cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glutamatergic Afferents from the Hippocampus to the Nucleus Accumbens Regulate Activity of Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neurons

Several studies have shown that the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system is strongly influenced by the ventral subiculum (vSub) of the hippocampus. To examine whether this occurs by activation of DA neuron firing, the effects of chemical stimulation of the vSub on ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neuron activity were examined using extracellular single-unit recordings. Infusions of NMDA into the vSub increased the number of spontaneously firing DA cells recorded per electrode track, while having no effect on firing rate or burst firing. This response was abolished by intranucleus accumbens (NAc) infusions of the glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenic acid. This effect did not involve the prefrontal cortex, because infusions of tetrodotoxin into the prefrontal cortex did not affect the increase in spontaneously active DA cells. Infusions of either kynurenic acid into the NAc or tetrodotoxin into the vSub decreased the firing rate and burst firing of DA neurons without altering the number of spontaneously active DA neurons. These data show that glutamatergic afferents from the vSub to the NAc exert a potent excitatory effect on VTA DA neurons, influencing both DA neuron population activity and the regulation of the firing properties of these neurons. As a result, dysfunctions in hippocampal circuitries may contribute to the hyperexcitable state of the DA system that is present in schizophrenia.
A bacteriophage-like particle from Bartonella bacilliformis.

Bartonella bacilliformis and Bartonella henselae, the respective agents of Oroya fever and cat-scratch disease in humans, are known to produce bacteriophage-like particles (BLPs) that package 14 kbp segments of the host chromosome. Data from this study suggest that other Bartonella species including Bartonella quintana, Bartonella doshiae and Bartonella grahamii also contain similar BLPs, as evidenced by the presence of a 14 kbp extrachromosomal DNA element in their genomes, whereas Bartonella elizabethae and Bartonella clarridgeiae do not. A purification scheme utilizing chloroform, DNase I and centrifugation was devised to isolate BLPs from B. bacilliformis. Intact BLPs were observed by transmission electron microscopy and were round to icosahedral in shape and approximately 80 nm in diameter. RFLP and Southern blot analysis of BLP DNA from B. bacilliformis suggest that packaging, while non-selective, is less than the near-random packaging previously reported for the B. henselae phage. Data also suggest that the linear, double-stranded BLP DNA molecules have blunt ends with non-covalently closed termini. Packaging of the BLP DNA molecules into a protein coat appears to be closely related to nucleic acid synthesis, as unpackaged phage DNA is not detectable within the host cell. SDS-PAGE analysis of purified BLPs from B. bacilliformis showed three major proteins with apparent molecular masses of 32, 34 and 36 kDa; values that closely correspond to proteins found in B. henselae BLPs. Western blot analysis performed with patient convalescent serum showed that BLP proteins are slightly immunogenic in humans. To determine if BLPs contribute to horizontal gene transfer, mutants of B. bacilliformis were generated by allelic exchange with an internal fragment of the 16S–23S rDNA intergenic spacer region and a suicide vector construct, termed pKB1. BLPs from one of the resultant strains were able to package the mutagenized region containing the kanamycin-resistance cassette; however, numerous approaches and attempts at intraspecies transduction using these BLPs were unsuccessful.
Study of relative effectiveness of features in content-based image retrieval

Content-based retrieval in image databases requires appropriate features of images to be derived and used in the indexing and searching process. Fast and accurate retrieval is crucial from a user point of view. The kinds of features used, their organization in suitable data structures, and the similarity search scheme, directly affect the speed and quality of content-based retrieval. In this paper, we evaluate the relative significance of three different image features - geometry, moments, and Fourier descriptors in the context of content-based retrieval, and present experimental results. The evaluation metrics are retrieval quality and search time. These could be used to tune the search process which speeds up retrieval without significantly affecting retrieval quality.
Efficient 3-D Visualization of Cellular Structures through Reuse of Multi-focal 2-D Images

The inherent imaging properties of a light microscope used in visualization of cellular structures result in images characterized by low resolution and magnification. The images are obtained by using the microscope parameters (typically the focal setting), and are taken from a single point of view. We report a novel mutual information based image clearance (MIBIC) algorithm to refine a set of 2D images taken in a light microscope at different focal settings each representing a cross sectional view at the focal plane level and combining the most informative features from each level to produce a single image. The results illustrate that the MIBIC algorithm produces an image with enhanced visualization of cellular structures than that obtained by the best focus leveled image and thus offers a viable alternative to enhance images produced by a traditional light microscope. The results illustrate that our proposed layer separation method using multiple focus levels is an effective and efficient way for 3-dimensional imaging of translucent objects with a common light microscope.
The Effect of Bankruptcy Laws on the Valuation of Risky Consumer Debt

