cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of ischemic brain edema formation by post-ischemic administration of a prostaglandin oligomer.

We studied the efficacy of an oligomeric derivative of prostaglandin E1 in protecting the rat brain against focal ischemia. The degree of ischemic damage was evaluated from three parameters, namely, the degree of edema formation, reduction of motor performance, and memory disturbance as measured by a passive avoidance test. The pre-ischemic administration of the drug (6 mg/kg i.p.) had some effects, but the differences were not significant. The post-ischemic administration (6 mg/kg i.p.) produced significant improvement in all three parameters. The increase of water content of the ischemic hemisphere was reduced (p<0.05); the total motor score was improved (p<0.01); and the memory disturbance as estimated by the passive avoidance test was reduced (p<0.01). A possible mechanism of protection is discussed.
Telehealth weight management intervention for adults with physical disabilities: a randomized controlled trial.

Rimmer JH, Wang E, Pellegrini CA, Lullo C, Gerber BS: Telehealth weight management intervention for adults with physical disabilities: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2013;92:1084Y1094. Objective: Weight reduction programs are not generally designed or adapted for people with physical disabilities. This study examined the effect of a 9-months remote, telephone-based weight management program for people with physical disabilities using a Web-based system (Personalized Online Weight and Exercise Response System [POWERS]). Design: A total of 102 participants (mean T SD age, 46.5 T 12.7 yrs; body mass index, 32.0 T 5.8 kg/m 2 ) with a physical disability (spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, stroke, or lupus) were randomized to one of three conditions: physical activity only (POWERS), physical activity plus nutrition (POWERS plus ), and control. The POWERS group received a physical activity tool kit and regular coaching telephone calls. The POWERS plus group received an intervention identical to that of the POWERS group plus nutritional information. The control group received the physical activity tool kit and self-guided health promotion resources at the completion of the trial but no coaching. Results: Postintervention differences in body weight were found between the groups. There was a significant group time interaction (P G 0.01) in postintervention body weight, with both the POWERS and POWERS plus groups demonstrating greater reduction in body weight compared with the control group (POWERS: j2.1 T 5.5 kg, j2.4 T j5.9%; POWERS plus : j0.5 T 5.0 kg, j0.6 T 4.3%; control: +2.6 T 5.3 kg, 3.1 T 7.4%). Conclusions: A low-cost telephone intervention supported with a Web-based remote coaching tool (POWERS) can be an effective strategy for assisting overweight adults with physical disabilities in maintaining or reducing their body weight.
Data replication in Mariposa

The Mariposa distributed data manager uses an economic model for managing the allocation of both storage objects and queries to servers. We present extensions to the economic model which support replica management, as well as our mechanisms for propagating updates among replicas. We show how our replica control mechanism can be used to provide consistent, although potentially stale, views of data across many machines without expensive per-transaction synchronization. We present a rule-based conflict resolution mechanism, which can be used to enhance traditional time-stamp serialization. We discuss the effects of our replica system on query processing for both read-only and read-write queries. We further demonstrate how the replication model and mechanisms naturally support name service in Mariposa.
Determinants of metabolic cost during submaximal cycling.

The metabolic cost of producing submaximal cycling power has been reported to vary with pedaling rate. Pedaling rate, however, governs two physiological phenomena known to influence metabolic cost ...
Quality of Life following Treatment: A Preliminary Study of In- and Outpatients with Chronic Pain

Using a combination of standardized and Likert-type measures of health, disability, and psychological adjustment, this study compared the quality of life reported by thirty-seven inpatients and thirty-six outpatients approximately eight months after completing treatment. While both patient groups reported treatment-related changes, inpatients were significantly more dysfunctional than outpatients both before and after treatment. The pattern of perceived improvement among inpatients reflected particular changes in narcotic use and in “up” time. For outpatients, the pattern of change pointed to increased periods of activity. The data are interpreted to reflect the need for treatments that are tailored to meet the differing levels of dysfunction of patients who present with chronic pain syndromes. Methodological problems of this and other clinical studies that compare treatment effects on patients demonstrating different levels of dysfunction are discussed.
An Analog Implementation of the Constant Average Statistics Constraint For Sensor Calibration

We use the constant statistics constraint to calibrate an array of sensors that contains gain and offset variations. This algorithm has been mapped to analog hardware and designed and fabricated with a 2µm CMOS technology. Measured results from the chip show that the system achieves invariance to gain and offset variations of the input signal.
Relationships of Leader Power to Compliance and Satisfaction with Supervision: Evidence from a National Sample of Managers

This study investigated the effectiveness of the bases of leader power, such as coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent in influencing behavioral compliance with superior's wishes and satisfaction with supervision. Regression analyses of data from a national random sample of managers (N = 476), after demographic, job-related, and other extraneous variables were controlled for, showed that expert and referent power bases were positively associated with compliance and satisfaction and legitimate power base was positively associated with compliance but negatively associated with satisfaction.
Depletion of $^{39}$Ar for Liquid Argon detectors of Dark Matter Search

