cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Effects of Ions, Molecular Crowding, and Bulk DNA on the Damage Search Mechanisms of hOGG1 and hUNG

The energetic nature of the interactions of DNA base excision repair glycosylases with undamaged and damaged DNA and the nuclear environment are expected to significantly impact the time it takes for these enzymes to search for damaged DNA bases. In particular, the high concentration of monovalent ions, macromolecule crowding, and densely packed DNA chains in the cell nucleus could alter the search mechanisms of these enzymes as compared to findings in dilute buffers typically used in in vitro experiments. Here we utilize an in vitro system where the concerted effects of monovalent ions, macromolecular crowding, and high concentrations of bulk DNA chains on the activity of two paradigm human DNA glycosylases can be determined. We find that the energetic nature of the observed binding free energies of human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1) and human uracil DNA glycosylase (hUNG) for undamaged DNA are derived from different sources. Although hOGG1 uses primarily nonelectrostatic binding interactions wit...
Seizures and Ventricular Shunts

The role of ventricular shunts as a cause of seizures in children with hydrocephalus was studied in 190 patients treated for myelomeningoele in the Dept of Neurosurgery, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR.
Platinum desensitization in patients with carboplatin hypersensitivity: A single-institution retrospective study

Abstract Objectives The carboplatin desensitization (CD) protocol presented here allows patients with either a positive skin test or a prior hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) to safely, rapidly and effectively continue with carboplatin infusions. Newly described factors can identify patients at risk for developing adverse events during CD. Methods A retrospective review was performed on patients with gynecologic cancer who underwent CD between 2005 and 2014. The CD protocol uses a four-step dilution process over 3.5h. Results 129 patients underwent CD and completed a total of 788cycles. The desensitization protocol prevented HSRs in 96% (753 out of 788) of these cycles. Patients achieved an average of 6.1cycles (SD±4.55, range 0–23) with CD. The CD protocol allowed 73% (94 of 129) of the patients to undergo carboplatin infusion without reaction. Patients with moderate to life-threatening HSRs (grade 2 through 4) were 10.5years younger at initial CD than patients with grades 0 or 1 HSRs (52.3 vs. 63, P=0.0307). One patient death occurred during her thirteenth desensitization cycle. The HSR in this case was complicated by pre-exisiting pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions This is the largest study of its kind showing a safe, effective and rapid (3.5h) CD protocol. The majority of patients with a history of either carboplatin hypersensitivity reaction or a positive skin test completed the CD protocol without HSRs. Age was identified as a risk factor for HSR severity during CD. Age can be employed along with pre-load dependent cardiac conditions as a way to help risk stratify patients undergoing CD.
Towards the Delay and Synchronization Control for Networked Real-Time Multi-Object Multimedia Applications

Due to the lack of QoS support, ensuring an acceptable application level QoS for the real-time delivery of multi-object multimedia presentations on the current Internet is very challenging. Currently, the only feasible solution is to artificially "equalize" the variable network delays. In this paper, we first investigate the application-level objective performance measures which reflect the user-perceived quality, and then propose an adaptive delay and synchronization control scheme making use of those metrics in real-time. The proposed scheme adopts a distributed timing model and can be configured with two inter-stream synchronization options based upon the applications own characteristics. We take a wireline video conferencing application consisting of one audio stream and one video stream as an example. We detail the operation of the proposed scheme and investigate the resultant performance. The simulation results show that small synchronization phase distortions, low MDU loss percentages and low average end-to-end delays could be achieved simultaneously. We further discuss a more challenging issue raised by mobile wireless applications. A preliminery solution is proposed.
FlpStop, a tool for conditional gene control in Drosophila

Manipulating gene function cell type-specifically is a common experimental goal in Drosophila research and has been central to studies of neural development, circuit computation, and behavior. However, current cell type-specific gene disruption techniques in flies often reduce gene activity incompletely or rely on cell division. Here we describe FlpStop, a generalizable tool for conditional gene disruption and rescue in post-mitotic cells. In proof-of-principle experiments, we manipulated apterous, a regulator of wing development. Next, we produced conditional null alleles of Glutamic acid decarboxylase 1 (Gad1) and Resistant to dieldrin (Rdl), genes vital for GABAergic neurotransmission, as well as cacophony (cac) and paralytic (para), voltage-gated ion channels central to neuronal excitability. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we manipulated cac in a specific visual interneuron type and discovered differential regulation of calcium signals across subcellular compartments. Thus, FlpStop will facilitate investigations into the interactions between genes, circuits, and computation.
Language Teacher Identities in the Southern United States: Transforming Rural Schools