In a market setting with perfect information, a consumer recognizes that he can influence the state-contingent returns, and hence the price, of his risky debt by the decision variables that determine the collateral and promised payments. This paper examines the effect of bankruptcy laws on the feasible consumption opportunities of borrowers and lenders in order to determine the necessary requirements for the bilateral debt market to be perfectly competitive.
Opportunity for Seatbelt Usage by ALS Providers

Purpose: Prehospital care providers commonly indicate that they cannot wear seat belts owing to their need to be unrestrained while delivering care to the patient in the back of the ambulance. Each year, providers are injured in situations in which seat belts have been shown to be protective. Are ALS providers able to wear a seat belt and provide care in an ambulance? Methods: The ALS providers were asked to complete a form following calls during which they rode with a patient in the back of an ambulance. They indicated the amount of time which they felt they would have needed to have been unrestrained by seat belts and the reasons. There were no attempts to regulate or quantify seat belt usage. Additional information was gathered from the trip report. Results: The percentage of the time of each trip during which they felt they needed to be unrestrained was calculated for each trip. The mean was 41%. The mean transport time was 14.7 minutes. Sub-groupings by protocol type, showed that for cardiac arrest patients, providers felt they needed to be unrestrained for 82% of the duration of transport, for patients with “chest pain or cardiac dysrhythmia” 63%, for “shortness of breath” 38%, and for trauma patients 41%. Excluding cardiac arrest patients, the nine patients were assigned by the providers to have the most critical level of case severity required unrestrained time of 72%. Those nine patients with the lowest severity level requires that the provider by unrestrained only 18% of the time. Management of intravenous line and patient assessments most frequently were cited as reasons for needing to be unrestrained. Conclusion: Perceived need of ALS providers to be unrestrained varied with respect to the type of call, with cardiac arrest patient transports having the greatest need to be unrestrained. However, on the average, providers felt they needed to be unrestrained only 41% of the time; markedly less on some types of call, with cardiac arrest patient transports having the greatest need to be unrestrained. However, on the average, providers felt they needed to be unrestrained only 41% of the time; markedly less on some types of calls. The ALS providers should be able to wear seat belts for at least part of the time, on most ALS calls.
Restitution Claims for Wrongful Enslavement and the Doctrine of the Master's Good Faith

This essay seeks to explore the deployment of antebellum ideologies of race which justified denial of restitution to Black litigants who were successful in proving that they had been unjustly enslaved. Despite the evidentiary presumption that persons of color of African descent were slaves, there were instances in which Black litigants were able to prove in court that they were not slaves but held as such contrary to law. In cases of unjust enslavement Black litigants should have been entitled not only to their freedom, but also to compensation (restitution) for the value of their compelled labor. This essay will show that the denial of compensation to Black victims in unjust enslavement lawsuits under the doctrine of the so-called ‘conventional exemption’ was part of an antebellum pattern of excluding Blacks from the equal protection of the law with continuing effects under the contemporary law of restitution.
Primary cervical cancer screening and triage using an mRNA human papillomavirus assay and visual inspection.

Objective Mexican Cervical Cancer Screening Study II (MECCS II) seeks to develop a highly sensitive and highly specific screening program able to be adapted to all socioeconomic levels in Mexico. The objectives of MECCS II are (1) to compare the sensitivity and specificity for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3 or cancer of self-collected vaginal specimens tested for high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) by APTIMA with those tested for HR-HPV by Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2); and (2) determine the efficacy of cryotherapy in the treatment of HR-HPV–positive and acetic acid–aided visual inspection (VIA)–positive and -negative women after VIA triage. Methods The study was conducted in rural Mexico. Women aged 30 to 50 years, nonpregnant, with no history of hysterectomy or pelvic irradiation and varied histories of screening, participated. A direct endocervical sample was tested for cytology, HC2, and APTIMA assay (AHPV). Subjects positive on any test were recalled for triage VIA, biopsies, and immediate cryotherapy. Tests were compared using McNemar test. Results Two thousand forty-nine patients have complete results. Mean age of the patients was 39.2 years; 7.7% presented with ≥atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance (ASCUS), 1.8% ≥low-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, and 0.5% ≥high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia. Two percent of patients had ≥CIN2, and 0.78% had ≥CIN3 (including 2 with invasive disease). The sensitivity of ThinPrep (>ASCUS), HC2, and AHPV for >CIN3 for direct endocervical collection was 87.5%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The specificity of ThinPrep (>ASCUS), HC2, and AHPV for >CIN3 was 94.1%, 92.2%, and 93.5%, respectively. Specificities of HC2 and AHPV differed significantly. The overall percentage of agreement among HPV assays (HC2 vs APTIMA) is 97%. Four hundred sixty-nine women returned for VIA. Two hundred ninety-one women were treated with cryotherapy. Conclusions The specificity of the APTIMA assay along with high sensitivity is an advantage for primary screening. Follow-up evaluation will be important to determine the true impact of potential undertreatment in the screening algorithm. Self-sampling applications are explored.
Structure and In Vivo Behavior of Human Fibrinogen Fragment-D

SummaryPolyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis has been used to determine molecular weights of fg-D and its three subunits. A molecular weight of 78,800 ± 3900 was determined for fg-D. Three subunits, apparently representing individual polypeptide chains with molecular weights of 44,000 ± 2700; 25,350 ± 900; and 10,400 ± 720 have been demonstrated. The sum of the molecular weights of these polypeptide chains agrees closely with the estimated size of the intact fg-D fragment. We have confirmed micro-heterogeneity of fg-D on disc acrylamide gel electrophoresis and have demonstrated that this heterogeneity is a reflection of charge isomerization and does not represent detectable differences in size. In vivo studies demonstrated that fg-D does not interact with plasma proteins but circulates in a free state. It is cleared rapidly from plasma with a half-life of 2 hr ± 12 min, and excreted in urine following catabolic degradation.We would like to acknowledge the continued interest and encouragement of Dr. Kenn...
Whole Animal Section In Situ Hybridization and Protein Blotting: New Tools in Molecular Analysis of Animal Models for Human Disease

Laboratory animals continue to be invaluable in the study of the pathogenesis and management of infectious diseases. Development of nucleic acid and antibody technologies have facilitated analysis of animal infection models at the levels of genes, messages and proteins. With the advent of whole animal sectioning (WAS), it is now possible to study these models at the molecular level in an anatomic context. WAS in situ hybridization and protein blotting is a sensitive and specific approach to analysis of infections with several viruses, including ground squirrel hepatitis virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, polyoma virus, rabies virus, reovirus and vesicular stomatitis virus. A similar technique, whole organ sectioning, has been useful for analysis of viral infections in larger hosts, e.g., hepatitis B virus of liver and measles virus infection of brain in man and visna virus infection of brain in sheep (Table 1).
Designe of Chinese Character Writing System Framework for the Americans

This system provides a new mode of Chinese character writing for the Americans.It first puts forward an accessorial tool implementing Mi(asterisk-like) format and Taoying technique as to help non-Chinese learners to practice Chinese character writing,and hence has practical significance for the popularization of the Chinese language.
95: Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in a Case of Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage Secondary to Acute Poststreptococcal Glomerulonephritis

Acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) can present with hematuria, hypertension, and edema 7 to 21 days after exposure to certain strains of group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus bacteria. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare complication of PSGN with only a handful of case reports in the literature. Herein, we describe a case of a 36-year-old man who presented with hematuria, hypertension, edema, renal failure, and DAH treated with steroids, cyclophosphamide, and plasma exchange. The clinical history was …
Hormones in Migration and Reproductive Cycles of Birds

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on how the environmental cues in a predictable environment affect the life histories of closely related species. The approach taken is to focus on migration and breeding stages of the annual cycle and the endocrine mechanisms, where a number of north temperate species include both migratory and sedentary populations, with particular attention given to the Pacific races of white-crowned sparrows. This comparative approach illustrates how closely related subspecies have diverged in their life histories in order to capitalize on local conditions that support migratory patterns and reproductive success. The life-history stages of the annual cycles of birds are varied and complex, yet what all have in common is that the timing and duration of each stage are closely tied to environmental conditions. In a predictable environment, exogenous cues provide reliable and consistent information that regulates the onset, progression, and termination of the stages that help to synchronize the activities of the organism with both current and long-term conditions, and to maximize fitness.
Prower, Discourse, and Ideology: The Micropractices of Common Sense

(1989). Prower, Discourse, and Ideology: The Micropractices of Common Sense. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 12, Communication Yearbook 12, pp. 60-75.
Thermodynamics: Processes and Applications

Fundamentals: introduction processes of an ideal gas ideal processes of real systems work heat and the first law entropy and the second law availability and irreversibility. Applications: refrigeration air-conditioning steam power plants internal combustion engines turbo-machinery gas turbine power plants propulsion. Appendices: saturated steam tables superheated steam tables compressed liquid water properties of refrigerant R-22 properties of refrigerant R-134a properties of refrigerant R-12 compressibility factors for nitrogen enthalpy of air at low pressures enthalpy of air at high pressures Maxwell relations.
Inflammatory Obesity Phenotypes, Gender Effects, and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

Objective—Reasons for variations in atherosclerotic burden among individuals with similar levels of obesity are poorly understood, especially in African Americans. This study examines whether high-...
Development of a Stable Thrombotic Core with Limited Access to Plasma Proteins During Thrombus Formation In Vivo

