cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Authors' reply to van Lent and Out.

We thank van Lent and Out for highlighting the distinction between industry sponsored and industry supported trials.1 2 We acknowledge that multiple approaches are used to categorise trials by funding source, and we were pleased to see the authors’ …
Photodecomposition of the Acaricide N’-(4-Chloro-O-tolyl)-N, N-Dimethylforormamidine

The photodecomposition of N’ -(4-chloro- o -tolyl)- N’, N’ -dimethylformamidine (Galecron®) and 4-chloro- o -toluidine was studied in solution and on silica gel chromatoplates. Radiochemical, chemical, and spectral analyses indicated that both compounds underwent structural alterations in the presence of ultraviolet light (254 mμ and 364 mμ) and sunlight. The major decomposition product from Galecron was N-forrnyl-4-chloro- o toluidine; photo decomposition products from 4-chloro- o -toluidine were numerous and were not characterized.
The Research Consortium on Religious Healthcare Institutions: studying the impact of religious restrictions on women's reproductive health

Catholic hospitals and other religious institutions are a large and growing part of the US health care system. They have specific policies restricting reproductive health care. Despite increased public attention in the media to women denied necessary pregnancy-related care at Catholic hospitals, research on the effects of religious restrictions remains limited. This article summarizes research priorities as generated by 80 attendees at the inaugural meeting of the Research Consortium on Religious Healthcare Institutions. Such research is need to understand the impact of religious health system ownership on women's health.
The Political Is Personal: Public Sociology and Social Change Through Community Engagement

Community colleges are fertile grounds for centering the civic in course development and student assignments. This chapter reflects on two community engaged projects used in introductory sociology courses at an urban community college. A traditional service learning approach and a student centered data collection project were both attempted as a way to add a public sociology focus and a civic engagement component to the required introductory cour‑se. While both projects enhanced the sociology course, students had different experiences and gained a range of new skills and knowledge from these activities.
Braids: out-of-order performance with almost in-order complexity

There is still much performance to be gained by out-of-order processors with wider issue widths. However, traditional methods of increasing issue width do not scale; that is, they drastically increase design complexity and power requirements. This dissertation introduces the braid, a compile-time generated entity that enables the execution core to scale to wider widths by exploiting the small fanout and short lifetime of values produced by the program. A braid captures dataflow and register usage information of the program which are known to the compiler but are not traditionally conveyed to the microarchitecture through the instruction set architecture. Braid processing requires identification by the compiler, minor augmentations to the instruction set architecture, and support by the microarchitecture. The execution core of the braid microarchitecture consists of a number of braid execution units (BEUs). The BEU is tailored to efficiently carry out the execution of a braid in an in-order fashion. Each BEU consists of a FIFO scheduler, a busy-bit vector, two functional units, and a small internal register file. The braid microarchitecture provides a number of opportunities for the reduction of design complexity. It reduces the port requirements of the renaming mechanism, it simplifies the steering process, it reduces the area, size, and port requirements of the register file, and it reduces the port requirements and paths of the bypass network. The complexity savings result in a design characterized by a lower power requirement, a shorter pipeline, and a higher clock frequency. On an 8-wide design, the result from executing braids is performance within 9% of a very aggressive conventional out-of-order microarchitecture with the complexity of an in-order implementation. Three bottlenecks are identified in the braid microarchitecture and a solution is presented to address each. The limitation on braid size is addressed by dynamic merging. The underutilization of braid execution resources caused by long-latency instructions is addressed by context sharing. The poor utilization of braid execution resources caused by single-instruction braids is addressed by heterogeneous execution resources.
The anti-craving taurine derivative acamprosate: failure to extinguish morphine conditioned place preference.

Acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurinate) is a taurine derivative that is used as a pharmacotherapeutic for the treatment of alcoholism. In both animals and humans, acamprosate reduces alcohol intake and the propensity to relapse during abstinence. Acamprosate has therefore been called an “anti-craving” compound1.
Some roentgenologic aspects of pulmonary emphysema copd

While many of the clinical and morphologic features of emphysema have been characterixed over the years, making a roentgenologic diagnosis is still difficult. The roentgenologic signs that can be used with some assurance are presented here.
Treatment of patients with chronic thrombo embolic pulmonary hypertension: focus on riociguat

