cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Afferent and efferent connections of the parvicellular subdivision of iNTS: defining a circuit involved in taste aversion learning

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) expression is associated with strong increases in Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) in a region of the brainstem identified as the parvicellular subdivision of the intermediate nucleus of the solitary tract (iNTSpc). To identify the projections to and from cells in iNTSpc which display strong FLI in response to expression of a CTA, anterograde and retrograde tract tracing was used. When appropriate, tract tracing was combined with double labeling for FLI in animals which received CTA training as well as tracer injections and were re-exposed to the CS taste. With respect to afferent projections, iNTSpc receives a strong, direct, ipsilateral projection from amygdala and the distribution of the fiber terminals yields a striking match to that of cells expressing FLI after CTA expression. As for efferent projections, these cells in iNTSpc are characterized by a mixed, rather than homogeneous, projection pattern. Targets of these cells include pons and forebrain as well as local medullary sites, all of which are known to be involved in gastrointestinal function. Thus, activation of these cells may provide a circuit through which gastrointestinal/visceral responses are coordinated as a component of the conditioned aversion.
A systematic study of the 88(16O, 15N reaction: Evidence for recoil effects☆

Abstract Augular distributions for the 88Sr(16O, 15N) reaction leading to the 2 p 1 2 and 1 g 1 2 states in 89Y were measured at several incident energies below and above the Coulomb barrier. Comparison with no-recoil DWBA calculations reveals an energy-dependent normalization for the transition of the 2 p 1 2 state. This energy dependence disappeared, however, in a recent DWBA calculation made by Tamura and Low, which included recoil effects.
Some remarks on Pauli data in quantum mechanics

On considere la determination d'une fonction de carre integrable a partir de son module et de celui de sa transformee de Fourier. Application a l'unicite de Pauli des etats reels en mecanique quantique
Effects of Training and Supervision on the Self-Efficacy of Psychology Graduate Teaching Assistants.

We surveyed psychology graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to obtain information about their training and supervision and examined their sense of self-efficacy toward teaching as a function of these experiences. Results indicated that formal training has a positive, statistically significant effect on GTAs' sense of self-efficacy toward teaching. However, departments of psychology appear to offer GTAs formal training and supervision in an inconsistent manner.
On the determination of inconsistent edges in graph-based segmentation algorithms

In this paper, we introduce a new method for decomposing a minimum spanning tree (MST) into N connected components (representing N textures) for graph-based texture segmentation. Currently, ad hoc methods are used to perform this decomposition. Under our approach, the local maxima of the histogram of MST edge weights are used to define the centers of textures. A collection of thresholds between these maxima is then selected to optimize a square error criterion. These thresholds directly define the decomposition of the MST. We demonstrate the performance of our approach on synthetic images and high-resolution infrared imagery.
The T4 RI Antiholin Has an N-Terminal Signal Anchor Release Domain That Targets It for Degradation by DegP

Lysis inhibition (LIN) of T4-infected cells was one of the foundational experimental systems for modern molecular genetics. In LIN, secondary infection of T4-infected cells results in a dramatically protracted infection cycle in which intracellular phage and endolysin accumulation can continue for hours. At the molecular level, this is due to the inhibition of the holin, T, by the antiholin, RI. RI is only 97 residues and contains an N-terminal hydrophobic domain and a C-terminal hydrophilic domain; expression of the latter domain fused to a secretory signal sequence is sufficient to impose LIN, due to its specific interaction with the periplasmic domain of the T holin. Here we show that the N-terminal sequence comprises a signal anchor release (SAR) domain, which causes the secretion of RI in a membrane-tethered form and then its subsequent release into the periplasm, without proteolytic processing. Moreover, the SAR domain confers both functional lability and DegP-mediated proteolytic instability on the released form of RI, although LIN is not affected in a degP host. These results are discussed in terms of a model for the activation of RI in the establishment of the LIN state.
Health and Long-Term Care Use Trajectories of Older Disabled Women

Purpose: I examined health and long-term care use trajectories of a sample of chronically disabled older women eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid by exploring their use data in order to understand and anticipate the increasing demand on the health and long-term care delivery systems as aging female baby boomers reach age 65 and older. Design and Methods: A sample of older disabled women in Ohio who completed preadmission review was divided into three groups on the basis of the setting in which they received their initial long-term care services. Results: I was able to establish a long-term care career for the sample members beginning with receiving long-term care in the community, followed by a transition stage in which care was received in the community and in a nursing home, and finally by a stage at which they entered and remained in a nursing home. As the sample members proceeded along their long-term care career and their health and disability status worsened, I found a clear shift in the kind of care needed from hospital and home care to nursing home care. There was also a shift in the major payer, from Medicare to Medicaid. Implications: As the baby boomers age, a much larger number of women will be disabled and need health and long-term care services. For a considerable number of these women, Medicaid gradually becomes the major payer for care, an issue that needs close observation. The U.S. population aged 65 and older was almost 35 million in 2000. Almost 59% of this population was female (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). The female proportion of the older population will gradually decrease from 59% in 2000 to 56% in 2025 and will then remain relatively stable through 2050 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000). This reduction in the percentage of the total
Calibrating fixed- and mixed-effects taper equations