Abstract In large scale argon-based experiments, the background due to the radioactive decay of naturally occurring 39 Ar in argon extracted from the atmosphere can overwhelm the rare events from dark matter interactions. Depletion of 39 Ar and the search for a source of argon other than the atmosphere is of paramount importance to the success of these experimental endeavors. We describe our efforts in the extraction of argon from water in ancient deep underground sources and in 39 Ar depletion using methods such as laser isotope separation.
The Fate of a Bimetallic Ethylene Dimerization Catalyst: Synthesis and Structure of (dfepe)2Ir2(μ-η1:η3-C4H6)(μ-H)(H) (dfepe = (C2F5)2PCH2CH2P(C2F5)2)

Solutions of (dfepe)2Ir2(μ-H)3(H) (1; dfepe = (C2F5)2PCH2CH2P(C2F5)2) react with 1 atm of ethylene at ambient temperatures to catalytically produce a mixture of trans- and cis-2-butenes and the diiridium methylallyl complex (dfepe)2Ir2(μ-η1:η3-C4H6)(μ-H)(H) (2).
School predictors of alcohol use in high school Hispanic and non-Hispanic youth

ABSTRACTMany youth alcohol prevention programs are not culturally sensitive and have focused on avoidance tactics. Given the differences in alcohol use and the possibly differing intervention strategies for Hispanic and non-Hispanic youth, this study aims to analyze the contributing factors of alcohol use within these two groups. Two hundred and one high school students participated in a survey. Findings indicate that prevention programs should focus on situational opportunities to use alcohol for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic youth. For Hispanic students, school management skills did not relate to less alcohol use, as expected. There should be less emphasis on how risky drinking can be, and more emphasis on the moral implications or “wrongness” of drinking, particularly for non-Hispanics. The discussion includes some possible interpretations of the relationship between skill management skills and heightened alcohol use for Hispanic students.
AN ANALYSIS OF GENETIC STRUCTURE IN THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY, DANAUS PLEXIPPUS L.

The genetic structure of a set of populations is a consequence of the patterns of mating within, and the magnitude of gene exchange among the populations of interest. Mathematically, this can be expressed as the deviation from Hardy-Weinberg proportions within, and the amount of differentiation or variance in allele frequencies among populations. High rates of gene flow among populations and tendencies toward random mating within populations will decrease the amount of genetic structuring, while obstructions to movement, restraints upon random mating such as develop in social systems, and even physical distance in the absence of real barriers will all generate genetic differentiation and structure. It is often assumed that in the absence of selection (mutuation is generally ignored) genetic structure will reflect parameters of population structure, such as population size, amount of gene exchange, and breeding pattern. In the last decade, electrophoretic techniques have been extensively employed in studying the genetic structure of natural populations. Many studies have been concerned with inferring population structure from the variation and geographic pattern of electrophoretic variant frequencies. As the non-selective nature of these variants cannot be simply assumed, the definition of population structure by this procedure often becomes framed in the arguments of the selectionist-neutralist debate (see Lewontin, 1974). In few studies can the observed genetic differentiation as described by electrophoretic variants be safely as-
Tradition and Independence in Jewish Feminist Novels

More than fifty years ago, Anzia Yezierska, a struggling immigrant writer, depicted the anguish of poor Jewish women, triply burdened by heritage, gender, and class. In her best novel, Bread Givers (1925), Yezierska passionately portrays the trials of Sara Smolinsky who battles an environment more impoverished, sexist, and tyrannical than most contemporary heroines confront. Determined to survive with dignity, Sara acquires an education, career, and husband, and finally achieves partial reconciliation with her authoritarian father. Such resolutions, however, have been rare in Jewish-American novels. In fact, before the seventies, Jewish women writing fiction generally neglected Yezierska's concerns. Memorable stories such as Tillie Olsen's "Tell Me a Riddle" and Grace Paley's "Faith" tales poignantly reveal feminine predicaments, but they were not representative of the literature. As Sarah Blacher Cohen points out, not until "the revival of feminism in the late sixties" did Jewish feminist authors emerge. Suddenly a spate of novels by writers such as Sue Kaufman, Gail Parent, Ann Roiphe, and Erica Jong appeared in New York Times book reviews and on best seller lists. Flippant in tone, middle class in setting, novels such as Diary of a Mad Housewife, Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York, and Falling Bodies lack the intensity and purpose of Yezierska's work, but their message is also serious. Beneath the glibness and bravado are confused Jewish women uncertain of their roles and goals. Where Sara Smolinsky determinedly combined marriage and career, these protagonists, bereft of tradition and love, drift towards isolation, insanity, and suicide. Because the conventional panaceas, husband, home, and even profession, seem unavailable or unsatisfying, the Jewish women become bitter, assailing men and their heritage. But at least three recent novels, which I will analyze in this article, attempt to transcend anger. In Ann Roiphe's Long Division, Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, and Susan Fromberg Schaeffer's Falling, the heroines eventually acknowledge their Judaism, comprehend their predicament, and seek positive solutions. While Long Division and Fear of Flying are light
Repeated Evolution of Power-Amplified Predatory Strikes in Trap-Jaw Spiders