Abstract Abstract 2013 Several studies examining thrombus formation in vivo have described the formation of a thrombotic core composed of stably adherent, apparently activated platelets covered by several layers of minimally activated, loosely adherent platelets. Using confocal fluorescence intravital microscopy in mouse cremaster muscle arterioles, we sought to 1) determine whether the stable thrombus core could be defined by the presence of platelet activation markers (e.g. P-selectin); 2) define the spatial and temporal characteristics of the stable thrombus core as it develops; and 3) determine whether the accessibility of plasma proteins to the inner regions of a stable thrombus is limited. We found that P-selectin platelet surface expression is associated with stable platelet incorporation into a growing thrombus following either laser- or wall puncture-induced vascular injury in vivo. The P-selectin positive core originated at the site of vascular injury and subsequently expanded outward into the central region of the developing thrombus with kinetics that were distinct from total platelet accumulation. Further, using two related approaches, we determined that the accessibility of plasma components to the stable thrombus core is limited. In the first approach, fluorescently labeled anti-P-selectin antibody was infused after a stable thrombus had formed (25 minutes after injury), and was found to bind to a monolayer of platelets on the luminal surface of the stable thrombus core, but was unable to penetrate this layer of platelets and bind to platelets in the central region of the thrombus. In the second approach, we directly measured the porosity of thrombi as they evolved by infusing fluorescently labeled dextran to illuminate the plasma in the gaps between platelets. We found that the porosity of the stable thrombus core was significantly decreased as compared to the porosity of the growing platelet mass before the core developed. Taken together, these results demonstrate that a stable core composed of degranulated platelets develops during thrombus formation in vivo with spatial localization and kinetics that are distinct from total platelet accumulation, and that development of this core limits the accessibility of plasma components to the central region of a stable thrombus. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Complete TKR Surgery Experiments on Cadavers Confirm Feasibility of Navigated Freehand Cutting (NFC)

Introduction Computer aided surgery aims to improve surgical outcomes with image-based guidance. Navigated Freehand bone Cutting (NFC) takes this further by eliminating the need for cumbersome mechanical jigs. Multiple previous experiments on plastic and porcine bones, performed by surgeons with different level of expertise, suggested that the NFC technique was feasible. This study pushes NFC further by using the technique to perform complete total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries on cadavers (including implant cementing of tibia and femur). Materials and Methods A single surgeon performed a series of TKR surgeries on full cadaveric legs. Cruciate sacrificing implants were selected because these were considered more challenging for a freehand cutting approach due to the extra number and complexity of the cuts needed around a posterior stabilizing post recess when present. A proprietary NFC prototype system was used, with real time graphics to indicate where/how to cut the bone without jigs. The system comprised a navigated smart oscillating saw, reciprocating saw and drill without any of the conventional jigs typically used in TKR. The tasks performed included (and were grouped) to include pre-surgical planning, incision, placement of navigation pins & markers on tibia and femur, bone registration, marking and cutting, cut surface digitization (for quality assessment), implant placement and cementing, assessment of implant fit and location, and pin removal and wound closing. Results Experiments ran smoothly without software, hardware, or workflow (logic) failures. One tibia required re-registration after failing the registration validation process, and one reflective ball on the smart saw had to be replaced during surgery due to a defective fastening. Overall average surgery time was 1 hour and 20 minutes. The cutting process took the most time (31% of total time) followed by cementing and bone registration (14% and 12%, respectively). Surface smoothness of the bone cuts on human cadavers was better than what was previously obtained for synthetic bone. Discussion and Conclusion The results indicate that Navigated Freehand Cutting technology could eventually be used on patients, as surgical time, implant alignment, cut quality, and other metrics are consistent or better than those of conventional approaches, even with this prototype system. New computer-human interfaces under development are expected to reduced cutting, registration, digitization times, promising a faster overall surgery. We speculate that Navigated Freehand Cutting (NFC) is no longer a dream, no longer just feasible, but on the way to clinical trials not too far in the future.
Tracking implementation strategies: a description of a practical approach and early findings

Published descriptions of implementation strategies often lack precision and consistency, limiting replicability and slowing accumulation of knowledge. Recent publication guidelines for implementation strategies call for improved description of the activities, dose, rationale and expected outcome(s) of strategies. However, capturing implementation strategies with this level of detail can be challenging, as responsibility for implementation is often diffuse and strategies may be flexibly applied as barriers and challenges emerge. We describe and demonstrate the development and application of a practical approach to identifying implementation strategies used in research and practice that could be used to guide their description and specification. An approach to tracking implementation strategies using activity logs completed by project personnel was developed to facilitate identification of discrete strategies. This approach was piloted in the context of a multi-component project to improve children’s access to behavioural health services in a county-based child welfare agency. Key project personnel completed monthly activity logs that gathered data on strategies used over 17 months. Logs collected information about implementation activities, intent, duration and individuals involved. Using a consensus approach, two sets of coders categorised each activity based upon Powell et al.’s (Med Care Res Rev 69:123–57, 2012) taxonomy of implementation strategies. Participants reported on 473 activities, which represent 45 unique strategies. Initial implementation was characterised by planning strategies followed by educational strategies. After project launch, quality management strategies predominated, suggesting a progression of implementation over time. Together, these strategies accounted for 1594 person-hours, many of which were reported by the leadership team that was responsible for project design, implementation and oversight. This approach allows for identifying discrete implementation strategies used over time, estimating dose, describing temporal ordering of implementation strategies, and pinpointing the major implementation actors. This detail could facilitate clear reporting of a full range of implementation strategies, including those that may be less observable. This approach could lead to a more nuanced understanding of what it takes to implement different innovations, the types of strategies that are most useful during specific phases of implementation, and how implementation strategies need to be adaptively applied throughout the course of a given initiative.
Evolving Concepts in Atopic Dermatitis.