Abstract Accurate and affordable measurements of upper-stem diameters are now possible thanks to recent advances in laser technology. Measurement of the midpoint upper-stem diameter can be employed to improve the accuracy of diameter predictions along the tree bole. Felled-tree data from a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation was used to evaluate two approaches: (1) calibrating a segmented taper equation by constraining a parameter, and (2) localizing the taper model by predicting the random effects for each tree. The calibration technique is much simpler and produced less-biased prediction of diameters and is therefore recommended. Calibration results were similar for both fixed- and mixed-effects taper models, even though a slight gain in accuracy and precision was attained with the mixed-effects model.
Position sensorless control of a magnetically levitated system

The investigation of magnetically levitated systems as a means of ground transportation has been going on for several decades. As a result several methods of control for these systems have been proposed. However, these methods rely on the information provided by sensors that are prone to failure and noise. This paper presents a sensor less position control scheme of a laboratory-based magnetically levitated system. The proposed method makes use of systempsilas magnetic signatures, namely inductance, back electromotive force, etc. that contain embedded position information and the voltage equation of the active phase. This speed intensive (or MIPS intensive) methodology can be implemented on a high performance- DSP controller. In addition, FEM analysis has been carried out to obtain the static and dynamics characteristics of the system. Simulation results will be shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
On the lifetime extension of energy-efficient multihop broadcast networks

In this paper, we address the problem of energy efficient multicast routing in wireless mobile adhoc network (MANET). It is a challenging environment because every node operates on limited battery resources and multihop routing paths are used over a constantly changing network environment due to node mobility. We define the network lifetime as duration of time until first node failure due to battery energy exhaustion, and show that the network lifetime for a multicast session can be significantly extended by additionally considering residual battery energy as a parameter in the cost metric function for constructing a power efficient routing tree. We also present a post-sweeping algorithm that further reduces the energy expenditure compared to the random sweeping proposed by Wieselthier et al. (2000). Simulation results are presented which supports our approach.
Prophylaxis for Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia: is it a necessity in pulmonary patients on high-dose, chronic corticosteroid therapy without AIDS?

The benefit of prophylaxis for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is well documented in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with HIV and/or AIDS; therefore, guidelines dictate this as standard of care. However, there is a paucity of literature regarding those without HIV and/or AIDS who are potentially predisposed to PJP, including patients with sarcoidosis, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, who may require high dose of prolonged corticosteroids for disease maintenance or to prevent relapses. In this review, the authors examine the available literature regarding prophylaxis in these groups, elaborate on the pathogenesis of PJP, when to suspect PJP in these patients, as well as explore current recommendations that guide clinical practice regarding implementation of PJP prophylaxis, namely with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole being the preferred agent. In summary, the role of PJP prophylaxis in non-HIV patients on chro...
Nitrogen and phosphorus species in the coastal and shelf waters of Southeastern North Carolina, Mid-Atlantic U.S. coast

The diversity of small-scale wetlands, high salinity tidal creeks, salt marshes, estuaries, and a wide and shallow shelf with the Gulf Stream close to the break makes the coastal zone of south-eastern North Carolina (U.S.) a natural laboratory for the study of the cycling of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in coastal and shelf waters. We assessed the summer concentrations, forms, and ratios for each N (total dissolved N, nitrate+nitrite, ammonium and dissolved organic N) and P (total dissolved P, o-phosphate and dissolved organic P) pool as these nutrients travel from tidal creeks, salt marshes and two large estuaries to Long and Onslow Bays. Additionally, we measured ancillary physical (temperature, salinity and turbidity) and chemical (dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a and pH) water properties. Highest concentrations of all individual N and P compounds were found in the upper parts of each tributary and were attributed to loads from agricultural and urban sources to the coastal watersheds, continuing downstream to receiving estuaries. In all areas, dissolved organic N and P species were predominant constituents of the total dissolved N and P pools (64–97% and 56–93%, respectively). The lower parts of estuaries and surface shelf waters were characterized by oceanic surface values, indicating removal of N and P downstream in all tributaries. The different watershed and hydrological characteristics also determined the different speciation of N and P pools in each estuary. Despite a high level of anthropogenic pressure on the uppermost coastal waters, there is self-regulation in this coastal ecosystem with respect to human perturbations; i.e. significant amounts of the N and P load are retained within estuarine and nearshore waters without reaching the shelf.
Automated subcellular location determination and high-throughput microscopy.