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a disease of the pulmonary vascular bed that is characterized by elevations in the mean pulmonary artery pressure in the setting of perfusion defects on ventilation–perfusion scan, and subsequently confirmed by pulmonary angiography. CTEPH, or World Health Organization (WHO) group 4 pulmonary hypertension, is a result of unresolved thromboembolic obstruction in the pulmonary arteries. Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the treatment of choice for CTEPH as it is a potentially curative therapy. However, up to one-third of patients are not candidates for the surgery, either due to distal and inaccessible nature of the lesions or comorbid conditions. Due to remodeling that occurs in nonobstructed pulmonary vessels, a portion of patients who have undergone PEA have residual CTEPH after the procedure, attributable to high shear stress prior to PEA. This phenomenon has led to the understanding of a so-called “two-compartment model” of CTEPH, opening the door to pharmacologic treatment strategies. In 2013, riociguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, was approved in the US and Europe for the treatment of inoperable or persistent/recurrent CTEPH. This article reviews the current management of CTEPH with a focus on riociguat.
A New Method Comparing Snowmelt Timing with Annual Area Burned

The interactions between climate and wildland fire are complex. To better understand these interactions, we used ArcMap 10.2.2 to examine the relationships between early spring snowmelt and total annual area burned within a defined region of the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. Our research methods used Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) fire perimeter data and weekly snow extent provided by the Rutgers Global Snow Lab analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) daily snow maps. Our results indicated a significant correlation between early spring snowmelt and total annual area burned (P = 0.0497), providing further evidence that snowmelt timing may be a driving factor for wildland fires. This project builds on the findings of previous studies and provides a novel method for making general predictions about the upcoming fire season months in advance, using freely available remotely sensed data in real time. Further research should apply our model to a broader geographic area, and incorporate higher resolution snowmelt timing data.
Modeling of a multi-core processor thermal dynamics for development of Dynamic Thermal Management controllers

This paper demonstrates a process by which multi-core processor thermal dynamics are modeled using a combination of commercially available high fidelity numerical simulators and system identification techniques. The process produces reduced order models suitable for Dynamic Thermal Management (DTM) controller designs. An example microprocessor package is provided to illustrate the technique. A simple DTM controller is developed and applied to the modeled system.
Rectopexy with and Without Sigmoid Resection

To achieve adequate long-term functional results in patients with rectal prolapse, either open or laparoscopically, a careful preoperative evaluation and the selection of the appropriate surgical technique based on the physiologic parameters of the specific patient are required. If these principles are applied to laparoscopy, there is no reason to believe that our long-term results will be less optimal than those achieved in the best series of conventional open approach, while the advantages of a less invasive technique will then benefit this patient population.
Identification of bacterial pathogens from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues by using 16S sequencing: retrospective correlation of results to clinicians' responses

16S sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) material has been used to identify bacteria when culture-based phenotyping techniques have not worked. The objective of this study was to determine how frequently 16S sequencing used in FFPE material was helpful to clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Requests for testing occurred upon consultation between an infectious disease pathologist and a surgical pathologist or an infectious disease physician. A selected paraffin block from each case was referred for 16S sequencing. Retrospectively, we correlated clinical history and management decisions on 27 cases that were tested by paneubacterial 16S sequencing. Samples included 24 surgical specimens, 1 autopsy, and 2 cytology blocks. Seventeen (63%) of the 27 cases had a positive 16S sequencing. Acute inflammation was present in 10 of these cases, and organisms were observed using special stains in 3. In 11 (65%) of the 17 cases, clinicians considered the organism identified by 16S sequencing to be the cause or possible cause of the infectious process. Organisms included common (Citrobacter) and fastidious bacteria (Haemophilus, Fusobacterium). In 3 cases, clinicians changed antibiotic treatment based on the bacteria identified, whereas in 8 (including 2 where no organism was found), clinicians continued the antibiotic treatment. The use of 16S sequencing on FFPE identified specific bacteria even when organisms were not observed histopathologically. 16S results had an impact in infectious disease management decisions.
Enhancing interdisciplinary climate change work through comprehensive evaluation

Abstract This paper shares the details of an evaluation plan from an interdisciplinary climate change project that developed decision support tools (DSTs) 2 for agricultural advisors and farmers. It showcases how evaluation enhanced the project work by providing opportunities for the team to reflect on and use data to improve performance. The plan included both formative and summative approaches, team member interviews to assess team functioning, usability testing of DSTs, outreach and marketing campaign evaluation. Outreach evaluation included surveying those reached, monitoring project website traffic, and tracking and mapping outreach details. Marketing evaluation included pre-testing campaign materials, assessing open and click rates of email campaign, and monitoring associated traffic to website. The Useful to Usable (U2U) team was generally high functioning, but team interviews allowed the evaluators and leaders to discern factors that were influencing intended outcomes, respond to needs, assign resources, and catalyze activities that were crucial in shaping the outcomes. Usability testing surfaced issues related to default values and search and help features that were addressed by the team and resulted in improved usability. Outreach evaluation found geographic and methodological gaps that were filled, resulting in more target audiences reached and more effective methods used (e.g., hands-on events). Marketing evaluation allowed for improving contact lists over time and improving campaign messaging before deployment. Evaluators and project leaders working on similar projects may adapt or utilize methods detailed in this paper, along with the recommendations, while designing and implementing improvement-oriented evaluation plans.
“Go! to Sleep”: A Web-Based Therapy for Insomnia

