cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Communication Skills Training for Dialysis Decision-Making and End-of-Life Care in Nephrology

Nephrology fellows often face difficult conversations about dialysis initiation or withdrawal but are frequently unprepared for these discussions. Despite evidence that communication skills are teachable, few fellowship programs include such training. A communication skills workshop for nephrology fellows (NephroTalk) focused on delivering bad news and helping patients define care goals, including end-of-life preferences. This 4-hour workshop, held in October and November 2011, included didactics and practice sessions with standardized patients. Participants were nephrology fellows at Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh (n=22). Pre- and post-workshop surveys evaluated efficacy of the curriculum and measured changes in perceived preparedness on the basis on workshop training. Overall, 14% of fellows were white and 50% were male. Less than one-third (6 of 22) reported prior palliative care training. Survey response rate varied between 86% and 100%. Only 36% (8 of 22) and 38% (8 of 21) of respondents had received structured training in discussions for dialysis initiation or withdrawal. Respondents (19 of 19) felt that communication skills were important to being a "great nephrologist." Mean level of preparedness as measured with a five-point Likert scale significantly increased for all skills (range, 0.5-1.14; P<0.01), including delivering bad news, expressing empathy, and discussing dialysis initiation and withdrawal. All respondents (21 of 21) reported they would recommend this training to other fellows. NephroTalk is successful for improving preparedness among nephrology fellows for having difficult conversations about dialysis decision-making and end-of-life care.
Do race and ethnicity impact hemoglobin A1c independent of glycemia

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is widely used as an index of mean glycemia, a measure of risk for the development of diabetes complications, and a measure of the quality of diabetes care. Emerging literature suggests that, although HbA1c levels change little over time within persons without diabetes, they vary considerably among individuals, suggesting that factors other than glycemia may impact HbA1c. Racial and ethnic differences in HbA1c have been described that do not appear to be explained by differences in glycemia. It is imperative that the nonglycemic factors that affect HbA1c be more clearly defined. Even more important, it must be determined whether differences among individuals or groups correlate with susceptibility to complications or merely reflect variation in hemoglobin glycation.
Excitation dependence of non-Markovian dynamics in a dense potassium vapor

The transient four-wave mixing signal from a dense potassium vapor, which displays non-Markovian dynamics, depends on the excitation strength. Theoretical fits reveal the excitation dependence of the parameters employ ed in a two-time correlation function.
Telling what they want to know: participants tailor causal attributions to researchers' interests

Based on a conversational analysis of experimental procedures and consistent with the principle of relevance, we predicted that participants' verbal responses will be influenced by their tacit inferences about the researcher's epistemic goals, derived from their knowledge of the researcher's academic affiliation. We tested this prediction in a core area of social-personality and cultural psychology, causal attribution. University students provided causal attributions about mass murder cases, while the questionnaire identified the researcher either as a social scientist or a personality psychologist. The results indicated that attributions were overall more situational than dispositional, and as predicted, this main effect was qualified by an interaction between conversational cue and type of attribution. Thus, participants gave relatively more situational explanations when the letterhead of the questionnaire identified the researcher as a social scientist compared to when the researcher was identified as a personality psychologist. The reverse pattern emerged for dispositional attributions. Methodological and conceptual implications are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ecological Aspects of Coastal Sediment Management in the Gulf of Mexico

Reed, D.J.; Hijuelos, A.C., and Fearnley, S.M., 2012. Ecological aspects of coastal sediment management in the Gulf of Mexico. In: Khalil, S.M., Parson, L.E., and Waters, J.P. (eds.), Technical Framework for the Gulf Regional Sediment Management Master Plan (GRSMMP), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 60, 51–65. Water and sediment resource planning is a vital facet of natural resource management. There have been many ecologically disruptive consequences from conventional resource management plans. In the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) nearby communities depend on water and sediment resources both ecologically as well as economically. The value of these resources is determined by habitat structure and ongoing sediment dynamics. This article explores how human activities have changed sediment dynamicsin relation to the ecology of the habitats present in the northern GOM. It further presents ideas to prevent future problems through sediment management plans that account for natural processes. The northern GOM contains several habitats that are affected by sediment/water resource management plans such as the shoreface (beaches and dunes), barrier islands, hardbottom (coral and oyster reefs), bays, marshes, and forested wetlands. Many common techniques for water/sediment resource management have been used in these areas such as dredging, hard structures (jetties, groins, seawalls, andbreakwaters),dams, diversions,levees,and coastaldevelopment. The implications of these different management techniques can lead to extensive changes in coastal habitats. Dredging causes disturbances to both borrow and placement sites and can change natural community structure at both sites. The installation of hard structures can cause severe changes in habitat structure that can lead to losses of species diversity. The impacts of river management structures (dams, levees, and diversions) alter the delivery of sediment needed by coastal habitats for growth and sustainability. Anthropogenic development in coastal regions prevents those areas from maturing naturally. Because of the importance of sediments to the ecology of the northern GOM coast and its vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, several recommendations are made for holistic future sediment management plans.
Effect of solar variability on the Earth’s climate patterns