Dramatic advances in methods for protein tagging and the development of fully automated microscopes enable collection of unprecedented volumes of image data on the subcellular location of proteins in live cells. Combining these approaches with machine learning methods promises to provide systematic, high-resolution pattern information on a proteome-wide basis.
Strategies for Teaching Literature at the Undergraduate Level

guages have greatly improved as a result of pedagogical and linguistic research. Many teachers now stress student-centered approaches that seek to encourage individual participation, take into account the needs, interests, and desires of students, and focus on the development of communicative skills. Indeed, research has shown that such humanistic approaches motivate students to continue language study, prepare them for the type of communication they would experience in the target culture, and have implications that transcend the classroom. Yet, while undergraduate language enrollments seem to be increasing, fewer students now choose to study second-language literatures. Several educators suggest that the way the academy presents literature may be one of the reasons for the decline over the past decade, and that strengthening the teaching of literature is the next major issue in our profession.1 In many classrooms, the teaching of literature has remained traditional with emphasis on teacher text-centered approaches like lectures, literary surveys, biographical summaries, and text analyses with occasional discussions. In such cases "literary texts continue to be taught as finished products, to be unilaterally decoded, analyzed, and explained" (Kramsch: p. 356). While such approaches may be appropriate and effective at the advanced or graduate level as part of a student's professional training, and important to a complete understanding of literature, they may result in frustration and a lack of response and interest on the part of the non-specialist (Lohnes: pp. 84-86). Such approaches tend to minimize student participation and thus fail to capitalize fully on the educational and motivational benefits to be gained from experiential learning and from the integration of student reactions into the teaching/ learning situation (Birckbichler & Muyskens: p. 23). They also fail to consider the linguistic limitations and lack of critical or analytical skills of students who may feel unequipped to overcome the difficulty of a text and for whom the foreign literature course may become a "painful lesson in deciphering" (Santoni: p. 434). As Scher (56) observes: "Most of our undergraduates do not really know how to read literature as a work of art and lack not only the prerequisites of literary experience but also the technical vocabulary and critical concepts with which to define that experience." Thus, she asserts, "we unfairly blame our students for difficulties that essentially stem from our own methodological weaknesses and unrealistic expectations."
Fate, Fatalism, and Agency in Stoicism*

A perennial subject of dispute in the Western philosophical tradition is whether human agents can be responsible for their actions even if determinism is true. By determinism, I mean the view that everything that happens (human actions, choices, and deliberations included) is completely determined by antecedent causes. One of the least impressive objections that is leveled against determinism confuses determinism with a very different view that has come to be known as “fatalism”: this is the view that everything is determined to happen independently of human choices, efforts, and deliberations. It is a common fallacy, among students contemplating the implications of determinism for the first time, to argue: “But if everything is determined in advance, then it doesn't matter what we decide to do; what is determined to happen will happen no matter what.” This argument fallaciously infers fatalism from determinism.
Identification and characterization of functional genes encoding the mouse major urinary proteins.

Abstract Mouse Ltk- cells were stably transfected with cloned genes encoding the mouse major urinary proteins (MUPs). C57BL/6J MUP genomic clones encoding MUP 2 (BL6-25 and BL6-51), MUP 3 (BL6-11 and BL6-3), and MUP 4 (BL6-42) have been identified. In C57BL/6J mice, MUP 2 and MUP 4 are known to be synthesized in male, but not female, liver, and MUP 3 is known to be synthesized in both male and female liver and mammary gland. A BALB/c genomic clone (BJ-31) was shown to encode a MUP that is slightly more basic than MUP 2 and was previously shown to be synthesized in both male and female liver of BALB/c but not C57BL/6 mice. Comigration on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels of the MUPs encoded by the transfecting gene provides a basis for tentative identification of the tissue specificity and mode of regulation of each gene. DNA sequence analysis of the 5' flanking region indicates that the different MUP genes are highly homologous (0.20 to 2.40% divergence) within the 879 base pairs analyzed. The most prominent differences in sequence occur within an A-rich region just 5' of the TATA box. This region (from -47 to -93) contains primarily A or C(A)N nucleotides and varies from 15 to 46 nucleotides in length in the different clones.
A randomised study of the effects of massage therapy compared to guided relaxation on well-being and stress perception among older adults

