cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Politics and Economics of Democracy and Anti-Chinese Sentiment in Ghana

Ghana’s recent economic and political achievements, which have overcome serious development challenges, have largely been attributed to the maturity of its democratic culture. This includes a notably vocal media and series of competitive elections that have been hailed as free and fair. This emerging image of Ghana is in contrast with its pre-1992 instability and undeniably weak political and economic development. With its more recent progress, Ghana has become one of the prime contenders to lead a continent-wide political and economic transformation in Africa. The country has experienced almost two decades of sound and persistent annual growth of around 5 % in spite of some structural and government management volatilities. Based on this, Ghana is bound to become the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1) of halving poverty before the target year, 2015. This growth in Ghana has largely resulted from a transformation of the state and its institutions, which has enabled them to harness both domestic and foreign opportunities for economic growth.
Analyzing Ordinal Data: Support for a Bayesian Approach

Ordinal data are often analyzed as if they were metric. After reviewing the literature on this practice, we present new evidence that analyzing ordinal data as metric is problematic. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that treating ordinal data as metric can yield low correct detection rates, distorted effect size estimates, and greatly inflated false alarm rates. Moreover, we demonstrate that the averaging of multiple ordinal items into a Likert scale does not solve these problems. We provide real examples of real data similar to the simulated data in the contexts of the difference of two groups and simple linear regression. To solve these problems we use an ordinal model with Bayesian estimation of parameters. The ordinal model does not yield low correct detection rates or high false alarm rates, and produces accurate effect sizes estimates and predicted response probabilities. Bayesian estimation of this ordinal model is straight forward, yields rich and accurate information, and has no need for auxiliary sampling assumptions. We conclude that ordinal data ought to be analyzed with ordinal models, and that Bayesian estimation is an excellent method for accomplishing that goal.
Parent Ego States and Attitudes toward Family Life and Children

An attempt was made to relate Thorne and Faro's measure of parent ego state to child-rearing attitudes of college students. Results showed only limited support for the ego-state measure. Correlations were as expected for the nurturant-parent ego state but only for men. Few attitudes correlated significantly with the critical parent ego state.
Mascolinità e cinema italiano: ieri e oggi

Gli studi sulla mascolinita nella cultura italiana sono un’area di ricerca che non si e ancora pienamente sviluppata. Per questa ragione, risulta essere di particolare importanza la pubblicazione, nel 2014, di due volumi dedicati alle rappresentazioni delle figure maschili nel cinema italiano. I due testi, Masculinity and Italian Cinema: Sexual Politics, Social Conflict and Male Crisis in the 1970s di Sergio Rigoletto e Stars and Masculinities in Contemporary Italian Cinema di Catherine O’Rawe, analizzano i modi in cui la mascolinita e stata raffigurata nei film italiani rispettivamente degli anni Settanta e dell’epoca contemporanea. Oltre ad occuparsi di temi simili, i due studi presentano ulteriori punti di contatto e offrono nuove e stimolanti letture di film appartenenti a generi diversi.
On-demand generation and mixing of liquid-in-gas slugs with digitally programmable composition and size

Microscopic droplets or slugs of mixed reagents provide a convenient platform for performing large numbers of isolated biochemical or chemical reactions for many screening and optimization applications. Myriad microfluidic approaches have emerged for creating droplets or slugs with controllable size and composition, generally using an immiscible carrier fluid to assist with the formation or merging processes. We report a novel device for generation of liquid slugs in air when the use of a carrier liquid is not compatible with the application. The slug generator contains two adjacent chambers, each of which has a volume that can be digitally adjusted by closing selected microvalves. Reagents are filled into the two chambers, merged together into a contiguous liquid slug, ejected at the desired time from the device using gas pressure, and mixed by flowing in a downstream channel. Programmable size and composition of slugs is achieved by dynamically adjusting the volume of each chamber prior to filling. Slug formation in this fashion is independent of fluid properties and can easily be scaled to mix larger numbers of reagents. This device has already been used to screen monomer ratios in supramolecular nanoparticle assembly and radiolabeling conditions of engineered antibodies, and here we provide a detailed description of the underlying device.
Correlative factor analysis of inpatients with hospital acquired infection in primary hospital

Objective:The hospital acquired infection rate,infection site and pathogen types in primary hospital were observed and statistically analyzed in order to provide scientific and theoretical basis for guiding clinical rational use of antimicrobial agents and prevention of hospital acquired infections.Methods: A total of 10425 cases of hospitalized patients from Jan.2010 to Dec.2011 were retrospectively studied and the related factors of nosocomial infection were analyzed.Results: Hospital acquired infection occurred in 512 cases among 10425 inpatients(4.91%);the hospital infection rate in the department of oncology was the highest(8.44%),followed by pediatrics departments(6.87%);the most common site of nosocomial infection was the lower respiratory tract,accounting for 40.18%,followed by the upper respiratory tract infection,accounting for 20.18%.A total of 206 strains of pathogens were isolated from inpatients with hospital acquired infection,the most prevalent species were Gram-negative bacteria with average positive rate of 64.08%(132/206),the second were Gram-positive bacteria(53/206,25.73%) and the third were fungi(21/206,10.19%).Conclusion: Strengthening the rational use of antibiotics,strict implementation of aseptic technique,lessening unnecessary invasive operation and improving compliance of hand hygiene are the effective measures to decrease the hospital acquired infection.
Abstract PR06: The enhancer landscape involves a core noncoding RNA protein interaction network forC-MYCexpression

