cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What Is Old at Work? Moving Past Chronological Age

What is your age? How old or young do you feel? How old or young are you in relation to your peers, co-workers, or supervisor? At what age, or stage, does older age begin? From the time we can talk, our age is a salient personal characteristic with significant ramifications for others and ourselves in school, at work, socially, and at home. According to one of the broadest surveys gauging US views on ageing, the older people become, the younger (relative to their chronological age) they feel and the more likely they perceive “old age” as starting later in life (Taylor 2009). Similar results were found using a Japanese sample, again demonstrating that individuals report feeling subjectively younger than their chronological age (Hatta et al. 2010). In fact, Barak (2009) found subjective age to consistently be younger than chronological age across 18 different countries. Importantly, not only does there appear to be a gap between actual chronological age and the age people feel, this gap between chronological age and felt age increases with one’s age. Therefore, one’s chronological age is just one factor in determining our perceptions of age.
Threshold objects: viewing textiles in a colonial Andean painting

In the Andean colonial painting The Child Mary Spinning, the pictorial representation of cloth invites questions of how textiles might have signified differently in European versus Andean contexts. Derived from a seventeenth-century peninsular model, this eighteenth-century work has been understood as possibly alluding to an Inka imperial past for certain details and ambiguity in the figure’s attributes seem to reflect both European and Andean cultures. However, my analysis veers away from the figure and focuses instead on the mantle and how it opens the way to a deeper socio-cultural and religious understanding of the colonial space. The mantle, which is suggestive of Andean textiles, here acts as a threshold object that seems to convey an explicit meaning but also ‘gives way’ to alternate readings. Though the painting first seems to be within the European aesthetic tradition, an analysis of the mantle in the composition suggests cultural associations that can be missed by focusing on Mary’s identity alo...
Genomics, Health Disparities, and Missed Opportunities for the Nation's Research Agenda.

The completion of the Human Genome Project occurred at a time of increasing public attention to health disparities. In 2004, Sankar and colleagues1 suggested that this coincidental timing resulted in an inappropriate emphasis on the contribution of genomics to health disparities, conflating racial patterns of disease with genetic ancestry, and distracting attention from the large and compelling body of scientific evidence pointing to social determinants of health disparities.2 For example, genomic research has emphasized discovery of genetic contributors to diabetes risk, but the recent increase in the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which disproportionately affects minority populations, cannot be attributed to genetic changes and rather reflects social forces affecting diet, food access, and patterns in physical activity. The introduction of new genomic health technologies could also exacerbate disparities in access to high-quality health care, if specific genomic testing improved health and was only available to those who were affluent. Nonetheless, the claim persists that genomic research can reduce health disparities—if only participation by minority populations in genomic research could be increased.
Thermally induced stresses in boulders on airless body surfaces, and implications for rock breakdown

Abstract This work investigates the macroscopic thermomechanical behavior of lunar boulders by modeling their response to diurnal thermal forcing. Our results reveal a bimodal, spatiotemporally-complex stress response. During sunrise, stresses occur in the boulders’ interiors that are associated with large-scale temperature gradients developed due to overnight cooling. During sunset, stresses occur at the boulders’ exteriors due to the cooling and contraction of the surface. Both kinds of stresses are on the order of 10 MPa in 1 m boulders and decrease for smaller diameters, suggesting that larger boulders break down more quickly. Boulders ≤ 30 cm exhibit a weak response to thermal forcing, suggesting a threshold below which crack propagation may not occur. Boulders of any size buried by regolith are shielded from thermal breakdown. As boulders increase in size (>1 m), stresses increase to several 10 s of MPa as the behavior of their surfaces approaches that of an infinite halfspace. As the thermal wave loses contact with the boulder interior, stresses become limited to the near-surface. This suggests that the survival time of a boulder is not only controlled by the amplitude of induced stress, but also by its diameter as compared to the diurnal skin depth. While stresses on the order of 10 MPa are enough to drive crack propagation in terrestrial environments, crack propagation rates in vacuum are not well constrained. We explore the relationship between boulder size, stress, and the direction of crack propagation, and discuss the implications for the relative breakdown rates and estimated lifetimes of boulders on airless body surfaces.
Seasonal Patterns of Recruitment of Juvenile Blue Crabs and Lesser Blue Crabs at a Coastal Site In Louisiana