Small animals possess intriguing morphological and behavioral traits that allow them to capture prey, including innovative structural mechanisms that produce ballistic movements by amplifying power [1-6]. Power amplification occurs when an organism produces a relatively high power output by releasing slowly stored energy almost instantaneously, resulting in movements that surpass the maximal power output of muscles [7]. For example, trap-jaw, power-amplified mechanisms have been described for several ant genera [5, 8], which have evolved some of the fastest known movements in the animal kingdom [6]. However, power-amplified predatory strikes were not previously known in one of the largest animal classes, the arachnids. Mecysmaucheniidae spiders, which occur only in New Zealand and southern South America, are tiny, cryptic, ground-dwelling spiders that rely on hunting rather than web-building to capture prey [9]. Analysis of high-speed video revealed that power-amplified mechanisms occur in some mecysmaucheniid species, with the fastest species being two orders of magnitude faster than the slowest species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that power-amplified cheliceral strikes have evolved four times independently within the family. Furthermore, we identified morphological innovations that directly relate to cheliceral function: a highly modified carapace in which the cheliceral muscles are oriented horizontally; modification of a cheliceral sclerite to have muscle attachments; and, in the power-amplified species, a thicker clypeus and clypeal apodemes. These structural innovations may have set the stage for the parallel evolution of ballistic predatory strikes.
Parametric Control of Separated Flows

Flow separation is studied around a circular cylinder in a crossflow. Applied passive and active flow-control techniques are based on the developed strategy of turbulence scaling using mechanical and thermal vortex generators. Symmetric and asymmetric flow excitation with spanwise arrays of O-rings and spherical disturbers/plasma sources is analyzed. Numerical simulation showed the initiated regular vortical structure sustained for certain combinations of basic flow and control parameters. Adequately matched experiments demonstrated a possibility to delay flow separation and, accordingly, to improve the aerodynamic performance of a bluff body.
Relationships between mechanical joint stability and somatosensory function in individuals with chronic ankle instability

Abstract Background Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) have demonstrated alterations in ankle mechanics and deficits in sensory function. However, relationships between mechanical stability and somatosensory function have not been examined, nor have those between somatosensory function and injury history characteristics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine relationships between (1) somatosensory function and mechanical stability and (2) somatosensory function and injury history characteristics. Methods Forty adults with CAI volunteered to participate. In a single testing session, participants completed mechanical and sensory assessments in a counterbalanced order. Dependent variables included anterior/posterior displacement (mm), inversion/eversion rotation (°), SWM index values, JPS absolute error (°), number of previous ankle sprains, and number of “giving way” episodes in the previous 3 months. Spearman's Rho correlations examined the relationships between somatosensory function and (1) mechanical stability and (2) injury history characteristics ( p Results No significant correlations were identified between any variables ( p > 0.11), and all r -values were considered weak. Conclusions These results revealed somatosensory function was not significantly correlated to mechanical stability or injury history characteristics. This indicates peripheral sensory impairments associated with CAI are likely caused by factors other than mechanical stability and injury history characteristics.
Verification of performance in Results-Based Financing (RBF) : the case of Panama's health protection for vulnerable populations (PSPV) program

Verification differentiates results-based financing (RBF) from other health-financing mechanisms, and it is considered an important process of RBF program design and implementation. Despite the vital role it plays in RBF, not much has been written about verification as a process, and information about different elements of the process, frequency, cost, and direct and indirect effects among others, is scarce. Panama’s Health Protection for Vulnerable Populations Program (PSPV) uses an RBF mechanism to deliver health services to the country’s rural poor. As in many RBF schemes, a major component of the PSPV is the verification of results. This study focuses on PSPV’s verification process, highlights its results and their application, and identifies lessons learned. Such information is useful to policy makers and technical experts interested in or designing RBF mechanisms.
Natural history of patients after resection of a bronchial carcinoma.

The failure thus far to show a treatment benefit with almost all adjuvant therapeutic modalities used before or after resection of bronchial carcinoma is probably the result of using the wrong modality in the wrong patient at the wrong time. Knowledge of the natural history of resected patients is an important consideration in formulating future adjuvant trials. The separation of patients with non–small cell tumors into the appropriate TNM category postsurgically and the cell type of the resected tumor appear to be more important in this regard.
The Influence of Social Media Use, Online Information Seeking, and Acceptance on Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Patient Shock Anxiety

