cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Why Do They Hate Us?” Leading Amid Criticism, Crisis, and Disrespect

Laura Dannon, an educator with experience as teacher, assistant principal, and principal, enjoys her profession. Faculty camaraderie and student/teacher busyness at her school have led her to think all is well. A sudden outburst by a new teacher causes her to reflect on what is really happening. What has changed? Have media criticism, movements against education, attacks on teacher unions, criticisms of college education teacher preparation programs, and a severe economic downturn created an environment in which she needs to rethink her priorities? How does one lead amid criticism, crisis, and disrespect? How can one be a successful leader at the micro level when the broader narrative is dominated by negativism and perceptions of failure?
A unified model for perceptual learning

Perceptual learning in adult humans and animals refers to improvements in sensory abilities after training. These improvements had been thought to occur only when attention is focused on the stimuli to be learned (task-relevant learning) but recent studies demonstrate performance improvements outside the focus of attention (task-irrelevant learning). Here, we propose a unified model that explains both task-relevant and task-irrelevant learning. The model suggests that long-term sensitivity enhancements to task-relevant or irrelevant stimuli occur as a result of timely interactions between diffused signals triggered by task performance and signals produced by stimulus presentation. The proposed mechanism uses multiple attentional and reinforcement systems that rely on different underlying neuromodulators. Our model provides insights into how neural modulators, attentional and reinforcement learning systems are related.
Managed Distribution Policies in Closed-End Funds and Shareholder Activism

A Managed Distribution Policy (MDP), where investments might be partially liquidated to increase investors' cash flows, can lower the value of manager's claim on asset payoffs. This is a direct transfer of wealth from the management to the shareholders, and might be adopted by managers to deter attacks from activist shareholders. Our empirical tests on a panel of 236 closed-end funds provide strong evidence that managers respond to the presence of activists using MDPs, that this indeed constitutes an effective wealth transfer to shareholders, and that economic fundamentals (asset liquidity, share liquidity, managerial compensation) are key to understanding these effects.
Stable Receptive Field Structure of Color Neurons in Primary Visual Cortex under Adapting and Non-adapting Conditions

The way in which color signals from the three cone classes (L, M, S) are handled by the rest of the visual system to bring about color perception is incompletely known. In particular, the neural mechanism underlying two fundamental features of color vision, color contrast and color constancy, are unclear. Modeling efforts have shown that these features could be accounted for by neurons capable of making chromatic comparisons across visual space. The existence of such neurons in the primate is contested. I revisited the issue, recording the activity of single neurons in primary visual cortex of alert macaques trained to fixate a dot on a computer monitor, on which I flashed small spots of light that modulated a single cone class at a time. Cone-isolating stimuli can either increase or decrease one of the three cone types, thus there are a total of 6 stimuli; the stimuli were presented on a neutral gray adapting background. I correlated the location of the spots with the neural activity to produce receptive field maps. A fraction of neurons had both spatially and chromatically structured receptive fields. These were compared with receptive fields determined using stimuli presented on different-colored highcontrast (non-adapting) backgrounds. Receptive-fields with high-contrast stimuli had the same shape, but were slightly larger (10%) and had slightly shorter (5ms) latencies. These “double-opponent” neurons respond best to color contrast and could be the building blocks for color constancy.
Academic Library, e-Science/e-Research, and Data Services in a Broader Context

Introduction The academic world is currently undergoing a period of transformation, involving the new research paradigm of e-science and e-research, and characterized by data-intensive and networked collaboration. At the same time, academic libraries are adjusting themselves to dealing with more digital material and trying to be further involved in the academic research process. This presents a unique opportunity for academic libraries to reinvent themselves based on the new escience/e-research needs and issues that are generated in the research communities that we serve. Over the last few years, new data service programs have emerged rapidly in academic libraries in the United States, which have worked hard to support data access and management, and which have approached institutional data curation as a natural extension of their traditional information organization and dissemination functions. But academic libraries are not always active initiators of data curation, especially in the current European context, in which national data centers have been developed to take on the responsibility of preserving publically-funded research data. However, even in such cases, academic libraries have the potential to act as effective mediators between researchers and information and communication technologies, funding agencies, and different entities within the centralized e-science/e-research infrastructure. Based on literature and reports that discuss current e-science/e-research development
Review Essay: A Sliding Scale to Supplement the Distinction between General and Specific Jurisdiction

A critical discussion of the Supreme Court's opinion in Helcoteros Nacionale v. Hall, focusing on the troublesome issue of claim-relatedness. The article suggests that there should be jurisdiction in cases that fail to satisfy completely the criteria for general or specific jurisdiction, but satisfy partially the criteria for both.
2012 Fiscal Model Failure: A Problem of Measurement?