ABSTRACT This research tested the null hypothesis that there is no seasonal variation in the recruitment, body size, and growth status of juvenile Callinectes sapidus and Callinectes similis at a soft sediment site at Port Fourchon, LA, which varied in collection salinity between 17 and 37. Monthly collections of 5- to 30.6-mm carapace width (CW) juvenile crabs were made with a push net between March 2007 and February 2009. Juvenile C. sapidus were primarily recruited in March 2007, November 2007 to February 2008, June and July 2008, and in December 2008 and January 2009, whereas the major recruitment times for C. similis were April–October 2007,March–May 2008, August through October 2008 and February 2009. The ratio of juvenile C. sapidus:C. similis was not significantly related to the ambient salinity at the time of collection. The average wet weight, dry weight, and ash-free dry weight of a standard 17.5-mm CW blue crab and lesser blue crab was determined monthly with second-degree polynomial (quadrati...
Sisyphus as a Means of Imagining the Underworld

This paper examines Greek vases with joking representations of famous sinners punished in the Underworld – Sisyphos, Oknos, and the Dainads. These vases stand as evidence for certain Greek beliefs about life after death. These beliefs are probably connected to Orphic initiation or a similar classical ‘mystery’ religions.
Development of remote sensing indicators for mapping episodic die-off of an invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum) from the Landsat archive

Abstract The exotic annual grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) dominates vast acreages of rangeland in the western USA, leading to increased fire frequency and ecosystem degradation that is often irreversible. Episodic regeneration failure (“die-off”) has been observed in cheatgrass monocultures and can have negative ecosystem consequences, but can also provide an opportunity for restoration of native species and ecological function within the imperiled sagebrush steppe ecosystem. Proximate causes of cheatgrass die-off are uncertain, although several taxa of fungal soil pathogens have been implicated. Die-off occurrence is stochastic and can occur in remote areas. Thus, developing remote sensing indicators that are repeatable over long time periods, across extensive regions, and at relatively fine spatial resolution would be beneficial for accurately pinpointing events. We developed a remote sensing approach for mapping historical die-off from the Landsat archive (1985–2015), and used this to quantify spatial and temporal patterns of die-off occurrence annually at 30-m resolution. A Random Forests classification of image-derived spectral endmembers, trained on 2014 data, predicted die-off with 93% accuracy (κ = 0.845) when applied to independent validation data from 2009. Die-off extent varied greatly across years, though some areas experienced die-off multiple times during the observation period. We found a strong correspondence between die-off occurrence and winter drought conditions, with strongest negative associations with current-year winter precipitation and previous years’ lagged winter and annual precipitation. Die-off duration was heavily skewed towards single-year die-off (81.5% of events), even in localized areas of more frequent occurrence (‘die-off hotspots’). Our retrospective classification of the Landsat archive suggests that cheatgrass die-off occurrence is predictable as the intersection of particular site environmental conditions with annual weather conditions, possibly because they are favorable for disease expression. Associations with previous year conditions suggest that die-off may also depend upon feedbacks between cheatgrass dominance and litter production, suitable sites for seedling establishment, and abundance and persistence of pathogen inoculum. Remote sensing indicators such as those developed in this study are needed to develop hypotheses about die-off causal factors, as well as support improved management of cheatgrass, mitigation for negative consequences associated with die-off (e.g. wind erosion), and successful restoration of native plant communities on die-off areas.
Impaired visuomotor generalization by inconsistent attentional contexts

Learning novel motor actions in complex environments with attentional distraction is a critical function. Successful motor learning involves the ability to transfer the acquired skill from the trai...
Application of a fast Newton–Krylov solver for equilibrium simulations of phosphorus and oxygen

Abstract Model drift due to inadequate spinup is a serious problem that complicates the interpretation of climate change simulations. Even after a 300 year spinup we show that solutions are not only still drifting but often drifting away from their eventual equilibrium over large parts of the ocean. Here we present a Newton-Krylov solver for computing cyclostationary equilibrium solutions of a biogeochemical model for the cycling of phosphorus and oxygen. In addition to using previously developed preconditioning strategies – time-averaging and coarse-graining the Jacobian matrix – we also introduce a new strategy: the adiabatic elimination of a fast variable (particulate organic phosphorus) by slaving it to a slow variable (dissolved inorganic phosphorus). We use transport matrices derived from the Community Earth System Model (CESM) with a nominal horizontal resolution of 1° × 1° and 60 vertical levels to implement and test the solver. We find that the new solver obtains seasonally-varying equilibrium solutions with no visible drift using no more than 80 simulation years.
Genetic Analysis of Mitochondrial Ribosomal Proteins and Cognitive Aging in Postmenopausal Women.