ABSTRACTForeign language (FL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching present considerable challenges in the rural U.S. South. Local language ideologies, budgetary considerations, and challenges in other curricular areas (e.g., math and science) lead to marginalizing both FL and ESL in schools. This article examines the personal and professional trajectories of in-service language teachers in K–12 settings in the state of Mississippi to better understand how participants conceptualize their practice and their roles in schools. By analyzing the interview discourse of nine teachers, we found that both ESL and FL teachers positioned themselves against dominant ideologies and educational policies and constructed themselves as agents of change in the classroom, school, and community at large. This study contributes to the argument for integrating FL and ESL in rural areas, where both groups need support, and provides suggestions for ESL-FL teacher collaboration in rural schools.
Exfoliation of LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 into Nanosheets Using Electrochemical Oxidation and Reassembly with Dialysis or Flocculation

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as nanosheets are increasingly attracting attention for applications in energy storage and conversion. Many conventional battery compounds have layered structures, which can facilitate the exfoliation of these materials into nanosheet morphologies. In this work, LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC) particles were exfoliated into nanosheets using an electrochemical oxidation method enabled by the intercalation of tetraethylammonium cations into the interlayer space. The exfoliated materials were monolayer or double-layer nanosheets with hexagonal shapes and sizes of <50 nm. Two different methods were used to reassemble the nanosheets into NMC particles: (1) a slow, dialysis-based approach and (2) direct flocculation. Characterization of the NMC materials at different stages in the exfoliation and reassembly processes was performed using compositional analysis, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and electrochemical methods. The dialysis reassembly method allowed for the restack...
Effects of Testosterone on Benign and Malignant Conditions of the Prostate.

This review summarizes the current literature regarding the effects of testosterone therapy (TTh) on common disorders of the prostate. Testosterone therapy has gained credibility over the last several decades as a potentially safe co-treatment modality for men with benign and malignant prostatic conditions. Our understanding of the effects of testosterone on the prostate continues to evolve with on-going clinical and basic science research. Findings of these studies have reinvigorated the debate over the effects of testosterone on benign and malignant disorders of the prostate, including BPH, chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), and prostate cancer. Despite the burgeoning body of data claiming the safety and efficacy of TTh in common prostatic conditions (including BPH, CP/CPPS, and prostate cancer), diligent monitoring, appropriate patient selection, and informed consent are critical until more definitive studies are performed.
Rereading Postrevolutionary Mexico City: Recent Trends in Mexican Cultural Studies

This essay reviews the following works: Spectacular Mexico: Design, Propaganda, and the 1968 Olympics. By Luis M. Castaneda. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2014. Pp. ix + 293. $35.00 paper. ISBN: 9780816690794. Religion and State Formation in Postrevolutionary Mexico. By Ben Fallaw. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2013. Pp. xx + 329. $27.95 paper. ISBN: 9780822353379. Deco Body, Deco City: Female Spectacle and Modernity in Mexico City, 1900–1939. By Ageeth Sluis. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2016. Pp. ix + 396. $35.00 paper. ISBN: 9780803293823. Portrait of a Young Painter: Pepe Zuniga and Mexico City’s Rebel Generation. By Mary Kay Vaughan. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2015. Pp. ix + 279. $24.95 paper. ISBN: 9780822357810.
O-GlcNAc Transferase Recognizes Protein Substrates Using an Asparagine Ladder in the Tetratricopeptide Repeat (TPR) Superhelix.

The essential mammalian enzyme O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) is uniquely responsible for transferring N-acetylglucosamine to over a thousand nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, yet there is no known consensus sequence and it remains unclear how OGT recognizes its substrates. To address this question, we developed a protein microarray assay that chemoenzymatically labels de novo sites of glycosylation with biotin, allowing us to simultaneously assess OGT activity across >6000 human proteins. With this assay we examined the contribution to substrate selection of a conserved asparagine ladder within the lumen of OGT’s superhelical tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain. When five asparagines were mutated, OGT retained significant activity against short peptides, but showed limited limited glycosylation of protein substrates on the microarray. O-GlcNAcylation of protein substrates in cell extracts was also greatly attenuated. We conclude that OGT recognizes the majority of its substrates by binding them to the aspa...
WAIVS: An Intelligent Interface for Visual Stylometry Using Semantic Workflows

In this paper, we present initial work towards creating an intelligent interface that can act as an open access laboratory for visual stylometry called WAIVS, Workflows for Analysis of Images and Visual Stylometry. WAIVS allows scholars, students, and other interested parties to explore the nature of artistic style using cutting-edge research methods in visual stylometry. We create semantic workflows for this interface using various computer vision algorithms that not only facilitate artistically significant analyses but also impose intelligent semantic constraints on complex analyses. In the interface, we combine these workflows with a manually-curated dataset for analysis of artistic style based on either the school of art or the medium.
Solution NMR of SNAREs, complexin and α-synuclein in association with membrane-mimetics

