cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modification of Cardiac Sodium Channels by Carboxyl Reagents Trimethyloxonium and Water-soluble Carbodiimide

In TTX-sensitive nerve and skeletal muscle Na+ channels, selective modification of external carboxyl groups with trimethyloxonium (TMO) or water-soluble carbodiimide (WSC) prevents voltage-dependent Ca2+ block, reduces unitary conductance, and decreases guanidinium toxin affinity. In the case of TMO, it has been suggested that all three effects result from modification of a single carboxyl group, which causes a positive shift in the channel's surface potential. We studied the effect of these reagents on Ca2+ block of adult rabbit ventricular Na+ channels in cell-attached patches. In unmodified channels, unitary conductance (gamma Na) was 18.6 +/- 0.9 pS with 280 mM Na+ and 2 mM Ca2+ in the pipette and was reduced to 5.2 +/- 0.8 pS by 10 mM Ca2+. In contrast to TTX-sensitive Na+ channels, Ca2+ block of cardiac Na+ channels was not prevented by TMO; after TMO pretreatment, gamma Na was 6.1 +/- 1.0 pS in 10 mM Ca2+. Nevertheless, TMO altered cardiac Na+ channel properties. In 2 mM Ca2+, TMO-treated patches exhibited up to three discrete gamma Na levels: 15.3 +/- 1.7, 11.3 +/- 1.5, and 9.8 +/- 1.8 pS. Patch-to-patch variation in which levels were present and the absence of transitions between levels suggests that at least two sites were modified by TMO. An abbreviation of mean open time (MOT) accompanied each decrease in gamma Na. The effects on channel gating of elevating external Ca2+ differed from those of TMO pretreatment. Increasing pipette Ca2+ from 2 to 10 mM prolonged the MOT at potentials positive to approximately -35 mV by decreasing the open to inactivated (O-->I) transition rate constant. On the other hand, even in 10 mM Ca2+ TMO accelerated the O-->I transition rate constant without a change in its voltage dependence. Ensemble averages after TMO showed a shortening of the time to peak current and an acceleration of the rate of current decay. Channel modification with WSC resulted in analogous effects to those of TMO in failing to show relief from block by 10 mM Ca2+. Further, WSC caused a decrease in gamma Na and an abbreviation of MOT at all potentials tested. We conclude that a change in surface potential caused by a single carboxyl modification is inadequate to explain the effects of TMO and WSC in heart. Failure of TMO and WSC to prevent Ca2+ block of the cardiac Na+ channel is a new distinction among isoforms in the Na+ channel multigene family.
Effect of Grapefruit Juice on the Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Quinidine in Healthy Volunteers

A study was conducted to examine the effect of grapefruit juice on the disposition of quinidine sulfate and changes of QT intervals after oral administration to twelve healthy male volunteers. Participants received two oral doses of quinidine sulfate tablets (400 mg) with 240 mL of water or grapefruit juice, each separated by a 1-week washout period. Plasma samples for analysis of quinidine and its major metabolite, 3-hydroxyquinidine, were collected for a 24-hour period and analyzed by a high-performance liquid chromatography method. For pharmacodynamic data, the electrocardiograms (ECGs) were performed for 12 hours, and the recordings were marked for ECG interval at all blood collection time periods. There was no significant difference in pharmacokinetic parameters of quinidine when administered with grapefruit juice or water, except for time to maximum concentration (tmax), which was 1.6 hours after administration with water and 3.3 hours after administration with grapefruit juice. Administration with grapefruit juice also resulted in a 33% decrease in the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of 3-hydroxyquinidine compared with water, but did not increase the AUC of quinidine or change the ratio of AUC of 3-hydroxyquinidine to the AUC of quinidine. Pharmacodynamic parameters, including changes in the rate-corrected QT (QTc) interval, closely paralleled the pharmacokinetic data, in that administration with grapefruit juice led to delayed maximal effect on QTc and reduction in maximal effect. Administration with grapefruit juice therefore delays the absorption of quinidine and inhibits the metabolism of quinidine to 3-hydroxyquinidine.
Tumor suppressor maspin as a modulator of host immune response to cancer

Despite the promising clinical outcome, the primary challenge of the curative cancer immunotherapy is to overcome the dichotomy of the immune response: tumor-evoked immunostimulatory versus tumor-induced immunosuppressive. The goal needs to be two-fold, to re-establish sustainable antitumor-cancer immunity and to eliminate immunosuppression. The successful elimination of cancer cells by immunosurveillance requires the antigenic presentation of the tumor cells or tumor-associated antigens and the expression of immunostimulatory cytokines and chemokines by cancer and immune cells. Tumors are heterogeneous and as such, some of the tumor cells are thought to have stem cell characteristics that enable them to suppress or desensitize the host immunity due to acquired epigenetic changes. A central mechanism underlying tumor epigenetic instability is the increased histone deacetylase (HDAC)-mediated repression of HDAC-target genes regulating homeostasis and differentiation. It was noted that pharmacological HDAC inhibitors are not effective in eliminating tumor cells partly because they may induce immunosuppression. We have shown that epithelial-specific tumor suppressor maspin, an ovalbumin-like non-inhibitory serine protease inhibitor, reprograms tumor cells toward better differentiated phenotypes by inhibiting HDAC1. Recently, we uncovered a novel function of maspin in directing host immunity towards tumor elimination. In this review, we discuss the maspin and maspin/HDAC1 interplay in tumor biology and immunology. We propose that maspin based therapies may eradicate cancer.
The Role of International Electoral Observation Missions in the Promotion of the Political Rights of Women: The Case of the OAS