Tremendous advances have been made in the field of atopic dermatitis in the past 5 years. We will explore developments in burden of disease, co-morbidities, pathogenesis, prevention, and management. The tremendous burden moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) places on families from a medical, psychosocial, and financial perspective has been characterized. Epidemiologic studies have identified intriguing new associations beyond the well-characterized “atopic march” of food allergies, asthma, and hay fever. Studies of primary prevention have gained traction including the remarkable impacts of early emollient therapy. Basic advances have simultaneously elucidated the nature of atopic inflammation, setting the stage for an explosion of new potential therapeutic targets. After a fallow period of nearly 15 years without a substantial therapeutic advance, this year has already seen two new FDA-approved treatments for AD. AD has a tremendous impact on quality of life with an underappreciated burden of disease; there are important newly described co-morbidities including ADHD and anemia; new insights into etio-pathogenesis have paved the way for novel topical therapies like crisaborole, and new systemic interventions like dupilumab.
249 Likelihood of patients with incomplete lupus to enter a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of hydroxychloroquine

Background and aims Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is used by the majority of patients who have incomplete lupus erythematosus (ILE), defined as positive ANA and 1–2 other criteria for SLE, although efficacy in this situation has never been proven in a rigorous clinical trial. The Study of anti-Malarials in Incomplete Lupus Erythematosus (SMILE) is a proposed placebo-controlled trial of HCQ in ILE designed to measure the effect of drug on progression to SLE. In order to judge trial feasibility, “mock recruitment” was performed. Methods 45 patients seen in outpatient clinics of the SMILE investigators for ANA and musculoskeletal or cutaneous complaints were interviewed using a structured script explaining the need for the trial, potential risks and benefits of HCQ and the possible randomization to placebo. They were then asked questions to ascertain their understanding of the trial and their willingness to enrol. Results 96% of the subjects were female; median age was 35 and median symptom duration 3 years. 13% were Hispanic and 13% were African American. 18% had a personal history of autoimmune disease other than lupus; 42% had a family history. Musculoskeletal and cutaneous symptoms were each in 60% of subjects. 73% of subjects were interested, and 64% were likely to enrol. The most common reason for disinterest was lack of time to participate (50%), risks of HCQ (25%) and possibility of getting placebo (19%). Conclusions A placebo-controlled clinical trial is feasible when the standard of care is an approved drug. 50% more subjects need to be screened to have enough to enrol in the trial.
Take 12: A Critical Performance

As a text whose first incarnation was a group performance staged at the Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture Since 1900, this critical performance piece explores the aesthetics of the figures of the white screen and white ink as they play through the prose work of Nicole Brossard and Helene Cixous, the films and plays of Marguerite Duras, and the films of Agnes Varda. As both text and context, this piece urges us to consider the ways that innovative scholarship pushes the boundaries of the printed page. The traditional abstract included here is merely a content teaser and, we hope, reads ironically against the innovative critical work that follows. If you wish to read more about the process by which this author undertook writing this essay, as well as the critical stakes of its production, please see the introduction to the volume as well as the accompanying anti-abstract at the close of the chapter.
Ureteritis Cystica: An Unusual Presentation in an Otherwise Healthy Female

A 23-year-old, previously healthy female presented with lower abdominal pain and mildly elevated creatinine one month following a right ureter stent for non-specific ureteral thickening causing obstruction. On admission, computed tomography (CT) revealed moderate hydronephrosis of the left kidney that would require stent placement as well. During stent placement, it was noted that the gross appearance of the ureters resembled ureteritis cystica. Biopsies were taken and showed signs of chronic inflammatory changes consistent with this diagnosis. Interestingly, this patient had no obvious medical history suggesting a cause for this process. She had been otherwise healthy with no recurrent episodes of urinary tract infection, nephrolithiasis, or sexually transmitted infection. The patient was discharged symptom-free following stent placement and will follow with urology for future stent replacements and clinical monitoring.
Investigation of structural analogs of prostaglandin amides for binding to and activation of CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in rat brain and human tonsils.