Summary Objective The objective was to assess the effects of massage compared to guided relaxation on stress perception and well-being among older adults. Design A randomised pilot study enrolled adults ages 60 and older to receive 50min, twice weekly massage therapy or guided relaxation sessions. Questionnaires were administered at pre-test (1 week before the first session) and post-test (after the last session). Setting Participants came to the University of South Carolina campus for sessions. Adults aged 60 and older were recruited from community venues and were briefly screened by telephone for contraindications. Intervention Participants ( n =54) received 50min massage or guided relaxation sessions twice weekly for 4 weeks. The massage included Swedish, neuromuscular, and myofascial techniques. For the relaxation group, an appropriately trained assistant read a script to guide the participant in using visualization and muscle relaxation. Main outcome measures The General Well-being Schedule is an 18-item scale with subscales measuring anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, vitality, and general health. The Perceived Stress Scale is a 14-item scale assessing the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful during the past month. Results Significant improvements were found for the anxiety, depression, vitality, general health, and positive well-being subscales of the General Well-being Schedule and for Perceived Stress among the massage participants compared to guided relaxation. Conclusions Findings indicate that massage therapy enhances positive well-being and reduces stress perception among community-dwelling older adults.
ACTION OF ANTIGEN ON FIBROBLASTS IN VITRO. II.

The action of human ascitic fluid and of dog serum on the immunization of fibroblasts in vitro was investigated. The toxic effect of ascitic fluid upon fibroblasts was slight, while that of dog serum was marked. When a small amount of antigen (1.5 to 2 per cent dog serum, or 8 per cent ascitic fluid) was present in the medium, the resistance of the fibroblasts slowly increased, reached its maximum after about 14 days, and gradually decreased. The curve expressing the phenomena closely resembles that of Jorgensen and Madsen showing the production of antibodies in an animal which received daily injections of antigen. When the antigen was present in the medium in a high concentration (from 5 to 8 per cent dog serum), the resistance reached its maximum in 4 days, and decreased rapidly. It may be concluded that: 1. In the immunization of fibroblasts in vitro against a foreign protein, there is a relation between the amount of antigen, the time of the appearance of immunization, and its duration. 2. When a small amount of antigen is used, immunization slowly reaches its maximum, and slowly decreases. 3. When a large amount of antigen is used, immunization reaches its maximum in a short time, but the protection is of equally short duration.
Pobreza y mortalidad perinatal en la población mapuche de la Araucanía

ABSTRACTPoverty and perinatal mortality among Mapuche Population in AraucaniaObjectives: To establish a statistical relationship between poverty ad perinatal mortality at the individual level (death event) or contextual level (surrounding data). Patients and Method: Deaths of newborns in the 27 days of life were examined. The period between Jan 1st and Dec 31 of each year between 1996 and 2005 was considered. Individual data was veri ﬁ ed by: gender, cause of death (ICD-10) and perinatal cause of death (P00-P96), ethnicity, age, district, community of procedence. Results: Poisson regressions showed statistical signiﬁ cance α < 0.05 for the relationship between poverty and perinatal mortality. This included smoothing for more stable estimation. All lineal general models showed statistical signiﬁ cance. Higher poverty level co-rrelates with higher perinatal death. Chi Squared Scaled Pearson decreases a standard error in the interception estimator and the dependent variable (poverty).
Ulnar nerve injury after abdominal surgery

Patient ER, a 65 year-old male electrician, was diagnosed with a severe hiatal hernia after experiencing several episodes of gastrointestinal reflux, bronchial spasms, and breathing difficulties. ER was thus scheduled for a Nissen fundoplication to be performed by surgeon Dr. S. Dr. W. was the anesthesiologist for the procedure. On 7/3/87, the surgery was performed. For anesthesia purposes, Dr. W positioned ER’s arms on arm boards that extended outward from each side of the operating table, with palms facing upward and elbow cushions placed under each arm. Velcro straps were placed at the lower end of each arm board near ER’s wrists to prevent arm movement. ER’s arms were placed between 45” and 75” from his body, with a blood pressure (BP) cuff placed on his right arm. After the patient was situated in this fashion, general anesthesia was administered from drugs that were hanging from an intravenous (IV) pole on ER’s left. Dr. W provided ER “twice the usual dosage of muscle relaxing drugs” before surgery because the surgical site would be relatively small and any muscular movement could restrict Dr. S’s working area. Dr. S stood to ER’s right throughout the surgery, near the right arm board. Surgery lasted approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, while general anesthesia was administered and monitored by Dr. W for approximately 2 hours.
Impact of neck dissection on quality of life

