cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy: A Spectrum of Disability

Abstract Autosomal dominant optic atrophy is an abiotrophy with an insidious onset in the first decade of life. The clinical features of 31 individuals in six pedigrees are detailed in this study. These data suggest that there is considerable intrafamilial and interfamilial expression of dysfunction. Moreover, asymmetry of the visual loss is not unusual. An unexpected result of this study is the previously unreported frequent association of a neural hearing loss with this disorder.
The Subjective, Reinforcing, and Analgesic Effects of Oxycodone in Patients with Chronic, Non-Malignant Pain who are Maintained on Sublingual Buprenorphine/Naloxone

Some sources suggest that significant misuse of opioid drugs exists among patients with chronic pain. However, the risk factors and motivation behind their abuse may differ from those of other opioid abusers. This study sought to examine the abuse liability of oxycodone among patients with chronic, non-malignant pain who met the DSM-IV criteria for opioid abuse. Eighteen opioid-dependent patients with chronic pain lived on an in-patient unit of the New York State Psychiatric Institute during the 7-week study. Participants were given oral oxycodone (0, 10, 20, 40, and 60 mg/70 kg) while maintained on various doses of sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone (Bup/Nx; 2/0.5, 8/2, and 16/4 mg/day). Doses of both medications were administered under double-blind conditions. Oxycodone produced an overall positive, but less robust, subjective profile than previously reported in recreational opioid users without pain. Furthermore, unlike our findings in recreational opioid users and more similar to effects in non-drug-abusing individuals, oxycodone failed to serve as a reinforcer. As for the maintenance drug, Bup/Nx produced a dose-related reduction in some of the effects of acutely administered oxycodone. These data suggest that sublingual Bup/Nx has the potential as an analgesic medication and further research should investigate its use in treating patients with chronic pain who abuse opioids.
Optimal change detection in misregistered image sequences

Many digital imaging applications require the detection of subtle localized changes in a sequence of background scenes. Often the principle limitation to the process is uncontrollable pointing changes in an electro-optic sensor, which result in apparent image displacements in the sequence. The interpolation of one of the images followed by subtraction from another has served as a mainstay for change detection. This method is extremely suboptimal within the general context of linear filtering. Conventional registration/subtraction is replaced in this report by dual difference filtering (DDF), a symmetric method that generalizes the concept of interpolation. Over a wide range of images, DDFs have been shown to increase the signal to clutter ratio for small moving targets by an average of 31 dB, compared to older, interpolative methods. A fundamental optimization equation for DDFs is derived, and a solution is presented for a spatial spectrum typical of imagery. DDFs are shown to permit the identification of subtle differences in image sequences that were not detectable with previous methods. It is also shown that, in principle, all first-order aliasing errors can be eliminated by using DDFs. Applications include medical imaging, autonomous and cued surveillance, remote sensing, and astronomy.
Discrete filters and transforms for digital image data analysis

Block-based discrete transform domain algorithms are developed to retrieve information from digital image data. Specifically, discrete, real, and circular Fourier transforms of the data blocks are filtered by coefficients chosen in the discrete frequency domain to improve feature detection. In this paper, the proposed approach is applied to improve the identification of edge discontinuities in digital image data.
Jet Noise Reduction via Fluidic Injection

In this study, a method for reducing the jet noise of a high-speed jet is presented. An array of microjets was immersed within the centerline of an underexpanded Mach 1.6 jet in an effort to reduce the overall sound pressure level and alter its spectral composition. Based on the mass flux through the microjets and the location of the microjets along the centerline of the jet, reductions of up to 5.81 dB with respect to the downstream direction and 7.99 dB with respect to the perpendicular direction can be achieved. An interesting phenomenon is discovered whereby the maximum noise reduction in the downstream direction is found with injection activated, whereas the maximum noise reduction in the perpendicular direction is found with injection deactivated. Placement of the injection tube within the flow is shown to eradicate distinct tones while flow visualizations depicted a strong augmentation in the jet plume via a modification of the shear layer and the internal shock cell structure.
Escherichia coli stress protein YciF: expression, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis.