Abstract Background: Insomnia is a common complaint of individuals presenting to healthcare providers and is associated with decreased quality of life and higher healthcare utilization. In-person cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for insomnia but is hindered by cost and limited access to treatment. Initial research suggests that Web-based CBT may mitigate these obstacles. Introduction: This study tests the effectiveness of a Web-based program for insomnia based on principles of CBT and stress management. Materials and Methods: We conducted a randomized trial with wait-list controls among adults with primary insomnia (n = 88). Two hundred sixty-three adults with comorbid insomnia were also included and analyzed separately. The intervention was a 6-week online program, and effectiveness was measured via the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results: Baseline ISI score for the intervention group (n = 43) was 17.0; 16.6 for the control group (n = 45). At first follow-up, the interventi...
On the stability of plastic flow in cutting of metals

Abstract We examine large-strain deformation and unsteady flow modes in cutting using high-speed imaging. For metals which exhibit large workability and strain hardening, the commonly assumed laminar flow is inherently unstable. Instead, the cutting is characterized by sinuous flow, with large-amplitude folding, that is triggered by a plastic buckling instability linked to the material microstructure. A microstructure basis is also suggested for shear band flow in high-speed cutting, with the band region showing a fluid-like characteristic with very small viscosity. Mechanochemical Rehbinder effects, long reported in cutting of metals, are found to be closely linked to the unsteady flow modes.
The Double Clinching Auction for Wagering

We develop the first incentive compatible and near-Pareto-optimal wagering mechanism. Wagering mechanisms can be used to elicit predictions from agents who reveal their beliefs by placing bets. Lambert et al. [20, 21] introduced weighted score wagering mechanisms, a class of budget-balanced wagering mechanisms under which agents with immutable beliefs truthfully report their predictions. However, we demonstrate that these and other existing incentive compatible wagering mechanisms are not Pareto optimal: agents have significant budget left over even when additional trade would be mutually beneficial. Motivated by this observation, we design a new wagering mechanism, the double clinching auction, a two-sided version of the adaptive clinching auction [9]. We show that no wagering mechanism can simultaneously satisfy weak budget balance, individual rationality, weak incentive compatibility, and Pareto optimality. However, we prove that the double clinching auction attains the first three and show in a series of simulations using real contest data that it comes much closer to Pareto optimality than previously known incentive compatible wagering mechanisms, in some cases almost matching the efficiency of the Pareto optimal (but not incentive compatible) parimutuel consensus mechanism. When the goal of wagering is to crowdsource probabilities, Pareto optimality drives participation and incentive compatibility drives accuracy, making the double clinching auction an attractive and practical choice. Our mechanism may be of independent interest as the first two-sided version of the adaptive clinching auction.
Ethical Rules, Law Firm Structure and Choice of Law

State regulation of lawyers has failed to keep pace with the increased complexity and geographic scope of law practice. A particular problem is that lawyers in the branch office of a multi-jurisdictional firm are subject to the ethical rules of the state in which the branch office is located. The firm therefore potentially is subject to differing regulations in each state where it has branches. This is particularly a problem concerning rules that apply to the firm as such, including rules regarding the firm's name and capital structure. As a result, firms must either accept uniform rules or the rules of the most restrictive state. This means that structural rules do not accommodate the many differences among firms as to size, structure, market, and other factors. It also produces a single rule from a flawed political process rather than allowing for competition or evolution of rules. If left free of constraints, law firms would seek to maximize the market value of their assets, particularly including reputational assets, including by finding ways to motivate the firm's members to devote efforts to serving its clients. Thus, forcing firms to comply with uniform or restrictive state ethical rules relating to such matters as capital structure and non-competition agreements may perversely hurt the very clients such rules are supposed to protect. This article proposes solving this problem by permitting law firms to agree to application of a single state's ethical rules that relate to law firm structure. This would offer the advantages of an "internal affairs" choice-of-law rule for non-professional firms.
Keratinocytes mediate innocuous and noxious touch via ATP-P2X4 signaling