Many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that regulate the capacity of cells to undergo oncogenic transformation still remain unknown. However, their involvement in chromatin organization has been an emerging principle in cancer epigenomics. This recent concept has been documented through recent studies of the gene -poor chromosomal region 8q24 surrounding the C-MYC locus to understand the mechanisms enforcing or suppressing tumor cell growth from C-MYC transcription levels. In light of such examples informing us of the DNA elements and the epigenomic composition that become integrated into molecular programs that regulate C-MYC , some lncRNAs in non-genic regions are considered landmarks that enforce chromatin state changes to accommodate C-MYC expression. Here, we use an integrative genomic and proteomic approach to gain insight of how an endogenously tagged lncRNA PCAT-1 utilizes the chromatin and biochemical context to shape C-MYC locus topology to promote tumor cell growth, survival and fitness. Our results now find that WDR74 forms an integrative hub involving recognition of the m7G cap of lncRNA transcripts along with, RNMT, RAM, BRD4, β catenin, EZH2 that assist in a program that enforce C-MYC transcription and stabilize transcripts through utilizing a comprehensive mixture of cis -acting DNA elements, lncRNAs and trans functioning transcriptional and RNA capping complexes for prostate tumor cell growth. Our results now place the lncRNA PCAT-1 and the novel interacting WD40 repeat protein WDR74 at the axis along with β catenin, BRD4 and EZH2, and additional RBPs as a non -canonical chromatin complex to shape the chromosomal topology that benefit prostate cancer cell growth. Citation Format: Fan Zhang, Won-min Song, SiDe Li, Vashisht Ajay, Francesca Aguilo, Anindya Bagchi, James A. Wohlschlegel, Bin Zhang, Martin Walsh. The enhancer landscape involves a core noncoding RNA protein interaction network for C-MYC expression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Noncoding RNAs and Cancer: Mechanisms to Medicines ; 2015 Dec 4-7; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(6 Suppl):Abstract nr PR06.
PAM helps solve VTA's SHANKless problem

Developmental knockdown of Shank3 affects excitatory synaptic transmission, activity of midbrain dopamine neurons, and behavior. Optogenetic dopamine release or enhancing metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling rescues these deficits.
The effect of the macronutrient composition of breakfast on satiety and cognitive function in undergraduate students.

It is believed that breakfast is an important meal due to its effect on appetite control and cognitive performance, yet little evidence exists to support this hypothesis. Using a crossover design, 33 healthy undergraduates (aged 22 ± 2 years with a BMI of 23.5 ± 1.7 kg/m2) were randomized one of four breakfast treatments: no breakfast, a low-protein breakfast containing no animal protein, a high-carbohydrate/low-protein breakfast containing animal protein or a low-carbohydrate/high-protein breakfast. After an overnight fast, participants reported to the laboratory and baseline appetite questionnaires and cognitive tests were completed. A baseline blood sample was also collected. These measures were repeated at regular intervals throughout the test session. An ad libitum lunch meal was provided 240 min after breakfast, and the amount eaten recorded. Diet diaries and hourly appetite questionnaires were completed for the rest of the day. The no-breakfast treatment had a marked effect on appetite before lunch (p < .05). Moreover, participants consumed more energy at lunch following the no-breakfast treatment (p < .05). There was no difference in appetite before lunch or food intake at lunch following any treatment when breakfast was eaten. However, food intake over the entire test day was lowest for the no-breakfast treatment (p < .05). Plasma glucose and insulin were lower following the high-protein/low-carbohydrate treatment compared to the low-protein/high-carbohydrate—no animal protein treatment (p < .05). Participants were less happy when they missed breakfast (p < .05), but there were no other statistically significant effects of breakfast on mood or cognitive performance. These results suggest that changing the macronutrient content of breakfast influences the glycemic response, but has no effect on the appetitive or cognitive performance measures used in this present study.
Ethics and Aesthetics in the Tractatus

As I sought to show in the last chapter, the relation between art and ethics has been thought of in several different ways. It has been said that art must serve moral purposes, that art must not be required to serve any (particular) purpose, or, more radically, that art must be disconnected from all other aspects of human life. In his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Wittgenstein took a position that is distinctly different from any of these; he said that ethics and aesthetics are one (TLP 6.421). There are no other references to either aesthetics or art in the Tractatus and despite a considerable measure of commentary it is not at all clear how we are supposed to understand that enigmatic remark. The statement makes an impression that is not only provocative but also suggestive of something important and deep in human life waiting to be brought to light. It remains to be seen what can be made of it.
Ethical Considerations for Therapists Working With Demographically Similar Clients