ABSTRACTThe implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) saves lives in patients at risk for potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias via the use of low energy pacing, and high energy, painful shocks. The current study used an online survey of 217 adult ICD patients to better understand how living with an ICD related to their anxiety. Information seeking variables, age, acceptance, and shocks were included in a linear regression equation that accounted for 63% of the variance in ICD related anxiety (R2 = .63, F(6,146) = 43.31, p < .001). Understanding how to effectively dialogue with these individuals online may increase their acceptance of their ICD and reduce shock anxiety.
An on-line diagnostic method for open-circuit switch faults in NPC multilevel converters

On-line condition monitoring is of paramount importance for multilevel converters used in safety-critical applications. A novel on-line diagnostic method for detecting open-circuit switch faults in neutral-point-clamped (NPC) multilevel converters is introduced in this paper. The principle of this method is based on monitoring the abnormal variation of the dc-bus neutral-point current in combination with the existing information on instantaneous switching states and phase currents. Advantages of this method include simpler implementation and faster detection speed compared to other existing diagnostic methods in the literature. In this method, only one additional current sensor is required for measuring the de-bus neutral-point current, therefore the implementation cost is low. Simulation and experimental results based on a lab-scale 50 kVA adjustable speed drive (ASD) with a three-level NPC inverter validate the efficacy of this novel diagnostic method.
“It’s a generosity loop”: Religious and spiritual motivations of volunteers who glean produce to reduce food insecurity

ABSTRACTFood insecurity is a common social issue and households look to assistance from food pantries, which often have difficulty supplying fresh or nutritious food. A substantial amount of produce is left in the fields, which can be collected through gleaning. In a focus group with volunteer gleaners at a faith-based nonprofit organization that attempts to fill the gaps of food insecurity, the motivations, challenges, and benefits of volunteering were examined. Volunteering in gleaning generated a sense of collective purpose and community; it addressed deeply held religious and spiritual impulses; and it puts volunteers directly in contact with nature.
Beams Under Lateral Projectile Impact

The influence of transverse shear effects, rotary inertia and the boundary conditions on the dynamic behavior of rigid perfectly plastic beams subjected to projectile impact at midspan is studied. Theoretical solutions for a perfectly clamped and a simply supported beam are presented. Numerical results are given for a rectangular and three wide-flanged I-beams of varying spans. For the particular range of parameters examined it is found that rotary inertia does not affect the response in a significant way. However, shear effects are very important for the particular beams considered, being more pronounced in wide-flanged short I-beams. In particular the maximum lateral displacement can increase substantially due to shear effects, showing that a bending only solution neglecting shear can lead to erroneous results. It is also found that shear effects are slightly more important for short simply supported beams than short clamped beams, but for large spans they are essentially independent of the support conditions.
Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation and Its Compatibility With Autonomous Agency

Goering and colleagues (2017) provide a useful analysis of closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) and its impact on agency for patients with psychiatric conditions. The authors claim that the int...
When Criminal Coping is Likely: An Examination of Conditioning Effects in General Strain Theory

This paper addresses a central problem in general strain theory (GST): the mixed results regarding those factors said to condition the effect of strains on crime. We test Agnew’s (Deviant Behav 34(8):653–670, 2013) assertion that a criminal response to strain is likely only when individuals score high on several factors that increase the propensity for criminal coping or possess markers that indicate a strong propensity for criminal coping. We use survey data from nearly 6000 juveniles from across the United States to examine whether the effect of criminogenic strains across several domains—perceptions of police, school environment, and victimization—on crime are conditioned by: (1) respondents’ criminal propensity and (2) gang membership. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first criminological study to employ an analytical framework that simultaneously considers nonlinear (i.e., curvilinear) dynamics, non-additive (i.e., interactive) effects, and non-normally distributed dependent variables. This approach has the advantage of properly differentiating nonlinear and non-additive dimensions and therefore significantly improving our understanding of conditioning effects. We find considerable support for Agnew’s (2013) postulation about conditioning effects and GST. Criminal behavior is more likely among those with a strong overall propensity for criminal coping and among gang members. Furthermore, we discover that the conditioning effects are, themselves, nonlinear. That is, the effect of criminal propensity on moderating the relationship between our three measures of strain and delinquency varies across the range of the criminal propensity index. Our models that simultaneously consider both the non-additive and nonlinear relationship between strains, criminal propensity, and criminal offending better fit the data than models that consider these dimensions separately. These results hold whether examining a composite measure of criminal activity or, alternatively, three separate subscales indexing violent, property, and drug offenses. Our study advances GST and the crime literature by identifying the types of strained individuals most likely to engage in criminal coping. Additionally, the analytical framework we adopt serves as a model for the correct measurement and interpretation of conditioning effects for criminological data, which almost invariably violate the assumptions of the linear regression model. Parametric interactions are the most commonly investigated type of interactions, but other kinds of interactions are also plausible and may reveal conditional relationships that are either overlooked or understated when analysts adopt a fully parametric framework. We demonstrate the utility of expressly modeling both the nonlinear effects of component variables in an interaction and the nonlinear nature of the conditioning effect.
Early Recovery After Surgery Pathways for Hepatic Surgery