The Escherichia coli stress protein YciF was overexpressed and purified by three chromatographic steps. Crystals were obtained using ammonium sulfate as a precipitant. The YciF protein crystals diffracted beyond 2.25 A resolution using a rotating-anode X-ray source. The lattice type is rhombohedral, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 80.0, c = 131.03 A, α = β = 90.0, γ = 120.0°. The crystal belongs to space group R32.
Thermal Issues with the U.S. High-Level Waste Repository and the Potential Benefits of Waste Transmutation

Recent total system performance assessments for the proposed Yucca Mountain site2,3 (which assumes that spent fuel is directly emplaced in the repository without reprocessing and transmutation), have substantially altered the technical picture upon which much of the previous repository assessments were based11. The intention of this paper is to provide a qualitative update of the thermal issues associated with the proposed U.S. high-level waste repository and to discuss the potential impact of these issues. Significant questions about the ability to license the Yucca Mountain site are envisioned due to the difficulties associated with predicting the perturbations to the site that arise from the decay heat. It is suggested that waste transmutation, i.e., fuel reprocessing and use of Pu and other transuranic elements as fuel, may provide very significant benefits to the repository by removing the long-term heat source posed by actinides.
Contributions of Kurt Goldstein to neuropsychology

Kurt Goldstein was a pioneer of neuropsychology; his long career bridged a time-span between nineteenth century European behavioral neurology and the modern era of clinical neuropsychology. In this retrospective analysis of his major contributions, it is suggested that many of his previously ignored or rejected ideas have gained wide acceptance in their modern versions. Illustrations of this suggestion are offered in the areas of conceptualization of symptom formation, frontal lobe function, the abstract attitude, aphasia, schizophrenia, rehabilitation, and neuropsychological assessment.
Screening and Treatment of Thyroid Dysfunction: An Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

This updated review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force assesses evidence about screening and treatment of subclinical and undiagnosed overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in adults wit...
Gustatory Responses of the Mouse Chorda Tympani Nerve Vary Based on Region of Tongue Stimulation

Different parts of the mouth vary in their taste responsiveness and gustatory transduction components. However, there have been few attempts to consider regional variation among areas innervated by a single nerve branch or containing only one type of gustatory papilla. Here, we examined whether taste-elicited responses of a single nerve, the chorda tympani (CT), depend on where taste solutions are delivered on the tongue in mice. In experiment 1, multiunit CT responses to NaCl and sucrose were larger if sapid taste solutions were applied to the tongue tip, which contains the anterior-most fungiform papillae, than if they were flowed over fungiform and foliate papillae on the posterior tongue. Further, the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) blocker amiloride suppressed NaCl responses to a greater degree for the tongue tip. In experiment 2, CT nerve responses were compared between the tongue tip and a region further back that contained only fungiform papillae. NaCl and sucrose solutions applied to posterior fungiform papillae produced smaller responses than did those elicited by the same taste stimuli applied to anterior fungiform papillae on the tongue tip. Amiloride suppressed the response to NaCl delivered to the anterior fungiform but not posterior fungiform papillae. These results indicate that the CT response is tongue-region dependent in the mouse. Furthermore, the spatial location of a fungiform papilla provides important information about its properties, such as whether sodium taste transduction is mediated by amiloride-sensitive ENaCs.
The Financial and Economic Crisis of 2008: A Systemic Crisis of Neoliberal Capitalism

This paper presents a case that the financial and economic crisis that began in the United States in 2008 indicates the start of a systemic crisis of neoliberal capitalism. The same institutional features of neoliberal capitalism that promoted a series of long economic expansions over several decades also created long-run trends that have led to a systemic crisis. Major economic restructuring is likely to follow.
An improved method for computing q-values when the distribution of effect sizes is asymmetric

Motivation: Asymmetry is frequently observed in the empirical distribution of test statistics that results from the analysis of gene expression experiments. This asymmetry indicates an asymmetry in the distribution of effect sizes. A common method for identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes in a gene expression experiment while controlling false discovery rate (FDR) is Storey’s q-value method. This method ranks genes based solely on the P-values from each gene in the experiment. Results: We propose a method that alters and improves upon the q-value method by taking the sign of the test statistics, in addition to the P-values, into account. Through two simulation studies (one involving independent normal data and one involving microarray data), we show that the proposed method, when compared with the traditional q-value method, generally provides a better ranking for genes as well as a higher number of truly DE genes declared to be DE, while still adequately controlling FDR. We illustrate the proposed method by analyzing two microarray datasets, one from an experiment of thale cress seedlings and the other from an experiment of maize leaves. Availability and implementation: The R code and data files for the proposed method and examples are available at Bioinformatics online. Contact: ude.usdn@rro.nagem Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Modulo-2 pi phase sequence estimation (Corresp.)