Abstract Electoral equity is a fundamental component of a democratic election, and therefore a principal concern of international electoral observation. In order to institutionalize the focus on electoral equity, in 2010 the Organization of American States began to develop a rigorous methodology to incorporate a gender perspective into its electoral observation missions. The experience of observing elections with a gender lens has led to several conclusions, namely that low levels of female political representation are a consequence of political party structures, and that the representation of women increases with gender quotas and policies that increase the access of women to political financing. The gender-focus of OAS Missions has served to highlight the underrepresentation of women in public office through recommendations to strengthen female political participation. The impact of the methodology derives from the possibility that these recommendations will serve as springboards for change in the count...
ENDOTHELIAL CONTROL OF VASOMOTION AND NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION: A Potential Target for Risk Factor Management

During the past 15 years, new concepts have arisen regarding regulation of vasomotor control. It is now clear that the vascular endothelium modulates vascular tone via the release of a variety of substances. Of these, nitric oxide is predominant in modulating vasodilation. Nitric oxide also has a number of other roles that are clearly antiatherogenic. Importantly, a number of disease processes alter the release of nitric oxide and in fact may serve as risk factors in part via this mechanism. In this review, the mechanisms through which hypercholesterolemia alters vasomotion are discussed, and interventions that may improve endothelial function are considered.
Pyridine Nucleotide Metabolism as a Target for Cancer Chemotherapy

Pyridine nucleotide metabolism has an essential role in regulating multiple and diverse aspects of cellular metabolism ranging from carbohydrate utilization to DNA repair processes. As shown in Fig. 1, most cells convert nicotinamide to pyridine nucleotides via NMN pyrophosphorylase followed by NMN:ATP adenylyltransferase. The resultant product, NAD, is used in oxidation-reduction reactions leading ultimately to the synthesis of ATP. It is also important as a co-factor for dehydrogenase enzymes that provide essential components for cell growth such as IMP dehydrogenase, whose activity is required to provide guanine nucleotides.
A Rapid Prototyping Environment for Character Behavior

This paper describes a system that greatly simplifies the task of authoring new behaviors for virtual characters, including physical interactions between characters and other characters or objects. The system in implemented within Twig and allows users to interactively generate and test procedural controllers for characters, as well as triggering mechanisms and arbitration mechanisms for behaviors. It allows users to quickly add new behaviors, or reparameterize existing behaviors, without access to a motion capture studio or professional animators, making it a natural choice for AI researchers, particularly those operating within a university environment. Moreover, it allows a level of continuous parameterization that would be difficult to achieve with traditional animation techniques based on state machines and blending.
Chiorcyclizine-Induced Changes in the Epididymides and the Prostatic Complex of Rats

Chlorcyclizine-induced morphological changes in the epididymides and the prostatic complex of rats are described. Male rats were fed .18% ch lorcyclizine mixed ground chow ad libitum. At autopsy tissues taken for histological examination included testes epididymides prostate seminal vesicles coagulating gland and pituitary. The 2 types of changes seen were those secondary to androgen deficiency accompanying Leydig cell damage and those due to a direct cytotoxic effect of chlorcyclizine. Those secondary to androgen deficiency consisted mainly of atrophy of the lining epithelium of the prostate proper. An attempt at prevention of the changes by supplementing the chlorcyclizine diet with 2% cholesterol was ineffective. An attempt at prevention of the chlorcyclizine-induced changes by conconcurrent injections of testosterone (20 mg/week) resulted only in the prevention of the atrophy of the prostate proper. This indicates that the atrophy of the prostate proper was mainly a consequence of the androgen deficiency occurring with chlorcyclizine-induced Leydig cell damage. The direct cytotoxic effect of cytoplasmic vacuolation of the lining epithelium of the epididymides seminal vesicles and coagulating glands was only reversible by withdrawing the chlorocyclizine in the diet.
Bounded Memory, Reputation, and Impatience