Abstract We discuss effects of solar variability on the Earth’s large-scale climate patterns. These patterns are naturally excited as deviations (anomalies) from the mean state of the Earth’s atmosphere-ocean system. We consider in detail an example of such a pattern, the North Annular Mode (NAM), a climate anomaly with two states corresponding to higher pressure at high latitudes with a band of lower pressure at lower latitudes and the other way round. We discuss a mechanism by which solar variability can influence this pattern and formulate an updated general conjecture of how external influences on Earth’s dynamics can affect climate patterns.
Slowing down of neutrons in mixtures by the method of green's functions

Abstract The formulation and approximate solution to the slowing down problem in homogeneous media by the method of Green's functions for a binary mixture of nuclei is presented in this paper. Some numerical examples are included. As a first step, solutions to the purely scattering problem for a binary mixture are obtained in closed form. These elementary solutions are then used as Green's functions for the absorption case. This transformation yields a Volterra integral equation having the correct asymptotic limits for the flux when properly normalized. In general, the resulting integral equation cannot be solved in closed form, thus several approximate results were obtained.
Urinary Angiostatin - A Novel Putative Marker of Renal Pathology Chronicity in Lupus Nephritis *

There is a critical need to identify biomarkers for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which has a high prevalence of renal failure. When urine from patients with lupus nephritis was recently screened for the levels of ∼280 molecules using an exploratory array-based proteomic platform, elevated angiostatin levels were noted. Angiostatin is a bioactive fragment of plasminogen, and has been known to have modulatory function in angiogenesis and inflammation. The significant elevation in urinary angiostatin was next validated in an independent cohort of SLE patients (n = 100) using ELISA. Among patients with SLE, urine angiostatin was significantly increased in active SLE compared with inactive SLE, correlating well with the SLEDAI disease activity index and SLICC renal activity score (r = 0.66, p < 0.0001). ROC curve analysis further confirmed that urinary angiostatin had the capacity to discriminate patients with active SLE from those with inactive disease. Patients with Class IV lupus nephritis exhibited the highest levels of urinary angiostatin. Immunohistochemistry staining localized angiostatin expression to the renal tubular cells in these patients. Finally, when paired urine-kidney samples procured concurrently from patients with LN were next examined, urine angiostatin levels correlated strongly with the renal pathology chronicity index, but not with the activity index. Given that Class IV lupus nephritis and renal pathology chronicity changes forebode poor renal and patient survival, urinary angiostatin emerges as a novel noninvasive marker of renal disease in SLE. Longitudinal studies are in progress to further assess the disease-predictive potential of urinary angiostatin.
BORSUK-ULAM IMPLIES BROUWER: A DIRECT CONSTRUCTION

The Borsuk-Ulam theorem and the Brouwer fixed point theorem are well-known theorems of topology with a very similar flavor. Both are non-constructive existence results with somewhat surprising conclusions. Most topology textbooks that cover these theorems (e.g., [4], [5], [6]) do not mention the two are related—although, in fact, the Borsuk-Ulam theorem implies the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem. The theorems themselves are often proved using the machinery of algebraic topology or the concept of degree of a map. That one theorem implies the other can therefore be established once one understands this machinery, but this requires background. Moreover, such proofs tend to be indirect, relying on the equivalence of these existence theorems with corresponding non-existence theorems. For instance, Dugundji and Granas [3] show that the Borsuk-Ulam theorem is equivalent to the statement that no antipode-preserving, continuous map f : S → S can be homotopic to a constant map. From this one can see that the Brouwer fixed point theorem is a special case, because it can be shown equivalent to the statement that the identity map id : S → S (which is antipode-preserving) is not homotopic to a constant map. However, such an indirect approach is not really necessary, and perhaps a more direct proof would give insight as to how the two theorems are related. The purpose of this note is to provide a completely elementary proof that the Borsuk-Ulam theorem implies the Brouwer theorem by a direct construction, in which the existence of antipodal points in one theorem yields the asserted fixed point in the other.
Differential patterns of ERK and STAT3 phosphorylation after sciatic nerve transection in the rat.