Abstract SNARE-mediated membrane fusion is a ubiquitous process responsible for intracellular vesicle trafficking, including membrane fusion in exocytosis that leads to hormone and neurotransmitter release. The proteins that facilitate this process are highly dynamic and adopt multiple conformations when they interact with other proteins and lipids as they form highly regulated molecular machines that operate on membranes. Solution NMR is an ideal method to capture high-resolution glimpses of the molecular transformations that take place when these proteins come together and work on membranes. Since solution NMR has limitations on the size of proteins and complexes that can be studied, lipid bilayer model membranes cannot be used in these approaches, so the relevant interactions are typically studied in various types of membrane-mimetics that are tractable by solution NMR methods. In this review we therefore first summarize different membrane-mimetic systems that are commonly used or that show promise for solution NMR studies of membrane-interacting proteins. We then summarize recent NMR studies on two SNARE proteins, syntaxin and synaptobrevin, and two related regulatory proteins, complexin and α-synuclein, and their interactions with membrane lipids. These studies provide a structural and dynamical framework for how these proteins might carry out their functions in the vicinity of lipid membranes. The common theme throughout these studies is that membrane interactions have major influences on the structural dynamics of these proteins that cannot be ignored when attempting to explain their functions in contemporary models of SNARE-mediated membrane fusion.
The anterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament

Surgical treatment for traumatic, anterior glenohumeral instability requires repair of the anterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament, usually at the site of glenoid insertion, often combined with capsuloligamentous plication. In this study, we determined the mechanical properties of this ligament and the precise anatomy of its insertion into the glenoid in fresh-frozen glenohumeral joints of cadavers. Strength was measured by tensile testing of the glenoid-soft-tissue-humerus (G-ST-H) complex. Two other specimens of the complex were frozen in the position of apprehension, serially sectioned perpendicular to the plane containing the anterior and posterior rims of the glenoid, and stained with Toluidine Blue. On tensile testing, eight G-ST-H complexes failed at the site of the glenoid insertion, representing a Bankart lesion, two at the insertion into the humerus, and two at the midsubstance. For those which failed at the glenoid attachment the mean yield load was 491.0 N and the mean ultimate load, 585.0 N. At the glenoid region, stress at yield was 7.8 ± 1.3 MPa and stress at failure, 9.2 ± 1.5 MPa. The permanent deformation, defined as the difference between yield and ultimate deformation, was only 2.3 ± 0.8 mm. The strain at yield was 13.0 ± 0.7% and at failure, 15.4 ± 1.2%; therefore permanent strain was only 2.4 ± 1.1%. Histological examination showed that there were two attachments of the anterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament at the site of the glenoid insertion. In one, poorly organised collagen fibres inserted into the labrum. In the other, dense collagen fibres were attached to the front of the neck of the glenoid.
On linear systems and partial realizations

The new approach to synthesis of linear feedback systems recently proposed by the author is extended to include model matching problems by dynamic output feedback.
Insulin disposition in the lung following oral inhalation in humans : a meta-analysis of its pharmacokinetics.

Oral inhalation of insulin potentially offers non-invasive treatment and better glycaemic control in diabetes by virtue of its apparently faster absorption into the systemic circulation compared with subcutaneous injection. Nevertheless, the lung kinetics of inhaled insulin in humans have yet to be fully clarified because of the complexity of insulin-glucose (patho)physiology and the difficulty in approximating the inhaled dose. As a result, there remains considerable debate on the mechanisms of absorption and metabolism of insulin in the lung. Objectives: To develop and apply a physiologically realistic insulin-glucose kinetic model to a meta-analysis of insulin-glucose profiles from well-controlled clinical studies of inhaled insulin published in the literature, and thereby, to derive the kinetic descriptors of insulin in the lung following inhalation through curve fitting. The model assumed first-order absorption (ka,L) and parallel non-absorptive loss (kmm,L), the latter primarily occurring via metabolism and mucociliary clearance in the lung, alongside two systemic compartments. Where necessary, glucose-dependent endogenous pancreatic insulin secretion was also taken into account by using blood glucose data as the second independent variable. Despite the model’s simplicity and the use of mean data, 16 insulin-glucose profiles from ten clinical studies were successfully fitted to the model, yielding values for the rate constants ka,L and kmm,L. Whole serum insulin profiles were rate-determined by ka,L and kmm,L combined, representing ‘flip-flop’ pharmacokinetics. The best estimate for ka,L was found to be 0.020-0.032 h-1, effectively unchanged across doses (0.3–1.8 IU/kg), formulations (powder vs liquid) and subjects (healthy vs diabetic), suggesting passive diffusive absorption of insulin from the lung. In contrast, the values for kmm,L were much larger (0.5–1.6 h-1) and decreased with increasing inhaled dose. Therefore, it is likely that dose-dependent saturable lung metabolism controls the value of kmm,L, alongside mucociliary clearance. As a result, the absolute bioavailability ranged from 1.5% to 4.8%. The modelling analysis also enabled derivation of increased values for both ka,L and kmm,L as a possible cause of faster absorption for deep inspiratory manoeuvres and increased absorption in smokers, and faster and increased absorption for insulin lispro. Although some of these results need to be substantiated experimentally, it appears that this modelling analysis has enabled unification of the literature information associated with the kinetics and mechanisms of insulin disposition in the lung following inhalation in humans.
Differential Diagnosis of Brain Masses