The probabilistic evolution of random walk on the circle is studied, and the results are used to derive a maximum {\em a posteriori} probability (MAP) sequence estimator for phase. The sequence estimator is a Viterbi tracker for tracking phase on a finite-dimensional grid in [-\pi,\pi) . The algorithm is shown to provide a convenient method for obtaining fixed-lag phase estimates. Performance characteristics are presented and compared with several published nonlinear filtering algorithms.
Vertical Air Motion Retrieved from Dual-Frequency Profiler Observations

AbstractThe 50-MHz profiler operating near Darwin, Northwest Territory, Australia, is sensitive to both turbulent clear-air (Bragg) and hydrometeor (Rayleigh) scattering processes. Below the radar bright band, the two scattering peaks are observed as two well-separated peaks in the Doppler velocity spectra. The Bragg scattering peak corresponds to the vertical air motion and the Rayleigh scattering peak corresponds to the hydrometeor motion. Within the radar bright band, the Rayleigh scattering peak intensity increases and the downward velocity decreases causing the hydrometeor peak to overlap or merge with the air motion peak. If the overlap of the two peaks is not taken into account, then the vertical air motion estimate will be biased downward. This study describes a filtering procedure that identifies and removes the downward bias in vertical air motions caused by hydrometeor contamination. This procedure uses a second collocated profiler sensitive to hydrometeor motion to identify contamination in th...
Phonetic and phonological contrasts in the acquisition of voicing: voice onset time production in Hindi and English

The present study examines adult and child word-initial voice onset time productions in English and Hindi (10 adults and 20 children in each language) to determine the age of acquisition of the phonemic voice contrast. Cross-linguistic differences in patterns of acquisition were found, but these need not be traced to the different phonological systems per se. An examination of the data indicates that the best predictor of age of voice contrast acquisition across languages is one which rests on the actual acoustic differences between members of phonologically contrastive pairs. In general it was found that the larger the post-release voice onset time differences between pair members in the adult model, the earlier the contrast is reliably produced by child language learners.
THE UPGRADED LUMINOSITY SYSTEM FOR THE ZEUS EXPERIMENT

A hybrid system consisting of a photon calorimeter, a magnetic spectrometer and an electron calorimeter designed to measure accurately the luminosity collected by the ZEUS detector after the HERA upgrade is presented.
Some fine structural features of the neural elements composing the cerebellar nuclei in the cat

All cerebellar nuclear areas examined contained neurons of several sizes. The smallest have cell bodies ranging from 8–15 μ in diameter in which the cytoplasm is sparse and the granular endoplasmic reticulum randomly distributed. The larger neurons range in diameter from 25–40 μ and the granular reticulum is highly organized and forms Nissl bodies. Axo-somatic terminals occur on all neurons seen in the cerebellar nuclei but are randomly distributed and not usually juxtaposed on the cell surface. Several types of axo-dendritic terminals were encountered. Those on small dendritic branches are characterized by asymmetric accumulations of electron dense material in the postsynaptic cytoplasm. They are also usually bounded by astrocytic glial processes. Terminals on large dendrites show long lengths of membrane apposition and discontinuity of synaptic contacts. A number of dendrites displayed spines upon which terminations occurred. Terminal boutons were also observed to arise from nodes of Ranvier. The neuropil surrounding the neurons of the cerebellar nuclei is filled with myelinated fibers of varying diameter, the smallest of which are about 0.4 μ. The latter often occupy positions close to the surface of neuronal cell bodies and dendrites. Only few unmyelinated fibers were observed.
Fragile X mental retardation protein recognition of G quadruplex structure per se is sufficient for high affinity binding to RNA.

Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation is caused by the expansion of a CGG trinucleotide repeat in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) gene. The abnormal expansion of the CGG repeat causes hypermethylation and subsequent silencing of the fmr1gene, resulting in the loss of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP has been shown to use its arginine-glycine-glycine rich region (RGG box) to bind to messenger RNAs that form G quadruplex structures. Several studies reported that the G quadruplex RNA recognition alone is not sufficient for FMRP RGG box binding and that an additional stem and/or a G quadruplex–stem junction region may also be important in recognition. In this study we have used biophysical methods such as fluorescence, UV, CD and NMR spectroscopy to demonstrate that the recognition of the RNA G quadruplex structure per se, in the absence of a stem region, is sufficient for the FMRP high affinity and specific binding. These findings indicate that the presence of a stem structure in some of the FMRP G quadruplex forming mRNAs is not a requirement for protein recognition as previously believed, but rather for the proper formation of the correct RNA G quadruplex structure recognized by FMRP.
Investigating the “Pouch” Microbiome and its Potential Long-Term Impact on Human Health