The skin is the largest sensory organ of the body, and the first point of contact with the outside world. Whether it is being pinched or caressed, the skin’s sense of touch informs organisms about their surroundings and allows them to react appropriately. Nerve cells present in the skin capture information about touch and transmit it to the brain where it is decoded. However, there are many other types of cells in the skin besides nerve cells. The role that these other skin cells play in perceiving non-painful and painful touch is still unclear. Moehring et al. now report how the skin cells that form 95% of the most outer layer of the skin are involved in detecting touch. In mutant mice whose cells can be ‘switched off’ by a certain light, artificially deactivating these cells makes the animals less able to respond to tactile stimuli. Further experiments show that when pressure is applied onto the skin, the surface skin cells release a chemical messenger, which then binds specifically to the nerve cells. When the messaging molecule is experimentally destroyed or prevented from attaching to the nerve cell, the mice react less to non-painful and painful touch. This means the cells at the surface of the skin detect tactile signals from the environment and then communicate this information to the nerve cells, where it is taken to the brain. Disrupted communication between the cells in the outer layer of the skin and the nerve cells is found in painful and itchy skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Knowing how these two types of cells normally work together may help with finding new pain and itch treatments for these skin disorders.
Modified Approach to Stroke Rehabilitation (MAStR): feasibility study of a method to apply procedural memory concepts to transfer training

Objective: Training and implementation for a multidisciplinary stroke rehabilitation method emphasizing procedural memory. Background: Current practice in stroke rehabilitation relies on explicit m...
Cytotoxicity of 34 FDA approved small-molecule kinase inhibitors in primary rat and human hepatocytes

Abstract Of the 34 FDA approved oral small-molecule kinase inhibitors (KI), 23 (68%) have warnings for hepatotoxicity in product labeling. To better understand the mechanisms of KI hepatotoxicity and whether such effects can be predicted, we examined 34 KIs for cytotoxicity in primary rat and human hepatocytes. The hepatocytes were treated with KIs at ten concentrations normalized to maximal therapeutic blood levels (Cmax). At 5 and 24 h post treatment, lactate dehydrogenase or alanine aminotransferase leakage, caspase 3/7 activities and cellular adenosine triphosphate levels were measured. At 1 to 100-fold Cmax, while 5 KIs were neither toxic to human nor rat hepatocytes, 3 KIs showed similar cytotoxicity in both species and 26 KIs showed species-biased cytotoxicity, with 16 KIs being more toxic to human hepatocytes and 10 KIs being more toxic to rat hepatocytes. At concentrations of 1-, 2.5-, 5-, 10-, 100-fold Cmax, the number of cytotoxic KIs in human hepatocytes was 4, 8, 11, 14 and 27, respectively, and the corresponding number in rat hepatocytes was 1, 4, 9, 12 and 27, respectively. When hepatocyte cytotoxicity at 100-fold Cmax was used to predict KI clinical hepatotoxicity reflected in product labeling, the accuracy was 0.65 with human hepatocytes and 0.59 with rat cells. When the criterion of daily dose ≥100 mg or Cmax ≥1.1 μM was used to predict KI hepatotoxicity, the accuracy was 0.56 or 0.47, respectively. These results suggest both indirect and direct drug-induced hepatocyte toxicity may contribute to the mechanisms of KI-induced hepatotoxicity seen clinically and use of primary hepatocytes is a useful in vitro model to help predict such toxicity.
InAs/AlSb type II superlattice avalanche photodiodes (Erratum)

Publisher’s Note: This paper, originally published on 5/4/2018, was replaced with a corrected/revised version on 3/7/2019. If you downloaded the original PDF but are unable to access the revision, please contact SPIE Digital Library Customer Service for assistance. Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are a promising detector technology for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems needed for a variety of DoD and commercial applications. However, a new material that is sensitive to 1.55 μm and has low “excess noise” is needed to achieve the required signal-to-noise. The main issue for improving APD signal-to-noise is to reduce excess noise. Excess noise is inevitable in APDs because impact ionization must occur to obtain a high multiplication gain. One solution to reduce the excess noise is to develop a new material system with favorable impact ionization coefficients. The ratio of electron (α) and hole (β) impact ionization coefficients, defined as k value, is intrinsically defined by the material and is a dominant factor for the APD’s excess noise. In this work, we investigate InAs/AlSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) APD. The superlattices provide us with additional degrees of freedom to engineer the electronic band structure. Our work is building on previous, promising results with the quaternary system AlInAsSb. We have theoretically modeled an InAs/AlSb type II superlattice (T2SL) system that can provide flexibility to engineer the electronic band structure to achieve single carrier impact ionization and reduce the excess noise. The simulation of this T2SL predicts that InAs/AlSb has higher absorption and would work as an electron- APD with low k. We will discuss design, growth, fabrication and IV characterization of this photodiodes.
10 Personality Strengths