The heart of the differential diagnosis in neuroimaging begins with accurate localization of the lesion. Two major schemes are used: intra-axial vs. extra-axial; and supratentorial vs. infratentorial (posterior fossa). We will use these together to develop a “short list” of appropriate diagnostic possibilities for intracranial mass lesions.
The Nature of Emotion

That anger is an emotion no one would deny. But what is an emotion? Few other questions in the history of psychology have proven as troublesome as this one. Surfeited by too much reading on the topic, William James (1890) commented that he would “as lief read verbal descriptions of the shapes of the rocks on a New Hampshire farm” as toil again through the “classic works” on emotion. Nowhere, James complained, do such works give “a central point of view, or a deductive or generative principle” (p. 448). Anyone familiar with the rocky soil of New England and with the classic works to which James referred can readily sympathize with the feeling of frustration which he expressed. James’s own deductive principle-that bodily changes follow directly the perception of an exciting event and that an emotion is the feeling of those changes as they occur-has continued to stimulate psychological thought, but is quite inadequate as a general theory of emotion. In the 100 years since James first wrote on the topic of emotion, various other principles have been proposed, but none has proven to be enduring or widely accepted.
III-V Inversion-Layer Transport

Application of an electric field normal to the surface of a semiconductor, such as in a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device, results in band bending and, for sufficiently strong fields, the formation of an inversion or accumulation layer. It has long been recognized(1) that the strong potential necessary to invert or accumulate the surface, shown schematically in Fig. 1, can quantize the motion of carriers normal to the surface and thus give rise to quasi-two-dimensional behavior for the parallel motion. The rationale for this is easily understood in the following context. Classically, the inversion-layer charge density falls to 1/e of its surface value in a distance over which the surface potential varies by an amount kT. Thus, if the total inversion density is 1012 cm-2, the effective classical width of the inversion layer is only about 5 A. Clearly, when the electron wavelength is closer to 100 A, one must expect quantization of the motion perpendicular to the oxide-semiconductor interface. Here the carriers are trapped in a potential well in which the discrete energy eigenvalues for the motion normal to the surface form the minima of a set of quasicontinuous two-dimensional (parallel to the surface) energy bands referred to as subbands. In many cases, these subbands are separated by energies on the order of 50 meV which is significant when compared to the thermal energy kT, even at room temperature.
Layer-by-layer nanofiber-enabled engineering of biomimetic periosteum for bone repair and reconstruction.

Abstract Periosteum plays an indispensable role in bone repair and reconstruction . To recapitulate the remarkable regenerative capacity of periosteum, a biomimetic tissue-engineered periosteum (TEP) was constructed via layer-by-layer bottom-up strategy utilizing polycaprolactone (PCL), collagen, and nano-hydroxyapatite composite nanofiber sheets seeded with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). When combined with a structural bone allograft to repair a 4 mm segmental bone defect created in the mouse femur, TEP restored donor-site periosteal bone formation, reversing the poor biomechanics of bone allograft healing at 6 weeks post-implantation. Further histologic analyses showed that TEP recapitulated the entire periosteal bone repair process, as evidenced by donor-dependent formation of bone and cartilage, induction of distinct CD31 high type H endothelium, reconstitution of bone marrow and remodeling of bone allografts. Compared to nanofiber sheets without BMSC seeding, TEP eliminated the fibrotic tissue capsule elicited by nanofiber sheets, leading to a marked improvement of osseointegration at the compromised periosteal site. Taken together, our study demonstrated a novel layer-by-layer engineering platform for construction of a versatile biomimetic periosteum, enabling further assembly of a multi-component and multifunctional periosteum replacement for bone defect repair and reconstruction.
New investigations of the 6th-c. A.D. “church wreck” at Marzamemi, Sicily

The dense maritime material record off SE Sicily offers a vibrant testimony to millennia of cultural interaction between west and east, south and north (fig. 1). Pioneering underwater work by G. Kapitan from the late 1950s onward brought this corner of the Mediterranean Sea to scholarly attention through a series of remarkable shipwreck finds, including several massive stone cargoes at Marzamemi and Isola delle Correnti. Even among these rich finds, one site proved particularly intriguing and would become central to Kapitan's efforts: the “church wreck”, named for its assemblage of partially prefabricated marble and other stone elements intended to decorate the interior of a Christian basilica. First spotted by fishermen and reported to the local authorities, the site was preliminarily surveyed in 1960 by Kapitan in collaboration with P. N. Gargallo. Kapitan's investigations here unfolded intermittently over the following two decades, revealing a striking material assemblage and constructing a broad narrative around the “church wreck”.
Executive Skills and Academic Achievement in the Dystrophinopathies.