Objectives: For decades, the gold standard for treatment of cervical metastasis was radical neck dissection (RND). Current oncologic philosophy allows for treatment of appropriately staged neck disease with modified radical neck dissection (MRND) or selective neck dissection (SND). The purposes of this study were to determine the impact of various forms of neck dissection on patients' quality of life (QOL) and to evaluate the responsiveness of the University of Washington (UW) QOL shoulder domain. Study Design: Prospective accumulation of QOL data from patients treated for head and neck cancer at UW. Methods: Eighty-four patients were identified from the UW QOL registry who had undergone neck dissection and had completed pretreatment and posttreatment QOL questionnaires at 6 and 12 months. Results: Compared with pretreatment scores, the MRND and RND groups reported worse shoulder function at 6 and 12 months (P < .0005). The MRND group reported greater shoulder disability at 6 months compared with the SND group (P = .002), but by 12 months, there was no difference between the two groups. Shoulder function for the RND group was worse than the SND group at 6 and 12 months (P = .004). There was a trend toward decreased pain after treatment in the SND and MRND groups. There were no significant differences in subjective appearance, activity, recreation, chewing, swallowing, or speech in the three groups after treatment. Conclusions: Consistent with findings of published functional studies, this study confirmed that the three forms of neck dissection affect patients' QOL differently. This study demonstrates that the UW QOL shoulder domain is a responsive instrument in assessing the effect of neck dissection on shoulder function.
Human tracking from a mobile agent: Optical flow and Kalman filter arbitration

Tracking moving objects is one of the most important but problematic features of motion analysis and understanding. The Kalman filter (KF) has commonly been used for estimation and prediction of the target position in succeeding frames. In this paper, we propose a novel and efficient method of tracking, which performs well even when the target takes a sudden turn during its motion. The proposed method arbitrates between KF and Optical flow (OF) to improve the tracking performance. Our system utilizes a laser to measure the distance to the nearest obstacle and an infrared camera to find the target. The relative data is then fused with the Arbitrate OFKF filter to perform real-time tracking. Experimental results show our suggested approach is very effective and reliable for estimating and tracking moving objects.
Quadricuspid Aortic Valve Diagnosed by Multiplane Transesophageal Echocardiography

The usefulness of multiplane transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of quadricuspid aortic valve is described. quadricuspid aortic valve, multiplane transesophageal echocardiography
Determination of ultrafilterable prolactin: elimination of macroprolactin interference with a monomeric prolactin-selective sample pretreatment.

Abstract Context.—Macroprolactin (macroPRL), present in as many as 25% of serum specimens with elevated serum prolactin concentrations, can cause apparent hyperprolactinemia in the absence of clinical features and lead to unnecessary clinical, laboratory, and neuroradiological workups. Objective.—To develop an ultrafiltration method that eliminates macroPRL interference from PRL immunoassays. Design.—The method involves centrifugation of undiluted serum in a Centricon-100 filter device followed by a PRL assay of the serum ultrafiltrate. Results.—Ultrafiltrates prepared by this technique are devoid of gamma globulins and contain (mean ± SE) 19% ± 7% of the albumin concentration of the original serum. These ultrafiltrates contain 85% ± 7% of the total PRL immunoreactivity of serum spiked with 23 kd recombinant human prolactin (rHuPRL) and less than 2% of the 50 kd big PRL (bPRL) of whole serum. The fractional recovery of ultrafilterable PRL (uPRL) from serum samples of 54 female patients was 0.78 (confidenc...
Practical Approaches to Definitive Reconstruction of Complex Abdominal Wall Defects

With advances in abdominal surgery and the management of major trauma, complex abdominal wall defects have become the new surgical disease, and the need for abdominal wall reconstruction has increased dramatically. Subsequently, how to reconstruct these large defects has become a new surgical question. While most surgeons use native abdominal wall whenever possible, evidence suggests that synthetic or biologic mesh needs to be added to large ventral hernia repairs. One particular group of patients who exemplify "complex" are those with contaminated wounds, enterocutaneous fistulas, enteroatmospheric fistulas, and/or stoma(s), where synthetic mesh is to be avoided if at all possible. Most recently, biologic mesh has become the new standard in high-risk patients with contaminated and dirty-infected wounds. While biologic mesh is the most common tissue engineered used in this field of surgery, level I evidence is needed on its indication and long-term outcomes. Various techniques for reconstructing the abdominal wall have been described, however the long-term outcomes for most of these studies, are rarely reported. In this article, I outline current practical approaches to perioperative management and definitive abdominal reconstruction in patients with complex abdominal wall defects, with or without fistulas, as well as those who have lost abdominal domain.
The Religious Authority of the Orthodox Church and Tolerance Toward Homosexuality

This article considers how institutional differences among Orthodox Churches in Central and Eastern Europe affect mass attitudes about homosexuality. Drawing from literature on elite framing, I posit that the Orthodox Church frames opposition to homosexuality in religious terms and offers cues to its members on how to think about non-traditional sexuality. However, the credibility of religious institutions dictates the influence of framing. When the Church enjoys significant credibility it is able to provoke higher degrees of homonegativity among its members. I illustrate this argument with a qualitative and quantitative comparison of the divergent influence of the Orthodox Church in Romania and Bulgaria.
Revisiting the immigrant press

Over time, research on the ‘immigrant press’ in the communication field has been subsumed by other theoretical concepts, particularly ‘ethnic’ and ‘transnational’ media. This article reevaluates th...
Assessment of RANS and DES Turbulence Models for Supersonic Jet Interaction Flows