Reputation models typically assume players have full memory, yet in many applications this does not hold. This paper studies incomplete information games where players observe only finitely many recent periods, deriving a recursive characterization of the equilibrium payoff set that captures both stationary and previously unexplored non-stationary equilibria, as well as tools for studying purifiable (i.e. robust to payoff perturbations) equilibria. These tools are applied to a product choice game. For 1-period memory, I obtain the exact minimum and maximum purifiable equilibrium payoffs for almost all discount factors and prior beliefs on an "honest" firm type. For long memory, I characterize the minimum purifiable non-stationary equilibrium payoff and unique stationary payoff. In both cases, incomplete information and non-stationary behavior qualitatively change the equilibrium payoff set. These results hold for fixed discount factors independent of prior beliefs, and so do not require extreme patience.
The Neotropical Forcipomyia (Microhelea) Species Related to the Caterpillar Parasite F. fuliginosa (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

The ceratopogonid midges known to suck blood from caterpillars and sawfly larvae have been known from throughout the world as Forcipomyia fuliginosa (Meigen), which belongs in the subgenus Microhelea Kieffer. Intensive study of the Neotropical species reveals the existence of 9 species in the group related to fuliginosa , of which 3, luteisquamosa, minisquamosa , and penultimata , are described as new. All species are illustrated and a key is presented for their identification. Attention is drawn to the likelihood that these parasites may serve as vectors of polyhedrosis viruses and other diseases which may be useful in biological control of caterpillars and sawfly larvae.
Vulnerability to Disease as a Predictor of Faster Life History Strategies

Here we review research suggesting that vulnerability to disease plays a significant role in modulating life history strategies. In particular, we highlight the role of immunocompetence in life history tradeoffs, predicting that individuals whose immune systems leave them more vulnerable to disease should exhibit a range of psychological and behavioral outcomes that are associated with faster life history strategies. Further, we propose that these differences should occur even after controlling for the effects of early life stress, which themselves calibrate faster life history strategies and alter immune function. We close by highlighting important issues and challenges in this emerging area of inquiry, and illuminate potentially promising avenues of future research.
Doped organic light-emitting diodes based on random copolymers containing both hole and electron transport groups

Doped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), such as PVK containing the electron transport molecule PBD and molecular dyes, have demonstrated three-color capabilities and efficiencies over 1%, but there are concerns about reliability due to recrystallization of the small molecule PBD. In this work we describe the incorporation of both hole and electron transport groups into a single copolymer to avoid recrystallization and phase segregation (which could occur if two separate polymers were used) as well as the application of such copolymers in dye-doped OLEDs. The polymers were synthesized through free radical copolymerization of the electron- donating monomer N-vinylcarbazole (NVK) with the electron-withdrawing monomer 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5-{4-[(4′-vinyl)phenylmethoxy] phenyl}-1, 3, 4- oxadiazole (BVO). The radical reactivity ratios of the two monomers were estimated to be rNVK=0.052 and rBvo=12. The copolymers are transparent in the visible region, homogeneous as characterized by both GPC and DSC, and have good thermal stability. External quantum efficiencies of 0.07%, 0.3% and 0.4% were achieved in LEDs with device structures of ITO/COP:C47/Mg:Ag, ITO/COP:C6/Mg:Ag and ITO/COP:NR/Mg:Ag, respectively, where COP stands for copolymer, C47 for Coumarin 47, C6 for Coumarin 6 and NR for Nile Red. The introduction of the oxadiazole group balances the injection of holes and electrons by decreasing the hole injection and transport ability and enhancing the electron injection and transport ability of the copolymers relative to PVK.
The treatment of cerebrovascular disorders with anticoagulants and platelet aggregation inhibitors

INTRODUCTION: The use of anticoagulants and platelet anti-aggregants is one of the basic features of the management of patients with cerebrovascular disease. DEVELOPMENT: The indications for the use of these agents have evolved from initial empirical use based on anecdotic evidence to current recommendations following multi-centre trials. Aspirin, ticlopidine, clopidogrel and warfarin are drugs of choice for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke (IS). Anticoagulants are used more in patients with IS of cardio-embolic origin. The use of anti-aggregants/anticoagulation in acute IS has not been shown to be clearly effective and its use is limited to particular cases in which fibrinolytic treatment cannot be used. For satisfactory use of these drugs it is essential to correctly identify the type of IS and its progress over time. This article reviews the criteria established for the use of such treatment and describes the developing areas of multi-centre clinical trials.
Xenotransplantation of Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Motor Neurons into the Developing Chick Spinal Cord

A growing number of specific cell types have been successfully derived from embryonic stem cells (ES cells), including a variety of neural cells. In vitro generated cells need to be extensively characterized to establish functional equivalency with their in vivo counterparts. The ultimate test for the ability of ES cell-derived neurons to functionally integrate into neural networks is transplantation into the developing central nervous system, a challenging technique limited by the poor accessibility of mammalian embryos. Here we describe xenotransplantation of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived motor neurons into the developing chick neural tube as an alternative for testing the ability of in vitro generated neurons to survive, integrate, extend axons, and form appropriate synaptic contacts with functionally relevant targets in vivo. Similar methods can be adapted to study functionality of other mammalian cells, including derivatives of human ES cells.
Modulation of Ca by agents affecting voltage-sensitive Ca channels in mesangial cells.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of depolarizing media and of Ca-channel activators and blockers on cytosolic free Ca in cultured rat mesangial cells. Membrane depolarizing ...
Decision Support During Inpatient Care Provider Order Entry: Vanderbilt’s WizOrder Experience