Objectives To examine academic performance in dystrophinopathy as a function of dystrophin gene mutation position as well as intellectual function, executive skills, socioeconomic status (SES), behavior, and physical ability. Methods In a cross-sectional study, boys with dystrophinopathy (ages 5-17; n=50) completed tests of academics (Woodcock-Johnson-III: spelling, reading, calculation and total scores), executive functioning (selective attention/inhibitory control, set shifting, working memory, and processing speed), single word comprehension and nonverbal reasoning. Motor skills were assessed and parents provided demographic information and child behavioral assessments. Dystrophin gene mutation positions were dichotomized into groups (upstream versus downstream of exon 43, location of isoforms previously linked to intellectual impairment). Genetic mutation groups were compared on measures of academic achievement, and multiple regression analyses examined unique and joint contributions of executive skills, intelligence quotient (IQ), SES, motor abilities, behavior, and mutation positions to academic outcomes. Results Academic performance was slightly, yet significantly, lower than IQ and varied as a function of dystrophin gene position, wherein boys possessing the downstream mutation exhibited greater impairment than boys with the upstream mutation. Digit span forward (indexing verbal span), but no other measure of executive function, contributed significant variance to total academic achievement, spelling and calculation. Conclusions Weak academic performance is associated with dystrophinopathy and is more common in downstream mutations. A specific deficit in verbal span may underlie inefficiencies observed in children with dystrophinopathy and may drive deficits impacting academic abilities. (JINS, 2018, 24, 928-938).
Are Asian Households in the U.S. More Likely than Other Households to Help Children with College Costs

We test whether Asian parents place more importance on helping their children with college costs than parents in other racial/ethnic groups. Some previous research has shown that Asian parents are more likely than comparable White parents to list saving for college as an important goal, but does that indicate that they place more importance on helping their children with college costs? Descriptive analyses of the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances indicate that Asian parents are more likely than White parents to (1) expect to contribute to their children’s college costs and (2) list college as an important saving goal. Our logistic regression controlling for household characteristics shows that among households with at least one child age 13 to 17, Asian parents are not different from parents with other racial/ethnic identification in expecting to contribute to their children’s college costs. Controlling for household characteristics and expecting to contribute to their children’s college costs, White parents have less than half of the odds of listing college as an important saving goal as Asian parents. However, listing college as a saving goal may not be a good indicator of the importance placed by parents of college for their children, as there are other ways to help with college costs, including borrowing, contributing out of current income, and some parents may consider the goal as having been met by their own previous savings or the savings of relatives.
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris.: New York, NY: The New Press. © 2016. 288 pages. ISBN: 978-1620970942.

Increased attention to police violence, the highly publicized protest at Standing Rock, and an ongoing national dialogue about border security raise questions about militarized police in American c...
Use of nonclinical staff to coordinate oral anticancer drug prescriptions.

72Background: In September 2018, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) began using non-clinical pharmacy liaisons to oversee coordination of oral anticancer drug (OACD) prescriptions (...
Operando Microscopy Characterization of Perovskite Solar Cells

In this work, we developed operando Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to study the electrostatic potential distribution across perovskite cells under light and forward bias to gain a deeper understanding of device operation physics. As a case study, we selected perovskite cells with a SnO2-based electron-selective layer (ESL), which showed great potential for fabricating high-efficiency, hysteresis-free devices due to the deeper conduction band and higher electron mobility of SnO2. The as-made device showed a main junction at the perovskite/spiro interface. After light soaking and applying forward bias, the junction quality improved, possibly explained by filling trap states at the interfaces and by the perovskite absorber perhaps having a self-poling effect; the main junction is observed at the ESL/perovskite interface. The results are consistent with current-voltage measurements, device performance improves mainly with fill factor enhancement. The operando KPFM results should more closely reflect the real case during current density-voltage measurements or solar cell operation. The operando KPFM technique that we have developed can be a powerful tool to provide a deeper understanding of the device operation mechanism and to further optimize the device.
Does sexual orientation moderate the relationship between posttraumatic cognitions and mental health outcomes following sexual assault

Individuals who identify as sexual minorities experience higher rates of traumatic events and higher rates of psychological distress than individuals who identify as heterosexual. The purpose of th...
Neuromuscular Choristoma Variant in the Forearm Presenting as a Posterior Interosseous Nerve Palsy: A Case Report.