The human body houses billions of bacterial symbionts, the majority of which are beneficial in nature. Arguably the most important of these symbionts are housed within the large intestine. Generally, it is unlikely that an individual will part with their colon or its inhabitants throughout the course of their life span; however, in certain cases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the likelihood of an individual requiring colectomy does increase. In these scenarios, a surgical procedure known as total proctocolectomy (TPC) with ileal pouch-anal anastomis (IPAA) may be used to excise the diseased colonic tissue. The question then arises: How does the symbiont community that remains change in response to this drastic loss of diversity? This Perspectives highlights recent insights to this question and addresses the next steps in expanding the current knowledge basis regarding the effects of TPC with IPAA on the gut microbe community. Recent studies have shown that, following TPC with IPAA, the “pouch” microbiome largely resembles the microbial community of the small intestine. Over time, the pouch microbiome becomes more colonic in nature, but retains differences in relative phyla abundance. Beyond its phylogenetic makeup, little else is known about the healthy state of the pouch microbiome. In order to understand both the long and short-term effects of TPC with IPAA, how the pouch microbome differs from the intact gut microbiome in terms of functionality must be investigated. Understanding these differences and the long-term implications of TPC with IPAA will help medical professionals improve current post-operative treatment plans for their patients
CpG island methylation profile in non-invasive oral rinse samples is predictive of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma.

Background There are currently no screening tests in routine use for oral and pharyngeal cancer beyond visual inspection and palpation, which are provided on an opportunistic basis, indicating a need for development of novel methods for early detection, particularly in high-risk populations. We sought to address this need through comprehensive interrogation of CpG island methylation in oral rinse samples.
Multirate Digital Signal Processing, Oversampling of Analog-to-Digital Conversion, and Undersampling of Bandpass Signals

This chapter investigates basics of multirate digital signal processing, illustrates how to change a sampling rate for speech and audio signals, and describes the polyphase implementation for the decimation filter and interpolation filter. Next, the chapter introduces the advanced analog-to-digital conversion system with the oversampling technique and sigma-delta modulation. Finally, the chapter explores the principles of undersampling of bandpass signals.
Abstract 5224: Tracking the longitudinal physiological and vascular morphology changes in response to anti-angiogenesis treatment in breast tumors

VEGF and its receptor (VEGFR2 or flk1/KDR) play critical roles in tumor angiogenesis, which is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. The objective of this study is to track and quantify the longitudinal intra-tumor heterogeneous response to anti-VEGFR2 treatment using a combination of imaging modalities: dynamic contrast-enhanced CT (DCE-CT) and photoacoustic computed tomography (PCT). DCE-CT is used to measure vascular physiology and PCT is used to monitor its morphological changes based on its hemoglobin status within the tumor. A cohort of athymic mice bearing MCF-7 VEGF (MCF-7 cells transfected with VEGF gene) tumors were divided into three groups: a control group (received non-specific, rat immunoglobulin IgG1, i.v.), a low dose therapeutic group (30 mg/kg DC101, i.v.), and a high dose therapeutic group (150 mg/kg DC101, i.v.). Twenty-four hours prior to treatment, baseline DCE-CT and PCT scans were acquired. Successive scans were taken 2 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks post treatment to track both physiological and morphological changes. For the former, a two-compartmental kinetic model is fit to contrast enhanced curves on a voxel-by-voxel basis to determine tumor physiological parameters of perfusion (F), permeability-surface area (PS), fractional plasma volume (f p ) and fractional interstitial space (f is ). Maximum intensity profiles (MIPs) and hemoglobin profiles were extracted from PCT images. The preliminary results show a dose dependent response to DC101 treatments. Two days post treatment, low dose reduced F by 36% and f p by 22%; high dose reduced F by 72% and f p by 39%. Tumor perfusion remained reduced two weeks post treatment, while f p in treated mice rebounded to similar levels as the control group after one week and exceeded the control group by week two. This decoupling of f p and F over time indicates a step-wise progressive nature to the formation of a vascular network and its functionality associated with the VEGF/VEGFR2 pathway. Photoacoustic results confirm the link between the changes in vascular morphology and physiology, and provide an in vivo link between vascular structure and function in response to anti-angiogenic therapy. Future work will focus on measuring the oxygen saturation levels and hemoglobin concentration in tumors by analyzing the spectroscopic information afforded by PCT. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5224.
Late Archean calcite-microbe interactions; two morphologically distinct microbial communities that affected calcite nucleation differently