In this chapter, the authors describe a pragmatic approach to the introduction of clinical decision support at the point of care, based on more than a decade of experience in developing and evolving Vanderbilt’s inpatient “WizOrder” care provider order entry (CPOE) system. The authors have developed a generic model for decision support within inpatient CPOE systems. The model is based on characteristics of end-user workflows and on decision support considerations that are common to a variety of inpatient settings and CPOE systems. The specific approach to implementing a given clinical decision support feature should involve evaluation along three axes: what type of intervention to create (four categories); when to introduce the intervention into the user’s workflow (seven categories), and how disruptive, during use of the system, the intervention might be to end-users’ workflows (six categories). Framing decision support in this manner may help both developers and clinical end-users plan future alterations to their systems when needs for new decision support features arise.
Effectiveness of a detached‐leaf assay as a proxy for stem inoculations in backcrossed chestnut (Castanea) blight resistance breeding populations

Summary A recently developed detached-leaf blight resistance assay has generated interest because it could reduce the amount of time needed to evaluate backcrossed hybrid trees in the American chestnut blight resistance breeding programme. We evaluated the leaf inoculation technique on a sample of advanced progeny from the Indiana state chapter American Chestnut Foundation breeding programme, along with susceptible American chestnut (Castanea dentata), the recurrent parent, and resistant Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima), the donor parent for blight resistance. In experiments over 2 years using two pathogen isolates, we found no biologically meaningful relationship between leaf lesion size and the size (length and width) or severity (1–5 canker severity rating) of stem cankers on 5-year-old trees. Chinese chestnuts did develop significantly smaller leaf lesions than American or backcrossed chestnuts. We conclude that while the detached-leaf assay may have utility in some chestnut breeding applications, it is not a suitable proxy for the established practice of stem inoculations.
Modeling changes in monetary policy regimes

Abstract Following the work of Poole and others, changes in monetary policy regimes are hypothesized to be the result of the reaction of policymakers to changes in the distribution of shocks buffeting the economy. First, a time-varying estimation procedure is employed to parameterize the degree to which the policy rule has changed over time. Second, estimated changes in the policy rule are modeled explicitly, utilizing proxies for the disturbances which theory and practice suggest are relevant determinants of such variations. The results suggest changes in monetary policy regimes do not appear to be exogenous events.
Teaching toward the Telos of Critical Thinking: Genre in Business Communication.

The implementation of genre theory in the business communication classroom could lead to the cultivation of critical thinking skills in students. The lack of a common definition of critical thinkin...
The daughter effect: do CEOs with daughters hire more women to their board?

Using a sample of S&P 100 firms, we find that CEOs with a daughter are more likely to hire new women to their board of directors than CEOs without a daughter. Our results provide additional evidenc...
The Optimization of the Mechanical Properties of Reinforced Collagen Films

The general public has become well-exposed to the word collagen in recent years. Unfortunately, the scientific significance of this protein has not been the focus of attention. It is, rather, the world of advertising, particularly of cosmetics, that has made collagen a household word, A variety of skin creams and lotions containing collagen or collagen amino acids are aimed at those who would postpone the visual effects of aging (cracks and wrinkles). The efficiency of the treatments is open to question. However, collagen as an ingredient of biocompatible materials in sutures and skin grafts has a sound basis.1 Collagen, a fibrous protein, is a major constituent of skin and animal hides. It can also be found in tendon, cartilage, and other connective tissues, and comprises about 30% of all the proteins in mammals.2–4
Overpartitions and Truncated Partition Identities

Recently, Andrews and Merca, and Kolitsch and Burnette gave partition interpretations of the Truncated Pentagonal Number Theorem. In this paper, another partition interpretation for the Truncated Pentagonal Number Theorem involving overpartitions will be presented. Overpartitions will also be used to explain some specific truncations of Jacobi’s Triple Product Identity.
Ballistic Transport and Electron Spectroscopy in Tunnelling Hot Electron Transfer Amplifiers (THETA)

Recently, the great improvement in material quality and processing techniques led to a revival of the field of hot electron devices. Devices having current gains greater than 10 have been made successfully. Moreover, the devices proved to be extremely useful as electron spectrometers, establishing unambiguously, for the first time, the existence of ballistic electrons in heavily doped GaAs. I review briefly the history of the hot electron devices, then describe their usefulness in studying device physics: for example, in the determination of the ballistic mean free path, in identifying the major scattering mechanisms influencing the transport, in observing the transfer of hot electrons into upper satellite valleys, and by exhibiting quantization effects that take place in small structures.
Serotonin, Social Behaviour, and Aggression in Vervet Monkeys