Peripheral nerve injury induces a specific pattern of expression of growth factors and cytokines, which regulate injury responses and regeneration. Distinct classes of growth factors and cytokines signal through specific intracellular phosphorylation cascades. For example, the ERK phosphorylation cascade mediates signaling through transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptors and the JAK/STAT cascade mediates signaling through the GP130 receptor complex. We tested whether specific phosphorylation patterns of ERK and STAT3 result from nerve injury and whether such phosphorylation correlates with the expression of specific growth factors and cytokines. At sites adjacent to a nerve transection, we observed that ERK phosphorylation peaked early, persisted throughout 16 days, and was equally intense at proximal and distal sites. In contrast, STAT3 phosphorylation peaked later than ERK but did not persist as long and was stronger in the proximal than in the distal segment adjacent to the injury. In addition, in distal segments further away from the injury site, ERK became phosphorylated with a delayed time course, while STAT3 remained unphosphorylated. These patterns of phosphorylation correlated well with the expression of neurotrophin and interleukin-6 mRNAs in the distal stump. In addition, we found that the pattern of SAPK phosphorylation is similar to the pattern observed for STAT3, while the pattern of macrophage infiltration into the transected nerve was distinct from all the phosphorylation patterns observed. Together, these observations suggest that ERK activation is important in the establishment of a regeneration-promoting extracellular environment in the far distal stump of transected nerves and that STAT3 activation is important in the control of cellular responses close to the site of injury.
Implementation of a clinical research pharmacogenomics program at an academic medical center: role of the genetics healthcare professional

Pharmacogenomic testing has been cited as one of the most tangible, clinically applicable advances currently available for personalized medicine; however, widespread utilization within the healthcare system remains limited [1]. Herein, we present our initial experiences providing pharmacogenomic testing and genomic counseling in the setting of a clinical research study within an academic medical center and offer suggestions for implementation using a team-based approach.
Image-Guided Ablation in Breast Cancer Treatment

In the past 2 decades, new and improved imaging technologies and the use of breast cancer screening have led to the detection of smaller and earlier-stage breast cancers. Furthermore, there has been a trend toward less aggressive treatment of small breast cancers, which has led to the development of less invasive alternatives than surgery with promising effectiveness, and less morbidity. Many patients are not satisfied with the cosmetic outcome after breast-conservation therapy. Better cosmesis can be achieved with less invasive techniques. Moreover, less aggressive treatment options would be very useful in patients older than 70 years with comorbidities that make surgery a difficult and sometimes life-threatening treatment. Minimally invasive ablation techniques have been studied in early-stage small tumors with the goal of attaining efficacy similar to that of breast-conservation therapy. These techniques would have less scarring and pain, lower costs, better preservation of breast tissue, superior cosmesis, and faster recovery time. Breast lesions can be destroyed by thermal methods, that is, by heating or freezing the tissue. There are 5 types of thermal ablations that have been or currently are in research clinical trials: cryoablation, radiofrequency, laser, microwave, and high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation. The first 4 methods destroy cancers using percutaneous image-guided probe placement. High-intensity focused ultrasound is noninvasive, performed without any skin opening.
Rotation of the Low-Latitude DS Field and Westward Drift of a Partial Ring Current

Summary The systematic change in the phase of the first harmonic of the low-latitude DS field of magnetic storms determined by Chapman (1952) and Sugiura & Chapman (1960) is interpreted as being due to westward drift of protons in a partial ring current. It is shown that to account for the statistical average phase shift of the DS field the average energy of the protons must be about 10 ke V.
AVMEM - availability-aware overlays for management operations in non-cooperative distributed systems

Monitoring and management operations that query nodes based on their availability can be extremely useful in a variety of large-scale distributed systems containing hundreds to thousands of hosts, e.g., p2p systems, Grids, and PlanetLab. This paper presents decentralized and scalable solutions to a subset of such availability-based management tasks. Specifically, we propose AVMEM, which is the first availability-aware overlay to date. AVMEM is intended for generic non-cooperative scenarios where nodes may be selfish and may wish to route messages to a large set of other nodes, especially if the selfish node has low availability. Under this setting, our concrete contributions are the following: (1) AVMEM allows arbitrary classes of application-specified predicates to create the membership relationships in the overlay. In order to avoid selfish nodes from exploiting the system, we focus on predicates that are random and consistent. In other words, whether a given node y is a neighbor of a given node x is decided based on a consistent and probabilistic predicate, dependent solely on the identifiers and availabilities of these two nodes, but without using any external inputs. (2) AVMEM protocols discover and maintain the overlay spanned by the application-specified AVMEM predicate in a scalable and fast manner. (3) We use AVMEM to execute important availability-based management operations, focusing on range-anycast, range-multicast, threshold-anycast, and threshold-multicast. AVMEM works well in the presence of selfish nodes, scales to thousands of nodes, and executes each of the targeted operations quickly and reliably. Our evaluation is driven by real-life churn traces from the Overnet p2p system, and shows that AVMEM works well in practical settings.
Program Synthesis from Formal Requirements Specifications Using APTS