Numerical simulations of three dierent transverse injection into supersonic flow configurations were performed to evaluate the performance of RANS and DES turbulence models. Configurations examined include 2D and 3D flows, elliptic and circular injector ports, sonic and supersonic injection into Mach 5.0 and 2.9 freestream flow. Simulations were performed using Cobalt in which the two-equation RANS model of Menter was implemented. For detached-eddy simulations, the DES version of Menter’s two-equation RANS model was used. Model accuracy was quantified by comparison with the experimental data. A qualitative flow field comparison was conducted using experimental Schlieren photographs and numerical results. Mean flow quantities like pitot pressure, Mach number and vorticity were compared with experimental results. The results of this study thus far indicated that DES and RANS (Menter’s SST model) produce comparable results for the Fan and McCann cases. However, both models were less diusive than experimental observations.
Biomarkers of Neonatal Sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in infants, and diagnosis of neonatal sepsis remains challenging. The diagnostic standard for neonatal sepsis is blood culture. Sensitivity of blood culture may be affected by antepartum antibiotic exposure or volume of blood collected for culture. The present review highlights the importance of various biomarkers that can be used in combination with hematologic scoring to diagnose neonatal sepsis.
Breeding for Organic and Sustainable Production

Plant breeding has been with humankind since the beginning of civilization. Modern plant breeding, however, is a relatively recent development—just over 100 years. Recently with the increase in popularity of organic farming and farm sustainability, there is a growing interest in breeding for organic or low-input farming systems. These endeavors are in their earliest stages bringing to bear both traditional and modern plant breeding techniques to address the specific needs of organic and low-input farming. This chapter gives an overview of these early efforts, some of the techniques involved, as well as some of the social and philosophical concerns with breeding and crop improvement for low-input farming.
Mutations of the fizzy locus cause metaphase arrest in Drosophila melanogaster embryos

We describe the effects of mutations in the fizzy gene of Drosophila melanogaster and show that fizzy mutations cause cells in mitosis to arrest at metaphase. We show that maternally supplied fizzy activity is required for normal nuclear division in the preblastoderm embryo and, during later embryogenesis, that zygotic fizzy activity is required for the development of the ventrally derived epidermis and the central and peripheral nervous systems. In fizzy embryos, dividing cells in these tissues arrest at metaphase, fail to differentiate and ultimately die. In the ventral epidermis, if cells are prevented from entering mitosis by using a string mutation, cell death is prevented and the ability to differentiate ventral epidermis is restored in fizzy; string double mutant embryos. These results demonstrate that fizzy is a cell cycle mutation and that the normal function of the fizzy gene is required for dividing cells to exit metaphase and complete mitosis.
High pressure liquid chromatographic determination of sulfisoxazole in pharmaceuticals and separation patterns of other sulfonamides.

A high pressure liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the identification and determination of sulfisoxazole in tablet, liquid, and ointment dosage forms. The method specifies a mu Bondapak C18 column, an acetonitrile-acetic acid-water (22.5 + 1 + 76.5) mobile phase, and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. For quantitative purposes, sulfabenzamide is used as an internal standard. Commercial preparations were analyzed by the proposed method and results were compared with those obtained by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia XIX and National Formulary XIV methods; good agreement was obtained. The elution behaviors of 19 additional sulfonamides were also established to verify the specificity of the proposed method for sulfisoxazole. These elutions patterns show potential for separation and identification of all 20 sulfonamides.
TU‐FG‐202‐01: Modern Intracavitary GYN Brachytherapy

The greater use of magnetic resonance imaging (MR) in brachytherapy, for both image based planning and image guided procedures, presents a number of challenges for the physicist involved. MR is widely acknowledged as the imaging modality of choice to appreciate a patient's pelvic anatomy and is thus used more often for brachytherapy of gynecologic and prostate cancers. Incorporating MR in brachytherapy treatments requires changes throughout the clinical workflow from implantation through target definition, applicator digitization and post-implant evaluation. These presentations will review the some of the concerns encountered in image based brachytherapy environment, highlight the challenges to incorporating more information from MR, and discuss some of the technical developments underway to facilitate the further use of MR in brachytherapy. Learning Objectives: 1.To review the rationale for incorporating MR in image based brachytherapy for treatment of gynecologic and prostate cancers. 2.To review the technical challenges encountered when using brachytherapy devices in an MR environment. 3.To discuss some developments to facilitate MR based planning and guidance. J. Cunha, Phillips Healthcare
The Impact of Technological Trust and Self-Determined Motivation on Intentions to use Wearable Fitness Technology:

Exercise has many health benefits, however, not enough Americans engage in physical activity which may be due to a lack of motivation and knowledge of how to do so. Wearable technologies, such as f...
Heterotopic Ossification in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Using the Direct Anterior vs Direct Lateral Approach.