The increasing emphasis on multicultural competence within psychotherapy continues to highlight the need for being sensitive to key differences between therapist and client. However, this attunement to the psychotherapeutic impact of therapist–client differences may obscure the equally critical need to evaluate ethical problems associated with therapist–client similarities. It will be argued that therapists treating clients who are demographically similar to themselves encounter a unique set of ethical challenges that warrant careful consideration and caution precisely because of therapist–client matching. The extant research on matching therapists and clients based on demographic similarities is discussed, with a particular emphasis on psychotherapeutic outcomes and client preferences. Attention then turns to the nonrational heuristics and biases that can often cloud therapists’ ethical decision making regarding the appropriate uses versus contraindications for demographically matching therapists and cli...
Abstract 352: A Multimodal Radiation Reduction Intervention for Intra-procedural Radiation Exposure in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization in Veterans Affairs Hospitals

Background: Radiation exposure to patients from invasive cardiac procedures is substantial and contributes to a significant portion of overall radiation exposure from medical testing. Efforts to minimize intra-procedural radiation exposure are important for patient safety. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a multimodal radiation intervention to reduce intra-procedural radiation exposure. Methods: Two VA cardiac catheterization laboratories (Site 1, Site 2) were evaluated for baseline radiation dosing use over a three month period. Following this initial run-in period, the operators and cath lab staff underwent a three-tiered intervention: 1) radiation safety and minimization education, 2) an in-lab radiation monitoring protocol with verbal feedback at pre-specified radiation doses and 3) monthly site and provider-specific report cards comparing radiation dose at the site and provider level within the VA system. Radiation dosing (RD, measured as Dose-Area-Product [Gy*cm2]) was then measured following this intervention at monthly intervals over a three-month period. Results: We examined 624 cases at Site 1 and 258 cases at Site 2 in the pre-intervention period, and 502 (site 1) and 208 (site 2) in the post-intervention period. Site 1 did not differ significantly in median RD following intervention (71.9 Gy*cm2 [IQR 48.0-114.0] pre-intervention versus 79.5 Gy*cm2 [IQR 50.0-124.8] post-intervention, p=0.34; see Fig 1). Site 2 showed a significant decrease in median radiation dose following intervention (118.72 Gy*cm2 [IQR 73.6-190.0] vs. 92.8 Gy*cm2 [IQR 56.6-158.3], p = 0.004, Fig 1). The national median radiation dose over the same time interval did not change significantly (91.53 Gy*cm2 [IQR 58.0-145.4] pre-intervention versus 90.0 Gy*cm2 [IQR 56.3-142.0] post-intervention, p=0.47, Fig 1). Conclusion: A three-tiered, multi-modal radiation reduction intervention was associated with reduced radiation exposure in a laboratory with high baseline radiation utilization. Similar reductions were not observed in a laboratory with low baseline radiation utilization. These findings suggest that radiation reduction interventions targeted at higher radiation use centers may result in meaningful decreases in patient radiation exposure.
Protein O -GlcNAcylation: emerging mechanisms and functions

O-GlcNAcylation - the attachment of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) moieties to cytoplasmic, nuclear and mitochondrial proteins - is a post-translational modification that regulates fundamental cellular processes in metazoans. A single pair of enzymes - O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) - controls the dynamic cycling of this protein modification in a nutrient- and stress-responsive manner. Recent years have seen remarkable advances in our understanding of O-GlcNAcylation at levels that range from structural and molecular biology to cell signalling and gene regulation to physiology and disease. New mechanisms and functions of O-GlcNAcylation that are emerging from these recent developments enable us to begin constructing a unified conceptual framework through which the significance of this modification in cellular and organismal physiology can be understood.
Mentoring Relationship Quality and Maltreated Children's Coping.

