subtract the ideal body response from the image and define the amount of body displacement observed in the radar image which is caused by the signal retardation due to presence of the weak dielectric object and look for the front surface reflection of the attached foreign object. Finally, we calculate the amount of permittivity based on body displacement and the anomaly’s thickness.