Microbialites in the 2521+ or -3 Ma Gamohaan and Frisco formations, South Africa, consist of three components: very thin, filmy laminae that are interpreted as remnants of microbial mats; irregular surfaces that acted as supports over which filmy laminae draped, which also are interpreted as microbial in origin; and cement-filled voids that formed contemporaneously with microbialite growth. The structure of the microbialites varies with the proportions of filmy laminae and supports, disruption of had filmy laminae, and abundance of voids. Seven end-member morphologies have been defined: planar laminae, contorted laminae, tented microbialites, cuspate microbialites, irregular columnar microbialites, plumose structures, and herringbone calcite beds. Similar structures have not been reported in younger rocks, but they may have partial analogs in Yellowstone hot springs, ice covered lakes in Antarctica, and Proterozoic conoform stromatolites. Herringbone calcite, a fibrous marine cement, precipitated contemporaneously with microbial growth. It preferentially precipitated on the supports over the laminated mat as demonstrated by: the concentration of herringbone calcite near supports; growth banding in herringbone calcite, which indicates that calcite nucleated on and grew away from supports but not laminated mat; and the abutment of herringbone calcite coatings against laminated mat attached to supports. These observations suggest that the laminated mat inhibited nucleation of calcite crystals. The differences in the morphology and relationships to herringbone calcite in the supports and laminated mat imply that they were composed of distinct microbial communities that interacted with their environment differently. Also, the complexity of the microbialites demonstrates that a remarkably diverse set of microbe-substrate interactions evolved by late Archean time.
The Impact of Supervised Filial Therapy Training on Attitude, Knowledge, and Skills

Research in filial therapy has provided strong support for its efficacy in improving parent–child relationships. While studies have extensively examined the impact of filial therapy training on par...
Therapeutic Uses of Soft Contact Lenses

While their therapeutic applicability is still under investigation, hydrogel lenses have already saved many eyes that might otherwise have been lost. Used as protective dressings, hydrogel lenses have been demonstrated to aid healing of injured or impaired corneas and retain moisture in dry-eye syndromes. They also provide almost instant relief of pain. On the horizon: a soft lens made of silicone rubber.
Chapter 7 – Foreign Object Damage

Foreign object damage (FOD) involves the damage caused by objects ingested into turbine engines. These events typically take place upon takeoff and landing. Ingested objects, which involve a range of soft and hard materials of all sizes and shapes, cause damage when they strike rotating blades, static vanes, or other parts of the engine where they cause a reduction in strength of the component. Such events are difficult to prevent although methods, such as the use of screens is unsuccessfully attempted at times in the past. A greater concern arises when the component that is damaged is also undergoing some type of forced or resonant vibration that can lead to high-cycle fatigue (HCF) in the damaged area. The problem of FOD is somewhat related to fatigue of notches, but is much more complicated because it involves additional aspects. The severity of a notch, from a geometric point of view, is characterized by a stress concentration factor, k t , which, under FOD, can vary significantly in service. Different types of damages are illustrated in this chapter involving a wide variation in geometry and corresponding values of k t . Robust engineering methods are needed to predict the influence of these geometric variables on HCF threshold stresses.
Using the Human Systems Simulation Laboratory at Idaho National Laboratory for Safety Focused Research

Under the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have been using the Human Systems Simulation Laboratory (HSSL) to conduct critical safety focused Human Factors research and development (R&D) for the nuclear industry. The LWRS program has the overall objective to develop the scientific basis to extend existing nuclear power plant (NPP) operating life beyond the current 60-year licensing period and to ensure their long-term reliability, productivity, safety, and security. One focus area for LWRS is the NPP main control room (MCR), because many of the instrumentation and control (I&C) system technologies installed in the MCR, while highly reliable and safe, are now difficult to replace and are therefore limiting the operating life of the NPP. This paper describes how INL researchers use the HSSL to conduct Human Factors R&D on modernizing or upgrading these I&C systems in a step-wise manner, and how the HSSL has addressed a significant gap in the process for upgrading systems and technologies that are built to last, and therefore require careful integration of analog and new advanced digital technologies.
Merging Files of Data on Same Individuals

A useful classification of situations involving statistical matching of data files was discussed in Section 1.3. It may be recalled that in the context of the two files comprising the same individuals, this classification scheme included two scenarios. One where no overlapping variables are present, and the other where overlapping variables are available. We begin with the former situation, relegating the latter to Section 2.10.
Chapter 22 – Applied Behavior Analysis for Health and Fitness

Abstract Health promotion is among the foremost concerns of modern society. As with many problems of considerable social significance, most health problems are caused by what people do and what people do not do. People eat too much, exercise too little, and visit healthcare providers too infrequently, among many other things. Understanding and solving these problems is a task for the behavioral sciences, and applied behavior analysts have been addressing problems related to health and fitness since the earliest days of the field. The primary focus of this chapter is on applied behavior analysis research related to health promotion through diet, exercise, and medication adherence, as addressing these issues would significantly improve health across many populations. Health promotion is a problem that applied behavior analysts continue to address, but we still have considerable work to do.
On Flushed Partitions