The Fiscal Model forecast of the 2012 presidential election published in the October issue of PS: Political Science and Politics not only failed to predict that President Obama would win reelection handily, but missed his actual share of the two-party vote by about five percent points (46.9% v. 51.8%). An “audit” of the model appears to show that the failure was likely caused by faulty measurement of fiscal policy of presidents who, like Obama, were in the first term of a new party reign. Taking account of those cases improves model fit and generates an out-of-sample forecast for 2012 that is within one percent point of the actual.
Growth and Development of 'Eckespoint Classic Red' Poinsettia in Biodegradable and Compostable Containers

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. biocontainers, Euphorbia pulcherrima, pots, sustainability SUMMARY. Biodegradable, compostable, and traditional plastic containers were evaluated for production of ‘Eckespoint Classic Red’ poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), a long-term greenhouse crop (12–16 weeks transplant to finish, depending on cultivar). Containers were rated for appearance and durability during the 14-week production period and plant quality parameters were measured at anthesis. Plastic, rice hull, wheat starch-derived bioresin, and molded fiber containers remained unchanged in appearance and integrity and received a rating of 5 (1–5 rating scale, where 1= container integrity compromised substantially and 5= container was intact, no visible changes in terms of color or construction). However, straw, coconut coir, composted cow manure, and Canadian sphagnum moss and wood pulp containers had an average rating of 2.9, 2.7, 1.4, and 1.6, respectively. Both shoot and root dry weights were greatest in plants produced in molded fiber and straw containers. The root to shoot dry weight ratio and days to anthesis was not significantly different among container types. Bract area index (a measurement derived to estimate bract area) was greatest for plants produced in molded fiber containers and lowest for those produced in the wheat starch containers. When adjusted for container height, final plant height was greatest in molded fiber containers and lowest in wheat starch containers. Plants produced in molded fiber containers, on average, exhibited the greatest height, bract area index, and total root and shoot weight, with no visible changes to container integrity. Based on these results, plant quality was not negatively impacted by any of the seven containers, though marketability of finished plants can be affected by container integrity.
Theoretical rovibrational analysis of the covalent noble gas compound ArNH

Abstract Noble gasses can make covalent bonds. This has been clearly shown for ArH+ as is evidenced by the observation of this molecule ubiquitously in the interstellar medium. In order to augment the list of potential noble gas molecules, highly-accurate quartic field methods are employed here to analyze the ArNH+ radical cation for the first time. This study is in line with previous examinations of ArOH+, ArH 2 + , and ArH 3 + . It is shown here that the Ar N bond strength falls below the Ar O bond energy in ArOH+ but in line with that from ArH 2 + indicating that ArNH+ could certainly be synthesized in the lab or, potentially, in nature. In order to aid in the search for this noble gas molecular cation, spectroscopic constants, fundamental vibrational frequencies, absorption intensities, and the center-of-mass dipole moment are provided at high-level in order to augment our understanding of noble gas chemistry.
A Cobalt Hydride Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of CO2: Pathways for Catalysis and Deactivation

The complex Co(dmpe)2H catalyzes the hydrogenation of CO2 at 1 atm and 21 °C with significant improvement in turnover frequency relative to previously reported second- and third-row transition-metal complexes. New studies are presented to elucidate the catalytic mechanism as well as pathways for catalyst deactivation. The catalytic rate was optimized through the choice of the base to match the pKa of the [Co(dmpe)2(H)2]+ intermediate. With a strong enough base, the catalytic rate has a zeroth-order dependence on the base concentration and the pressure of hydrogen and a first-order dependence on the pressure of CO2. However, for CO2:H2 ratios greater than 1, the catalytically inactive species [(μ-dmpe)(Co(dmpe)2)2]2+ and [Co(dmpe)2CO]+ were observed.
Abstract 3819: Activation of toll-like receptor 5 on breast cancer cells by flagellin suppresses tumor development and growth

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play key roles in both the innate and adaptive immune systems, particularly in inflammatory responses against pathogen infection. Recent evidence showed that functional TLRs are also expressed on a wide variety of tumor cells; however, their activation exhibits either antitumor or pro-tumor effects. In order to investigate the function of TLR signaling pathways in breast cancers, we analyzed the expression of TLRs and their functional status in breast cancer cells by RT-PCR and NF-κB reporter gene assays in response to synthetic ligands for these receptors. We found that only TLR5 signaling is highly responsive in breast cancer cells. The phosphorylation levels of IκB, ERK, and JNK after flagellin (an agonist of TLR5) stimulation were increased in tumor cells. Activation of TLR5 signaling in tumor cells by flagellin induces the secretion of various cytokines and chemokines including interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and TNF-α. Moreover, flagellin/TLR5 signaling in MCF-7 cells inhibits an anchorage-independent growth, a hallmark of tumorigenic transformation. In addition, the secretion of soluble factors induced by flagellin contributed to the growth-inhibitive activity in an autocrine fashion. The inhibitive activity was further confirmed in mouse xenografts of human breast cancer model. Administration of flagellin inhibits tumor growth and therefore prolongs the survival of tumor-bearing mice. These findings indicate that TLR5 activation by flagellin mediates innate immunity to elicit potent antitumor activity in breast cancers, which may serve as a novel therapeutic target for human breast cancer therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3819.
Low-Dose Effects of Environmental Chemicals: Bisphenol A as a Case Study