Genes encoding mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) have been linked to aging and longevity in model organisms (i.e., mice, Caenorhabditis elegans). Here we evaluated if the MRPs have conserved effects on aging traits in humans. We utilized data from 4,504 participants of the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) who had both longitudinal cognitive data and genetic data. Two aging phenotypes were considered: (1) gross lifespan (time to all-cause mortality), and (2) cognitive aging (longitudinal rate of change in modified mini-mental state scores). We tested genetic association with variants in 78 members of the MRP gene family. Genetic association tests were done at the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level, and at gene-set level using two distinct procedures (GATES and MAGMA). We included SNPs in APOE and adjusted the tests for the APOE-e4 allele, a known risk factor for dementia. The strongest association signal is for the known cognitive aging SNP, rs429358, in APOE (p-value = 5 × 10-28 for cognitive aging; p-value = 0.03 for survival). We found no significant association between the MRPs and survival time. For cognitive aging, we detected SNP level association for rs189661478 in MRPL23 (p-value < 9 × 10-6). Furthermore, the gene-set analysis showed modest but significant association between the MRP family and cognitive aging. In conclusion, our results indicate a potential pathway-level association between the MRPs and cognitive aging that is independent of the APOE locus. We however did not detect association between the MRPs and lifespan.
Masking and Unmasking of Isolated Noncompaction of the Left Ventricle With Real-Time Contrast Echocardiography

Noncompaction of the left ventricle is characterized by thin, compacted subepicardial myocardium and a thicker, noncompacted subendocardial layer.1 Because the intertrabecular cavity recesses in noncompaction may not be adequately visualized on transthoracic echocardiography, ultrasound-enhancing agents have been used to delineate these recesses within the noncompacted layer.2 The American Society of Echocardiography has recommended the use of harmonic imaging with a very low mechanical index (MI) to reduce microbubble destruction and improve left ventricular and intertrabecular opacification.2 We present a case of left ventricular noncompaction where very low MI imaging actually masked detection of the noncompacted layer. A method is proposed to preferentially destroy microbubbles in the trabecular myocardium and improve delineation and quantification of the noncompacted layer. A 47-year-old male with symptoms of worsening orthopnea was referred for …
The DEAL trial: A diet and exercise intervention in (pre)-diabetics during treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

473Background: Patients with diabetes are at greater risk for bladder cancer (BC) as well as disease recurrence and progression. Even after controlling for clinical and pathologic risk factors, DM ...
Analytical and Experimental Analysis of Magnetorheological Elastomers

ii Acknowledgements v List of Tables vii List of Figures viii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Literature Review 1 1.2 Proposed Device 3 1.3 Objectives 4 1.4 Organization 5 Chapter 2: Fabrication and Characterization of the MRE 6 2.1 Materials 6 2.2 Fabrication 7 2.3 Characterization and Results 8 2.4 Discussion 13 Chapter 3: Device Design 15 3.1 Design Specifications 15 3.2 COMSOL Analysis 17 3.3 Final Design 24 3.4 Device Construction 26 Chapter 4: COMSOL Model of MRE Shear Modulus Change 28 4.1 Relation between Shear Modulus and Magnetic Field 28 4.2 MATLAB Function 30 4.3 COMSOL Model 31 4.4 Results 34 4.5 Discussion 36 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Future Work 37 5.1 Conclusions 37 5.2 Future Work 38 Appendix 40 Appendix A: MATLAB Code 40 Bibliography 43 Curriculum Vitae 44
Measuring photosynthetic parameters in individual algal cells by Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry

A Single Cell Fast Repetition Rate (SCFRR) fluorometer was developed to measure the quantum yield of photochemistry, the functional absorption cross section of PS II and the kinetics of electron transport on the acceptor side of PS II in individual algal cells. These parameters are used to quantify the cell-specific photosynthetic performance in natural phytoplankton assembledges in aquatic ecosystems. The SCFRR technique measures chlorophyll fluorescence transients induced by a precisely controlled series of excitation flashlets that cumulatively saturate PS II within 120 μs. To meet the requirement in the analysis for single algal cells, the measurements are conducted in micro volumes, such that the probability of probing more than one cell at a time is vanishingly low. We designed a novel, computer-controlled hydromechanical system to deliver a portion of the sample into the measuring chamber and, following measurement, remove it into one of six sorting containers. The fluorescence signal is induced by a series of high frequency flashlets obtained from high luminosity blue light-emitting diodes and is acquired by a novel red-sensitive PMT-based detection system exhibiting both high sensitivity and a very wide dynamic range. The wide dynamic range of the detector allows SCFRR measurements for a wide variety of cell sizes ranging from 1 to 100 μm equivalent spherical diameter. The compact and light-weight design makes the SCFRR Fluorometer applicable for both laboratory and field studies.
Immunohistochemical staining for DNA topoisomerase IIa in Hodgkin's disease