Arachidonyl ethanolamide (anandamide, AEA) is an endogenously produced lipid amide which binds to and activates the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. Further, administration of arachidonyl ethanolamide to animals produces many of the same physiological effects as classical and non-classical cannabinoids1,2. The CB1 cannabinoid receptors are found in the brain and central nervous system; the CB2 cannabinoid receptors are found in immune cells and tissue. Because arachidonyl ethanolamide is an arachidonic acid derivative, it is possible that it may be metabolized to a prostaglandin derivative. The carboxylic acid moiety is not necessary for binding to cyclooyxgenase, the enzyme which begins the arachidonic acid cascade3,4, suggesting that an ethanol amide derivative might be possible as a substrate for this enzyme. This lends potential physiological relevance to a prostaglandin amide.
MAGNETIC SUSPENSION AND GUIDANCE FOR HIGH-SPEED TRAINS BY MEANS OF SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS AND EDDY CURRENTS.

Passenger trains are limited to speeds below 150 mph by the requirement of a smooth track, since higher speeds promote rapid degradation of the rails. While improvements can be made, it is useful to consider alternate systems such as ground-effect machines, air-suspension vehicles, and the magnetic-suspension system considered here.
Activation, Aggregation, Inhibition and The Mechanism of Phospholipase A2

Phospholipids comprise a large portion of cell membranes and serve to form the hydrophobic barrier between the internal and external environments. Their regulation is crucial for membrane integrity and cell viability. Phospholipid catabolism plays an important role in this regulatory process. It has recently been found to have another, equally important, cellular function. Many of the breakdown products of phospholipid catabolism are important components in a number of regulatory pathways. These include the inositol phosphate second messengers, which are degradation products of phosphatidylinositol, and the eicosanoids, which are products of arachidonic acid metabolism (1). Phospholipid catabolism is carried out by four basic types of enzymes that hydrolyze the four ester bonds found in phospholipids. These enzymes are the phospholipases A1, A2, C, and D (2). Phospholipases A1 and A2 are responsible for cleaving the fatty acid ester bonds while phospholipases C and D cleave at the headgroup phosphoester bonds.
Visualization and quantitation of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 activity by digital fluorescence microscopy.

Cyclooxygenase (COX), also known as prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase, catalyzes the initial step in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins and thromboxanes. Two distinct forms of the enzyme, COX-1 and COX-2 are known to be encoded by separate genes and are expressed in different normal and diseased tissues (Pairet and Engelhardt, 1996; Williams and DuBois, 1996). COX-1 is expressed in a wide variety of normal cells and tissues and produces prostaglandins that mediate homeostatic function. COX-2 is virtually undetectable under normal physiological conditions but is induced in a variety of cells at sites of inflammation (Masferrer, 1995), cancer (Koki et.al., 1998), and in the central nervous system (Kaufman et.al., 1996). Despite the similar catalytic activity and high amino acid sequence homology of the two isoforms, selective inhibitors have been synthesized for COX-2 and these are expected to provide a new therapy for arthritis and pain (Lipsky, 1998), inflammation (Masferrer 1995) and cancer (Kawamori T, et.al., 1997)
THE DOPAMINE NEURONAL STORAGE SYSTEM AND NON-AMPHETAMINE PSYCHOTOGENIC STIMULANTS: A MODEL FOR PSYCHOSIS

ABSTRACT Behavioral, biochemical, and electrophysiological findings are consistent with a hypothesis that non-amphetamine psychotogenic stimulants act by mobilization of stored intraneuronal dopamine (DA) such that more transmitter is available for impulse-induced release. Such activity is associated with inhibition of the DA neuronal uptake system, while DA releasers, including amphetamine (AMPH), act by a different mechanism. The existence in the DA, but not in the norepinephrine (NE) neuron, of an interpool regulatory mechanism is proposed, with the transfer of stored DA to a releasable site being inhibited by free intraneuronal DA, Based on these considerations, a possible model of psychosis is presented.
HIME: discovering variable-length motifs in large-scale time series

Detecting repeated variable-length patterns, also called variable-length motifs, has received a great amount of attention in recent years. The state-of-the-art algorithm utilizes a fixed-length motif discovery algorithm as a subroutine to enumerate variable-length motifs. As a result, it may take hours or days to execute when the enumeration range is large. In this work, we introduce an approximate algorithm called hierarchical-based motif enumeration (HIME) to detect variable-length motifs with a large enumeration range in million-scale time series. We show in the experiments that the scalability of the proposed algorithm is significantly better than that of the state-of-the-art algorithm. Moreover, the motif length range detected by HIME is considerably larger than previous sequence matching-based approximate variable-length motif discovery approach. We demonstrate that HIME can efficiently detect meaningful variable-length motifs in long, real-world time series.
lncRNAKB: A comprehensive knowledgebase of long non-coding RNAs