For decades, scientists have studied endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) to try to understand how these substances can affect humans and wildlife. EDCs have effects at low doses because the endocrine system is sensitive and primed to respond to low doses of hormones. This article discusses the principles of endocrinology that must be understood to comprehend the toxicology of EDCs. It uses bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous EDC, as an example to explore the effects of low-dose exposures. Both laboratory animal and epidemiology studies indicate that ‘safe’ doses of BPA as identified in traditional toxicology studies produce health hazards.
Symptomatic treatment of eczema and dermatitis.

For acute forms of dermatitis with edema and oozing, the symptomatic treatment is continuous, cool, wet dressings. Subacute to chronic forms need simple, soothing ointments. Chronic forms of dermatitis require stimulating ointments. In all forms, external irritants should be avoided and, in most, protection by bandages is needed.
Variceal bleeding. Can it be prevented

Esophageal and gastric varices develop as a consequence of portal hypertension and advanced chronic liver disease. Bleeding from these varices causes high mortality and morbidity. The exact mechanism leading to rupture of varices is unknown, but portal pressure, intravariceal pressure, and increased variceal wall tension may be factors. Large varices are most likely to bleed, and some studies suggest that red wales on varices may predict bleeding risk. Surgery and endoscopic sclerotherapy are not useful for preventing initial variceal bleeding, but nonselective beta-adrenergic blocking drugs have been shown to be beneficial in primary prophylaxis. Proper selection of patients and careful monitoring of side effects during treatment enhance successful outcomes.
L-arginine analogues blunt prostaglandin-related dilation of arterioles

The effects of arginine analogues, inhibitors of endothelium-derived nitric oxide synthesis, on dilation of arterioles in response to various vasoactive substances were studied. At 65 mmHg intravascular pressure, isolated arterioles of rat cremaster muscle developed tone spontaneously and achieved control diameters similar to those observed in vivo (84.1 +/- 2.0 microns vs. passive diameter: 161.3 +/- 3.4 microns). Acetylcholine (ACh, 5 x 10(-8) M), sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 5 x 10(-8) M), arachidonic acid (AA, 10(-7) M), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, 10(-9) M), and adenosine (ADO, 10(-6) M) were added to the Krebs bicarbonate buffer solution, suffusing the vessels. The peak vasodilator effects of all agents were studied before and after the administration of various doses of N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA; 10(-5), 10(-4), and 10(-3) M), which significantly reduced, in a dose-dependent manner, the basal diameter of arterioles by 3.6, 15.2, and 18.9%, respectively. The lowest concentration of L-NNA significantly inhibited arteriolar dilations to ACh by approximately 26%. Higher concentrations of L-NNA and N omega-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; 10(-4) M) caused a further significant reduction in the dilation to ACh (to approximately 47%) and also significantly reduced dilator responses to AA and PGE2. In the presence of the highest concentration of L-NNA (10(-3) M), dilation to SNP and ADO were also significantly reduced. Removal of endothelium abolished dilation to ACh and AA but did not alter that to SNP, PGE2, or ADO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
To Retain or Remove the Bone Flap During Evacuation of Acute Subdural Hematoma: Factors Associated with Perioperative Brain Edema

Background The fate of the bone flap is a significant decision during surgical treatment of acute subdural hematoma (SDH). A general guideline revolves around the surgeon's concern for brain edema. Limited studies, however, have focused on the factors that contribute to perioperative brain edema. Methods From 2012 to 2015, 38 patients who underwent decompressive craniectomy for acute SDH were reviewed. Clinical data were extracted (age, sex, initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, sodium level, hematocrit, and intraoperative blood loss). From the preoperative scan, SDH volume, midline shift (MLS), and volume within the skull (to estimate baseline brain volume) were measured. From the postoperative scan, brain volume (including any herniating regions) was measured. Δ% was defined as the percentage change in postoperative brain volume compared with preoperative volume. Evident contralateral injury, contusions, and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) were noted. Results Fifteen patients demonstrated negative Δ%. Univariate analysis found significant correlations between Δ% and preoperative MLS, initial GCS, presence of IVH, and presence of contralateral injury ( P P Conclusions A high proportion of patients can exhibit negative Δ%, or relative brain compression after decompression of SDH. For these patients, replacement of the bone flap may be reasonable to avoid obligatory interval cranioplasty. Preoperative MLS, initial GCS, and presence of IVH can help predict whether overall brain volume will swell or compress within the normal confines of the skull. This can guide the decision to retain or remove the bone flap.
Deficits in Proprioception Measured in Children With Somatodyspraxia

Date Presented 4/8/2016We demonstrate new quantitative methods for assessing proprioception. These assessments show that some children with dyspraxia have difficulties with force perception and joint position sense. Quantitative assessments enable therapists to accurately isolate proprioceptive diff
Systematic Evaluation of Coagulation Factors as Targets for Anti-Thrombotic Therapy Using Antisense Technology.