Enhanced recovery (ER) and fast-track protocols for perioperative surgical care have existed for at least 20 years. ER was originally described in the context of colorectal surgery. Many of the same ER principles have been transferred to other operations and even entire surgical disciplines. Given the issues of multiple approaches, varying magnitudes of hepatectomy, frequent use of cytotoxic chemotherapy, anemia, and multivisceral resection, implementation of ER in liver surgery is a daunting task. While many elements are similar between different disciplines, there are some elements that are unique to liver surgery. ER pathways encompass the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative time period. The foundation of an ER program is patient education and engagement. The four pillars of care that rest on this foundation and support the program are early feeding, early ambulation, goal-directed fluid therapy, and opiate-sparing analgesia.
Experimental Demonstration of Shaken-Lattice Interferometry.

We experimentally demonstrate a shaken-lattice interferometer. Atoms are trapped in the ground Bloch state of a red-detuned optical lattice. Using a closed-loop optimization protocol based on the dcrab algorithm, we phase-modulate (shake) the lattice to transform the atom momentum state. In this way, we implement an atom beam splitter and build five interferometers of varying interrogation times T_{I}. The sensitivity of shaken-lattice interferometry is shown to scale as T_{I}^{2}, consistent with simulation (2C. A. Weidner, H. Yu, R. Kosloff, and D. Z. Anderson, Phys. Rev. A 95, 043624 (2017).PLRAAN2469-992610.1103/PhysRevA.95.043624). Finally, we show that we can measure the sign of an applied signal and optimize the interferometer in the presence of a bias signal.
RF and millimeter-wave photonics at Sandia National Laboratories

RF and mm-wave photonic devices and circuits have been developed at Sandia National Laboratories for applications ranging from RF optical data links to optical generation of mm-wave frequencies. This talk will explore recent high-speed photonics technology developments at Sandia including: (1) A monolithic optical integrated circuit for all-optical generation of mm-waves. Using integrated mode-locked diode lasers, amplifiers, and detectors, frequencies between 30 GHz and 90 GHz are generated by a single monolithic (Al,Ga)As optical circuit less than 2mm in its largest dimension. (2) Development of polarization-maintaining, low-insertion-loss, low v-pi, Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulators with DC-to-potentially-K-band modulation bandwidth. New low-loss polarization-maintaining waveguide designs using binary alloys have been shown to reduce polarization crosstalk in undoped (Al,Ga)As waveguides, yielding high extinction ratio (>40dB) and low on-chip loss (<6dB) in Mach-Zehnder interferometers. RF drive voltage is reduced through use of 45rnrn-active length devices with modulator sensitivity, v-pi, less than 3V.
Novel mutations in RMND1 presenting with dystonia and seizures (P4.168)

Objective: To describe a 3 year-old boy who presented at age 7 months with seizures and dystonia, in the setting of fever with novel compound heterozygous RMND1 mutations. Background: Mutations in RMND1 , encoding RMND1 (required for nuclear meiosis division-1), a mitochondrial protein of unknown function, have been reported in 20 patients presenting with early onset encephaloneuromyopathy, seizures, hearing impairment, nephropathy and early mortality. Laboratory studies have demonstrated decreased biochemical activities and levels of mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymes due to impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis. Design/Methods: This child of non-consanguineous parents developed normally until age 5 months, when he began to lose weight. At age 7 months, following DTAP, he developed a focal seizure with left arm and leg jerking and secondary generalization. Brain MRI showed focal diffusion restriction in the right frontotemporal regions. He was treated for presumed viral encephalitis. He had recurrent seizures, including infantile spasms, on multiple anti-epileptic drugs and developed dystonia of the right leg. He also manifested psychomotor retardation. Hearing and renal functions have been normal, but he developed hyponatremia. Results: Whole exome sequencing in the patient revealed two novel mutations in RMND1 : the missense mutation c.1316A>T (p.E439V) and the splice site mutation (c.614-2T>C). The parents each carried one mutation. Sequencing of the cDNA from the patient skin fibroblasts uncovered an alternative transcript containing an in-frame deletion of 6 nucleotides, resulting in the lack of two amino acids in the protein (D205_A206del). The patient fibroblasts showed biochemical defects of the mitochondrial complex I, III and IV and defect of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Conclusions: Although our patient’s fibroblasts manifested molecular and biochemical defects similar to those of other children with mutations in RMND1 , the boy’s clinical presentation differed from reported cases. This report confirms the clinical heterogeneity of RMND1 mutations and its importance in mitochondrial protein synthesis. Disclosure: Dr. Sanchez-Quintero has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lopez Gomez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lichter-konecki has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pisani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rivello has received personal compensation for activities with Best Doctors. Dr. Riviello9s spouse has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for Up To Date. Dr. Hirano has received (royalty or license fee or contractual rights) payments from MitoRainbow Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Quinzii Hirano has nothing to disclose.
Big data analysis of associations between patient reported outcomes, observer reported toxicities, and overall quality of life in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy.