ABSTRACT We have assembled a comprehensive long non-coding RNAknowledgebase (lncRNAKB) of 77,199 annotated human lncRNAs (224,286 transcripts) by methodically integrating widely used lncRNAs resources. To facilitate functional characterization of lncRNAs, we employed Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project to provide tissue-specific gene expression profiles of lncRNAs in 31 solid organ tissues. Additional information includes network analysis to identify co-expressed gene modules to potentially delineate lncRNA function. Tissue-specificity, phylogenetic conservation scores and coding potential for lncRNAs are included. Finally, using whole genome sequencing data from GTEx, expression quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTL) regulated lncRNAs were calculated in all tissues. lncRNAKB is available at http://www.lncrnakb.org.
Tracing the delinquency acquisition sequence from older siblings, to friends, to self: A mediation analysis

Abstract Introduction This study tested the hypothesis that sibling and peer delinquency are connected and that this connection is relevant to future criminal offending. Methods Drawing on research showing that both sibling and peer delinquency predict future participant offending, a causal mediation analysis was performed on 411 boys from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development. In this study, older sibling delinquency served as the independent variable, school problem behavior and friend delinquency served as mediator variables, and participant's reports of their own offending served as the dependent variable. Results The indirect effect running from older sibling delinquency at age 10–11, to school problem behavior at age 12–13, to friend delinquency at age 14–15, to participant delinquency at age 16–17 proved significant. The effect remained significant when the number of officially recorded criminal convictions between the ages of 16 and 19 replaced self-reported delinquency as the dependent variable. By contrast, the direct effect from sibling delinquency at age 10–11 to participant delinquency at age 16–17 and several shorter paths (older sibling delinquency → school problem behavior → participant delinquency; older sibling delinquency → friend delinquency → participant delinquency) were non-significant. Conclusions These results imply that older sibling delinquency may lead to future delinquency and crime by encouraging early school problems, which, in turn, may precipitate future offending by encouraging the child to select and associate with a delinquent peer group.
Higher depression severity mediates the association of assault military sexual trauma and sexual function in partnered female service members/veterans.

Abstract Background: Military sexual trauma (MST), and assault as opposed to harassment-only MST in particular, is associated with lower sexual function among female service members/veterans (SM/Vs). Recent research revealed that higher posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters of anhedonia and dysphoric arousal mediated the association of assault MST and sexual function. Such clusters represent the depressive symptoms of PTSD, and theories of sexual function suggest that depression worsens sexual function. The impact of depression on the association of MST and sexual function has yet to be tested. Method: Using path analysis, the study examined whether depression severity mediated the association of MST and sexual function after accounting for demographics and mediators of PTSD-related anhedonia and dysphoric arousal. Female SM/Vs (N = 697) completed measures of MST (history, severity), depression, PTSD-related anhedonia and dysphoric arousal, sexual function, and a demographic inventory. Results: One hundred twenty-two (17.50%) indicated that they did not experience MST, 336 (48.21%) reported that they experienced harassment-only MST, and 239 (34.29%) reported assault MST. Fit indices evidenced strong model fit, χ2(12, N = 697)=18.85, p=.09, CFI=1.00, TLI=0.99, SRMR=0.02, and RMSEA=0.03. The indirect effect of depression severity was significant (p
Indications and Limitations of Bilayer Wound Matrix-Based Lower Extremity Reconstruction: A Multidisciplinary Case-Control Study of 191 Wounds.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the efficacy of newer skin substitute scaffolds to reconstruct complex lower extremity wounds. The investigators present a multihospital experience of reconstructive surgeons utilizing collagen-GAG bilayer wound matrix in lower extremity soft-tissue reconstruction with the goals to (1) characterize a suitable patient population, (2) categorize failures to optimize patient selection, and (3) determine wound factors affecting success. METHODS Subjects underwent collagen-GAG-based lower extremity wound reconstruction from May of 2010 to June of 2017. The primary outcome variable was 180-day graft success, defined as eventual split-thickness skin grafting after bilayer wound matrix application; failure was defined as inadequate wound bed for split-thickness skin grafting, requirement for vascularized tissue transfer, or eventual amputation. Eligible subjects had at least one lower extremity wound and were at least 18 years old. Exclusion criteria included third-degree burn wounds or failure to follow up for at least 60 days postoperatively. Predictor variables included demographics, medical comorbidities, perioperative characteristics, postoperative complications, and cost-related data for each hospitalization. RESULTS There were 147 subjects with 191 wounds. Mean patient age was 60.1 years (range, 21.0 to 95.6 years), and mean body mass index was 30.5 kg/m (range, 14.4 to 64.7 kg/m). Average wound size was 73.1 ± 137.7 cm, with 49.0 percent of subjects receiving adjunct postoperative negative-pressure wound therapy. Seventy percent of wounds were successfully healed at 180 days. Most were localized between the knee and ankle (50.8 percent) or foot (46.1 percent). Tendon exposure (p < 0.05), bone exposure (p < 0.01), and bone excision (p < 0.04) were associated with reconstructive failure. CONCLUSIONS The authors present the largest reported multihospital, multidisciplinary experience with collagen-GAG wound matrix for lower extremity reconstruction. Tendon and/or bone exposure and socioeconomic factors were associated with failure. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Risk, III.
“Human behavior and the social media environment”: group differences in social media attitudes and knowledge among U.S. social work students