Coping strategies are believed to protect against the harmful effects of maltreatment on children's psychosocial outcomes. Caregivers are thought to be critical in helping children develop adaptive coping strategies, yet many maltreated children have poor and/or insecure relationships with their parents. A quality relationship with a caring, non-parental adult (e.g., a mentor), however, may be one strategy to promote healthy coping among maltreated children. Children (N = 154) in this study participated in a mentoring and skill-based program for maltreated preadolescents placed in foster care. Hierarchical regression was used to assess the association between children's reports of their relationship with their mentor at the end of the intervention and four coping strategies (i.e., Active, Support-seeking, Avoidance, and Distraction) 6 months following the intervention, while accounting for baseline coping strategies and other demographic factors. Above and beyond the covariates, better mentoring relationship quality was associated with children's greater use of Active and Distraction coping 6-month post-intervention. Mentoring relationship quality was not significantly associated with children's Avoidance or Support-seeking coping. The findings suggest that mentoring programs may be a fruitful approach to improving vulnerable children's coping skills. Healthy coping is hypothesized to protect against the harmful effects of maltreatment and to promote resilience in the face of multiple stressors (Banyard & Williams, 2007; Boxer & Sloan-Power, 2013; Cicchetti & Rogosch, 2009). It remains unclear, however, how best to promote positive coping among maltreated children, who are disproportionately exposed to numerous adverse childhood experiences (Raviv, Taussig, Culhane & Garrido, 2010). Theories of coping emphasize the importance of coping socialization through quality parent–child relationships (Kliewer et al., 2006; Skinner & Wellborn, 1994). Unfortunately, many maltreated children are exposed to poor quality and/or inadequate caregiving (Baer & Martinez, 2006), which may place them at risk for engaging in unhealthy or inappropriate forms of coping. It is reasonable to expect that positive relationships with other non-parental adults (e.g., mentors) would affect coping behaviors given the positive impact that quality relationships have on a myriad of emotional and behavioral child outcomes (DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn & Valentine, 2011; Keller & Pryce, 2012; Thomson & Zand, 2010). Because children in foster care often transition in and out of schools and home environments, a quality relationship with a mentor (a consistent presence in the child's life) may be well suited to promote healthy coping strategies.
Thrombin Generation: Plasma Composition Imbalance and Mortality in HIV

Introduction: Effective treatment of HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy (ART) has prolonged survival and shifted causes of death to non-AIDS defining illnesses such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Increased thrombin generation is evident from increased D-dimer levels in HIV; previously we have shown that inflammation and viral replication associate with imbalances in pro and anticoagulant factors resulting in increased thrombin generation profiles when mathematically modeled. We explore for the first time the hypothesis that factor compositional imbalance increases simulated thrombin generation and predicts mortality in HIV. Methods: In a nested case-control study of the SMART and ESPRIT participants randomized to continuous ART, we evaluated cases of all-cause mortality and controls (1:3) matched on enrollment date, age (± 5yrs), study, and country. Thrombin generation in response to a 5 pM tissue factor initiator for each individual was calculated by a mathematical model incorporating levels of factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, antithrombin, tissue factor pathway inhibitor and protein C. Thrombin generation metrics included time to clot, maximum rate (MaxR), maximum level (MaxL) and area under the curve (AUC). Conditional logistic regression was used to compare parameters between cases and controls, adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Results: Among cases (n=129) and controls (n=369), respectively, median CD4 count was 451 and 496 cells/mm 3 , and 65 and 77% had HIV viral suppression ( Conclusions: Antithrombin, FV and FVIII, and PC were seen as the major contributors to the increased simulated thrombin generation among HIV+ mortality cases. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that HIV is associated with an increase in thrombin generation via altered balance of pro and anticoagulant factors, and the resulting coagulopathy is associated with increased mortality. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
What Do High-Risk Patients Value? Perspectives on a Care Management Program.

There is growing interest in coordinating care for high-risk patients through care management programs despite inconsistent results on cost reduction. Early evidence suggests patient-centered benefits, but we know little about how participants engage with the programs and what aspects they value. To explore care management program participants’ awareness and perceived utility of program offerings. Cross-sectional telephone survey administered December 2015–January 2016. Patients enrolled in a Boston-area primary care-based care management program. Our main outcome was the number of topics in which patients reported having “very helpful” interactions with their care team in the past year. We analyzed awareness of one’s care manager as an intermediate outcome, and then as a primary predictor of the main outcome, along with patient demographics, years in the program, attitudes, and worries as secondary predictors. The survey response rate was 45.8% (n = 1220); non-respondents were similar to respondents. More respondents reported worrying about family (72.8%) or financial issues (52.5%) than about their own health (41.6%). Seventy-four percent reported care manager awareness, particularly women (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.01–1.77) and those with more years in the program (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03–1.30). While interaction rates ranged from 19.8% to 72.4% across topics, 81.3% rated at least one interaction as very helpful. Those who were aware of their care manager reported very helpful interactions on more topics (OR 2.77, 95% CI 2.15–3.56), as did women (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.00–1.55), younger respondents (OR 0.98 for older age, 95% CI 0.97–0.99), and those with higher risk scores (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02–1.06), preference for deferring treatment decisions to doctors (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.60–2.50), and reported control over their health (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.33–2.10). High-risk patients reported helpful interactions with their care team around medical and social determinants of health, particularly those who knew their care manager. Promoting care manager awareness may help participants make better use of the program.
Associations between Stress, Psychosomatic Complaints, and Parental Criticism among Affluent Adolescent Girls