Abstract Abstract 4181 Human clinical efficacy has been demonstrated with antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) in several disease indications, including dyslipidemia, cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Second generation ASOs show potent pharmacology in many tissues, with liver being one of the most sensitive to ASO action. As the liver is responsible for production of many of the factors involved in blood coagulation we systematically designed and evaluated ASOs selective for several members of the coagulation cascade. ASOs targeting coagulation cascade members of both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathway produced highly specific target knockdown in liver. An overall aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of the various factors to the coagulation process as well as to assess their relative risk/benefit relationships. The “risk” component was determined by bleeding tendency as measured by blood volume loss following tail nick, and the “benefit” component was determined by antithrombotic effect following ferric chloride induced thrombosis in the inferior vena cava. We have previously reported the activity of FVII and FXI ASOs in a ferric chloride mouse model without increased bleeding risk. Here we identify additional promising new antithrombotic targets. FII and FIX ASOs were able to reduce thrombosis, but inhibition of these targets had deleterious effects on the bleeding tendency. The ASO effects on PT and aPTT will be presented. The approach used in this study will be used to further characterize targets for antithrombotic potential and determine their ability to be combined with antiplatelet therapies. In addition to the characterization of antithrombotic targets, these ASOs will be evaluated and developed as potent, selective and potentially safer human antithrombotic therapeutics. Disclosures: Crosby: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment. Gao: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment. Zhao: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment. Bhattacharjee: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment. May: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment. Zhang: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy. MacLeod: Isis Pharmaceuticals: Employment. Monia: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment.
An Introduction to Clinical Aspects of Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life shortening inherited disease in people of Northern European background. CF is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. CFTR is a 1480 base protein belonging to the ABC transporter family. It acts as a cAMP-activated chloride and bicarbonate channel and also regulates Na reabsorption through its effect on the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). The loss of CFTR-mediated inhibition of ENaC leads to excess sodium and water reabsorption, resulting in dehydration of airway surface materials, and dehydration of airway surface materials. Concomitant loss of chloride efflux prevents the epithelium from correcting the low airway surface water volume. The subsequent decrease in periciliary water volume results in a reduction in the lubricating layer between the epithelium and mucus, causing inhibition of normal ciliary clearance of mucus. In addition to abnormalities in ion transport, dysregulation of the host inflammatory response appears to play an important role in cystic fibrosis. It is characteristic of CF that the airways become infected with pathogenic bacteria. Compounding the inability to clear infection, patients with CF also exhibit abnormal inflammatory signaling and an excessive inflammatory response. With persistent infection and periodic exacerbations of the chronic infection, progressive lung disease develops. Thus, in spite of the progress in treatment that has been made, the overwhelming majority of patients still die from respiratory failure. Treatment has traditionally focused on the downstream effects of CFTR dysfunction, and includes therapies that correct altered airway secretions (physical airway clearance therapy, dornase alfa, hypertonic saline, and the recently approved inhaled mannitol); anti-inflammatory therapies (high-dose ibuprofen and alternate-day azithromycin); anti-infective therapies (inhaled anti-pseudomonal antibiotics such as tobramycin and aztreonam, along with intermittent treatment with systemic antibiotics of episodic pulmonary exacerbations), and when lung damage is severe, lung transplantation. The recent development of first generation CFTR modulating agents to treat CFTR dysfunction (ivacaftor, a potentiator that activates defective CFTR at the cell surface, and lumacaftor, a CFTR corrector that facilitates transport of class II mutations to the apical cell surface) marks the beginning of a new era of mutation- specific therapies to improve the function of defective CFTR protein. A number of next-generation modulators and other agents are currently moving through the drug development pipeline, offering hope for increased optimism regarding continuing improvements in the long-term outlook of this difficult disease.
A Case of Multiple Intracranial Aneurysm in a Patient with Intimomedial Mucoid Degeneration (P4.377)