A partition of the natural number n is said to be flushed if the least part that occurs evenly often is even. Let f(n) denote the number of flushed partitions of n. We present explicit and recursive formulas for f(n), as well as a table of f(n) where 0 ≤ n ≤ 30. We also discuss self-conjugate flushed partitions. Mathematics Subject Classification: 11P81
Studies in vacuum membrane distillation with flat membranes

Abstract How microporous membrane characteristics affect membrane desalination performance in vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) is of significant interest. Different microporous hydrophobic flat membranes of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) were investigated to that end. The ranges of variation of the membrane thickness and the nominal pore size were respectively 23–125 μm and 0.05–0.45 μm. The porosity of all membranes was high around 0.7–0.8. Experiments were performed with hot brine temperature varying between 65 °C and 85 °C for different vacuum levels and various brine feed flow rates in a rectangular chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) cell. The liquid entry pressure (LEP) of each membrane was experimentally determined. Water vapor fluxes predicted as a function of brine flow rate and the vacuum level were compared using two models: the Knudsen diffusion and the dusty-gas model (DGM). Knudsen diffusion is the dominant transport regime in VMD since Knudsen number, K n , for all membranes was larger than 1 at all temperatures. The brine-side boundary layer heat transfer resistance in the membrane cell and the brine-side membrane surface temperature were determined from experimental data via Wilson plot. The predicted values of the membrane mass transfer coefficient and water vapor fluxes were found to be close to those obtained experimentally.
Silicon content of individual cells of Synechococcus from the North Atlantic Ocean

The widely distributed marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus is thought to exert an influence on the marine silicon (Si) cycle through its high cellular Si relative to organic content. There are few measurements of Si in natural populations of Synechococcus, however, and the degree to which Synechococcus from various oligotrophic field sites and depths accumulate the element is unknown. We used synchrotron x-ray fluorescence to measure Si quotas in individual Synechococcus cells collected during three cruises in the western North Atlantic Ocean in the summer and fall, focusing on cells from the surface mixed layer (SML; < 10 m) and the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). Individual cell quotas varied widely, from 1 to 4700 amol Si cell− 1, though the middle 50% of quotas ranged between 17 and 119 amol Si cell− 1. Mean station-specific quotas exhibited an even narrower range of 31–72 amol Si cell− 1. No significant differences in Si quotas were observed across cruises or among stations, and no effect of ambient silicic acid concentration on quotas was observed within the narrow range of silicic acid concentrations encountered (0.6–1.3 μM). Despite this small range in ambient silicic acid, cells collected from the SML had an average of two-fold more Si than cells collected from the DCM. Differences in Si content with depth may be related to observed differences in the dominant Synechococcus clades between the SML and DCM habitats, determined by petB gene sequencing.
Persistence of Infant Care Patterns Among Aka Foragers

Early research found commonalities across hunter-gatherer communities in regards to infant care. Infants were held frequently, spent most of the day and night in skin-to-skin contact, breastfed on demand, received intimate caregiving, and experienced low levels of distress. These shared infant care practices are assumed to have deep evolutionary roots and together serve as a defining characteristic of hunter-gatherer life. Yet, the degree to which hunter-gatherers are experiencing social, economic, and environmental change may have created conditions that alter these defining characteristics. In this chapter we explore infant care among the Aka foragers in the Central African Republic. We utilize naturalistic behavioral observations collected over almost 20 years to examine whether care patterns have persisted or changed over the course of a generational timespan. The Aka discussed in this chapter remain a mobile foraging population, but they have also experienced change at multiple levels. Whether or how these changes influence infant care has not yet been examined. Results indicate that Aka infant care patterns have persisted. Although some significant changes were noted, not all caregiving showed a decline, some increased and some changes were only limited to one age category. Additionally, the vast majority of caregiving practices remained constant across the periods. Cross-cultural data presented also support this finding. Aka infant care patterns are comparable to other hunter-gatherer populations and the frequency of care and interactions match or exceed most farming and Euro-American patterns. We argue that Aka infant care patterns have persisted because they are vertically transmitted and highly-conserved. Moreover, Aka infant care is indicative of a much larger cultural pattern of trust, intimacy and sharing, not immediately affected by outside influences.
The Whole “PROOF”: Incorporating Evidence-Based Medicine Into Clinical Teaching