A growing body of research has shown that adolescent girls in the context of affluence face a series of unique pressures that may increase social-emotional problems. Little research, however, has examined associations between perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints among privileged youth. In the present study, we investigated the relationships between stress, psychosomatic complaints, and parental criticism in a sample of preadolescent and adolescent girls (n = 218) from selective, private schools. Using OLS regression analyses, cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were evident between perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints, with increases in stress associated with increases in psychosomatic problems. Parental criticism was also examined as a predictor of girls’ psychosomatic complaints and stress levels. Results indicated that parental criticism was significantly and positively associated with psychosomatic problems in cross-sectional models and that perceived stress levels mediated this association. Additional analyses demonstrated that the relationship between psychosomatic complaints and stress may be bidirectional. Taken together, results from this exploratory study suggest that girls in the context of affluence may also experience psychosomatic complaints, in addition to social-emotional problems.
Infinitesimal idealization, easy road nominalism, and fractional quantum statistics

It has been recently debated whether there exists a so-called “easy road” to nominalism. In this essay, I attempt to fill a lacuna in the debate by making a connection with the literature on infinite and infinitesimal idealization in science through an example from mathematical physics that has been largely ignored by philosophers. Specifically, by appealing to John Norton’s distinction between idealization and approximation, I argue that the phenomena of fractional quantum statistics bears negatively on Mary Leng’s proposed path to easy road nominalism, thereby partially defending Mark Colyvan’s claim that there is no easy road to nominalism.
Synthesis of Silica-Coated Uranium Oxide Nanoparticles by Surfactant-Templated Sol-Gel Process for Use as Catalysts

Uranium oxide (U3O8) nanoparticles were synthesized and coated in situ with porous, mesostructured silica using a modified sol-gel method for use as a catalyst. The catalytic property of coated U3O...
Deep Learning Assisted Macronutrient Estimation For Feedforward-Feedback Control In Artificial Pancreas Systems

People with type 1 diabetes are required to manually input a feedforward bolus of insulin to compensate for glycemic excursions due to the macronutrient content of ingested meals. Precisely assessing macronutrient contents of complex food types is extremely difficult and time-consuming, whereas inaccurate dietary assessment may result in poor glycemic outcomes. To alleviate this burden, we propose a deep learning based assistive tool that automatically estimates the macronutrient content via real-time image recognition. Concretely, the user provides an image of their meal along with an estimated serving size, based on which a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) predicts the food category and subsequently queries a nutritional database to obtain the macronutrient content. This deep learning framework is integrated with an artificial pancreas (AP) system, and equipped with explicit safety constraints. Upon constraint violation, no automatic feedforward bolus is provided, and appropriate corrective insulin boluses are computed solely using the AP's intrinsic feedback control algorithm. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the potential of the proposed methodology. Glucose is maintained within the safe zone of 70–180 mg/dL for $91.76\pm 7.20\%$ of the time, which is a sianificant improvement over control with unannounced meals ( $78.78\pm 12.14\%$ ). Although glycemic outcomes are moderately lower with deep learning assist than with full meal announcement ( $97.29\pm 2.91\%$ ), the proposed method offers the advantage of increased autonomy by leveraging machine intelligence to facilitate macronutrient estimation without compromising safety. Robustness testing is performed by considering meal size estimation errors of up to ±40%: our method exhibits a small reduction (<3%) of time within 70–180 mg/dL despite over 30 g error in meal size estimates.
Fixed effects in rare events data: a penalized maximum likelihood solution

Most agree that models of binary time-series-cross-sectional data in political science often possess unobserved unit-level heterogeneity. Despite this, there is no clear consensus on how best to account for these potential unit effects, with many of the issues confronted seemingly misunderstood. For example, one oft-discussed concern with rare events data is the elimination of no-event units from the sample when estimating fixed effects models. Many argue that this is a reason to eschew fixed effects in favor of pooled or random effects models. We revisit this issue and clarify that the main concern with fixed effects models of rare events data is not inaccurate or inefficient coefficient estimation, but instead biased marginal effects. In short, only evaluating event-experiencing units gives an inaccurate estimate of the baseline risk, yielding inaccurate (often inflated) estimates of predictor effects. As a solution, we propose a penalized maximum likelihood fixed effects (PML-FE) estimator, which retains the complete sample by providing finite estimates of the fixed effects for each unit. We explore the small sample performance of PML-FE versus common alternatives via Monte Carlo simulations, evaluating the accuracy of both parameter and effects estimates. Finally, we illustrate our method with a model of civil war onset.
Factors Influencing Emergency Care by Persons With Dementia: Stakeholder Perceptions and Unmet Needs.