The topoisomerase II alpha (topo II alpha) enzyme is the target for several chemotherapeutic agents, including etoposide, teniposide, mitoxantrone, and doxorubicin (topo II poisons). The enzyme also is a marker of cell proliferation. Most cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) are responsive to combination chemotherapy regimes that include topo II poisons such as doxorubicin. Immunoperoxidase methods for detection of the topo II alpha isoenzyme are now available for use in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, which may provide information about the proliferative capacity and possible sensitivity of tumors to drugs that target topo II. We used a specific antibody to analyze subsets of HD for topo II alpha staining patterns. Formalin-fixed blocks from 49 cases of HD, including 20 nodular sclerosis (NS), 14 mixed-cellularity (MC), and 15 lymphocyte-predominant (LP) subtypes, were analyzed by dual staining for topo II in combination with monoclonal antibodies against Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells consisting of CD15 for the NS and MC subtypes and CD20 for LP lymphocytic and histiocytic (L & H) cells. The number of morphologically appropriate cells coexpressing the RS or L & H marker and topo II alpha was quantitated. Positive nuclear staining for topo II alpha in RS or L & H cells was seen in 100% of cases, irrespective of subtype. Coexpression of CD15 and topo II alpha was seen in 58.4% of the RS cells or mononuclear variants in NSHD cases and 68.4% in MCHD cases. No significant difference in the percentage of neoplastic cells expressing topo II alpha was found between NS and MC subtypes. Cases of LPHD showed coexpression of CD20 and topo II alpha in 84.4% of the L & H cells, a significant increase over the level of tumor cell coexpression seen in NSHD and MCHD (P < .001). Only one case was found to have a low (< 25% of tumor cell coexpression) level of topo II alpha expression. Immunohistochemical detection of a high level of topo II alpha expression in HD, irrespective of subtype, suggests a molecular explanation for the excellent response of most HD to standard combination chemotherapy, which can include topo II poisons. The LP subtype has a higher expression of topo II alpha in the neoplastic cell population than do NS or MC subtypes, perhaps indicating increased sensitivity of these tumors to topo II poisons. It may be possible to identify subsets of HD that are more or less sensitive to conventional chemotherapeutic regimes, which would help in the selection of appropriate treatment.
The Clinical Use of N-Acetylcysteine in Other Medical Disorders

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is used in medicine for a wide variety of conditions, with its use continuously being expanded. Its ubiquitous use is driven by its excellent safety profile along with its multiple mechanisms of action, including targeting oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial and neurotransmitter metabolism. This chapter reviews some of the less common investigated uses for NAC in medicine, including treatment of autoimmune, skin, infectious, hematological, metabolic, and ophthalmological diseases, as well as for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), including neonates, undergoing surgery or with fertility disorders, diabetes, or burns. It has been investigated for its role in the prevention of hearing loss and other adverse effects of chemotherapy and antibiotics as well as in preventing and treating cancer. For many of these areas, the studies are limited, making it difficult to make any recommendations based on the current published research. Certain areas, such as pretreatment with hyperoxic ventilation in the ICU, treatment for burns and prevention of antibiotic-induced hearing loss, adjunctive treatment for human immunodeficiency virus infection, and improving outcomes in chronic bronchitis and polycystic ovary syndrome, appear to have enough positive evidence in clinical trials to recommend the use of NAC. Many other areas have promising findings from clinical trials, but there is not enough evidence to make a recommendation. These areas include autoimmune and metabolic disease, prevention and treatment of cancer, chorioamnionitis, skin disorders such as acne and lamellar ichthyosis, treatment and prevention of otitis media, influenza and bronchiolitis, hematological disorders, and male infertility. In some areas there has been a number of clinical trials performed without any benefit seen, resulting in a recommendation not to use NAC. These areas include general use in the ICU, multiple organ failure, extensive abdominal surgery including aortic aneurysm surgery, prevention of atelectasis during surgery, treatment of photodermatosis or malaria, and preventing chronic lung disease in neonates or adverse reaction to sulfamethoxazole. There are ongoing clinical trials in some of these areas for the use of NAC, including its use in cancer, preventing hearing loss, treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection, diabetes, and hematological disorders. Overall, there appears to be many potential uses for NAC in many disorders in medicine, but for many, further studies are needed to define the dosing and/or better define the subpopulation of patients which would most benefit from treatment with NAC.
Age-induced recrystallization in perovskite solar cells

Abstract Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite with single or multiple ions is extensively investigated as light-harvesting material in fabricating high-efficiency photovoltaic cells. There is much less effort into the understanding of the structure and electronic properties than into device optimization. The highest efficiency usually appears some time (a couple of days) after the device fabrication, but the underlying mechanism is rarely in the limelight. Here we study device performance under different storage environments. We utilize X-ray diffraction, time-resolved photoluminescence, transient absorption spectrometer, and single-carrier diode measurement to understand the structure and electronic properties of perovskite films for the time scale of weeks. We observe enhanced crystallinity and crystallite size, referred to age-induced recrystallization. Based on the structural changes, the charge trap and recombination are suppressed, while charge transport and collection are enhanced, ultimately improving device efficiency.
The Protective Effects of Supportive Parenting on the Relationship Between Adolescent Poverty and Resting-State Functional Brain Connectivity During Adulthood:

Children growing up in poverty are vulnerable to negative changes in the developing brain; however, these outcomes vary widely. We tested the hypothesis that receipt of supportive parenting would offset the association between living in poverty during adolescence and the connectivity of neural networks that support cognition and emotion regulation during young adulthood. In a sample of African American youths (N = 119) living in the rural South, poverty status and receipt of supportive parenting were assessed when youths were 11 to 13 and 16 to 18 years old. At age 25, resting-state functional connectivity of the central-executive and emotion-regulation neural networks was assessed using functional MRI. The results revealed that more years spent living in poverty presaged less connectivity in both neural networks among young adults who received low levels of supportive parenting but not among those who received high levels of such parenting.
Invisible Labor and Women’s Double Binds: Collusive Femininity and Masculine Drinking in Russia:

The heavy drinking of alcohol remains primarily a hegemonically masculine ritual worldwide. Yet scholarship has undertheorized women’s practices in shaping the boundaries of masculine rituals, incl...
A first genetic portrait of synaptonemal complex variation

The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a proteinaceous scaffold required for synapsis and recombination between homologous chromosomes during meiosis. Although the SC has been linked to differences in genome-wide crossover rates, the genetic basis of standing variation in SC structure remains unknown. To investigate the possibility that recombination evolves through changes to the SC, we characterized the genetic architecture of SC divergence on two evolutionary timescales. Applying a novel digital image analysis technique to spermatocyte spreads, we measured total SC length in 9,532 spermatocytes from recombinant offspring of wild-derived mouse strains with differences in this fundamental meiotic trait. Using this large dataset, we identified the first known genomic regions involved in the evolution of SC length. Distinct loci affect total SC length divergence between and within subspecies, with the X chromosome contributing to both. Joint genetic analysis of MLH1 foci-immunofluorescent markers of crossovers-from the same spermatocytes revealed that two of the identified loci also confer differences in the genome-wide recombination rate. Causal mediation analysis suggested that one pleiotropic locus acts early in meiosis to designate crossovers prior to SC assembly, whereas a second locus primarily shapes crossover number through its effect on SC length. One genomic interval shapes the relationship between SC length and recombination rate, likely modulating the strength of crossover interference. Our findings pinpoint SC formation as a key step in the evolution of recombination and demonstrate the power of genetic mapping on standing variation in the context of the recombination pathway.
Interpersonal Violence and the Elderly

Abstract Persons over the age of 65 years are referred to as seniors or elders. As such, elders are considered a vulnerable population that is not routinely receiving screening for abuse (Administration on Aging, 1998; Dong & Simon, 2013a; Jackson & Hafemeister, 2013). The actual prevalence of elder abuse cases is unknown for a variety of reasons (Aciermo, Hernandez, Armstadter, Resnick, Steve, & Muzzy, 2010). Cases of elder abuse, including sexual abuse, are reported in one out of every 14 cases annually (Cannell, Manini, Spence-Almaguer, Maldonado-Molina & Andersen, 2014; Cooper, Selwood & Livingston, 2008). The nursing and clinical literature is severely lacking in information on the clinical indictors of elder abuse that can be differentiated from manifestations of comorbidities and age-related physiologic changes (Brozowski & Hall, 2010; Cronholm, Ismailji & Mettner, 2013; Dong, 2014; Policastro & Payne, 2014; Shugarman, Fries, Wolf, & Morris, 2003). Self-reported cases of elder abuse are almost never the manner in which a victim is identified and removed from the violent environment. Discussion of what occurs in the privacy of one's home and any report of historic and persistent maltreatment are usually not shared because of embarrassment, fear of punishment, or loss of freedom and independence. This chapter discusses interpersonal violence, the incidence and prevalence of violence among the elderly, and risk factors for vulnerability. Retraumatization is also discussed in the cycle of abuse, as well as the roles of power and privilege.
Differential parenting and risk for psychopathology: a monozygotic twin difference approach.

Consistent and non-specific associations have been found between parenting style and major depression, anxiety disorders, and externalizing behavior. Although often considered part of twins’ shared environment, parenting can also be conceptualized as non-shared environment. Non-shared environmental influences have important effects on development but are difficult to test and sort out because of the possible confounding effects of gene-environment interactions and evocative gene-environment correlations. The monozygotic (MZ) differences approach is one way to analytically investigate non-shared environment. The aim of the present study is to use the MZ differences approach to investigate the relationship between differential parenting among 1303 twin pairs (mean age 36.69 ± 8.56) and differences in total symptom counts of major depression (MD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), conduct disorder (CD), and anti-social behavior (ASB) during adulthood. Although effect sizes tended to be small, a number of results were significantly different from zero. Perceived differences in parental coldness was positively associated with internalizing disorders. Differences in protectiveness were negatively associated with MD, GAD, and ASB. Differences in authoritarianism were positively associated with MD and CD, but negatively associated with ASB. Perceived differences in parenting style are associated with differences in MD, GAD, CD, and ASB outcomes in a sample of MZ twins. Despite the lack of a basis for making causal inferences about parenting style and psychopathology, these results are suggestive of such a relationship and show that non-shared environmental influence of parenting does in some cases significantly predict adult psychopathology.
The Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II-CD4 Immunologic Synapse in Alcoholic Hepatitis and Autoimmune Liver Pathology: The Role of Aberrant Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II in Hepatocytes.