In our view, studies of the psychopharmacology of aggression are greatly enhanced by investigating animals or humans living in social groups. For example, differences in the form and intensity of social status relationships, the age-sex composition, and the subject’s tenure in their groups can all affect an individual’s behavioural options and degree of social inhibition. These factors are known to be associated with different physiological states. Different physiological states, are associated with different probabilities of specific behaviours (including aggression), different rates of drug metabolism, and different behavioural responses to drugs (McGuire et al. 1982). In effect, social behaviour, physiology, and pharmacology may be viewed as three corners of a triangle, each corner interacting with and exerting influence on the other two. Pharmacological studies designed within this paradigm result in new types of data and interpretations, different from findings and conclusions developed using isolated or paired animals.
Is This Salad Safe? Voluntary versus Mandatory Disclosure of Product Risk Characteristics

This paper focuses on risk information campaigns familiarizing consumers with hazardous product attributes and compares policies advocating voluntary and mandatory displays of warning messages. The food allergen labeling campaign provides an opportunity to focus on the availability and visibility of a warning and to evaluate the immediate effect of different disclosure rules. Using a multivariate two-step framework, I compare food allergies to a set of control diseases. I find that voluntary allergen labeling boosts the number of outpatient allergy visits, while mandatory labeling has the opposite effect. This result demonstrates that the disclosure of product risk characteristics might adversely affect consumers' health if the disclosure policy is not chosen carefully.
Semi-supervised learning with partially labeled examples

Traditionally, machine learning community has been focused on supervised learning where the source of learning is fully labeled examples including both input features and corresponding output labels. As one way to alleviate the costly effort of collecting fully labeled examples, semi-supervised learning usually concentrates on utilizing a large amount of unlabeled examples together with a relatively small number of fully labeled examples to build better classifiers. Even though many semi-supervised learning algorithms are able to take advantage of unlabeled examples, there is a significant amount of effort in designing good models, features, kernels, and similarity functions. In this dissertation, we focus on semi-supervised learning with partially labeled examples. Partially labeled data can be viewed as a trade-off between fully labeled data and unlabeled data, which can provide additional discriminative information in comparison to unlabeled data and requires less human effort to collect than fully labeled data. In our setting of semi-supervised learning with partially labeled examples, the learning method is provided with a large amount of partially labeled examples and is usually augmented with a relatively small set of fully labeled examples. Our main goal is to integrate partially labeled examples into the conventional learning framework, i.e. to build a more accurate classifier. The dissertation addresses four different semi-supervised learning problems in presence of partially labeled examples. In addition, we summarize general principles for the semi-supervised learning with partially labeled examples.
Potential biomarkers of the mature intervertebral disc identified at the single cell level.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and trauma is a major socio-economic burden and the focus of cell-based regenerative medicine approaches. Despite numerous ongoing clinical trials attempting to replace ailing IVD cells with mesenchymal stem cells, a solid understanding of the identity and nature of cells in a healthy mature IVD is still in need of refinement. Although anatomically simple, the IVD is comprised of heterogeneous cell populations. Therefore, methods involving cell pooling for RNA profiling could be misleading. Here, by using RNA in situ hybridization and z proportion test, we have identified potential novel biomarkers through single cell assessment. We quantified the proportion of RNA transcribing cells for 50 genetic loci in the outer annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) in coccygeal bovine discs isolated from tails of four skeletally mature animals. Our data reconfirm existing data and suggest 10 novel markers such as Lam1 and Thy1 in the outer AF and Gli1, Gli3, Noto, Scx, Ptprc, Sox2, Zscan10 and LOC101904175 in the NP, including pluripotency markers, that indicate stemness potential of IVD cells. These markers could be added to existing biomarker panels for cell type characterization. Furthermore, our data once more demonstrate heterogeneity in cells of the AF and NP, indicating the need for single cell assessment by methods such as RNA in situ hybridization. Our work refines the molecular identity of outer AF and NP cells, which can benefit future regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies in humans.
NRAS Q61R and BRAF G466A mutations in atypical melanocytic lesions newly arising in advanced melanoma patients treated with vemurafenib.