* Abbreviations: EBM — : evidence-based medicine ED — : emergency department JAMA — : The Journal of the American Medical Association PICO — : patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome PROOF — : propose, review, organize, overlap, and follow As part of the ongoing Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics series on skills used by great clinical teachers, this article introduces teaching strategies to more effectively convey the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM), including a mnemonic that can serve as a framework for clinician educators. EBM is the selective use of best current evidence to make medical decisions for individual patients.1 Incorporating medical evidence into clinical practice is an expectation for medical students entering residency.2 Routinely practicing EBM can promote patient safety, improve quality, and enhance value in health care.3 Resources exist for faculty to review the basic tenets of EBM.4 To ensure students entering residency have a strong foundation in EBM, clinical teachers need to teach EBM while providing patient care. Many interventions developed to improve teaching of critical appraisal skills are applicable to the classroom but not at the patient’s bedside.5,6 Clinician educators need to know how to guide trainees through the process of establishing answerable clinical questions, appraising evidence, and applying evidence to patient care. Clinical educators are faced with several challenges to teaching EBM, such as lack of time and a paucity of EBM curriculum requirements.7 Learning EBM is difficult because students may lack clinical role models, wrestle with acknowledging uncertainty, and struggle with applying evidence to patient care.8 If barriers are … Address correspondence to Nicholas M. Potisek, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. E-mail: npotisek{at}wakehealth.edu
Extending Shelf Life of Brown Rice Using Infrared Heating

The consumption of brown rice has been increasing due to its higher nutrition value, nutty flavor, and rich texture compared to white rice. At the same time, there is a strong demand in storing rice as brown rice instead of rough rice for saving space and energy before milling. However, the short shelf life of brown rice has been a significant concern. The effective and economic way to extend the shelf life of brown rice is to inactivate the lipase enzyme to minimize the lipid oxidation, which cannot be achieved by currently used hot air drying. Infrared (IR) drying has been reported that it effectively inactivated the lipase enzymes during rough rice drying. This chapter summarizes the mechanism of IR heating, IR emitter types, advantages of IR drying and investigations performed on IR drying of rough rice and parboiled rice, and its influence on the milling yield, quality, and storage characteristics of rough rice, brown rice, and rice bran. The IR drying resulted in high drying rate, good milling quality, effective disinfestation and disinfection of rough rice, and improvement in shelf life of both rough and brown rice due to partial lipase inactivation in the bran layer. IR-dried rice can be stored in brown rice form at ambient temperature with even longer shelf life than that of rough rice dried with ambient and hot air. The rice bran from milling of IR-dried rice has sufficient shelf life for further value-added utilization without need for additional stabilizing treatment.
Aortoiliac calcification correlates with 5-year survival after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Abstract Background An anatomic severity grade (ASG) score to categorize and to define anatomic factors for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair was proposed. Other studies have previously reported that aortic anatomic complexity is a marker of survival and resource utilization after repair, although it remains unclear whether individual components of the ASG score independently contribute to survival. This study analyzed and validated an aortic and iliac artery calcium scoring system that can potentially predict survival after AAA repair. Methods Patients who underwent infrarenal AAA repairs from July 2007 to May 2012 were analyzed using complete 5-year records. Those who died ≤30 days of surgery were excluded. Calcium score (CS) was defined using the ASG scoring system for its basis by preoperative imaging Results There were 356 patients who underwent AAA repair with complete 5-year follow-up data; 26% died within 5 years of surgery. Of these, 13% had CS of 0 with 15% mortality, 28% had CS of 1 with 21% mortality, 24% had CS of 2 with 24% mortality, 23% had CS of 3 with 35% mortality, 10% had CS of 4 with 40% mortality, and 2% had CS of 5 with 17% mortality. The receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated an appropriate threshold of CS 3. Of these patients, 65% had a CS Conclusions A CS ≥3 is linked to a lower 5-year survival after AAA repair in our population. This system potentially can be another measure for risk stratification and serve as a means to predict midterm mortality in AAA repairs. Future study will be needed for further validation to predict midterm mortality and to better guide surgical decision-making.
Acute Kidney Injury in the Age of Enhanced Recovery Protocols.

Background Acute kidney injury is a prevalent complication after abdominal surgery. With increasing adoption of enhanced recovery protocols, concern exists for concomitant increase in acute kidney injury. Objective This study evaluated effects of enhanced recovery on acute kidney injury through identification of risk factors. Design This was a retrospective cohort study comparing acute kidney injury rates before and after implementation of enhanced recovery protocol. Settings The study was conducted at a large academic medical center. Patients All of the patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery between 2010 and 2016, excluding patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease, were included. Main outcome measures Patients before and after enhanced recovery implementation were compared, with rate of acute kidney injury as the primary outcome. Acute kidney injury was defined as a rise in serum creatinine ≥1.5 times baseline within 30 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for acute kidney injury. Results A total of 900 cases were identified, including 461 before and 439 after enhanced recovery; 114 cases were complicated by acute kidney injury, including 11.93% of patients before and 13.44% after implementation of enhanced recovery (p = 0.50). Five patients required hemodialysis, with 2 cases after protocol implementation. Multivariable logistic regression identified hypertension, functional status, ureteral stents, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, operative time >200 minutes, and increased intravenous fluid administration on postoperative day 1 as predictors of acute kidney injury. Laparoscopic surgery decreased the risk of acute kidney injury. The enhanced recovery protocol was not independently associated with acute kidney injury. Limitations The study was limited by its retrospective and nonrandomized before-and-after design. Conclusions No difference in rates of acute kidney injury was detected before and after implementation of a colorectal enhanced recovery protocol. Independent predictors of acute kidney injury were identified and could be used to alter the protocol in high-risk patients. Future study is needed to determine whether protocol modifications will further decrease rates of acute kidney injury in this population. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A568.
Learning by disjunctive spanning