Abstract Purpose To assess associations between a variety of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), observer reported toxicities (ORTs), and patient-reported overall quality of life (QOL) for head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy, in order to identify important items for inclusion in prospective patient reporting in the clinic. Methods 612 patients completed 27 PRO items from three questionnaires at 1273 follow-up visits, and clinicians provided ORTs according to CTCAE criteria. Using a big data approach, we measured associations among all PROs, between all PROs and ORTs, and between PROs/ORTs and QOL with Pearson (ρ) and Kendall (τ) correlation coefficients, and a novel analysis method based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves used to detect thresholds in response levels demonstrating strong interactions. Results PROs most strongly associated with QOL were recreation/entertainment, activity, and fatigue, with ρ = 0.51–0.60. Several PROs assessing a common functional outcome (eg. xerostomia) were highly associated with each other (PRO-PRO), with maximum ρ = 0.84. Maximum ORT-PRO correlations were ρ = 0.61 (dysgeusia versus taste), and ρ = 0.5 for ORT-QOL (dry mouth – day). The ROC method identified response thresholds with high area under the curve (AUC) scores for many ORT-PRO associations with maximum AUCavg = 0.78. Conclusions PRO associations identified activity, lifestyle and fatigue as items for strong consideration for inclusion in questionnaires in the clinic, and suggest that outcome information can be captured in fewer items than the 27 in this study. The ability of clinicians to assess patient toxicities is highest with more severe toxicities, underscoring the need for PRO collection in patient visits to understand and address patient symptoms.
Introduction to Dialogues: linked fate and the politics of groups and identities

This article provides an introduction to the collection of short articles in recognition of the 25th anniversary of political scientist Michael C. Dawson's pioneering book, Behind the Mule: Race an...
Suffering Sustainability: Understanding Environmental Sustainability Within the Context of Poverty and Existential Threats

Much of the developing world is confronted with existential forms of sustainability which is focused on providing basic resources such as food, clothing, and shelter. This suffering sustainability is in marked contrast with sustainability initiatives in the developed world which focus on trying to limit the global impact of overconsumption. Those under suffering sustainability conditions are impacted by global environmental change, war and conflict, and remnant and new colonization. In many cases, problems are caused by external factors driven by western consumption or external cultural conflict. Three examples are given: sustainability challenges associated with the conflict in Yemen, palm oil production in Malaysia, and environmental challenges in the Mississippi Delta region of the American South. In addition, special consideration is given to migration and to non-government organizations.
Limited statehood in post-revolutionary Tunisia: Citizenship, economy, and security

The period following the 2011 uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa witnessed a significant increase in the number of academic writings on Tunisia. As the birthplace of the Arab Spring and ...
Naming, Reference and Truth

This writing focuses on those most reflectively interesting and arguably representative ideas on the issue of reference, as a semantic issue, in classical Chinese philosophy which are relevant to reasoning and semantic interpretation. My strategy is this. First, I explain several basic points as revealed in Gongsun Long’s account. Second, I analyze how, essentially in line with Gongsun Long’s relevant point, the Later Mohists significantly show their semantic sensitivity to the due identities of the referents in reasoning. Third, I look at how, essentially in line with Gongsun Long’s general point on the due-place actuality, Confucius’ account of name rectification together with Xun Zi’s and Wang Chong’s further developments addresses the issue of reference in moral reality. Fourth, I explain how Lao Zi makes interesting and engaging points concerning the relationship between language engagement and the ultimate concern and between the “speakable” and the “unspeakable”. Fifth, I briefly examine a relatively recent debate on the relation of the structure of Chinese nouns to Chinese thought from the referential point of view: I focus on how the mass-noun-semantics part of Hansen’s mass-noun hypothesis are challenged by some competing accounts in view of the referential relation between Chinese nouns and referents. Sixth, I end the examination with a brief discussion of how reference and truth, as two basic semantic notions, are intrinsically related.
Automating the Classification of Complexity of Medical Decision-Making in Patient-Provider Messaging in a Patient Portal.

Abstract Background Patient portals are consumer health applications that allow patients to view their health information. Portals facilitate the interactions between patients and their caregivers by offering secure messaging. Patients communicate different needs through portal messages. Medical needs contain requests for delivery of care (e.g. reporting new symptoms). Automating the classification of medical decision complexity in portal messages has not been investigated. Materials and methods We trained two multiclass classifiers, multinomial Naive Bayes and random forest on 500 message threads, to quantify and label the complexity of decision-making into four classes: no decision, straightforward, low, and moderate. We compared the performance of the models to using only the number of medical terms without training a machine learning model. Results Our analysis demonstrated that machine learning models have better performance than the model that did not use machine learning. Moreover, machine learning models could quantify the complexity of decision-making that the messages contained with 0.59, 0.45, and 0.58 for macro, micro, and weighted precision and 0.63,0.41, and 0.63 for macro, micro, and weighted recall. Conclusions This study is one of the first to attempt to classify patient portal messages by whether they involve medical decision-making and the complexity of that decision-making. Machine learning classifiers trained on message content resulted in better message thread classification than classifiers that employed medical terms in the messages alone.
Reindeer and Caribou: Health and Disease