Formal specifications of software systems are extremely useful because they can be rigorously analyzed, verified, and validated, giving high confidence that the specification captures the desired behavior. To transfer this confidence to the actual source code implementation, a formal link is needed between the specification and the implementation. Generating the implementation directly from the specification provides one such link. A program transformation system such as Paige's APTS can be useful in developing a source code generator. This paper describes a case study in which APTS was used to produce code generators that construct C source code from a requirements specification in the SCR (Software Cost Reduction) tabular notation. In the study, two different code generation strategies were explored. The first strategy uses rewrite rules to transform the parse tree of an SCR specification into a parse tree for the corresponding C code. The second strategy associates a relation with each node of the specification parse tree. Each member of this relation acts as an attribute, holding the C code corresponding to the tree at the associated nodes the root of the tree has the entire C program as its member of the relation. This paper describes the two code generators supported by APTS, how each was used to synthesize code for two example SCR requirements specifications, and what was learned about APTS from these implementations.
Glibenclamide enhances but pinacidil reduces attenuation in sympathetic responsiveness after acute coronary artery occlusion.

To investigate the role of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in modulating the efferent autonomic response following acute myocardial ischemia/infarction, we examined the effects of a blocker (glibenclamide) and an opener (pinacidil) of ATP-sensitive K+ channels on the time course and extent of the attenuation in efferent cardiac sympathetic responsiveness in anesthetized dogs. We measured the effective refractory periods (ERPs) at nonischemic sites basal and apical to the area of myocardial ischemia/infarction in the baseline state and during bilateral stimulation of the ansae subclaviae before and after each drug administration and 5, 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after latex injection of a diagonal branch of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Animals received either vehicle (n = 12), glibenclamide (0.3 mg.kg-1, n = 10), pinacidil (0.15 mg.kg-1 + 0.2 mg.kg-1 infusion, n = 10), or a combination of these two drugs (n = 9) intravenously. In another group of dogs receiving just pinacidil (n = 10), an intra-aortic balloon was inflated distal to the renal arteries to prevent pinacidil-induced hypotension. Another group of dogs received either high-dose glibenclamide (0.3 mg.kg-1 + 0.15 mg.kg-1, n = 4), low-dose glibenclamide (0.06 mg.kg-1, n = 4), medium-dose pinacidil (0.03 mg.kg-1 + 0.04 mg.kg-1 infusion, n = 4), or low-dose pinacidil (0.0075 mg.kg-1 + 0.01 mg.kg-1 infusion, n = 4). In all dogs, basal sites exhibited no attenuation of sympathetically induced shortening of the ERP throughout the period of acute myocardial ischemia/infarction. Cumulative attenuation in sympathetic responsiveness (shortening of ERP < or = 2 milliseconds induced by bilateral stimulation of the ansae subclaviae) at nonischemic test sites apical to the area of ischemia/infarction during a 3-hour period was greater in the glibenclamide group (26 of 44 sites, P = .008) and less in the pinacidil (2 of 44 sites, P = .002) and pinacidil-balloon (1 of 48 sites, P < .001) groups compared with the vehicle group (14 of 46 sites). Glibenclamide abolished the protective effect of pinacidil so that 10 of 45 sites had < 2-millisecond shortening during a 3-hour period in the glibenclamide + pinacidil group (P = .018 versus pinacidil group, P = .286 versus vehicle group). Such effects of glibenclamide and pinacidil on sympathetic attenuation were dose dependent. Maintaining the blood glucose level during glibenclamide administration did not affect the sympathetic attenuation after acute coronary artery occlusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
VALUE OF AMYLOID IMAGING FOR PREDICTING CONVERSION TO DEMENTIA IN MCI SUBJECTS WITH INITIALLY INDETERMINATE FDG-PET SCANS

scans. These classifications were used to initialize an iterative, voxelwise, regularized discriminant analysis to optimize the selection of a set of regions-of-interest (ROIs) and a threshold for automated classification of Ab+ and Absubjects in each cohort. The resulting ROIs and thresholds were cross-validated between cohorts. Results: The automated classifier demonstrated high accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. The optimal ROI included areas of the default mode network (DMN), such as the precuneus and medial frontal cortex. Conclusions: We have validated an automated approach for classification of subjects as Ab+ or Abusing three different subject cohorts. This strategy represents an improvement over current methods that rely on either subjective, visual evaluation of amyloid PET images or quantitative measures based on pre-defined anatomical ROIs. Ultimately, fully-automated subject classification may complement or supplant visual reads in clinical practice and for eligibility assessment in AD clinical trials.
An agent-based framework for performance modeling of an optimistic parallel discrete event simulator