Background: Intimomedial mucoid degeneration (IMMD) is a rare vascular- disease characterized by mucinous deposition in the arterial wall causing aneurysm formation. This disease has been described mostly in blacks and affects the aorta and its major extracranial branches. Here we describe a case of IMMD presenting with multiple intracranial aneurysms Methods/Results: Methods/Results: 36-year-old white female who presented with a palpable mass on her dorsal foot which found to be a dorsalis-pedis aneurysm. Subsequent screening with non-invasive angiography revealed the presence of multiple pelvic aneurysms. The patient underwent excision of a large left superior gluteal artery aneurysm and the pathology was consistent with IMMD. She had multiple intra and extracranial aneurysms including a dissecting aneurysm of the petrous segment of the right ICA, a wide neck 4x6mm right ophthalmic artery (OA) aneurysm, a 4x2mm left OA aneurysm and small aneurysms in other intracranial-vessels. The patient had clipping of right OA aneurysm. 3 years later she presented with multifocal-subacute cerebellar infarcts. The workup showed stable aneurysms and no cardiac source of emboli or procoagulability. The patient was discharged on aspirin but returned 6 years later with a transient episode of left pupillary dilatation and acuteright internal capsule infarction. A new angiogram showed increase in size of the right ICA dissection and recurrence of the previously clipped right OA aneurysm. The patient underwent pipeline stenting of the right OA aneurysm and was continued on aspirin and prasugrel. Three days after the procedure she developed left frontal hemorrhagic infarction. Based on advanced directives, the patient was terminally extubated. Conclusions: This case illustrates the rare occurrence and aggressive course of IMMD-associated intracranial aneurysms. In addition, the unprovoked ischemic events suggest an associated coagulopathy. IMMD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young adults presenting with multiple intracranial aneurysms. Disclosure: Dr. Kim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vargas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Testai has nothing to disclose.
Multi-speaker conversations, cross-talk, and diarization for speaker recognition

I-vector training and extraction assume that a speech file is spoken by a single speaker. This work considers the effects of violating that assumption with the presence of cross-talk or multi-speaker conversations. First, it is demonstrated that these problematic speech files can be detected using the i-vector representation itself. The impact of these violations of the single-speaker assumption are then explored along with strategies to mitigate it. It is shown that, even in predominantly clean data, the removal of cross-talk can provide modest gains, but that T matrix and PLDA training are largely robust to these types of noise. It is also shown that detection in front of diarization is a reasonable strategy in the presence of data with an unknown proportion of multi-speaker conversations. Finally, in the course of this work, evidence is found that cross-talk detection and multi-speaker detection may in fact be different tasks that require separately trained detectors.
Investigating the Effects of Media Consumption on Attitudes Toward Police Legitimacy

Prior investigations have examined both traditional media (e.g., television news) and entertainment media (e.g., crime-related shows) on policing-related outcomes; however, less is known how contemporary forms of media, such as the Internet and social media, may affect policing-related outcomes. Using a sample of young adults, the current study examines the effect of multiple types of media consumption (traditional, entertainment, the Internet, and social media) on attitudes toward police legitimacy. Findings reveal that respondents who read news online are more likely to have negative attitudes toward police legitimacy. However, when individual differences are controlled for, the effect of reading news online is weakened and using social media becomes marginally significant. Further, the impact of media consumption on attitudes toward police legitimacy varies by key audience characteristics.
Neural Plasticity in Auditory Cortex

Traditionally, the cerebral cortex has been divided into three mutually exclusive systems: sensory, motor, and associative, the latter presumably constituting the cortical substrate of learning, memory, and related processes. However studies of learning and memory, performed mainly in the auditory cortex, have forced a conceptual abandonment of this tripartate model. Beginning in the 1950s, experiments employing classical or instrumental conditioning revealed that primary auditory cortical responses to an acoustic conditioned stimulus (CS) change in amplitude due to associative processes. The implications of these findings for sensory processing were unclear. Then in the last decade of the century hybrid experimental paradigms from auditory physiology and learning/memory revealed that the frequency receptive fields of auditory cortical cells are actually altered by learning, shifting tuning toward or to the frequency of the conditioned stimulus. This receptive field plasticity is associative, highly specific, rapidly induced and retained for weeks or months, suggesting that it represents memory of specific information, such as acquired stimulus importance. Experiments on the substrates of this neural plasticity have implicated the basal forebrain cholinergic system. The framework of learning-induced receptive field retuning encompasses auditory cortical plasticity following peripheral denervation and the sequelae of deafness and remediation, including learning following cochlear implants.
Multidimensional Gas Chromatography: Advances in Instrumentation, Chemometrics, and Applications.