Background/objectives People with dementia (PwD) frequently use emergency care services. To mitigate the disproportionately high rate of emergency care use by PwD, an understanding of contributing factors driving reliance on emergency care services and identification of feasible alternatives are needed. This study aimed to identify clinician, caregiver, and service providers' views and experiences of unmet needs leading to emergency care use among community-dwelling PwD and alternative ways of addressing these needs. Design Qualitative, employing semistructured interviews with clinicians, informal caregivers, and aging service providers. Setting Wisconsin, United States. Participants Informal caregivers of PwD (n = 4), emergency medicine physicians (n = 4), primary care physicians (n = 5), geriatric healthcare providers (n = 5), aging service providers (n = 6), and community paramedics (n = 3). Measurements Demographic characteristics of participants and data from semistructured interviews. Findings Four major themes were identified from interviews: (1) system fragmentation influences emergency care use by PwD, (2) informational, decision-making, and social support needs influence emergency care use by PwD, (3) emergency departments (EDs) are not designed to optimally address PwD and caregiver needs, and (4) options to prevent and address emergency care needs of PwD. Conclusion Participants identified numerous system and individual-level unmet needs and offered many recommendations to prevent or improve ED use by PwD. These novel findings, aggregating the perspectives of multiple dementia-care stakeholder groups, serve as the first step to developing interventions that prevent the need for emergency care or deliver tailored emergency care services to this vulnerable population through new approaches. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:711-718, 2019.
“If They Notice I’m Mexican”: Narratives of Perceived Discrimination from Individuals Who Crossed the U.S.-Mexico Border at Ports of Entry

Understanding individuals’ encounters with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, is an important theoretical and policy-relevant issue. Trave...
The efficacy and fidelity of clinical interventions used to reduce posterior shoulder tightness: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background Posterior shoulder tightness (PST) has been implicated in the etiology of numerous shoulder disorders and is a source of stiffness in both postoperative and nonsurgical cohorts. Identifying efficacious interventions to address PST has the potential to impact patient outcomes in both operative and nonoperative cohorts. Our purpose was to analyze the efficacy of nonoperative clinician-assisted interventions used to mitigate PST. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. Relevant studies were assessed for inclusion, and selected studies were identified from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases by a biomedical librarian. Data extracted from the selected studies underwent quality appraisal using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation analysis; fidelity assessment; and meta-analysis. Results The search identified 374 studies, with 13 ultimately retained. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation analysis revealed areas of concern regarding consistency and imprecision of reporting within the included studies overall. Treatment fidelity assessment showed that only 3 of the 13 studies received a rating of good to excellent, indicating a high risk of bias. When clinician-assisted interventions were compared with no treatment, meta-analysis showed a moderate effect size in favor of clinician-assisted interventions for improving range of motion. When a multimodal treatment approach for PST was compared with active comparator interventions, a small effect size was present for improving range of motion in favor of the multimodal approach. Conclusion The efficacy of clinician-assisted interventions for reducing PST was identified when using both a single treatment and multimodal treatments. Current evidence focuses mostly on populations with PST who were not seeking care and the immediate- to short-term effects of clinician-assisted interventions, which may limit generalization of findings.
Bark Essential Oils of Zanthoxylum clava-herculis and Ptelea trifoliata: Enantiomeric Distribution of Monoterpenoids:

The bark essential oils of Zanthoxylum clava-herculis and Ptelea trifoliata (Rutaceae) were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by both gas chromatography as well as chiral gas chromatograph...
Causal concepts and temporal ordering

Though common sense says that causes must temporally precede their effects, the hugely influential interventionist account of causation makes no reference to temporal precedence. Does common sense lead us astray? In this paper, I evaluate the power of the commonsense assumption from within the interventionist approach to causal modeling. I first argue that if causes temporally precede their effects, then one need not consider the outcomes of interventions in order to infer causal relevance, and that one can instead use temporal and probabilistic information to infer exactly when X is causally relevant to Y in each of the senses captured by Woodward’s interventionist treatment. Then, I consider the upshot of these findings for causal decision theory, and argue that the commonsense assumption is especially powerful when an agent seeks to determine whether so-called “dominance reasoning” is applicable.
Expression of messenger RNA encoding two cellular metabolic regulators, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), in channel catfish: Their tissue distribution and relationship with changes in food intake.

Abstract AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is considered as the master cellular metabolism regulator that activates various proteins, including O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). Physiological roles of AMPK and OGT, including the relationship between their mRNA expression and food intake, are poorly understood in channel catfish. This study examined the tissue distribution of AMPK and OGT mRNA and changes in their expression in response to changes in food intake in channel catfish. Expression of all AMPK subunit and OGT mRNA was detectable in the whole brain, liver, heart, spleen, white muscle, and kidney of channel catfish. The OGT mRNA was highly localized in the brain compared to other tissues. 28-day fasting increased hepatic expression of AMPK α1, β1, and OGT mRNA while refeeding fish for 14 days after the 14-day fast decreased their expression to the level similar to that of fish that were fed daily. No changes were noted in the expression of muscle and brain AMPK mRNA or OGT mRNA by fasting and refeeding. Hepatic AMPK α1, α2 and β1 mRNA decreased in response to increased feeding frequency, whereas no changes in the expression of AMPK or OGT mRNA were noted in the brain or the muscle. Results of the current study indicated that the hepatic expression of AMPK and OGT mRNA appeared to be more sensitive to changes in food intake in channel catfish. However, further studies are needed to clearly demonstrate if food intake influences the expression of AMPK and OGT mRNA in various tissues, including the hypothalamus.
Using cancer patient stories to “power” communication modules.