The performance of an optimistic parallel discrete event simulator (PDES) in terms of the total simulation execution time of an experiment depends on a large set of variables. Many of them have a complex and generally unknown relationship with the simulation execution time. In this paper, we describe an agent-based performance model of a PDES kernel that is typically used to simulate large-sized complex networks on multiple processors or machines. The agent-based paradigm greatly simplifies the modeling of system dynamics by representing a component logical process (LP) as an autonomous agent that interacts with other LPs through event queues and also interacts with its environment which comprises the processor it resides on. We model the agents representing the LPs using a “base” class of an LP agent that allows us to use a generic behavioral model of an agent that can be extended further to model more details of LP behavior. The base class focuses only on the details that most likely influence the overall simulation execution time of the experiment. We apply this framework to study a local incentive based partitioning algorithm where each LP makes an informed local decision about its assignment to a processor, resulting in a system akin to a self organizing network. The agent-based model allows us to study the overall effect of the local incentive-based cost function on the simulation execution time of the experiment which we consider to be the global performance metric. This work demonstrates the utility of agent-based approach in modeling a PDES kernel in order to evaluate the effects of a large number of variable factors such as the LP graph properties, load balancing criteria and others on the total simulation execution time of an experiment.
The Two Pluralisms: Adumbrations and Emendations

Adam Smith provides adumbrations of Berger’s analysis of religion and political pluralism, as well as additional insights into the dynamics of religious pluralism. Ernest Gellner presents critical emendations of Berger’s exploration of the compartmentalization of religious and secular belief.
Identificando al enemigo. Entrevista a Giovanni Levi.

Giovanni Levi (Milan, 1939), es profesor regular de Historia moderna. Ha ensenado en las Universidades de Turin, Viterbo y Venecia y en numerosas universidades extranjeras (Francia, Espana, Argentina, Mexico, Estados Unidos). Ha dirigido la coleccion "Microstorie" (editada por Einaudi) y la revista "Quaderni storici". Forma parte de la redaccion de las revistas "Revista di storia economica", "Zakhor", "l'Espili", "Enquete", "Pasajes". Colabora en la asociacion MERIFOR (Mediterraneo, Recerca e Formazione) y forma parte del consejo directivo de IDEAS (Centro Interdepartamentale per l'analisi delle Interazioni Dinamiche tra Economia, Ambiente e Societa). Es cocordinador del Doctorado del programa de estudios avanzados de la Universidad Pablo Olavide de Sevilla "Europa, el mundo mediterraneo y su proyeccion atlantica" y es miembro del consejo didactico del Doctorado de la Universita di Ca' Foscari, Venecia, "Historia social europea del Medioevo a la Edad Moderna". Ha escrito, entre otros, L'eredita immateriale, Torino, Einaudi, 1985 (La herencia inmaterial, Madrid, Nerea, 1990), Centro e periferia di uno stato assoluto, Torino, Rosenberg, 1985. Ha compilado, junto a Jean-Claude Schmitt, Storia dei giovani, Bari, Laterza, 1994 (Historia de los jovenes, Madrid, Taurus, 1996, 2 voi.). Actualmente esta trabajando en una historia del consumo en la Edad Moderna.
The silence of Pope Pius XII

Since the end of World War II, and especially since the performance of Rolf Hochhuth's play, The Deputy, the charge that Pope Pius XII failed to do all that he could have done to save European Jews from death has lingered on. The pope is accused of having remained silent about atrocities committed by the Germans because he was either pro-German or fearful of possible effects of his speaking on the Roman Catholic Church or on Roman Catholics in Germany and Poland. Based on the study of Vatican and German documents and numerous auto biographical accounts, this article attempts to establish when the Vatican learned about the extermination of the Jews, what it did and why, and whether it could or should have done more. The Polish Catholics who were also mistreated and killed serve as a
Reconstruction of magnetic clouds from in-situ spacecraft measurements and intercomparison with their solar sources

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are eruptive events that originate, propagate away from the Sun, and carry along solar material with embedded solar magnetic field. Some are accompanied by prominence eruptions. A subset of the interplanetary counterparts of CMEs (ICMEs), so-called Magnetic Clouds (MCs) can be characterized by magnetic flux-rope structures. We apply the Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction technique to examine the configuration of MCs and to derive relevant physical quantities, such as magnetic flux content, relative magnetic helicity, and the field-line twist, etc. Both observational analyses of solar source region characteristics including flaring and associated magnetic reconnection process, and the corresponding MC structures were carried out. We summarize the main properties of selected events with and without associated prominence eruptions. In particular, we show the field-line twist distribution and the intercomparison of magnetic flux for these flux-rope structures.
Does Nutrition Information Contribute to Grocery Shoppers’ Willingness to Pay?