Scope of Review. Analysis of volatile and semi-volatile analytes by gas chromatography (GC) methods is an indispensable tool in the analytical chemist’s tool box. A myriad of fields of study rely upon the application of GC methods to address an ever growing demand to provide useful chemical information from GC data. As the realm of GC application has expanded, there has been an evolution to develop more powerful instrumental and data analysis approaches to keep pace with the wealth of complex samples that require analysis. To address this challenge, advances in GC instrumentation having evolved from one-dimensional gas chromatography (1D-GC) and heart cutting approaches such as (GC-GC), to instrumentation referred to broadly as multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC), which can take on many forms. The principle form of MDGC that has gained wide implementation is comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography (GC × GC) as shown in Figure 1A, pioneered nearly 26 years ago by Liu and Phillips.1 Whe...
Coronary arterial vasculature in the pathophysiology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Alterations in the coronary vascular system are likely associated with a mismatch between energy demand and energy supply and critical in triggering the cascade of events that leads to symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Targeting the early events, particularly vascular remodeling, may be a key approach to developing effective treatments. Improvement in our understanding of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy began with the results of early biophysical studies, proceeded to genetic analyses pinpointing the mutational origin, and now pertains to imaging of the metabolic and flow-related consequences of such mutations. Microvascular dysfunction has been an ongoing hot topic in the imaging of genetic cardiomyopathies marked by its histologically significant remodeling and has proven to be a powerful asset in determining prognosis for these patients as well as enlightening scientists on a potential pathophysiological cascade that may begin early during the developmental process. Here, we discuss questions that continue to remain on the mechanistic processes leading to microvascular dysfunction, its correlation to the morphological changes in the vessels, and its contribution to disease progression.
Glutamine with probiotics attenuates intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress in a rat burn injury model through altered iNOS gene aberrant methylation

Severe burns may lead to intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress resulting in intestinal barrier damage and gut dysfunction. In the management of severe burns, therapies are needed to attenuate whole-body inflammatory responses and control the burden of oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluated the effects of oral glutamine (Gln) with probiotics on burn-induced intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress using a Wistar rat burn injury model. We then explored potential molecular mechanisms for the effects of glutamine and probiotics on intestinal tissue inflammation and oxidative stress. We found that glutamine and probiotics together significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) content; reduced levels of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8; and altered expression of oxidative stress factors including reactive oxygen species and superoxide dismutase. We found that the apoptotic proportion of intestinal epithelial cells in severely burned subjects was notably decreased following treatment with glutamine plus probiotics. We also found that glutamine and probiotics given together markedly reduced NO content by down-regulating the expression of iNOS in blood and intestinal tissue. These findings indicate that regulation of the iNOS gene plays a pivotal role in inflammation and oxidative stress in the response to severe burns in the Wistar rat. We then further investigated the mechanism by which combined therapy with glutamine and probiotics might reduce expression of iNOS and found that this treatment resulted in increased methylation of the iNOS gene. The methylation level of the iNOS gene was found to be regulated via differential expression of DNMT1 and Tet1. Collectively, our results suggest that combined therapy with glutamine and probiotics can markedly reduce the synthesis of NO, suppressing intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress in the Wistar rat burn injury model.
Electromagnetic wave propagation in a fast pulse line ion accelerator.

Purpose The pulse line ion accelerator (PLIA) is a low-cost accelerator concept originally designed to accelerate heavy ions. Our group has been investigating the use of PLIA to accelerate light ions and believe a multi-stage PLIA could be useful for short half-life PET isotope production. The goal of this work was to develop a single prototype fast PLIA structure and demonstrate electromagnetic wave propagation using a high-voltage pulser. Materials and methods A 1.6 m fast PLIA structure (wave speed > 107 m/s) was constructed along with a high-voltage, sinusoidal pulse generator. The latter uses capacitive voltage doubling and spark gap switching. A step-up transformer couples voltage from the pulser to the PLIA coil. Voltage measurements on the coil were made in air using a high-voltage resistive probe, while capacitive probes placed along the length of the PLIA were used to measure wave propagation with the PLIA structure filled with transformer oil. Results Voltage measurements acquired on the primary and secondary coils of the transformer coupler in air demonstrated a peak-to-peak voltage step-up of 4.2 relative to the pulser DC charging voltage. The maximum voltage time-rate-of-change on the PLIA coil was 0.76 × 1013 V/s. Capacitive probe measurements indicated voltage oscillations on the PLIA coil with half-period equal to 43 ± 0.9 ns and wave speed (with oil) of 1.2 × 107 m/s. Average and peak accelerating gradients were conservatively estimated to be 0.44 and 0.60 MV/m, respectively, with a charging voltage of 55 kV. Wave propagation was demonstrated at these gradients without flashover at a vacuum pressure of 9 × 10-6 Torr. Submerging the pulser in oil would allow for charging voltages up to 150 kV and produce accelerating gradients >1.2 MV/m. Conclusions Use of a multi-stage, fast PLIA for light ion acceleration could provide a low-cost complement to cyclotrons for the production of short half-life isotopes used for PET imaging, including carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, and fluorine-18.
Does Geographical Bias Impact the Match for General Surgery Residents