The major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II)-CD4 immunologic synapse is classically described between the T-cell receptor of CD4-positive lymphocytes and MHC II on antigen-presenting cells. This interaction and others between surrounding costimulatory and checkpoint molecules promote differentiation of naive CD4 T lymphocytes into helper T cells subtypes, including types 1, 2, and 17 helper T cells, that have more tailored immunologic responses. Although MHC II is mainly produced by professional antigen-presenting cells, it can be aberrantly produced by other cell types, including hepatocytes in various liver pathologies, such as autoimmune hepatitis and alcoholic hepatitis. This can lead to direct targeting of hepatocytes by CD4-positive lymphocytes, which form an immunologic synapse with the hepatocyte. The lymphocytes internalize the MHC II-CD4 complexes in a phagocytosis-like mechanism and in the process eat the hepatocyte piece by piece. We review the evidence for this mechanism and the role of these autoimmune responses in various liver diseases, including alcoholic hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and primary biliary cirrhosis. The role of aberrant MHC II in malignancy, including hepatocellular carcinoma, is also reviewed. Further understanding of this mechanism can lead to better understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in these liver pathologies, with potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Characteristics and Operational Performance of Hospital-affiliated Freestanding Emergency Departments.

Background As there has been increasing pressure on acute care services to redefine how their care is delivered, hospital-affiliated freestanding emergency departments (FREDs) have rapidly expanded in some markets. Little is known about the populations served or the quality of care provided by these facilities. Objective The objective of this study was to compare patient visit characteristics, geographic catchment areas, and operational performance between hospital-affiliated FREDs and hospital-based emergency departments (HEDs). Research design This was a population-based retrospective observational analysis of 19 FREDs and 5 HEDs in a single health system over a 1-year period. We abstracted patient visit data from the electronic health record and supplemented catchment area data with the 2016 American Community Survey. We analyzed lengths of stay using generalized linear models adjusted for age, severity, and insurance status. Results FREDs had lower proportions of visits from nonwhite patients and more visits from privately insured patients than HEDs, with similar proportions of uninsured patient visits. These trends were mirrored in catchment area analyses. FRED visits were lower acuity, with fewer imaging and laboratory tests performed. The adjusted mean length of stay for discharged patients was 109 minutes for FREDs compared with 169 minutes for HEDs. For admitted or transferred patients, adjusted lengths of stay were 213 minutes at FREDs and 287 minutes at HEDs. Conclusions Hospital-affiliated FREDs serve more affluent and less diverse patient populations and geographic communities. Relative to HEDs, they have lower acuity patient visits with fewer tests, and they have shorter lengths of stay, even after adjustment for patient visit characteristics.
Comparison of Hydrometer Analysis and Laser Diffraction Method for Measuring Particle and Floc Size Distribution Applied to Fine Coal Refuse

Traditional grain size distribution measurement techniques assume that the measured particle diameters are of individual grains. However, for suspended particulate materials, particles may be dispersed or associated in flocs. Further, particle-level associations depend on the surrounding fluid chemistry, which may change over time. The purpose of this study is to compare two different methods of grain size analysis for detecting particle and floc sizes in suspensions of fine coal refuse (FCR): hydrometer analysis, the well-known traditional method, and laser diffraction, a lesser known method. The influence of background solution—flocculant, dispersant, or distilled water—on the apparent grain size of FCR was also investigated. Analogous slurry suspensions made from a well-characterized kaolin were analyzed for comparison. Results from the grain/floc size analysis indicate that there are several advantages of laser diffraction over hydrometer analysis including a short measurement period, small sample size requirement, and the ability to measure a wide range of particle sizes in the same analysis. Moreover, this study highlights the ability of the particle size analyzer (PSA) to accurately measure changes in apparent particle size over time for the same suspension and thereby indicate the presence of flocs. Finally, the PSA has the capability of capturing dynamic particle interactions—flocculation and deflocculation—in real time.
Exploring Dietary Behavior Differences among Children by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status.