An experimental auction and the eye-tracking technology are used to detect the relationship between consumers’ understanding of the nutrition information and their willingness to pay for food items. Additional attention is given to health-conscious individuals. Salad mix and apple juice are selected for the experiment. A Tobit model is used for the analysis. The results show that nutrition information has some effect on consumers’ purchasing decision. Shoppers are willing to pay less for fat and mineral information, but more for ingredient, protein, sodium, and carbohydrate information of salad mix. As for apple juice, shoppers care only for energy and other nutrient information, as well as the health claim “vitamin C naturally high.” Further, health-conscious individuals are more responsive to the nutrition claims, such as “high in fiber” (salad mix) and “vitamin C naturally high” (orange juice). A possible limitation of the conclusion exists due to the small sample size.
Efficient Acoustic Modal Analysis for Industrial CFD

Strongoweld instabilities associated with acoustic resonance have been observed in many engineering applications. For the automotive industry noise reduction has a very high priority, while combustion driven oscillations present a serious difculty for low emissions large industrial gas turbine engines. Military engines especially have experienced major problems with low-frequencies instabilities in augmentors. To be able to predict such oscillations related with acoustic resonance, we propose here a numerically efcient and accurate engineering tool, which computes resonance frequencies and acoustic modes for any enclosure. In this algorithm sound wave propagation, reection, refraction and convection are taken into account. The formulation uses as an input the non-uniform meanow obtained from a steady-stateow solution in the domain, together with the prescribedow boundary conditions. The algorithm is implemented for full unstructured grids, to address complex industrial geometries. The present method is based on the Linearized Navier-Stokes Equations and Modal Analysis is performed using an Iterative Implicitly-Restarted Arnoldi algorithm. This offers a fast and accurate way to compute the most relevant frequencies and acoustic modes for large industrial problems. These are the modes that can resonate with the interior acoustic source processes. To validate our computational method, we present a series of simple - canonical- test cases. We also show its applicability to more complexow situations, such as sound produced by shallow cavity - typical automotive application - and oscillations inside a gas turbine combustor related with its acoustic characteristics.
Robotic surgical training: Where are we?

Abstract Background and objective Over the past 10years, robotic surgery has revolutionized the advancement of MIS in gynecologic oncology. As the use of robotic surgery has increased, so has the interest in the surgical training of gynecologic oncology fellows. The purpose of this review is to summarize the state of robotic surgical education in Gynecologic Oncology. Methods Several electronic databases were searched to identify studies that discussed robotic surgical education in gynecologic oncology. Particular attention was given to articles that discussed educational curriculum. The various curriculums were compared and summarized. Results The first reports of robotic surgery curriculums in gynecologic oncology emerged in 2008. Prior to that the early adapters had to rely on less structured curriculums that essentially used live animal models and cadaveric dissections on the robot to simulate live surgery. More recent surgical curriculums are more structured and include the same basic components: didactics and a graduated hands-on experience. There is also an accredited robotic educational curriculum, the Fundamentals of Robotic Surgery (FRS), which combine an on-line curriculum with dry lab and operating room components that can be scored using a validated assessment tool. Conclusions Robotic surgical education has come a long way in the decade that the robotic platform has been available in the U.S. Although there is still no standardized curriculum, most fellowship training programs in gynecologic oncology have fairly consistent training. Simulation training is another tool that can help a surgeon achieve proficiency quicker.
Successful surgical correction of symptomatic cor triatriatum dexter

An unusual case of cor triatriatum dexter is presented. Abnormal embryologic development of the eustachian valve caused nearly complete septation of the right atrium in a 67-year-old woman. Multiple supraventricular arrhythmias prompted clinical evaluation and diagnosis. Surgical excision of the anomalous membrane resulted in complete relief from arrhythmias and a clinical cure. Cor triatriatum dexter is rare and is infrequently diagnosed before postmortem study; however, once the diagnosis is established, the condition is amenable to a relatively simple surgical correction. Supraventricular tachycardia has not previously been reported to be associated with cor triatriatum dexter. We believe this is the first case in which such arrhythmias led to early diagnosis and successful surgical correction.
Effect of vasoactive agents on induction of Egr-1 in rat mesangial cells: correlation with mitogenicity.

The early growth response gene 1 (Egr-1) is a member of the family of immediate early response genes. Egr-1 encodes a nuclear phosphoprotein that binds a specific nonameric DNA sequence through three zinc-finger domains and functions as a transcriptional activator. We tested whether the vasoactive agents platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), arginine vasopressin (AVP), serotonin (5-HT), and angiotensin II (ANG II) induced Egr-1 mRNA in cultured rat mesangial cells (MCs) and investigated the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in mediating the induction process. PDGF, AVP, and 5-HT induced Egr-1 mRNA within 15 min, reaching peak levels at 45-60 min. After PDGF and 5-HT stimulation, Egr-1 mRNA levels returned to baseline within 4 h, whereas AVP induced a sustained increase for up to 8 h. There was a very close correlation between doses required for Egr-1 induction and induction of MC proliferation. ANG II was a very weak MC mitogen and induced only a small increase in Egr-1 mRNA. Comparison of control cells wit...
A Critical Role of the S6 Transmembrane Helix in BK Channel Modulation by Auxiliary γ Subunits