TPS9147 Background: Caring for patients with cancer poses great challenges to doctors’ communication skills. This project, funded by NIH-NCI, represents an innovative collaboration between ETSU fac...
The Shifting Global Trends in Practice of Basic Sanitation Services: An In-depth Comparative Analysis of the Current Conditions and Future Policy Recommendations

Access to basic sanitation and clean water is one of the main sustainable development goals (SDG) acknowledged by UNDP in 2016 [1]. The primary objective of these seventeen sustainable development goals, also known as global goals, is to obtain an inclusive and safe global environment for the people to enjoy sustainable peace and harmony in their communities. This study focuses on forty randomly selected countries from all over the world and categorized them into four groups based on the income level identified by the World Bank to determine the level sanitation practices based on population growth, educational attainment, and GDP growth [2]–[9]. The income level is defined by the gross income level per capita for each country and World Bank determines a benchmark to group these countries. The three primary objectives of this study are to explore, understand, and analyze the impact of urban population growth, the current economy, and educational attainment on the practice of using basic sanitation service among the selected countries' populations. Moreover, this study focuses on other key indicators that impact the basic access to sanitation and how that varies over the period of six years between 2010 to 2015 and offers evidence-based policy recommendations to improve the current practices among the population.
Nucleotide binding domain and leucine-rich repeat pyrin domain-containing protein 12: characterization of its binding to hematopoietic cell kinase

Protein-protein interactions are key to define the function of nucleotide binding domain (NBD) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) family, pyrin domain (PYD)-containing protein 12 (NLRP12). cDNA encoding the human PYD + NBD of NLRP12 was used as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen with a human leukocyte cDNA library as prey. Hematopoiesis cell kinase (HCK), a member of the c-SRC family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases, was among the top hits. The C-terminal 40 amino acids of HCK selectively bound to NLRP12's PYD + NBD, but not to that of NLRP3 and NLRP8. Amino acids F503, I506, Q507, L510, and D511 of HCK are critical for the binding of HCK's C-terminal 40 amino acids to NLRP12's PYD + NBD. Additionally, the C-terminal 30 amino acids of HCK are sufficient to bind to NLRP12's PYD + NBD, but not to its PYD alone nor to its NBD alone. In cell lines that express HCK endogenously, it was co- immunoprecipitated with stably expressed exogenous NLRP12. Also, NLRP12 co-immunoprecipitated and co-localized with HCK when both were overexpressed in 293T cells. In addition, in this overexpression system, steady-state NLRP12 protein expression levels significantly decreased when HCK was co-expressed. Bioinformatic analysis showed that HCK mRNA co-occurred with NLRP12 mRNA, but not with other NLRP mRNAs, in blood and marrow samples from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. The mRNA of NLRP12 is also co-expressed with HCK in AML patient samples, and the levels of mRNA expression of each are correlated. Together these data suggest that NLRP12, through its binding to HCK, may have an effect on the pathogenesis of AML.
Bidirectional regulation of cognitive and anxiety-like behaviors by dentate gyrus mossy cells in male and female mice

ABSTRACT The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus is important for cognitive and affective behaviors. However, the circuits underlying these behaviors are unclear. DG mossy cells (MCs) have been a focus of attention because of their excitatory synapses on the primary DG cell type, granule cells (GCs). However, MCs also activate DG GABAergic neurons which inhibit GCs. We took advantage of specific methods and a gain- and loss-of function strategy with Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) to study MCs in diverse behaviors. Using this approach, manipulations of MCs could bidirectionally regulate behavior. The results suggest that inhibiting MCs can reduce anxiety-like behavior and improve cognitive performance. However, not all cognitive or anxiety-related behaviors were influenced, suggesting specific roles of MCs in some but not all types of cognition and anxiety. Notably, several behaviors showed sex-specific effects, with females often showing more pronounced effects than the males. We also used the immediate early gene c-Fos to address whether DREADDs bidirectionally regulated MC or GC activity. We confirmed excitatory DREADDs increased MC c-Fos. However, there was no change in GC c-Fos, consistent with MC activation leading to GABAergic inhibition of GCs. In contrast, inhibitory DREADDs led to a large increase in GC c-Fos, consistent with a reduction in MC excitation of GABAergic neurons, and reduced inhibition of GCs. Taken together, these results suggest that MCs regulate anxiety and cognition in specific ways. We also raise the possibility that cognitive performance may be improved by reducing anxiety. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The dentate gyrus (DG) has many important cognitive roles as well as being associated with affective behavior. This study addressed how a glutamatergic DG cell type called mossy cells (MCs) contributes to diverse behaviors, which is timely because it is known that MCs regulate the activity of the primary DG cell type, granule cells (GCs), but how MC activity influences behavior is unclear. We show, surprisingly, that activating MCs can lead to adverse behavioral outcomes, and inhibiting MCs have an opposite effect. Importantly, the results appeared to be task-dependent and showed that testing both sexes was important. Additional experiments indicated what MC and GC circuitry was involved. Taken together, the results suggest how MCs influence behaviors that involve the DG.
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for giant gastric lipoma in morbid obese patient.