CASE A 14-year-old boy presented with an 18-month history of progressive left wrist drop. Magnetic resonance imaging studies were concerning for mass infiltration of the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN). Surgical resection and pathology confirmed a variant of neuromuscular choristoma (NMC), infiltrated with and surrounded by proliferation of smooth muscle, rather than skeletal muscle. Given the wide-spanning nerve involvement, the patient underwent tendon transfers at the time of surgical resection. CONCLUSION We report here the first case report of a NMC in the PIN and the first pathologically confirmed case with exclusive smooth muscle involvement without a skeletal muscle component.
Exploring the Use of Mobile Health to Improve Community-Based Health and Nutrition Service Utilization in the Hills of Nepal: Qualitative Study

Background: With mobile phone coverage and ownership expanding globally, mobile health (mHealth) interventions are increasingly being used to improve coverage and quality of health and nutrition services. However, evidence on mHealth intervention feasibility and factors to consider during program design is limited in low- and middle-income countries like Nepal. Objective: This study aimed to examine the potential of using text messages to improve health and nutrition services by exploring mobile phone ownership and sharing; mobile phone use and skills; and interest, preferences, and limitations regarding mHealth interventions. Methods: We conducted 35 in-depth interviews with 1000-day women (the period from conception to a child’s second birthday), health facility staff, and female community health volunteers (FCHVs), as well as eight focus group discussions with health facility staff, FCHVs, and 1000-day household decision-makers (ie, husbands, mothers-in-law, and fathers-in-law). We also conducted a mobile phone skills test. We employed thematic analysis using framework matrices and analytical memos. Results: The study included 70 study participants, of whom 68 (97%) had a mobile phone, and phone sharing was uncommon. Use of text messages was most commonly reported by 1000-day women and health facility staff than household decision-makers and FCHVs. More than 8 in 10 participants (54/64, 84%) could dial numbers, and the majority (28/34, 82%) of 1000-day women, health facility staff, and male decision-makers could also read and write text messages. We found that 1000-day women preferred educational and reminder messages, whereas health facility staff and FCHVs desired educational and motivational messages. Participants suggested different types of texts for 1000-day women, families, FCHVs, and health facility staff, and reported less value for texts received from unknown phone numbers. Conclusions: A text message–based mHealth intervention is acceptable in the hills of Nepal and has the potential to improve community health and nutrition service utilization, particularly by sending meeting reminders and by providing information. Our findings contribute to text message–based mHealth intervention design in under-resourced settings.
Digital Natives Unplugged: Challenging Assumptions of Preservice Music Educators’ Technological Skills:

Generational labels such as digital native and the “net” generation may obscure the gap that exists between preservice music teachers’ personal uses of technology and how they will use technology p...
Black Lives Matter Worldwide: Retooling Precision Oncology for True Equity of Cancer Care.

In a recent issue of Cancer Cell, Carrot-Zhang et al. identified ancestry-specific molecular variants and expression changes among patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).1 Their study findings and limitations highlight the critical need to diversify populations represented in cancer genomics research.
Wideband Proximity-Fed Low Profile Circularly Polarized Patch Antenna

This paper presents a low profile, circularly polarized patch antenna using proximity coupled feeds. A wide bandwidth was achieved by exciting the patch antenna with four proximity coupled feeds from a wideband phase shifting network. The simulated −10 dB |S 11 | bandwidth was from 1480 MHz to 2730 MHz (58.4%) and the simulated 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth was from 1650 MHz to 2820 MHz (52.4%). The peak gain of the antenna was simulated to be 4.4 dBi at 2000 MHz in the broadside direction. This was achieved while maintaining a very low profile of 0.05λ, where λ is the wavelength corresponding to the lowest operating frequency. The overall antenna dimensions were 75.0 mm × 75.0 mm × 9.2 mm.
Tactile Perception for Teleoperated Robotic Exploration within Granular Media

The sense of touch is essential for locating buried objects when vision-based approaches are limited. We present an approach for tactile perception when sensorized robot fingertips are used to directly interact with granular media particles in teleoperated systems. We evaluate the effects of linear and nonlinear classifier model architectures and three tactile sensor modalities (vibration, internal fluid pressure, fingerpad deformation) on the accuracy of estimates of fingertip contact state. We propose an architecture called the Sparse-Fusion Recurrent Neural Network (SF-RNN) in which sparse features are autonomously extracted prior to fusing multimodal tactile data in a fully connected RNN input layer. The multimodal SF-RNN model achieved 98.7% test accuracy and was robust to modest variations in granular media type and particle size, fingertip orientation, fingertip speed, and object location. Fingerpad deformation was the most informative modality for haptic exploration within granular media while vibration and internal fluid pressure provided additional information with appropriate signal processing. We introduce a real-time visualization of tactile percepts for remote exploration by constructing a belief map that combines probabilistic contact state estimates and fingertip location. The belief map visualizes the probability of an object being buried in the search region and could be used for planning.
Consequences of coupled barriers to gene flow for the build-up of genomic differentiation