Abstract Background The formation and severity of heterotopic ossification (HO) may be influenced by type of surgical approach. Our hypothesis was that because of differences in soft tissue dissection, differences exist in HO formation in primary total hip arthroplasty using direct anterior (DA) vs direct lateral (DL) approach. Methods A total of 1482 consecutive patients with DL (736) or DA (746) approach and similar perioperative care protocol during 2009-2011 were retrospectively studied. No patient received prophylactic radiotherapy. Preoperative and 6-month postoperative radiographs were reviewed based on Brooker classification. Results The incidence of overall HO was higher in DL (36.1%) vs DA group (19.4%, P Conclusion The type of approach (DA vs DL) did not seem to have a major influence on the short-term incidence of high-grade HO based on this radiographic analysis.
Pomegranate ellagitannins stimulate the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila in vivo.

Results from our previous human pomegranate extract (POM extract) intervention study demonstrated that about seventy percent of participants were able to form urolithin A from ellagitannins in the intestine (urolithin A producers). Urolithin A formation was associated with a high proportion of Akkermansia muciniphila in fecal bacterial samples as determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. Here we investigated whether A. muciniphila counts increased in stool samples collected after the POM extract intervention compared to baseline stool samples using real-time PCR. In addition, we performed in vitro culture studies to determine the effect of POM extract and ellagic acid on the growth of A. muciniphila and to analyze ellagic acid metabolites formed in the culture broth by high-performance liquid chromatography. Supplementation of culture broth with 10 μM of ellagic acid did not change A. muciniphila growth while the addition of 0.18 mg/ml and 0.28 mg/ml of POM extract to the culture broth inhibited the growth of A. muciniphila significantly. Incubation of A. muciniphila with POM extract resulted in formation of ellagic acid and incubation of A. muciniphila with ellagic acid demonstrated hydrolysis of ellagic acid to metabolites different from urolithin A. The in vitro culture studies with A. muciniphila partially explain our in vivo findings that the presence of A. muciniphila was associated with breakdown of ellagic acid for further metabolism by other members of the microbiota. This is the first report of the role of A. muciniphila in ellagitannin hydrolysis. However, we conclude that enzymes from other bacteria must be involved in the formation of urolithin A in the human intestine.
Evaluating economic efficiency of a water buyback program: The Klamath irrigation project

Increasing scarcity of water resources in many regions is likely to give rise to disputes similar to those observed in the Klamath region of Oregon and California where irrigation water buyback programs have been implemented to reduce irrigation diversions with the purpose of securing required instream flow for aquatic habitat. In this study using a mathematical programming approach we compare a direct water buyback program with an indirect, land idling based, program for securing required amount of water. We show that land idling based programs can be costlier than direct water buyback programs. Compensation for water idling directly, unlike land idling based programs, ensures that marginal water units with the lowest derived demand values are removed from production first.
2-D Steady State and Transient Analysis of Salt Water Intrusion into Coastal Aquifers by a Direct Time Domain BEM

A direct time domain Boundary Element Method (BEM) is applied to the groundwater flow problem in a 2-D unconfined coastal aquifer. A time marching numerical scheme and quasi-steady state approximations are utilized in the proposed solution. Numerical examples and a comparison study is presented.
Case History Risk Factors for Specific Language Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose Research suggests that the best approach to early identification of children with specific language impairment (SLI) should include assessment of risk factors. However, previous attempts to...
Role of co-occurring competition and facilitation in plant spacing hydrodynamics in water-limited environments.

Plant performance (i.e., fecundity, growth, survival) depends on an individual’s access to space and resources. At the community level, plant performance is reflected in observable vegetation patterning (i.e., spacing distance, density) often controlled by limiting resources. Resource availability is, in turn, strongly dependent on plant patterning mediated by competitive and facilitative plant–plant interactions. Co-occurring competition and facilitation has never been specifically investigated from a hydrodynamic perspective. To address this knowledge gap, and to overcome limitations of field studies, three intermediate-scale laboratory experiments were conducted using a climate-controlled wind tunnel–porous media test facility to simulate the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. The spacing between two synthetic plants, a design consideration introduced by the authors in a recent publication, was varied between experiments; edaphic and mean atmospheric conditions were held constant. The strength of the above- and belowground plant–plant interactions changed with spacing distance, allowing the creation of a hydrodynamic conceptual model based on established ecological theories. Greatest soil water loss was observed for the experiment with the smallest spacing where competition dominated. Facilitation dominated at the intermediate spacing; little to no interactions were observed for the largest plant spacing. Results suggest that there exists an optimal spacing distance range that lowers plant environmental stress, thus improving plant performance through reduced atmospheric demand and conservation of available soil water. These findings may provide a foundation for improving our understanding of many climatological, ecohydrological, and hydrological problems pertaining to the hydrodynamics of water-limited environments where plant–plant interactions and community self-organization are important.
Working‐class women in a middle‐class world: The impact of television on modes of reasoning about abortion