Social media has ethical implications for social work practice, and accordingly, for professional identity and social work education. In Spring 2019, we administered a 57-item survey to undergradua...
Dynamic Spectrum Access for Femtocell Networks: A Graph Neural Network Based Learning Approach

This paper concerns the dynamic spectrum access problem for femtocell networks, where traffic loads are different among cells. We model the interference relationship of the femtocell networks with conflict graphs, and a graphical game is employed as the channel access coordination mechanism. A graph neural network based architecture is proposed, which directly maps traffic loads to the channel access scheme for each femtocell. With our method, each femtocell first estimates the qualities of all available channels based on the information from its neighbors, and then the channels of the highest quality are accessed. A multiagent reinforcement learning framework is designed to train the proposed architecture to make accurate estimations of channel quality.
Factor Effects in Numerical Simulations

AbstractNumerical simulations allow users to adjust factor settings in experimental runs to understand how changes in those factors affect the output. However, it is not straightforward to analyze ...
Chronic and acute arsenic exposure enhance EGFR expression via distinct molecular mechanisms.

Abstract The impacts of acute arsenic exposure (i.e. vomiting, diarrhea, and renal failure) are distinct from those brought about by sustained, low level exposure from environmental sources or drinking of contaminated well water. Chronic arsenic exposure is a risk factor for the development of pulmonary diseases, including lung cancer. How arsenic exposure leads to pulmonary disease is not fully understood. Both acute versus chronic arsenic exposure increase EGFR expression, but do so via distinct molecular mechanisms. BEAS-2B cells were exposed to either acute sodium arsenite (5 μM for 24 h) or chronic sodium arsenite (100 nM for 24 weeks). Cells treated with acute arsenic exhibited a decrease in viability, changes in morphology, and increased mRNA level of BTC. In contrast, during 24 weeks of arsenic exposure, the cells had increased EGFR expression and activity, and increased mRNA and protein levels of TGFα. Further, chronic arsenic treatment caused an increase in cell migration in the absence of exogenous ligand. Elevated TGFα and EGFR expression are features of many non-small cell lung cancers. We propose that lung epithelial cells chronically exposed to low level arsenic increases EGFR signaling via TGFα production to enhance ligand-independent cell migration.
Visualization and quantification of lab vibratory compacting process for aggregate base materials using accelerometer

Abstract Although being widely used as the quality control for field compaction, neither the standard nor modified Proctor tests match the compaction effort of existing field compaction machineries commonly used today. More importantly, these methods are incapable of identifying the compactability of soil materials other than maximum dry density and optimum moisture content. With the widespread application of intelligent compaction (IC), there is a need to develop a new laboratory compaction method for soil and aggregate materials in which a detailed compaction process could be visualized or quantified. In this study, a lab scale vibratory compactor, asphalt vibratory compactor (AVC), was adopted to compact an aggregate base material with a mounted accelerometer. Based on dry density-moisture content curves, the AVC compaction was more effective in compacting cohesionless soils than the standard Proctor test, and there existed an optimum AVC parameter setting to acquire the highest dry density of aggregates as well as more stable frequency spectrums. In addition, by using the discrete-time Fourier transform the lab compaction process could be visualized through the frequency-domain spectrums. Two IC parameters, Compaction Meter Value (CMV) and the Compaction Control Values (CCV), were calculated for specimens at different water content. The CCV value had a more stable pattern and two distinct compaction stages could be identified for the lab compaction, which could be used to construct the lab compaction curve. Based on the lab compaction curves, AVC has the potential to identify the moisture content and compactability of soil materials and to guide the field compaction.
An Ethics-based Approach to Research in Global Health: A Call to Action for Pharmacists

Abstract As opportunities and interests in international partnerships and research continue to grow in pharmacy, so, too, does the likelihood of encountering ethical challenges. We posit that the chance of encountering an ethical challenge in global health is almost inevitable. This commentary serves as an introduction to a series of four papers highlighting ethical issues in global health research for pharmacists. The authors draw on core ethical principles to guide collaborative global research in working to advance the health of people and populations worldwide.