BK channels consist of the pore-forming, voltage- and Ca2+-sensing α-subunits (BKα or Slo1) and the regulatory auxiliary β or γ subunits. BK channels are potently modulated by the auxiliary γ subunits, which shift the voltage-dependence of channel activation by up to 140 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction. We have recently identified the γ subunits’ transmembrane (TM) segment and its neighboring intracellular charged residues as key determinants for their modulatory functions on BK channels. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying BK channel modulation by auxiliary γ subunits remain largely unknown. The proton-gated Slo3 channel has a high sequence similarity to Slo1 but showed nearly no sensitivity to the BKγ1 (LRRC26) subunit. To identify the key protein regions of Slo1 that are involved in modulation by auxiliary γ subunits, we generated a series of Slo1/Slo3 chimeras in the N-terminal TM (S0-S6) domain and analyzed their responses to the auxiliary γ1 subunit in voltage-dependence of channel activation. We found that the Slo3 channel's lack of sensitivity to BKγ1 is largely caused by its S6 TM segment, whose inclusion in the Slo1/Slo3 chimera greatly attenuated the channel's response to BKγ1. Our further mutational analyses of the differential residues on the S6 TM segment identified several key residues that are largely responsible for the difference between Slo1 and Slo3 channels in their responses to BKγ1. Therefore, we concluded that the S6 TM helix is critical in BK channel modulation by auxiliary γ subunit.
Video Analyses for Research and Professional Development: The Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) Framework.

This paper provides an overview of the teaching for robust understanding (TRU) Framework, its origins, and its evolving use. The core assertion underlying the TRU Framework is that there are five dimensions of activities along which a classroom must do well, if students are to emerge from that classroom being knowledgeable and resourceful disciplinary thinkers and problem solvers. The main focus of TRU is not on what the teacher does, but on the opportunities the environment affords students for deep engagement with mathematical content. This paper’s use of the TRU framework to highlight salient aspects of three classroom videos affords a compare-and-contrast with other analytic frameworks, highlighting the importance of both the focus on student experience and the mathematics-specific character of the analysis. This is also the first paper on the framework that introduces a family of TRU-related tools for purposes of professional development.
Zika virus alters DNA methylation of neural genes in an organoid model of the developing human brain

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during early pregnancy can cause microcephaly and associated defects at birth, but whether it can induce neurologic sequelae that appear later in life remains unclear. Using a model of the developing brain based on embryonic stem cell-derived brain organoids, we studied the impact of ZIKV infection on the DNA methylation pattern across the entire genome in selected neural cell types. The virus unexpectedly alters the DNA methylome of neural progenitors, astrocytes, and differentiated neurons at genes that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of brain disorders, most prominently mental retardation and schizophrenia. Our results suggest that ZIKV infection during fetal development could lead to a spectrum of delayed-onset neuropsychiatric complications. IMPORTANCE Scientific research on human neural stem cells and cerebral organoids has confirmed the congenital neurotropic and neurodestructive nature of the Zika virus. However, the extent to which prenatal ZIKV infection is associated with more subtle brain alterations, such as epigenetic changes, remains ill defined. Here, we address the question of whether ZIKV infection induces DNA methylation changes with the potential to cause brain disorders later in life.
Strategies for Improving Productivity in Plant Cell, Tissue, and Organ Culture in Bioreactors

Plant cell tissue culture has two primary applications: micropropagation of elite plants and production of chemicals (e.g. medicinals, flavors, pigments, fragrances, and pesticides). In both cases bioreactor designs and operating strategies that can direct cellular physiology towards more productive states are required. The focus of this article will be on the production of chemicals.
How Expenditure of the Tax Proceeds Came to be Disregarded in the Theory of Incidence

If ten million pounds, for example, is collected by a government in taxation, this sum is not only collected but is disbursed in the expenditure that the State makes on social services, payment of interest on the national debt and in other ways. There is, therefore, a double aspect of every tax: the collection of the tax which inflicts a burden on the taxpayers, and the disbursement of the proceeds. Prima facie there is no reason to expect that one of these aspects, in the economic effects it produces, will be more important than the other. Yet, by a certain onesidedness of economic reasoning in discussions of the subject, only one of these aspects, that connected with collection of the tax proceeds, has received consideration in the theory of incidence. For example, in considering the incidence of a tax on a commodity, Marshall or Edgeworth would suppose the demand schedule for the commodity to remain unchanged and the supply schedule to be raised throughout its length, through a vertical distance equal to the height of the tax. Cost of manufacture had been increased by a specific amount, but alterations in demand schedules were taken to be negligible.
Mechanisms of Induction of Uterine Protein Synthesis Hormonal Regulation of Uteroglobin