In this chapter, we grapple with the question in our title, whether it makes sense to think of personality characteristics as strengths. We begin by considering the differences between personality characteristics and the notion of “psychological strengths,” highlighting the various implications of the metaphor of muscular strength for personality characteristics. Drawing on Allport's definition of personality, we define personality strengths as situation specific assets associated with adjustment. We provide a brief overview of resilience and coping resources and then consider the possibility that traits and motive dispositions may serve as strengths. In examining motivational strengths, we consider goal pursuit and self-regulatory resources as strengths as well. Throughout the chapter, we highlight the role of the situation in determining whether personality characteristics will be strengths or weaknesses. We note the variety of research directions suggested by considering the question of whether personality characteristics may serve as situation-specific strengths. Finally, we consider the wisdom of thinking about personality from a strengths perspective. If personality represents the stable aspects of the person, it might make more sense to consider the situations that we might create to optimize these enduring characteristics. Keywords: personality; psychological strengths; positive psychology
Endothelial cells are a source of Nestin expression in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Uncontrolled proliferation of endothelial cells is essential to the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Both proliferation and cytoskeleton reorganization are associated with upregulation of the intermediate filament protein Nestin. Recently, accumulation of Nestin-expressing cells was found in pulmonary vascular lesions of PAH patients. The goal of this study is to determine if Nestin expression contributes to endothelial proliferation in pulmonary arterial hypertension, using both lung tissues and endothelial cells. Here we found that endothelial cells from complex and plexiform lesions of PAH patients expressed Nestin. These Nestin+ cells further stained positive for the angiogenic factors CXC chemokine ligand 12 and Wnt1. Likewise, in the chronic hypoxia/SU5416 animal model of pulmonary hypertension, Nestin+ endothelial cells were found in occlusive pulmonary vascular lesions. In vitro, both growing rat and human lung endothelial cells expressed Nestin protein. When Nestin was overexpressed in endothelial cells (both rat and human), Nestin overexpression promoted proliferation and expression of CXC chemokine ligand 12. Nestin overexpression further increased angiogenic tube formation in vitro. Conclusions: We found increased Nestin expression from endothelial cells of occlusive lung vascular lesions in severe pulmonary hypertension. Elevated Nestin expression likely contributes to unchecked pulmonary vascular proliferation and angiogenesis, possibly via induction of CXC chemokine ligand 12. Additional studies are required to determine whether targeting Nestin would be beneficial to treat PAH.
Ferroelectric, Optical, and Photovoltaic Properties of Morphotropic Phase Boundary Compositions in the PbTiO3–BiFeO3–Bi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3 System

Ferroelectrics can exhibit the bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE), which enables a switchable photoresponse and above-band-gap open-circuit voltages (Voc). For these systems a large remnant polarization (Pr) combined with a narrow band gap (Eg) is believed to be critical in optimizing the photovoltaic performance. Here we investigate the PbTiO3-BiFeO3-Bi(Ni1/2Ti1/2)O3 system which exhibits a large bulk Pr and a tunable narrow Eg. To optimize the ferroelectric polarization, ceramic samples were prepared in the vicinity of the ternary morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and their photovoltaic properties were characterized over a broad range of optical wavelengths. MPB compositions with a direct optical gap ranging from 2.25 - 2.85 eV and Pr = 32 - 39 μC/cm2 show a BPVE with Voc = 6 V at room temperature and a wavelength-dependent switchable photoresponse. Under 1 sun AM1.5 G illumination the short-circuit photocurrent (jsc) increased by an order of magnitude as Eg was lowered from 2.85 eV to 2.25 eV, with ~ 0.1 ...
Effect of a commercial anionic dietary supplement on urinary pH and concentrations of electrolytes and pH in blood of horses.

ABSTRACTAims: To compare urine urinary pH, blood pH and concentration of electrolytes in blood of healthy horses fed an anionic salt supplement to achieve diets with a dietary cation-anion differen...
Laboratory Features and Pathology of the Cytokine Storm Syndromes

This chapter describes the proposed pathogenesis of the cytokine storm syndromes (hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and macrophage activation syndrome), the laboratory findings associated with these diseases, and the currently recommended diagnostic strategies. The pathogenesis of primary forms of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is based on an impaired function of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK cells, which then leads to an inability of the immune system to clear the original antigenic insult, ultimately resulting in an uncontrolled release of cytokines. The exact pathogenesis of secondary HLH and macrophage activation syndrome, while presumably similar, is not well understood. Laboratory findings are nonspecific and comprise cytopenias, altered liver function tests, hypofibrinogenemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperferritinemia, altered cerebrospinal fluid analysis in patient with neurologic symptoms, and tissue hemophagocytosis. Diagnostic strategies include an initial testing assessment to detect the above-described changes that support the clinical concern for HLH. Disease-specific testing, available only in few laboratories, includes levels of soluble CD25, NK cell function assay, flow cytometric techniques for screening, and genetic testing for the mutations associated with primary HLH.
Rice momilactone gene cluster: transcriptional response to barnyard grass ( Echinochloa crus - galli )

Expression of genes involved in diterpene biosynthesis, especially momilactone and gibberellins (GAs), in rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) in response to barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) stress was examined. The three analyzed class II diterpene synthases had the highest fold change expression. Transcription patterns of genes for two homologs of momilactone synthases, OsMAS and OsMAS2, suggests their distinct roles in response to the presence of barnyard grass.
Trends in Mental Well-Being of Non-Hispanic White Children of Midlife Parents With Low Education.