Book reviews express the opinions of the individual authors regarding the value of the book's content for Journal of Wildlife Diseases readers. The reviews are subjective assessments and do not nec...
A Subtype of Adult-Born Neuron in Male Zebra Finch HVC Expresses DARPP-32 and Does Not Project to RA as part of the Vocal Motor Pathway

Abstract Adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) continually incorporate adult-born neurons into HVC, a telencephalic brain region necessary for the production of learned song. These neurons express immediate early genes following song production, suggesting a role for neurogenesis in song production throughout the lifespan. Half of these adult-born HVC neurons (HVC NNs) send their axons to RA as part of the vocal motor pathway underlying learned song production, but the other half do not, and their identity remains unknown. Here we used cell birth-dating, retrograde tract tracing, and immunofluorescence to demonstrate that half of all HVC NNs express the neuron-specific phosphoprotein DARPP-32, a protein associated with DA receptor expression. We also demonstrate that DARPP-32+ HVC NNs are contacted by tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers suggesting that they receive catecholaminergic input, are transiently larger than DARPP-32-negative HVC NNs, and do not send axons to RA as part of the vocal motor pathway. Taken together, these findings indicate the existence of a class of HVC NNs that do not project to RA and may constitute the aforementioned unknown half of all HVC NNs.
Retrospective study demonstrating therapy time impact on inpatient rehabilitation functional gains.

The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the association of total therapy time during inpatient rehabilitation and gain in functional independence for patients admitted to an inpatien...
Searching for tūpuna

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture opened the “Pacific Voices” exhibition in 1997, a community-led exhibition of Indigenous cultures throughout the Pacific Rim, including Māori. Twenty...
Targeting the CDK6 Dependence of Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Ph+ ALL is a poor-prognosis leukemia subtype driven by the BCR-ABL1 oncogene, either the p190- or the p210-BCR/ABL isoform in a 70:30 ratio. Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the drugs of choice in the therapy of Ph+ ALL. In combination with standard chemotherapy, TKIs have markedly improved the outcome of Ph+ ALL, in particular if this treatment is followed by bone marrow transplantation. However, resistance to TKIs develops with high frequency, causing leukemia relapse that results in <5-year overall survival. Thus, new therapies are needed to address relapsed/TKI-resistant Ph+ ALL. We have shown that expression of cell cycle regulatory kinase CDK6, but not of the highly related CDK4 kinase, is required for the proliferation and survival of Ph+ ALL cells. Comparison of leukemia suppression induced by treatment with the clinically-approved dual CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib versus CDK6 silencing revealed that the latter treatment was markedly more effective, probably reflecting inhibition of CDK6 kinase-independent effects. Thus, we developed CDK4/6-targeted proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) that preferentially degrade CDK6 over CDK4. One compound termed PROTAC YX-2-107, which degrades CDK6 by recruiting the Cereblon ubiquitin ligase, markedly suppressed leukemia burden in mice injected with de novo or TKI-resistant Ph+ ALL. The effect of PROTAC YX-2-107 was comparable or superior to that of palbociclib. The development of CDK6-selective PROTACs represents an effective strategy to exploit the “CDK6 dependence” of Ph+ ALL cells while sparing a high proportion of normal hematopoietic progenitors that depend on both CDK6 and CDK6 for their survival. In combination with other agents, CDK6-selective PROTACs may be valuable components of chemotherapy-free protocols for the therapy of Ph+ ALL and other CDK6-dependent hematological malignancies.
What happens when sexual assault kits go untested? A focal concerns analysis of suspect identification and police pre-arrest decisions

Abstract Purpose Using data collected from a sample of cases associated with untested sexual assault kits (SAKs), we used focal concerns theory – a framework that identifies themes relevant to criminal justice practitioners' decision-making processes – to assess the correlates of suspect identification and officers' pre-arrest decision to present a case to prosecutors. Methods We estimated two logistic regression models. The first model examined the ability of investigators to identify a suspect in the full sample (N = 444). The second model examined officers' decision to present cases to the prosecutor in a subsample of cases in which a suspect was identified (N = 293). Results The odds of suspect identification increased when victims cooperated with investigators and witnesses were available, and decreased in stranger cases and when victim credibility concerns were present in police reports. Cases were more likely to be presented to a prosecutor when victims cooperated with police, witnesses were available, suspects confessed to the crime, and suspects had a history of arrest. Conclusions Researchers should continue to examine pre-arrest investigative actions to inform policy and training aimed at enhancing victim engagement and reducing case attrition. Additionally, SAKs should be tested to aid investigators in identifying suspects in stranger cases.
Dietary Supplementation with Apple Juice Decreases Endogenous Amyloid-β Levels in Murine Brain