Background BRAF inhibition has improved overall survival in patients with BRAF mutant melanoma, but this is associated with a range of known and predictable cutaneous side effects, including squamous cell carcinomas associated with RAS mutations. Methods We identified three severely dysplastic nevi, one atypical intraepidermal melanocytic proliferation, and four melanoma in situ lesions, newly arising in four patients undergoing treatment with vemurafenib. To characterize mutations in these atypical melanocytic lesions, we used a custom iPlex panel detecting 74 mutations in 13 genes known to play a role in melanoma pathogenesis. Results We identified an NRAS mutation at codon 61 (Q61R) and a rare BRAF exon 11 mutation (G466A) in atypical melanocytic lesions that arose in patients treated with vemurafenib. Conclusion There appears to be development or accelerated growth of atypical melanocytic lesions in the setting of BRAF inhibition. Our results underscore the need for careful surveillance for melanocytic lesions in patients on BRAF inhibitor therapy and shed light on potential mechanisms for melanoma pathogenesis in the context of BRAF pathway blockade. Further studies are warranted to show a causal relationship.
Predicting hospital length of stay using neural networks

Accurate prediction of hospital length of stay can provide benefits for hospital resource planning and quality-of-care. We describe the utilisation of neural networks for predicting the length of hospital stay for patients with various diagnoses based on selected administrative and clinical attributes. An all-condition neural network, that can be applied to all patients and not limited to a specific diagnosis, is trained to predict whether patient stay will be long or short in terms of the median length of stay as the cut-off between long and short, and predicted at the time the patient leaves the intensive care unit. In addition, neural networks are trained to predict whether patients of 14 specific common primary diagnoses will have a long or short stay, as defined as greater than or less than or equal to the median length of stay for that particular condition. Our dataset is drawn from the MIMIC III database. Our prediction accuracy is approximately 80% for the all-condition neural network and the neural networks for specific conditions generally demonstrated higher accuracy and all clearly out-performed any linear model.
Seroprevalence of Senecavirus A in sows and grower-finisher pigs in major swine producing-states in the United States.

Senecavirus A (SVA) is a single-stranded RNA virus in the family Picornaviridae. Recently, SVA has been associated with idiopathic vesicular disease and increased neonate mortality outbreaks in the United States, Brazil, China, Colombia, and Thailand, with increasing incidence since 2014. Indirect detection by antibody detection methods, including indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), virus neutralization assay, and competitive or indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), have been reported in clinical and experimental trials. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of SVA in nonclinical affected herds in the United States. Individual samples were collected from 3654 and 2433 clinically healthy grower-finisher pigs and sows, respectively, from 219 unique commercial swine production sites. SVA seroprevalence was evaluated by SVA rVP1 ELISA and SVA IFA. The estimated seroprevalence for grower-finisher pigs and sows was 12.2% and 34.0%, respectively. The herd prevalence was 42.7% for grower-finisher farms and 75.8% for sow farms. The SVA rVP1 ELISA and SVA IFA exhibited a fair (sows) and moderate (grower-finisher) agreement at the herd level, while a fair agreement was observed at the individual level for both pig categories evaluated. The McNemar's test was significant at the individual and herd level (p < 0.05). In this study, we demonstrated the presence of SVA IgG antibodies in pigs from clinically healthy grower-finisher and sow herds. These results suggest that SVA is circulating subclinically in sow farms and grower-finisher pig farms in major swine producing-states in the United States.
Political Moderation and Polarization in the Heartland: Economics, Rurality, and Social Identity in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

ABSTRACTThe 2016 U.S. presidential election was a watershed event that signaled decreasing political moderation and increasing partisan polarization, authoritarianism, and ethno-nationalism. Iowa, located at the center of the American Heartland, swung to the political right more than any other state. Multivariate regression analysis of county-level data is used to determine the relative contribution of factors reputed to have caused voters to support Trump: rurality, economic distress, and social identity. We find that rurality and social identity, but not economic distress, were significantly correlated with Iowa’s swing to Trump. Polarization along these social divisions must be addressed if the Heartland is to return to political moderation.
Role of the I16-D194 ionic interaction in the trypsin fold.

Activity in trypsin-like proteases is the result of proteolytic cleavage at R15 followed by an ionic interaction that ensues between the new N terminus of I16 and the side chain of the highly conserved D194. This mechanism of activation, first proposed by Huber and Bode, organizes the oxyanion hole and primary specificity pocket for substrate binding and catalysis. Using the clotting protease thrombin as a relevant model, we unravel contributions of the I16-D194 ionic interaction to Na+ binding, stability of the transition state and the allosteric E*-E equilibrium of the trypsin fold. The I16T mutation abolishes the I16-D194 interaction and compromises the architecture of the oxyanion hole. The D194A mutation also abrogates the I16-D194 interaction but, surprisingly, has no effect on the architecture of the oxyanion hole that remains intact through a new H-bond established between G43 and G193. In both mutants, loss of the I16-D194 ionic interaction compromises Na+ binding, reduces stability of the transition state, collapses the 215–217 segment into the primary specific pocket and abrogates the allosteric E*-E equilibrium in favor of a rigid conformation that binds ligand at the active site according to a simple lock-and-key mechanism. These findings refine the structural role of the I16-D194 ionic interaction in the Huber-Bode mechanism of activation and reveal a functional linkage with the allosteric properties of the trypsin fold like Na+ binding and the E*-E equilibrium.
OOP Case Study: Considering Security