Background:It is unknown whether recent increase in mortality and morbidity linked to mental despair (eg, suicide, opioid addiction, alcoholism) in midlife non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) was accompanie...
Individually Tailored Yoga for Chronic Neck or Back Pain in a Low-income Population: A Pilot Study.

Background: Low-income people are disproportionately affected by chronic back and neck pain. Yoga may be an effective therapy. Aims: This feasibility pilot study evaluated an individualized yoga plan for the treatment of chronic spinal pain. Methods: Participants were recruited from a federally qualified health center in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Each participant received an individually tailored yoga prescription and practice plan. Pain and quality of life were measured pre and post intervention using the standard 10-cm pain scale and the well-validated EQ-5D-3L, respectively. Qualitative data regarding participants' attitudes and experience were also collected and analyzed. Results: Individuals showed a mean change of −2.4 from pre/post 10-cm pain scale recordings (P = 0.028, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.390–−4.477) and a mean increase of 0.26 on the EQ-5D-3L (P = 0.029, 95% CI: 0.04–0.47). The intervention was well-received. Conclusions: An individually tailored yoga program was acceptable to these participants. Pain and quality of life scores appeared to improve.
Association of State Marijuana Legalization Policies for Medical and Recreational Use With Vaping-Associated Lung Disease

This cross-sectional study evaluates the association between marijuana legalization policies and vaping-associated lung disease in states with recreational, medical, or prohibited marijuana use.
The Case for Universal Cloth Mask Adoption and Policies to Increase Supply of Medical Masks for Health Workers

We recommend the immediate universal adoption of cloth facemasks, including homemade, and accompanying policies to increase the supply of medical masks for heal
Heterogeneous expression of the SARS-Coronavirus-2 receptor ACE2 in the human respiratory tract

Zoonotically transmitted coronaviruses are responsible for three disease outbreaks since 2002, including the current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2. Its efficient transmission and range of disease severity raise questions regarding the contributions of virus-receptor interactions. ACE2 is a host ectopeptidase and the receptor for SARS-CoV-2. Despite numerous reports describing ACE2 mRNA abundance and tissue distribution, there remains a paucity of data evaluating ACE2 protein and its correlation with other SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility factors. Here, we systematically examined the human upper and lower respiratory tract using single-cell RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry to determine receptor expression and evaluated its association with risk factors for severe COVID-19. Our results reveal that ACE2 protein is highest within the sinonasal cavity and pulmonary alveoli, sites of presumptive viral transmission and severe disease development, respectively. In the lung parenchyma, ACE2 protein was found on the apical surface of a small subset of alveolar type II cells and colocalized with TMPRSS2, a cofactor for SARS-CoV2 entry. ACE2 protein was not increased by pulmonary risk factors for severe COVID-19. However, ACE2 protein was increased in children, a demographic with a reduced incidence of severe COVID-19. These results offer new insights into ACE2 localization and function in susceptibility to COVID-19.
The Association of Vision, Hearing, and Dual-Sensory Loss with Walking Speed and Incident Slow Walking: Longitudinal and Time to Event Analyses in the Health and Retirement Study.

With the aging of the population, vision (VL), hearing (HL), and dual-sensory (DSL, concurrent VL and HL) loss will likely constitute important public health challenges. Walking speed is an indicator of functional status and is associated with mortality. Using the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative U.S. cohort, we analyzed the longitudinal relationship between sensory loss and walking speed. In multivariable mixed effects linear models, baseline walking speed was slower by 0.05 m/s (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.04–0.07) for VL, 0.02 (95% CI = 0.003–0.03) for HL, and 0.07 (95% CI = 0.05–0.08) for DSL compared with those without sensory loss. Similar annual declines in walking speeds occurred in all groups. In time-to-event analyses, the risk of incident slow walking speed (walking speed
The Religious Perfectionism Scale: A Cross-cultural Psychometric Evaluation Among Christians in the United States:

The Religious Perfectionism Scale (RPS) was first developed among Chinese Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims. It consists of the following two subscales: Zealous Religious Dedication and Religious ...
Characterizing Multisensory Sensitivity in People with Chronic Pain versus Pain-free Adults