OBJECTIVE As the competitiveness of applicants for general surgery residency grows, it is becoming challenging for programs to differentiate qualified candidates with a genuine interest in matching at their institution. The purpose of this study was to examine geographic trends in the general surgery match in order to elicit regional biases and optimize applicant interview selection strategies. DESIGN In this single-center retrospective study, geographical information regarding birth place, college, medical school, and final match institution for general surgery residency applicants was examined. SETTING This study was set at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS All general surgery residency applicants interviewing at our institution between 2015–2017 were included. METHODS Academic variables and geographical information were collected for all applicants in the cohort. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square and logistic regression techniques to determine any association between geography and match outcomes. RESULTS Of 198 applicants included in the analysis, approximately 25% matched at an institution located in the same state as their medical school. Total 75% of applicants matched at a residency program located less than 640 miles away from either their birth place, college, or medical school, while only 15% matched at an institution located over 1000 miles away and 4% matched over 2000 miles away. When examining applicant characteristics, there were no significant differences in gender, clerkship grade, United States Medical Licensing Exam scores, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society membership, or quality of recommendation letters between applicants who matched in the lowest and highest quartiles of distance to final residency program location. CONCLUSIONS A significant proportion of general surgery applicants matched at institutions located in a region near either their birth place, college, or medical school. Given the limited number of interviews able to be offered by institutions and the associated opportunity costs, general surgery programs should consider regional biases when evaluating residency applicants.
Poetry as a Healing Force in Later Adulthood: The Case of Nezahualcoyotl

This paper investigates how Nezahualcoyotl, a fifteenth century Aztec poet used writing as a healing force in his later adult years. The author concludes that the poetry served as a therapeutic resource for Nezahualcoyotl to resolve a crisis of despair.
Remarks on Stevens’ quantal theory of speech

Some previous criticisms of the quantal theory appear to be based on an incorrect reading of the theory. Nonetheless, several genuine problems for the theory remain to be addressed.
Robotic Surgery for Rectal Cancer Provides Advantageous Outcomes Over Laparoscopic Approach: Results From a Large Retrospective Cohort.

OBJECTIVE To compare short term outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic or robotic rectal cancer surgery. BACKGROUND Significant benefits of robotic rectal cancer surgery over laparoscopy have yet to be demonstrated. Operative time and direct institutional cost seem in favor of the laparoscopic approach. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients operated on for rectal cancer with a mini-invasive approach at Mayo Clinic from 2005 to 2018. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the difference in postoperative morbidity between the laparoscopic and robotic approach. Multivariable models for odds to complications and prolonged (≥6 days) length of stay were built. RESULTS A total of 600 patients were included in the analysis. The number of patients undergoing robotic surgery was 317 (52.8%). The 2 groups were similar in respect to age, sex, and body mass index. Laparoscopic surgery was correlated to shorter operative time (214 vs 324 minutes; P < 0.001). Patients undergoing robotic surgery had a lower overall complications rate (37.2% vs 51.2%; P < 0.001). Robotic surgery was found to be the most protective factor [odds ratio (OR) 0.485; P = 0.006] for odds to complications. The event of a complication (OR 9.33; P < 0.001) and conversion to open surgery (OR 3.095; P = 0.002) were identified as risk factors for prolonged length of stay whereas robotic surgery (OR 0.62; P = 0.027) was the only independent protective factor. CONCLUSIONS Robotic rectal cancer surgery is strongly associated with better short-term outcomes over laparoscopic surgery.
Superhydrophobic Drag Reduction for Turbulent Flows in Open Water

Trapping air under water, superhydrophobic surfaces on boats have long been coveted for hydrodynamic drag reduction without bubble injection. Despite many reports of drag reduction in lab tests, such surfaces have not been successful in real-world tests on open water, at high Reynolds numbers. The authors develop hydrophobic microtrenches that provide a large slip, with a subtle detail that maximizes air retention. Replacing a portion of a motorboat's hull with the developed surface, they obtain large drag reduction under high-speed flows on the open sea. This has significant implications for energy efficiency in oceanic shipping.
Why does oxamniquine kill Schistosoma mansoni and not S. haematobium and S. japonicum

Human schistosomiasis is a disease which globally affects over 229 million people. Three major species affecting humans are Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium and S. japonicum. Previous treatment of S. mansoni includes the use of oxamniquine (OXA), a prodrug that is enzymatically activated in S. mansoni but is ineffective against S. haematobium and S. japonicum. The OXA activating enzyme was identified and crystallized, as being a S. mansoni sulfotransferase (SmSULT). S. haematobium and S. japonicum possess homologs of SmSULT (ShSULT and SjSULT) begging the question; why does oxamniquine fail to kill S. haematobium and S. japonicum adult worms? Investigation of the molecular structures of the sulfotransferases indicates that structural differences, specifically in OXA contact residues, do not abrogate OXA binding in the active sites as previously hypothesized. Data presented argue that the ability of SULTs to sulfate and thus activate OXA and its derivatives is linked to the ability of OXA to fit in the binding pocket to allow the transfer of a sulfur group.
Preparations for the NASA TROPICS hurricane constellation observatory mission