Antecedentes Los lipomas gastricos corresponden al 5% de los lipomas gastrointestinales. Muchos de ellos son solitarios, pequenos y asintomaticos, pero tambien pueden ocasionar sintomas obstructivos y sangrados. El tratamiento estandar es quirurgico. Caso clinico Mujer de 50 anos con antecedente de obesidad morbida, indice de masa corporal de 47.4 kg/m2, que se presenta con sintomas de epigastralgia y anemia. Se diagnostica un lipoma gastrico de 6.3 cm mediante tomografia y se confirma por biopsia endoscopica. Discusion La paciente fue exitosamente tratada a traves de gastrectomia laparoscopica en manga. Conclusion La gastrectomia laparoscopica en manga es el procedimiento de eleccion para el tratamiento de los lipomas gastricos gigantes en los pacientes con obesidad morbida cuando la anatomia lo permite. Background Gastric lipomas account for 5% of all gastrointestinal lipomas. Most of them are solitary, small and asymptomatic, however, they can cause severe symptoms such as obstruction, bleeding and intussusception. The standard treatment is surgical resection. Case report 50 years old female with history of morbid obesity with a body mass index (BMI) of 47.4 Kg/m2, who presented with symptoms of epigastric pain and anemia. CT scan of the abdomen revealed a 6.3 cm gastric lipoma, confirmed by endoscopic biopsy. Discussion Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is the procedure of choice for the excision of giant gastric lipomas in the morbidly obese, when anatomically feasible.
Characterizing Clinical and Neuropathological Traits of APOE Haplotypes in African Americans and Europeans.

Background The APOEɛ4 allele is the largest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent literature suggested that the contribution of APOEɛ4 to AD risk could be population-specific, with ɛ4 conferring a lower risk to Blacks or African Americans. Objective To investigate the effect of APOE haplotypes on AD risk in individuals with European ancestry (EU) and Blacks or African Americans (AA). Methods We selected data from 1) the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center: a total of 3,486 AD cases and 4,511 controls (N = 7,997, 60% female) with genotypes from the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC), and 2) the Rush University Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP) cohort with 578 AD and 670 controls (N = 1,248, 60% female). Using ɛ3 homozygotes as the reference, we compared the association of various APOE haplotypes with the clinical and neuropathological correlates of dementia in AA and EU. Results In both cohorts, we find no difference in the odds or age of onset of AD among the ɛ4-linked haplotypes defined by rs769449 within either AA or EU. Additionally, while APOEɛ4 was associated with a faster rate of decline, no differences were found in rate of decline, clinical or neuropathological features among the ɛ4-linked haplotypes. Further analysis with other variants near the APOE locus failed to identify any effect modification. Conclusion Our study finds similar effects of the ɛ4-linked haplotypes defined by rs769449 on AD as compared to ɛ3 in both AA and EU. Future studies are required to understand the heterogeneity of APOE conferred risk of AD among various genotypes and populations.
Diagnosing the Malunited Distal Radius

Abstract Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are among the most common fractures managed by trauma surgeons, accounting for approximately 17% of all fractures managed in an orthopedic trauma unit. Malunion is fairly common following a DRF, with reported malunion rates of 23.6% and 10.6% after closed reduction with casting and surgical management, respectively. Patients with symptomatic malunion after a DRF demonstrate persistent disability at 1 year, 2 years, and 12–14 years after fracture treatment. Malunited DRFs alter the biomechanics of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) as well as the radiocarpal, ulnocarpal, and midcarpal articulations, which may accelerate degenerative changes and produce pain as well as functional impairment. Carefully planned corrective osteotomies can significantly improve the radiographic and functional outcomes in these patients, and, therefore, it is paramount to recognize and appropriately diagnose this condition.
Tall fescue summer toxicosis in cattle

Cattle grazing tall fescue at times display signs of various toxicity syndromes. Among these conditions are fescue foot, fat necrosis, and fescue summer toxicosis. Fescue foot is a condition which ranges from mild lameness to severe gangrenous lesions of the feet and tail and occurs primarily during cold winter weather. Clinical cases of fat necrosis most often leads to digestive disturbances and reproductive problems in clinical cases. Fescue summer toxicosis is characterized by poor performance and a decreased ability to dissipate body heat on hot summer days. With respect to the summer syndrome, research has not led to specific drug therapy. The most effective treatment remains removal of animals from the inciting pasture. Prudent control is best obtained by effective pasture management including the grazing of mixed swards of fescue and legumes and establishing pastures with varieties shown to be associated with few toxicity problems or by the use of fungus-free seed.