Background In Spartanburg County, SC, nearly 33.7% of children are overweight or obese. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in eating behavior of youth by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Methods Students (N = 997) in 4th to 5th grades completed the School Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. School databases categorized students as either White or racial/ethnic minority and free/reduced or full paid lunch status. Dietary behaviors included 13 composite measures: unhealthy proteins, healthy proteins, dairy, refined grains, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, fried snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, and consumption of a breakfast, evening, and/or restaurant meal. Logistic regression, controlling for sex, was used to analyze differences in consumption for each nutrition variable. Results Minority youth were less likely to consume healthy proteins (odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.55-0.92) and more likely to eat at a restaurant (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.02-1.70) compared to white youth. Lower socioeconomic status youth were less likely to eat an evening meal compared to higher socioeconomic status youth (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.39-0.89). Conclusions Differences in dietary behaviors may result from food accessibility and insecurity in minority and/or low-income neighborhoods. Future research should explore policy strategies that can help ensure all youth maintain healthy eating habits and weight status.
16p12.1 deletion orthologs are expressed in motile neural crest cells and are important for regulating craniofacial development in Xenopus laevis

Abstract Copy number variants (CNVs) associated with neurodevelopmental disorders are characterized by extensive phenotypic heterogeneity. In particular, one CNV was identified in a subset of children clinically diagnosed with intellectual disabilities (ID) that results in a hemizygous deletion of multiple genes at chromosome 16p12.1. In addition to ID, individuals with this deletion display a variety of symptoms including microcephaly, seizures, cardiac defects, and growth retardation. Moreover, patients also manifest severe craniofacial abnormalities, such as micrognathia, cartilage malformation of the ears and nose, and facial asymmetries; however, the function of the genes within the 16p12.1 region have not been studied in the context of vertebrate craniofacial development. The craniofacial tissues affected in patients with this deletion all derive from the same embryonic precursor, the cranial neural crest, leading to the hypothesis that one or more of the 16p12.1 genes may be involved in regulating neural crest cell (NCC)-related processes. To examine this, we characterized the developmental role of the 16p12.1-affected gene orthologs, polr3e, mosmo, uqcrc2, and cdr2, during craniofacial morphogenesis in the vertebrate model system, Xenopus laevis. While the currently-known cellular functions of these genes are diverse, we find that they share similar expression patterns along the neural tube, pharyngeal arches, and later craniofacial structures. As these genes show co-expression in the pharyngeal arches where NCCs reside, we sought to elucidate the effect of individual gene depletion on craniofacial development and NCC migration. We find that reduction of several 16p12.1 genes significantly disrupts craniofacial and cartilage formation, pharyngeal arch migration, as well as NCC specification and motility. Thus, we have determined that some of these genes play an essential role during vertebrate craniofacial patterning by regulating specific processes during NCC development, which may be an underlying mechanism contributing to the craniofacial defects associated with the 16p12.1 deletion.
Continuous-Infusion Foscarnet Facilitates Administration in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients

ABSTRACT Infections due to herpesviruses resistant to first-line antivirals remains an ever-present and serious complication in recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and other cellular therapies. Foscarnet is the most common therapy for patients who have resistant herpesvirus infections or intolerable cytopenias due to ganciclovir or valganciclovir; however, the widespread use of foscarnet is limited by its associated nephrotoxicity and challenges in administration. In the earliest published small case series investigating the optimal infusion modality, patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) due to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) received either continuous infusion or intermittent dosing of foscarnet. Moreover, there was no standardization of hydration strategies to minimize side effects. Eventually, intermittent foscarnet infusions became the standard of care; however, the true impact of hydration and infusion duration on nephrotoxicity has not been adequately studied, and the reports of foscarnet administration in HCT patients has been limited primarily to intermittent infusions. In this report, we characterize the administration of foscarnet as a 24-hour continuous infusion in both the inpatient and outpatient settings compared with intermittent infusion in HCT recipients. This retrospective, single-center, observational study at Stanford University Medical Center assessed HCT recipients who received foscarnet between January 2009 and May 2019. Twenty-eight of 45 patients (62.2%) who received continuous-infusion foscarnet experienced an acute kidney injury (AKI) as defined by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes classification, compared with 39 of 62 patients (62.9%) who received conventional infusion (P = .94). The average duration of outpatient antiviral days for the continuous infusion group was 9 days (range, 0 to 121 days), compared with 6.3 days (range, 0 to 70 days) in the intermittent infusion group (P = .54). Our findings suggest that foscarnet given as a continuous infusion or as an intermittent infusion have similar rates of adverse reactions, most notably similar rates of AKI. Administering foscarnet as a continuous infusion is a feasible option to facilitate outpatient treatment.
Governance Changes through Shareholder Initiatives: The Case of Proxy Access