This paper investigates how focus groups of working‐class and middle‐class women discuss abortion before and after viewing a television show that treats the issue. It describes differences between the discourse of the social classes about the issue, and differences or similarities in television's impact on abortion discourse in the two types of groups. Working‐class women use a more critical mode of speech than middle‐class women in discussing abortion, and the groups' speech becomes more similar following television viewing.
Culture and Cognitive Testing

Regardless that pioneer researches about the influence of culture on cognitive testing were carried out during the early twentieth century, only during recent decades was there significant interest in understanding the cultural variables impacting cognitive testing. In this chapter, it is examined why culture affects cognition. It is emphasized that cognitive abilities are culturally mediated. Two illustrative examples are presented: cognitive abilities in Amerindians, and cultural differences in nonverbal abilities. The influence of education on cognitive test performance is discussed. It is concluded that education impacts all the cognitive abilities: language, memory, spatial abilities, executive functions, etc. Written language represents an extension of oral language and a significant instrument of cognition; low cognitive test performance is observed in illiterate people. Finally, the question of norms in different national and cultural groups is analyzed to conclude that understanding the variables potentially affecting (and confounding) test performance may be as important as obtaining norms for different human groups.
Nonfatal Injuries to Law Enforcement Officers: A Rise in Assaults.

Introduction Limited studies exist that describe nonfatal work-related injuries to law enforcement officers. The aim of this study is to provide national estimates and trends of nonfatal injuries to law enforcement officers from 2003 through 2014. Methods Nonfatal injuries were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System−Occupational Supplement. Data were obtained for injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2003 to 2014. Nonfatal injury rates were calculated using denominators from the Current Population Survey. Negative binomial regression was used to analyze temporal trends. Data were analyzed in 2016–2017. Results Between 2003 and 2014, an estimated 669,100 law enforcement officers were treated in U.S. emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. The overall rate of 635 per 10,000 full-time equivalents was three times higher than all other U.S. workers rate (213 per 10,000 full-time equivalents). The three leading injury events were assaults and violent acts (35%), bodily reactions and exertion (15%), and transportation incidents (14%). Injury rates were highest for the youngest officers, aged 21–24 years. Male and female law enforcement officers had similar nonfatal injury rates. Rates for most injuries remained stable; however, rates for assault-related injuries grew among law enforcement officers between 2003 and 2011. Conclusions National Electronic Injury Surveillance System−Occupational Supplement data demonstrate a significant upward trend in assault injuries among U.S. law enforcement officers and this warrants further investigation. Police−citizen interactions are dynamic social encounters and evidence-based policing is vital to the health and safety of both police and civilians. The law enforcement community should energize efforts toward the study of how policing tactics impact both officer and citizen injuries.
Young blue straggler stars in the Galactic field

In this study we present an analysis of a sample of field blue straggler (BS) stars that show high ultra violet emission in their spectral energy distributions (SED): indication of a hot white dwarf (WD) companion to BS. Using photometry available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX ) surveys we identified 80 stars with UV excess. To determine the parameter distributions (mass, temperature and age) of the WD companions, we developed a fitting routine that could fit binary model SEDs to the observed SED. Results from this fit indicate the need for a hot WD companion to provide the excess UV flux. The WD mass distribution peaks at $\sim$$0.4\ M_{\odot}$, suggesting the primary formation channel of field BSs is case B mass transfer, i.e. when the donor star is in red giant phase of its evolution. Based on stellar evolutionary models, we estimate the lower limit of the binary mass transfer efficiency to be $\beta \sim 0.5$.
Diastolic Dysfunction in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Pathophysiological Mechanism Underlying the Initiation of New-Onset Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation

Objectives: Our goal was to investigate whether left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction was an important pathophysiological mechanism underlying the initiation of new-onset post-operative atria...
A family of feed-forward models for protein sequence classification

Advances in sequencing have greatly outpaced experimental methods for determining a protein's structure and function. As a result, biologists increasingly rely on computational techniques to infer these properties of proteins from sequence information alone. We present a sequence classification framework that differs from the common SVM/kernel-based approach. We introduce a type of artificial neural network which we term the Subsequence Network (SN) that incorporates structural models over sequences in its lowest layer. These structural models, which we call Sequence Scoring Models (SSM), are similar to Hidden Markov Models and act as a mechanism to extract relevant features from sequences. In contrast to SVM/kernel methods, which only allow learning of linear discrimination weights, our feed-forward structure allows linear weights to be learned in conjunction with sequence-level features using standard optimization techniques.