The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission, selected by NASA as part of the Earth Venture–Instrument (EVI-3) program, will provide nearly all-weather observations of 3-D temperature and humidity, as well as cloud ice and precipitation horizontal structure, at high temporal resolution to conduct high-value science investigations of tropical cyclones. TROPICS will provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements (median refresh rate better than 60 minutes for the baseline mission) over the tropics that can be used to observe the thermodynamics of the troposphere and precipitation structure for storm systems at the mesoscale and synoptic scale over the entire storm lifecycle. TROPICS comprises a constellation of six CubeSats in three low-Earth orbital planes. All TROPICS flight hardware has been delivered in anticipation of launches occurring no earlier than 2021.
Efficient Enrichment of Retinal DHA with Dietary Lysophosphatidylcholine-DHA: Potential Application for Retinopathies.

Although decreased retinal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a known risk factor for retinopathy, currently available omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which are absorbed as triacylglycerol (TAG), do not significantly enrich retinal DHA. We tested the hypothesis that lysophospahtidylcholine (LPC)-DHA which is absorbed as phospholipid, would efficiently increase retinal DHA because of the presence of LPC-specific transporter at the blood–retina barrier. In normal rats, LPC-DHA and di-DHA phosphatidylcholine (PC), which generates LPC-DHA during digestion, increased retinal DHA by 101% and 45%, respectively, but TAG-DHA had no significant effect at the same dose (40 mg/kg, 30 days). In normal mice, both sn-1 DHA LPC and sn-2 DHA LPC increased retinal DHA by 80%, but free DHA had no effect. Lipase-treated krill oil (which contains LPC-DHA and LPC-EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), but not normal krill oil (which has little LPC), increased both retinal DHA (+76%) and EPA (100-fold). Fish oil, however, had no effect, whether lipase-treated or not. These studies show that retinal DHA can be efficiently increased by dietary LPC-DHA, but not by TAG-DHA or free DHA. Since DHA is known to be protective against retinopathy and other eye diseases, this study provides a novel nutraceutical approach for the prevention/treatment of these diseases.
The Student Who Fails the Medical Board Exam

Students with disabilities require accommodations to address academic and curricular barriers, particularly on high stakes Board examinations. Medical schools need to be prepared to manage the increasing number of students who are being diagnosed with learning disabilities or ADHD after matriculating. Disability resource professionals must have a strong command of the requirements for board accommodation approval and must actively work to inform students about these requirements while clearing up misconceptions and correcting false assumptions (e.g., no one gets accommodated, scores are flagged). Lacking a strong history of disability and comprehensive documentation of current impairment, these students are often denied accommodations. The application process for accommodations can be burdensome and overwhelming for students who are already stressed for time. Institutions must consider this multifaceted issue holistically by providing students proactive support including referrals to appropriate providers for neuropsychological evaluations with multiple options for meeting the high financial burden of these assessments, assistance with formulating a strong application for accommodations, and multiple options for remaining enrolled and active in the curriculum should they need to appeal a denial. At the same time, students must prepare for testing absent accommodations should they be denied. When a student fails a Board exam and the root cause of failure is likely an absence of accommodation, schools must develop creative, multi-departmental solutions to best support the student.
Effect of Mitochondrial Antioxidant (Mito-TEMPO) on Burn-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction.

Background Imbalance of oxidants/antioxidants results in heart failure, contributing to mortality after burn injury. Cardiac mitochondria are a prime source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and a mitochondrial-specific antioxidant may improve burn-induced cardiomyopathy. We hypothesize that the mitochondrial-specific antioxidant, Triphenylphosphonium chloride (Mito-TEMPO), could protect cardiac function after burn. Study design Male rats had a 60% total body surface area (TBSA) scald burn injury and were treated with/without Mito-TEMPO (7 mg/kg-1, intraperitoneal) and harvested at 24 hours post-burn. Echocardiography (ECHO) was used for measurement of heart function. Masson Trichrome and hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining were used for cardiac fibrosis and immune response. Qualitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used for mitochondrial DNA replication and gene expression. Results Burn-induced cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis, and mitochondrial damage were assessed by measurement of mitochondrial function, DNA replication, and DNA-encoded electron transport chain-related gene expression. Mito-TEMPO partially improved the abnormal parameters. Burn-induced cardiac dysfunction was associated with crosstalk between the NFE2L2-ARE pathway, PDE5A-PKG pathway, PARP1-POLG-mtDNA replication pathway, and mitochondrial SIRT signaling. Conclusions Mito-TEMPO reversed burn-induced cardiac dysfunction by rescuing cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria-targeted antioxidants may be an effective therapy for burn-induced cardiac dysfunction.