The Address Book Application (ABA) case study is continued. Two new ABA requirements are described and implemented in two versions of an object-oriented programming (OOP) solution. Each OOP solution is described using source code, a class diagram, a Nassi–Shneiderman diagram, and a statechart. The program design criteria described in Chaps. 2, 5 and 8 are used to evaluate each solution.
Distribution of breeding humpback whale habitats and overlap with cumulative anthropogenic impacts in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic

AIM: Species distribution modelling is a useful tool for determining important habitats. By accounting for specific animal behaviour in the model, it is possible to identify finer‐scale patterns of habitat use. Together with spatially explicit data on anthropogenic activities, models can be used to assess human impacts and inform conservation management. This study used observations of breeding behaviour to identify fine‐scale breeding habitats of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), as well as potential overlap of these habitats with cumulative anthropogenic impacts. LOCATION: Eastern Tropical Atlantic, West Africa. METHODS: Maxent was used to model humpback distribution using pertinent environmental predictors and an integrated dataset of humpback whale occurrences filtered for breeding‐specific behaviours. In conjunction with multiple anthropogenic activities, a subsequent cumulative utilization and impact analysis assessed the degree of overlap between predicted breeding habitat and potential anthropogenic impacts. RESULTS: Greatest habitat suitability occurred in warm coastal waters of Gabon, and other highly suitable areas occurred off Equatorial Guinea (Bioko Island), Cameroon and Angola. Sea surface temperature and height contributed most to the model. Highest overlap between humpback whales and potential impacts from anthropogenic activities occurred off Gabon, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko Island), Cameroon and Angola. Impacts associated with oil and gas development (where oil and gas platforms serve as an indicator for industry activity) appeared to contribute most to potential cumulative impact. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Depth and sea surface temperature of predicted breeding habitats were consistent with previous studies. However, lesser known characteristics such as sea surface height and wind speed, resulting in potentially more sheltered areas for breeding whales, may also be important in delineating finer‐scale habitat suitability. Identified areas of high potential cumulative impact occurred within exclusive economic zones of multiple countries and likely represent the minimum level of impact to humpback whales in the region, highlighting the need for additional research and effective management throughout the area.
“Let’s play soccer”: Promoting classroom inclusion in contested times

This essay details some of the challenges I encountered in the fall of 2016, during my class on contemporary migration flows at Queens College, CUNY. The impending national elections, with Donald Trump as the front-runner in the Republican primaries, made for a tense classroom climate. Early in the semester, a handful of my students began voicing opinions that ran counter to the pro-immigrant principles of most of their peers. In more than one instance, students (on both sides) raised their voices to the point where nobody could hear another’s point of view. Through experiential learning projects, I was ultimately able to channel my students’ acrimonious debates into new ideas drawn from data-informed research findings. By the end of the semester, my classroom became a “give and take” arena in which students became compassionate listeners of one another’s opinions and research experiences.
STELLAR POPULATION GRADIENTS IN ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR GAS INFLOW TIMESCALES

Using longslit, optical spectra of ultraluminous infrared galaxies, we measure the evolution in the star formation intensity during galactic mergers. In individual galaxies, we resolve kiloparsec scales allowing comparison of the nucleus, inner disk, and outer disk. We find that the strength of the Hβ absorption line increases with the projected distance from the center of the merger, typically reaching about 9 A around 10 kpc. At these radii, the star formation intensity must have rapidly decreased about 300-400 Myr ago; only stellar populations deficient in stars more massive than Type A produce such strong Balmer absorption. In contrast, we find the star formation history in the central kiloparsec consistent with continuous star formation. Our measurements indicate that gas depletion occurs from the outer disk inward during major mergers. This result is consistent with merger-induced gas inflow and empirically constrains the gas inflow timescale. Numerical simulations accurately calculate the total amount of infalling gas but often assume the timescale for infall. These new measurements are therefore central to modeling merger-induced star formation and active galactic nucleus activity.
Judicialização do sofrimento negro. Maternidade negra e fluxo do Sistema de Justiça Criminal no Rio de Janeiro

Resumo Este artigo e baseado em etnografia realizada entre os anos de 2015 e 2017 no Nucleo de Direitos Humanos da Defensoria Publica do Rio de Janeiro (NUDEDH), mais especificamente no programa de Protecao as Vitimas de Violencia Praticada por Agentes Estatais ou Particulares. No contexto de antinegritude vigente no Rio de Janeiro, esta linha de atuacao do NUDEDH se tornou uma ferramenta utilizada por maes de vitimas de violencia policial em favelas e periferias, que passam a atuar como assistentes de acusacao nos processos penais dos assassinatos de seus filhos e filhas. Este artigo, ao mobilizar literatura sobre a Teoria Critica da Raca e Estudos Negros, tem por objetivo examinar os usos do sofrimento negro e da maternidade negra para a movimentacao do Fluxo do Sistema de Justica Criminal.
Cryo-EM structure of the Rous sarcoma virus octameric cleaved synaptic complex intasome.