ABSTRACT Theory predicts that when different barriers to gene flow become coincident, their joint effects enhance reproductive isolation and genomic divergence beyond their individual effects, but empirical tests of this ‘coupling’ hypothesis are rare. Here, we analyze patterns of gene exchange among populations of European corn borer moths that vary in the number of acting barriers, allowing for comparisons of genomic variation when barrier traits or loci are in coincident or independent states. We find that divergence is mainly restricted to barrier loci when populations differ by a single barrier, whereas the coincidence of temporal and behavioral barriers is associated with divergence of two chromosomes harboring barrier loci. Furthermore, differentiation at temporal barrier loci increases in the presence of behavioral divergence, while differentiation at behavioral barrier loci increases in the presence of temporal divergence. Our results demonstrate how the joint action of coincident barrier effects leads to levels of genomic differentiation that far exceed those of single barriers acting alone, consistent with theory arguing that coupling allows indirect selection to combine with direct selection and thereby lead to a stronger overall barrier to gene flow. Thus, the state of barriers – independent or coupled – strongly influences the accumulation of genomic differentiation.
A CRITICAL RE-ASSESSMENT OF COCTEAU’S ‘PARADE’

(1966). A CRITICAL RE-ASSESSMENT OF COCTEAU’S ‘PARADE’. Journal of the Australasian Universities Language and Literature Association: Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 83-92.
Validation of kinematically simulated pattern HR-EBSD for measuring absolute strains and lattice tetragonality

Abstract Cross correlation techniques applied to EBSD patterns have led to what has been termed “high-resolution EBSD” (HR-EBSD). The technique yields higher accuracy orientation and strain data which is obtained by comparing a given EBSD pattern with either a real or a simulated reference pattern. Real reference patterns are often taken from a “central” position in a given grain, where it is hoped that the material is “strain-free”, and they enable the determination of relative changes in orientation and strain from that present in the lattice at the reference position. Simulated patterns, on the other hand, enable comparison of the sample lattice with that of a perfect lattice, resulting in a measure of absolute strain and orientation. However, the simulated pattern method has several drawbacks, including the need to accurately specify microscope geometry, the lower fidelity/detail of simulated patterns compared with real patterns, and the potential for microscope-specific bias in the measured patterns (such as due to optical distortion). These drawbacks have led to much debate about the utility of the cross-correlation technique using simulated patterns. This paper is the first to assess the accuracy of the simulated pattern method relative to the real pattern approach in a setting where accuracy can be reasonably determined, thus providing a fair assessment of the potential of the simulated pattern technique. Based upon recent developments towards a standard material for assessing strain mapping techniques, this paper assesses the overall accuracy of the simulated pattern technique. Mismatch strains are calculated using both the real and simulated pattern techniques for a SiGe film deposited on a Si substrate. While the simulated pattern technique is not as accurate or precise as the real pattern technique for providing relative strains, it provides an estimate of absolute strain that is not available via the real pattern approach.
TCL1 sensitizes B cells to transformation by a pathway requiring germinal center passage and induction of genomic instability

4847 Most lymphomas arise by transformation of germinal center (GC) B cells. TCL1, a proto-oncogene first recognized for its role in T cell transformation, also induces GC B cell malignancies when dysregulated in TCL1 transgenic (TCL1) mice. Clonal B cell lymphomas develop from polyclonal populations with latencies of 4 months or more, suggesting that secondary genetic or epigenetic events are required for full transformation. The present study had two goals: to define the GC-specific B cell effects of TCL1 dysregulation that contribute to tumor initiation and to characterize genetic alterations in fully developed tumors that function in disease progression. Here we report that compared to normal cells, B cells from TCL1 mice show enhanced proliferative responses both within and outside the GC. Transgenic B cells are also more resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis, and express increased levels of activation-induced cytidine deaminase in response to stimulation with IL-4 and LPS or anti-CD40. Remarkably, no B cell lymphomas develop for 20 months when TCL1 mice are crossed onto an OCA-B-deficient background to yield mice incapable of forming GC. Spectral karyotype analysis shows that GC B cell lymphomas from TCL1 mice exhibit recurrent chromosome translocations and trisomy-15, with corresponding MYC overexpression. We conclude that TCL1-expressing B cells primed for transformation must experience the GC environment and, for at least some, develop genome instability to become fully malignant.
Distributed DC Optimal Power Flow for radial networks through partial Primal Dual algorithm

In a smart grid platform, where more distributed resources are joining everyday and each of them wills to keep its own privacy and shares as less information as possible with the grid management, there is a motivation for transition from the current centralized structures to more distributed ones. In this paper, a distributed method is presented to solve DC Optimal Power Flow (DC-OPF) for radial networks based on partial Primal-Dual algorithm. The algorithm development process starts from an economic dispatch (ED) problem, derives a distributed ED, and finally makes a bridge from the distributed ED formulation to a distributed algorithm for DC-OPF. It is proved in the paper that the optimal solution of the distributed algorithm complies with the necessary and satisfactory KKT conditions of DC-OPF problem. The algorithm is tested on a radial power network with and without network congestion, where the results converge to the optimal solution.
Simulating Solid‐Solid Phase Transition in Shape‐Memory Alloy Microstructure by Face‐Offsetting Method