Folate deficiency has been associated with age-related neurodegeneration. We demonstrate herein that dietary deficiency in folate and vitamin E, coupled pro-oxidant stress induced by dietary iron, increased amyloid-beta (Abeta) levels in normal adult mice. This increase was potentiated by apolipoprotein E (ApoE) deficiency as shown by treatment of transgenic mice homozygously lacking murine ApoE. Dietary supplementation with apple juice concentrate in drinking water alleviated the increase in Abeta for both mouse genotypes. These findings provide further evidence linking nutritional and genetic risk factors for age-related neurodegeneration, and underscore that dietary supplementation may be useful to augment therapeutic approaches.
Viral Hepatitis in the Compromised Host

Four categories of viral hepatitis have been recognized: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, non-A, non-B hepatitis, and hepatitis B-associated delta hepatitis. Although all four have the potential to produce similar illnesses, clinical severity and outcome as well as the contribution of immunologic mechanisms to the clinical expression of infection and illness appear to differ among the various types. Observations of viral hepatitis in immunosuppressed persons have taught us important lessons about the biology of these viral agents, on the one hand, and about the approach to immunologically compromised patients with hepatitis, on the other. Unlike susceptibility of immunosuppressed persons to opportunistic infections, susceptibility to viral hepatitis per se is not increased in the immunosuppressed; however, because patients with immunologic derangements are very likely to require transfusions of blood products, the frequency of viral hepatitis in this group of patients is increased. In addition, severity of acute illness, likelihood of chronic infection, infectivity, and the early and late consequences of chronic infection differ distinctly between immunocompetent and immunosuppressed hosts.
The Prevalence and Nature of Biphobia in Heterosexual Undergraduate Students

Little scientific attention has been paid to bisexuality or to societal attitudes about bisexual people. Often, biphobia has been assumed to be identical to homophobia. In this study, 229 heterosexual undergraduate students rated their degree of agreement to stereotypical statements about bisexuality and provided information on their attitudes about the acceptability of bisexual, gay, and lesbian people. Although there was a high degree of correlation between biphobia and homophobia, negative attitudes about bisexuals, men in particular, were more prevalent than negative attitudes about lesbians or gay men. Biphobia and homophobia should be considered related, but distinct, phenomena.
Passive Transport Disrupts Grid Signals in the Parahippocampal Cortex

Navigation is usually thought of relative to landmarks, but neural signals representing space also use information generated by an animal's movements. These signals include grid cells, which fire at multiple locations, forming a repeating grid pattern. Grid cell generation depends upon theta rhythm, a 6-10 Hz electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillation that is modulated by the animals' movement velocity. We passively moved rats in a clear cart to eliminate motor related self-movement cues that drive moment-to-moment changes in theta rhythmicity. We found that passive movement maintained theta power and frequency at levels equivalent to low active movement velocity, spared overall head-direction (HD) cell characteristics, but abolished both velocity modulation of theta rhythmicity and grid cell firing patterns. These results indicate that self-movement motor cues are necessary for generating grid-specific firing patterns, possibly by driving velocity modulation of theta rhythmicity, which may be used as a speed signal to generate the repeating pattern of grid cells.
TAXONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BASE COMPOSITION OF YEAST DNA

The base composition of DNA (GC content) from 62 strains of yeasts and yeast-like fungi was studied. They are widely distributed from 26 to 64%. Most species of Saccharomycetaceae exhibited low GC content of 26-42.5%, but Lipomyces starkeyi and Naganishia globosus showed rather high values of 45.5% and 47.5%, respectively. In Cryptococcaceae, the GC content ranged from 30 to 64%. Yeasts belonging to Cryptococcus and Rhodotorulaexhibited high GC content of 46-56% and 47.5-64%, respectively. In the genera of Torulopsis, Candida and Trichosporon, GC contents were widely distributed, namely, 34.5-52.5% in Torulopsis, 30-60% in Candida, and 32.5-59% in Trichosporon. Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Kloeckera apiculata exhibited low GC content of 35% and 30%, respectively. Trigonopsis variabilis showed rather a high value of 44%. Sporobolomyces salmonicolor, a ballistosporous yeast, exhibited a high GC content (57%). Of the yeast-like fungi, Tremella fuciformis and Aureobasidium pullulans showed high GC content of 54.5% and 51.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, Dipodascus albidus and Geotrichum candidum exhibited low GC content of 33% and 40.5%, respectively.A phylogenetic relationship between the yeasts exhibiting a high GC content and Heterobasidiomycetes was discussed. A taxonomic significance of urease activity was found to be correlated to the GC content.
ZMP: a master regulator of one-carbon metabolism.

In this issue, Kim et al. (2015) show that ZMP (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide) binds to and activates a conserved riboswitch to regulate expression of one-carbon metabolism genes.