Mechanism-based approaches appears to be promising for pain management. Multisensory sensitivity (MSS) to non-painful stimuli may be a marker to infer central sensitivity processing. MSS is abnormally heightened in those with centrally mediated pain conditions compared to healthy controls. However, whether MSS can differentiate pain subtypes involving different levels of central sensitivity remains unknown. All survey data were collected electronically using REDCap software. 419 pain-free adults and 755 chronic pain patients, particularly FM, migraine or LBP were recruited, with additional pain co-morbidities assessed. All pain groups reported higher MSS than pain-free cohorts (Cohen's d = 0.32 – 1.2, p ≤ 0.0007), after covariates adjustment. MSS was the highest in FM, followed by migraine, and LBP reported the lowest MSS (Cohen's d = 0.37 – 0.96, p ≤ 0.0008). When more broadly grouping patients by pain comorbidities, four pain subgroups were considered: FM + ≥ 2 pain comorbidities (N = 329), FM + ≤ 1 pain comorbidity (N = 177), ≥ 2 pain comorbidities but without FM (n = 188), and any isolated pain condition (n = 56). MSS differed across conditions: FM with or without comorbidities > two or more 2 pain comorbidities but without FM > isolated pain conditions (Cohen's d = 0.43 – 0.98, p ≤ 0.006). Compared to low-average MSS subjects, subjects with the highest MSS level were 2 - 6 times more likely to have FM or COPCs (ORs = 1.86 – 5.98), whereas subjects with the lowest MSS were 55% - 88% less likely (ORs = 0.45 – 0.12). High or low MSS may serve as a risk or resilient factor for chronic pain. MSS could reflect the varying degrees of central mechanisms underlying chronic pain conditions, which suggests MSS may be a valuable marker to profile pain phenotypes clinically, which may improve personalized treatment.
Pragmática del español: contexto, uso y variación: J. César Félix-Brasdefer. London and New York: Routledge, 2019, 350 pp., ISBN 9781138215801

J. Cesar Felix-Brasdefer provides instructors and students with a current and comprehensive introduction to the field of Spanish pragmatics, replete with online resources and interactional data. Th...
A Spatial Comparison of Roadway Lighting and Nonmotorist Crashes in Cambridge, MA

Dark lighting conditions, including those occurring at dawn and dusk, are correlated with increased nonmotorist crash frequency owing to reduced visibility, but little research has been done that i...
Comparative Microanatomy of Flagellates

The flagellates are especially diverse in their fine structural features, encompassing the plastid-bearing phytoflagellates and their colorless relatives, and the non-pigmented zooflagellates. The zooflagellates include free-living and parasitic forms, often with unique structural adaptations complementing their specialized environments. The flagellum, though a distinctive characteristic of the group, varies considerably in fine features among species. The internal organization is usually the typical 9 + 2 arrangement of microtubules, but occasional variations occur in the number of central microtubules, and in the presence or absence of a paraflagellar rod near the periphery. The structural significance of surface hairs, scales, and other decorations is not fully understood. It seems clear, however, that these surface structures must influence the hydrodynamics of flagellar activity. Some of the major features characterizing the flagellates are presented with particular reference to the organization of the flagella, distribution of subcellular organelles, and structure of the cell surface.
Chapter 23. The Current Status of Iron Chelation Therapy

Publisher Summary Iron accumulation results from hyper absorption of dietary iron (primary hemosiderosis) or from transfusion therapy (secondary hemosiderosis).The accumulation of iron is because of the fact that humans lack the physiological means of excreting this metal. Thus, the development of drugs for the purpose of chelating iron is necessary if the sequelae of transfusion therapy are to be avoided. The rational design of such agents is now a challenge to the medicinal chemists. Recently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has noted the need for more efficacious drugs and has initiated a program to screen and evaluate iron chelators. Two complementary biological screening procedures are being utilized in the search for new drugs, an in vitro technique using Chang liver cells and an in vivo assay employing hyper transfused rats. The compounds that have been studied to date are primarily those having the functional groups found in natural products. These include hydroxamic acids and derivatives of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid. These moieties possess a high affinity for ferric ions rendering compounds that are highly selective for this metal both in vitro and in vivo . This chapter briefly describes the current status of the iron chelators that have been identified as having potential therapeutic usefulness.
Far‐UV and UV Observations of the Low Redshift IGM

Most of the normal baryonic matter of the Universe at high and at low redshift is found in the space between galaxies. The study of this matter at low redshift has required access to ultraviolet spectroscopic space observatories. HST and FUSE have revealed that at low redshift ∼30% of the baryons reside in the cool (T∼2×104 K) photoionized IGM traced by the Lyman α forest while another ∼10–20% might exist in the warm (T∼1–9×105 K) portion of the warm‐hot IGM. Evidence for the warm gas is provided by some of the O VI absorbers, the Ne VIII absorbers and very broad Lyman alpha absorbers. Understanding the physical conditions in these absorbers is important for reliably determining their baryonic content. The low z IGM is likely to play a crucial role in the evolution of the ∼8% of the baryons found in galaxies.
Bayesian reliability modeling for pass/fail systems with sparse data