Despite conserved catalytic integration mechanisms, retroviral intasomes composed of integrase (IN) and viral DNA possess diverse structures with variable numbers of IN subunits. To investigate intasome assembly mechanisms, we employed the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) IN dimer that assembles a precursor tetrameric structure in transit to the mature octameric intasome. We determined the structure of RSV octameric intasome stabilized by a HIV-1 IN strand transfer inhibitor using single particle cryo-electron microscopy. The structure revealed significant flexibility of the two non-catalytic distal IN dimers along with previously unrecognized movement of the conserved intasome core, suggesting ordered conformational transitions between intermediates that may be important to capture the target DNA. Single amino acid substitutions within the IN C-terminal domain affected intasome assembly and function in vitro and infectivity of pseudotyped RSV virions. Unexpectedly, 17 C-terminal amino acids of IN were dispensable for virus infection despite regulating the transition of the tetrameric intasome to the octameric form in vitro. We speculate that this region may regulate the binding of highly flexible distal IN dimers to the intasome core to form the octameric complex. Our studies reveal key steps in the assembly of RSV intasomes. Pandey, Bera, Shi et al. report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Rous sarcoma virus octameric intasome complex stabilized by a HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitor. This new structure highlights the intrinsic flexibility of the distal integrase subunits and suggests that ordered conformational transitions occur within the conserved intasome core during the assembly process.
Long-term quality of life in treatment-resistant depression after electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract Background Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is highly effective for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and previous studies have demonstrated short-term improvements in quality of life (QoL) after ECT. However, long-term QoL after ECT has not been studied, and the baseline patient characteristics that predict long-term QoL remain unknown. Methods Seventy-nine subjects with unipolar or bipolar TRD were enrolled in this prospective longitudinal observational study. Physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL domains were measured with the abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHOQOL-BREF) at baseline and every 6 months for up to 2 years after ECT. Baseline sociodemographic and clinical features were tested for association with long-term QoL. Results Long-term follow-up data were available from 49 participants. Relative to baseline, average psychological and physical QoL improved during the follow-up period (Hedges' effect size: 0.27–0.83). About 40–50% of individuals experienced clinically meaningful improvement. Subjects with better initial antidepressant response with ECT reported better QoL over the subsequent two years. Long-term QoL improved most among individuals who were married, those without disability status, and those with psychotic features or shorter depressive episodes at baseline. Limitations Participants were from a single US academic center and mainly of European ancestry, so findings may not generalize to other settings or ethnicities. The observational design does not allow causal inferences. Conclusions Long-term psychological and physical QoL outcomes vary widely after ECT. Individuals with the best outcomes are those who respond well to ECT initially, married people, and those with a less chronic course of illness.
Implications of a rapidly varying FRB in a globular cluster of M81

The recent discovery of a fast radio burst (FRB) in a globular cluster of M81 points to more than one channels for the formation of objects that produce these powerful radio pulses. Association of an FRB to a globular cluster (or other old stellar systems) suggests that strongly magnetized neutron stars, which are the most likely objects responsible for these bursts, are born not only when young massive stars undergo core-collapse, but also by mergers of old white dwarfs. We find that the fractional contribution to the total FRB rate by old stellar populations is at least a few percent, and the precise fraction can be constrained by FRB searches in the directions of nearby galaxies, both star-forming and elliptical ones. Using very general arguments, we show that the activity time of the M81-FRB is between 10^4 and 10^6 years under conservative assumptions, and more likely of order 10^5 years. The energetics of radio outbursts puts a lower limit on the magnetic field strength of 10^{13} G, and the spin period > 0.2 sec, thereby ruling out the source being a milli-second pulsar. The upper limit on the persistent X-ray luminosity (provided by Chandra), together with the high FRB luminosity and frequent repetitions, severely constrains (or rules out) the possibility that the M81-FRB is a scaled-up version of giant pulses from Galactic pulsars. Finally, the 50 ns variability time of the FRB lightcurve suggests that the emission is produced in a compact region inside the neutron star magnetosphere, as it cannot be accounted for when the emission is at distances > 10^{10} cm.
Electrochemistry at a Metal Nanoparticle on a Tunneling Film: A Steady-State Model of Current Densities at a Tunneling Ultramicroelectrode

Here, a new methodology is proposed for treating electrochemical current densities in metal-insulator-metal nanoparticle (M-I-MNP) systems. The described model provides broad, practical insights about MNP-mediated electron transfer to redox species in solution, where electron transfer from the underlying electrode to a MNP via tunneling and heterogeneous electron transfer from the MNP to redox species in solution are treated as sequential steps. Tunneling is treated through an adaptation of the Simmons model of tunneling in metal–insulator–metal structures, and explicit equations are provided for tunneling currents, which demonstrate the effect of various experimental parameters, such as insulator thickness and MNP size. Overall, a general approach is demonstrated for determining experimental conditions where tunneling will have a measurable impact on the electrochemistry of M-I-MNP systems.