A new concept-learning technique, disjunctive spanning, was developed to identify perceptual patterns. Similar to the Aq algorithm [227], this technique identifies disjunctive concepts without searching through a hierarchically-ordered generalization space. The disjunctive spanning algorithm was implemented in NEXUS, a speech recognition system designed to acquire knowledge about minimal articulatory units in speech recognition. Performance tests of NEXUS show it to be superior to a traditional speech recognition system when both systems were tested on the same highly-confusable vocabulary set.
The Clinician as Sexual Philosopher

The clinic is a world of sex and gender, of males and females, of masculinity and femininity, of typically male/masculine doctors and typically female/feminine nurses. These divisions have reverberations that are keenly felt throughout medical practice. In ancient China, for example, respectable females used special feminine dolls to explain their symptoms to their invariably male doctors; in contemporary America, typically masculine physicians take great care to drape their invariably female patients for gynecological examinations. The ancient doll and the contemporary draping both reflect adaptations evolved by the clinical world to cope with the sexual philosophy of the wider society. Since these adaptations are extremely revealing, some might see in them a type of unconscious philosophical analysis — yet when I characterize clinicians as sexual philosophers in the title of this essay, I intend nothing as oblique or esoteric as this.
EF-05 Androgens regulate microbiota composition, function and protective properties in lupus-prone mice

Background Dysbiosis (alterations in microbiota composition) is associated with autoimmune diseases, including lupus. Factors that are thought to influence gut microbiota include diet, age and more recently, sex. Like humans, female NZBxNZWF1 (BWF1) mice spontaneously develop lupus-like disease, and exhibit much greater incidence of disease than males. Castration of male BWF1 mice increases disease onset/incidence and decreases survival suggesting that male sex steroids, androgens, play an important role in protection of males from disease. Methods Intact female and male, or castrated and sham-castrated male BWF1 mice were used in this study. Cecal contents (microbiota) from different groups were transferred into female BWF1 mice shortly after weaning (∼26 days) and either disease or in vitro cell function (cell culture, flow cytometry) was evaluated. Feces were collected from adult mice and analyzed for either microbiota composition (deep sequencing of 16S gene) or metabolomic profiles (mass spectrometry). Results We have found that the composition of gut microbiota and metabolomic/lipidomic profiles differ between mature female and male BWF1 mice. Transfer of male microbiota to female BWF1 mice suppresses disease and increases survival. Further, we found that male microbiota may protect, in part, via an effect on tolerogenic CD103+ dendritic cells (CD103DC) that induce peripheral Tregs (pTregs) through TGFβ and retinoic acid (RA) production. Female BWF1 CD103DC have a decreased ability to induce pTregs and express retinaldehyde dehydrogenase, (RALDH2), an enzyme involved in RA synthesis. Transfer of male microbiota to female BWF1 mice reconstitutes both RALDH2 expression and the ability of the CD103DC to induce pTregs. Interestingly, castration of male mice significantly alters gut microbiota composition and metabolomic/lipidomic profiles by comparison to males, diminishes CD103DC function and decreases the ability of the microbiota to protect female mice from disease. The mechanisms underlying male microbiota-mediated protection from disease are unknown, but may be mediated through the production of metabolites. We have identified several metabolites that are increased in male compared to both female and castrated male feces that function as retinoid X receptor agonists and enhance RALDH2 activity and increase pTregs in vivo. Conclusions Our data suggest that androgens alter the composition and function of the gut microbiota in males, and the metabolites produced by the male microbiota may have potential for development into therapeutic strategies for the treatment of disease. Acknowledgements Funded by Lupus Research Institute, Alliance for Lupus Research and National Institutes of Health.
Combining biophysical and socioeconomic suitability models for urban forest planning

Abstract Urban forests are landscape mechanisms that provide ecosystem services and positive health benefits. However, many urban areas lack canopy coverage and continue to lose coverage through land cover change and tree mortality. In the United States, neighborhoods dominated by lower socioeconomic incomes (