Advances in the understanding of martensitic transformations (diffusionless, solid‐solid phase transformations) have been instrumental to the recent discovery of new low hysteresis alloys. However, some key fundamental issues must be better understood to design still better alloys. Restricting attention to antiplane shear, we use finite element analysis to model the shape‐memory alloy microstructure within the Abeyaratne‐Knowles continuum thermomechanical framework and use an interface kinetic relation of the kind proposed by Rosakis and Tsai. Geometric singularities and topological changes associated with microstructural evolution pose significant numerical challenges. We address such challenges with a recently developed front‐tracking scheme called the face‐offsetting method (FOM) to explicitly model phase interfaces. Initial results demonstrate the effectiveness of FOM in resolving needle‐like twinned microstructures.
Treatment of Schizophrenia

Although some theorists, such as Szasz (1961, 1976), charge that schizophrenia is a myth and does not exist, the vast majority of mental health workers would quite adamantly maintain that schizophrenia is an extremely pervasive disorder. Definitional problems notwithstanding, the behavioral disturbances that generally characterize this construct appear throughout the world irrespective of culture, race, language, or time. Furthermore, there is no solid evidence that the incidence has changed in the last 150 years. Out of the U.S. population, 2–3% are estimated to be included in this classification (Keith, Gunderson, Reif-man, Buchsbaum & Mosher, 1976). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 25% of all patients admitted to state mental hospitals are diagnosed as schizophrenic, and 50% of the inpatient populations in state mental hospitals bear the same. diagnosis. Schizophrenics clearly comprise the vast majority of psychiatric patients residing in long-term custodial facilities. The chronicity of this disorder is reflected in a 50% readmission rate within only 2 years after discharge (Mosher, Govera, & Menn, 1972). The expected length of stay within an institution increases with subsequent readmission (Kraft, Binner, & Dickey, 1967). Once a schizophrenic patient has spent two years in a mental hospital, the probability of release is only 6% (Ullmann, 1967). The prognosis for rehabilitation is alarmingly poor. A staggering 65–85% of discharged patients with the schizophrenic diagnosis are unable to function more than minimally in the community. Gunderson and Mosher (1975) also estimate that beyond the $2–$4 billion directly spent on treatment costs, the loss of productivity attributable to this disorder is beyond $10 billion.
Social learning in school groups

worker grows out of the group work approach. It is built on successful past demonstrations, examples of effective current practice, and imaginative projections of present trends. The role embraces helping malperformers adjust and promoting social learning for all children in the school setting. .An interesting parallel can be drawn be tween the transformation of many educa tional institutions and mental hospitals in the United States during the past several years. Just as mental health practitioners and the public have accepted the fact that psychiatric institutions are often oppress ing, dehumanizing, and antitherapeutic, so educators and others often believe that
Diltiazem reduces pulmonary arterial pressures in recurrent pulmonary hypertension associated with pulmonary hypoplasia

Abstract Background/Purpose: Recurrent pulmonary hypertension in the neonatal population is an unusual event with dire consequences. Pulmonary hypertension seen in association with pulmonary hypoplasia may be refractory to conventional medical management. The effect of the calcium channel antagonist diltiazem was studied in five patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. Methods: A retrospective review of the hospital records was performed to determine the efficacy of diltiazem for refractory pulmonary hypertension. All five patients experienced and did not respond to maximal conventional therapy, which included inhaled nitric oxide, intravenous nitrates, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Right ventricular pressures were determined by transthoracic echocardiograms and were used to document improvement in the pressure gradients. Statistical analyses were performed using a paired Student's t test. A P value of less than .05 was considered significant. Results: Diltiazem significantly reduced the right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) from 82 ± 8.4 mm Hg to 58.4 ± 7 mm Hg ( P = .008). Two patients died; one had a large ventricular septal defect, and the other suffered multisystem organ failure secondary to sepsis. The surviving patients were weaned off diltiazem and did not experience recurrent pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions: In cases of pulmonary hypoplasia with recurrent pulmonary hypertension, diltiazem may be considered as a therapy. A multicenter prospective trial is advocated.
Safety vs Efficiency in the Development of a High-Energy Compound

A scalable route to 5-(2-carboxy-pyridin-2-yloxy)-benz[1,2,5]oxadiazole (3) is demonstrated. The synthesis was designed to minimize potential safety issues with a previously practiced route and, in particular, to avoid the handling of 5-hydroxybenzofurazan, which was found to decompose with a large energy release at relatively low temperatures. The new route builds the benzofurazan moiety onto a nicotinonitrile core to avoid high-energy intermediates with low onset temperatures of decomposition.