This paper proposes a Bayesian method to evaluate and predict reliability of a system when there are limited testing data and the development tests are composed of different mixtures of subsystems. Expert knowledge on subsystems is integrated by using appropriate prior distributions. The development tests provide information through the likelihood function. The effects of prior knowledge and available data on subsystems/components lead to a posterior distribution which can then be used as a prior distribution for a fully functional system. Complex likelihood functions based on developmental tests are demonstrated. Prior distributions selection and elicitation is investigated, and the Bayesian reliability approach is compared with the frequentist reliability estimation results. The proposed Bayesian reliability assessment and prediction method is demonstrated through numerical examples for a new product development.
Confirmation of unload/reload tensile tests for determining constituent properties and performance in an oxide-oxide CFCC

Oxide fiber-reinforced / oxide matrix CFCCs have the potential of resisting the high-temperature degradation of these materials in the increasingly aggressive environments of the emerging applications of this still-evolving class of materials. However, a major design and processing limitation of CFCCs is lack of information on the in-situ properties and performance of the composite's constituents (i.e., fibers, interphase, matrix). Phenomenological and analytical evaluations of unload/reload tensile test results (i.e. hysteretic stress-strain response) were used to extract information on residual stress state, interfacial shear stress, and other constituent behaviour in an alumina (Nextel) fiber-reinforced / porous alumina matrix. Photostimulate luminescence and fiber push-out testing were used to confirm the phenomenological and analytical evaluations of residual stress state and interfacial shear stress.
Ultrastructural localization of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons.

Publisher Summary The ultrastructural localization of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) have been examined within two distinct populations of midbrain dopaminergic neurons: the mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons, which are relatively resistant to parkinsonism-inducing neurotoxins, and the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, which are selectively vulnerable to both idiopathic and drug-induced Parkinsonism. The neurons in these regions are known to release dopamine from their somata and/or dendrites in the midbrain, as well as from their axonal processes in the striatum. These studies show that VMAT2 is prominently localized to tubulovesicular organelles in midbrain dopaminergic (TH-immunoreactive) perikarya and dendrites. In contrast, VMAT2 is almost exclusively localized to typical small synaptic vesicles (SSVs) and dense core vesicles (DCVs) within catecholaminergic and noncatecholaminergic axonal processes in the midbrain and striatum, as well as within the presumptive dopaminergic terminals in the striatum; whereas in other monoaminergic terminals—discussed in this chapter—VMAT2 is also extensively localized to DCVs. Quantitative comparison of midbrain dopaminergic dendrites showed that there are higher levels of VMAT2 in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) than in the substantia nigra (SN), which may underlie the greater vulnerability of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons to neurotoxic insult.
Neutral atom imaging: UV rejection techniques

Neutral atom imaging promises to provide a detailed picture of the global structure and dynamics of the magnetosphere. The neutral atom fluxes are characteristically small, and techniques to image neutral atoms must be highly sensitive to neutral atoms while rejecting the enormous background UV flux. Several imaging techniques that exploit a unique difference in properties of neutral atoms and UV are being developed. Limitations of the fundamental physics of each of these techniques, which are studied and compared here, have resulted in neutral atom imagers optimized for different energy regimes. The emerging technique utilizing a transmission grating promises to span a broad energy range with one instrument.
All the Gays are White and all the Blacks are Straight: Black Gay Men, Identity, and Community

The research on which this study reports was informed by the following questions: Do Black gay men identify more closely with a racial identity or with a sexual identity? What experiences influence the saliency of a racial or sexual identity for Black gay men? How do Black gay men use daily interactions to inform a sense of self? Essentially, how do Black gay men negotiate stigmatized identities? Based on 50 in-depth interviews with self-identified Black gay men, the author highlights three emergent models of identity negotiations: interlocking identities, up–down identities, and public–private identities. Identifying the strategies Black gay men use to understand both themselves and the larger Black and gay communities helps illuminate the diversity within those communities and highlights the ways in which individuals who find themselves at the intersections of racial and sexual stigma understand themselves and the larger communities to which they belong.
A Digital Archiving System and Distributed Server-side processing of Large Datasets

In this paper, we present MIDAS, a web-based digital archiving system that processes large collections of data. Medical imaging research often involves interdisciplinary teams, each performing a separate task, from acquiring datasets to analyzing the processing results. Moreover, the number and size of the datasets continue to increase every year due to recent advancements in acquisition technology. As a result, many research laboratories centralize their data and rely on distributed computing power. We created a web-based digital archiving repository based on openstandards. The MIDAS repository is specifically tuned for medical and scientific datasets and provides a flexible data management facility, a search engine, and an online image viewer. MIDAS enables users to run a set of extensible image processing algorithms from the web to the selected datasets and to add new algorithms to the MIDAS system, facilitating the dissemination of users' work to different research partners. The MIDAS system is currently running in several research laboratories and has demonstrated its ability to streamline the full image processing workflow from data acquisition to image analysis and reports.