We study a regulatory change that led to over 300 shareholder proposals to instate proxy access and more than 250 firms adopting proxy access from 2012 to 2016. The firms expected to benefit most from proxy access have the most positive market reaction to receiving a proposal, but adoptions are not concentrated at these firms. We find that proposing and voting shareholders do not discriminate between firms that would or would not benefit and that management resists proxy access at the firms that stand to benefit most. This process results in the concentration of adoptions at large, already-well-governed firms.
Breaking the Stalemate on Supreme Court Term Limits with Delayed Implementation Legislation

This concise Essay proposes a novel solution to the current stalemate regarding Supreme Court term limits. Namely, through delayed implementation the existing incentives against such legislation are ameliorated. This Essay provides the logic behind taking such an approach and addresses likely criticism. Finally, the ability of applying such a strategy to other political issues—and the positive bipartisan environment that might follow—is discussed.
Patients' perspectives on the derivation and use of organoids

Organoid research is enhancing understanding of human development and diseases as well as aiding in medication development and selection, raising hopes for even more future therapeutic options. Nevertheless, this work raises important ethical issues and there is a paucity of data regarding patients' perspectives on them. We report on 60 interviews with adult patients or parents of pediatric patients from diverse disease populations who receive medical care at a major academic research institution in the United States. Interviewees expressed broad support for organoid development and use. However, patients viewed brain organoids, and sometimes gonadal organoids, as morally distinct; and some organoid research poses moral concerns. Nonetheless, patients generally understood the potential value of such research and approved of it, provided it was aimed at good intent and conducted with ethical oversight and a robust consent process. These data should help inform conceptual and policy deliberations about appropriate organoid use.
Successful Implementation of Enhanced Recovery in Elective Colorectal Surgery is Variable and Dependent on the Local Environment.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate local hospital success with enhanced recovery implementation as measured by colorectal surgery process measure (PM) compliance and characterize local environment factors associated with success within a contemporary quality improvement collaborative. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Enhanced recovery programs (ERP) have proven an effective perioperative quality improvement strategy, but local variation in implementation can hinder patient outcome improvement. METHODS Individual hospitals participating in a national colorectal ERP quality improvement program were evaluated with quantitative (patient-level process and outcome) and qualitative (survey and structured interviews with hospital teams) data between 2017 and 2020. Hospitals with implementation success were identified: high performers (80% of elective colorectal surgery patients compliant with >6/9 PMs) and high improvers (top quartile of PM adherence improvement over time). Hospital and implementation characteristics were compared with chi-square tests. Trends in average annual outcome change were estimated with logistic and linear regression. RESULTS Of 207 total hospitals, 62 were characterized as High Performance and 52 as High Improvement. High Performance hospitals were larger, with more annual colorectal surgeries (128 vs 101, P = 0.039). Qualitative assessment revealed fewer barriers of staff buy-in and competing priorities, and more experience with standardized perioperative care in High Performance hospitals. High Improvement hospitals had lower baseline PM adherence (54.1% vs 69.6%, P < 0.001) and less experience with standardized perioperative care (30.8% vs 58.1%, P < 0.001) but were noted to have a positive trend in annual patient outcomes: annual morbidity (Δ-1.14% vs -0.20%, P = 0.035), readmission (Δ-1.85% vs 0.002%, P = 0.037), and prolonged length of stay (Δ-3.94 vs -1.19, P = 0.037) compared to Low Improvement hospitals. CONCLUSIONS When evaluating a collection of hospitals implementing ERP, only half of hospitals reached consistent High Performance or high improvement. Characteristics of the local environment need further study to understand the barriers to effective implementation in a pragmatic setting.
Les Revenants: horror in France and the tradition of the fantastic

Les Revenants, a Canal+ TV series about a small town whose dead return to life, was one of the biggest critical and popular successes of the 2010s on the domestic and international markets. While t...
Transparency or Loopholes: Target Locations, FISA Warrants, and Reasonable Belief

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 was a grand compromise. FISA aimed at continued collection of national security intelligence, while preserving American civil liberties from government overreach. This compromise sought to assuage concerns from the tech industry and high-level government officials by providing protection to both from litigation. The FISA comprise was premised on the independence of a specially created judicial court, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), overseeing executive power while providing reporting to Congress. A true balance of power. From its inception, FISA's basic foundation for legality is founded on government knowledge of the physical location of targets. This foundation has not aged well as technology has evolved. In addition to technological advances, the law itself has not been updated to reflect the changes in technology. Congress has shown a penchant for reacting to either the executive or the Supreme Court. Congress' reaction to litigation in 2018, the Court's recent ruling in Carpenter, and Special Counsel Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference with subsequent Congressional disclosures, all threaten the vitality of FISA. This article outlines the foundation, covers the technological developments, and exposes flaws in the FISA system. The Article argues the Government, along with the tech industry must rework another grand compromise to ensure the continued vitality of national security surveillance, while continuing to protect American civil liberties from government overreach.