While “gene expression” is used optimistically in the title of this section, the work in this paper does not deal directly with gene expression but rather with the products of gene expression in the uterus. It would be possible to treat this subject without once mentioning implantation, for at first sight the work seems to be far removed from this process. The connection lies in the need to bridge the gap that exists between the elegant morphological and endocrinological studies that other contributors to this volume have presented, and the biochemical and molecular changes that accompany these events. We know, in other words, a good deal about what hormones do to bring about implantation; the question we now address is how do they do it? Thus we arrive at questions of the mechanism of hormone action on the uterus. The work reported in this and other papers in this section is a first approach to understanding the complexities of the biochemical events related to implantation that are induced by the steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone.
Continuous single cell transcriptome dynamics from pluripotency to hemangiogenic lineage

Recent single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) studies of early stages of embryos or human embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) provided unprecedented information on the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of cells in embryogenesis. Nonetheless, these snapshots offer insufficient information on dynamic developmental processes due to inadvertently missing intermediate states and unavoidable batch effects. Blood and endothelial cells arise from hemangiogenic progenitors that are specified from FLK1-expressing mesoderm by the transcription factor ETV2. To delineate the entire transcriptome dynamics from pluripotency to hemangiogenic lineage, we performed scRNA-seq of mouse ES cells in asynchronous EB differentiation. We found the exit from naive pluripotency and hemangiogenic program activation were the two major transitions in the trajectory, while the intermediate gastrulation stages were gradually specified by relay-like highly overlapping transcription factor modules. Unexpectedly, we found smooth muscle lineage might be the default fate of FLK1 mesoderm, from which ETV2 initiates the hemangiogenic commitment. We also identified cell adhesion signaling required for ETV2-mediated activation of the hemangiogenic program. This continuous transcriptome map will benefit both basic and applied studies of mesoderm and its derivatives.
Creation to Rhythm: An Ethnographic and Archaeological Survey of Turtle Shell Rattles and Spirituality in the United States

Throughout North America, from the Archaic period (ca. 8000–1000 BC) to the present, Indigenous Peoples used turtle shell rattles in a variety of cultural contexts, including in ceremonies. As a material, turtle shells can be an abundant, accessible, and easily processed raw material, whose shape and size lends itself to be a musical instrument. Many Indigenous Peoples in North America have cosmological, foundational beliefs about turtles. These beliefs provide a greater understanding of why turtle shell rattles are incorporated into ceremonies and dances. Furthermore, they help explain why they are used to keep rhythm, which in turn provides a basis for spiritual energy and experience. This paper reviews the ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological records of turtle shell rattle music in the contiguous United States. Turtle shell rattles are related to spiritual concepts of sound and are culturally defined and contextualized. A comprehensive review of their use reveals insights into the musical knowledge of several ancient and historic communities.
Modified Time Delay of Arrival for Biomedical and Environmental Applications

Irregular heartbeats at the root of atrial fibrillation (AFib) have been observed as reentrant electric rhythms induced by spiral waves. Eliminating the center of the rotor or wave core using treatments such as ablation therapy has been shown to be effective in treating AFib, but its success relies crucially on accurately locating the core. Here, we present a modified time difference measurement based algorithm (mTDOA) to estimate the core. Our mTDOA algorithm, which is a modified version of the time delay of arrival (TDOA) algorithm, can solve the localization problem without requiring knowledge of the time of origin of the reentrant rhythm, or the speed of propagation of electrical signals along the surface of the heart. We validate the effectiveness of mTDOA in FitzHugh–Nagumo type heart simulation models. mTDOA can also be extended to applications such as in forest fires to estimate sources and rates of growth.
Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) bioproduction in a two-step sequential process using wastewater

Abstract In the present study, a cheese whey agro-industrial byproduct was utilized as a natural feedstock for bioplastic production. The bioprocess consisted of a fermentative lactic acid production (step 1) and a following photofermentative poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production (step 2). During step 1, the bacterium Lactobacillus sp. converted lactose (contained in cheese whey) into lactic acid. During step 2, the marine bacterium Rhodovulum sulfidophilum DSM-1374 converted lactic acid, contained in the cheese-whey fermented effluent (CWFE), in bioplastic. In this investigation, the CWFE produced during step 1 showed a lactic acid content of 29.5 ± 1.3 g/L. When, for feeding Rhodovulum sulfidophilum DSM-1374, was utilized CWFE diluted with water (50 %, v/v) the highest poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) content (67 ± 3.1 % of bacterial dry-biomass) was observed. Both bioprocess steps can significantly contribute to realize a circular bioeconomy able to cut down the costs of bioplastic production and reduce the environmental impact caused by the intensive human feed and food productions.