cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender and Employment among Latino Migrant Farmworkers in a Midwestern State

This study investigates Latino farmworkers in Michigan in regard to "occupational cycles," defined as changes in types of jobs during the year. Data for this study came from a survey of 350 residents of farm labor camps in 12 counties in Michigan. Of labor camp residents, 99 percent were Latinos (mostly Mexican Americans) and 67 percent wintered in regions to the south, mostly Texas and Florida. Nearly all women and two-thirds of men lived with family members in households in the labor camps. Over one-third of study participants had nonagricultural jobs during the preceding year. An unexpectedly high percentage of women had off-farm jobs (42 percent), a rate similar to that of men (35 percent). All the jobs were lowpaying, but the status of women's off-farm jobs was higher than men's. Women with off-farm jobs had worked in significantly more states than other women, typically including Texas rather than Florida, in contrast to men with nonagricultural jobs, who tended to have worked in Florida. Education ...
Disposition of the anti-ulcer medications ranitidine, cimetidine, and omeprazole following administration of multiple doses to exercised Thoroughbred horses.

The use of anti-ulcer medications, such as cimetidine, ranitidine, and omeprazole, is common in performance horses. The use of these drugs is regulated in performance horses, and as such a withdrawal time is necessary prior to competition to avoid a medication violation. To the authors' knowledge, there are no reports in the literature describing repeated oral administrations of these drugs in the horse to determine a regulatory threshold and related withdrawal time recommendations. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to describe the disposition and elimination pharmacokinetics of these anti-ulcer medications following oral administration to provide data upon which appropriate regulatory recommendations can be established. Nine exercised Thoroughbred horses were administered 20 mg/kg BID of cimetidine or 8 mg/kg BID of ranitidine, both for seven doses or 2.28 g of omeprazole SID for four doses. Blood samples were collected, serum drug concentrations were determined, and elimination pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. The serum elimination half-life was 7.05 ± 1.02, 7.43 ± 0.851 and 3.94 ± 1.04 h for cimetidine, ranitidine, and omeprazole, respectively. Serum cimetidine and ranitidine concentrations were above the LOQ and omeprazole and omeprazole sulfide below the LOQ in all horses studied upon termination of sample collection.
Managing fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC) is a rare primary liver malignancy historically designated as a variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which comprises less than 1% of all HCC. FLC affects predominantly young people (< 40 years of age) in the absence of underlying liver disease. Diagnosis can be difficult with history and cross-sectional imaging alone, sometimes requiring a core biopsy for definitive diagnosis. Despite presenting with more advanced disease than patients with HCC, FLC has a high resectability rate and improved prognosis over HCC. Unfortunately, most FLC patients will recur and a subset of patients will die of the disease. Currently, FLC has no standardized regimen for systemic therapy.Areas covered: This review covers the diagnosis, management, and recent advancements of FLC. These advancements increase understanding of the genetic profile for FLC and provide potential molecular targets for anticancer therapy. This literature review includes publicatio...
Total Hip Replacement in the Young Patient

Total hip arthroplasty represents one of the most successful orthopedic operations, reducing pain and restoring function in patients with arthritis. This success has led to surgeons expanding the indications for THA to younger patients with end-stage hip disease. A variety of implant designs and bearing surface choices have been used in this challenging group of patients in an attempt to improve implant longevity. For most patients, modern advances in cementless technology have provided reliable, long-term fixation of the acetabular and femoral components. However, articulation of metal-on-conventional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has often failed due to osteolysis secondary to polyethylene wear, particularly in the active young patient. This has prompted interest in alternative bearing surfaces such as Ceramic on Ceramic, Metal on Metal, and highly cross-linked polyethylene articulating with metal or ceramic heads. Based on the latest studies and data available, careful consideration of the known advantages and disadvantages of each of these bearing surface choices is important, in order to optimize care of the individual young arthroplasty patient.
Coupled multicore fiber for space-division multiplexed transmission

This talk will review our studies on the mode coupling mechanism and differential modal group delay characteristics of the coupled multi-core fiber, and the fabrication results of 125-μm-cladding coupled four-core fibers which realized the record-low spatial mode dispersion (SMD) of 3.14±0.17 ps/√km over C-band and the ultra-low attenuation of 0.158 dB/km at 1550 nm, both of which are the lowest ever reported among optical fibers for the space-division multiplexed transmission. By assuming the 3.14-ps/√km SMD accumulation, the tap count of the multiple-input-multiple-output digital signal processing for the crosstalk compensation is estimated to be only 63 taps for covering 99.99% power of the impulse response after 10,000-km propagation when the 25-GBaud (50-GHz sampling) is assumed. The present results demonstrate the strong and practical applicability of the coupled multi-core fiber to the ultra-long-haul transmission system.
A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Guilt on Health-Related Attitudes and Intentions

Guilt appeals are successful in encouraging healthy behaviors as proved by many studies. However, there has been no previous systematic review of guilt research in health domain. Thus, a meta-analy...
SIRT6 regulates Ras-related protein R-Ras2 by lysine defatty-acylation

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Proteins that cause and promote cancer are called oncoproteins. Other proteins, called tumor suppressors, counteract the oncoproteins but are frequently inactive or not present in cancer cells. SIRT6 is a tumor suppressor protein that has been studied in many different types of cancer. In 2013, researchers found that SIRT6 can remove chemical groups known as fatty acyl groups from the lysine residues of proteins. However, it was unclear whether and how this activity of SIRT6 contributes to its role as a tumor suppressor. Zhang et al. – who are part of the research group who performed the 2013 study – have now compared mouse cells that lack SIRT6 with normal mouse cells to find out which proteins SIRT6 removes fatty acyl groups from. A biochemical technique that makes use of synthetic fatty acids, which get incorporated into the mouse cells, showed that SIRT6 removes fatty acyl groups from a protein called R-Ras2. This protein is part of a large family of oncoproteins. Zhang et al. discovered that when R-Ras2 is tagged with the fatty acyl group it moves to the cell’s membrane and causes the cell to divide more rapidly. Hence, this promotes the growth and spread of cancerous tumors. SIRT6 acts as an eraser, removing the fatty acyl group, and therefore slows down the growth of cancer cells. Future experiments will aim to find out whether fatty acyl groups also control the activity of other oncoproteins that are similar to R-Ras2. If that is the case, drugs that can regulate the removal of fatty acyl groups from oncoproteins may eventually form new cancer treatment options.
Rats bred for low and high running capacity display alterations in peripheral tissues and nerves relevant to neuropathy and pain

Introduction Diet and activity are recognized as modulators of nervous system disease, including pain. Studies of exercise consistently reveal a benefit on pain. This study focused on female rats to understand differences related to metabolic status and peripheral nerve function in females. Methods Here, we investigated parameters of peripheral nerve function relevant to pain in rats selectively bred for high (high-capacity runners; HCR) or low endurance exercise capacity (low-capacity runners; LCR) resulting in divergent intrinsic aerobic capacities and susceptibility for metabolic conditions. Results LCR female rats have reduced mechanical sensitivity, higher intraepidermal nerve fiber density and TrkA-positive epidermal axons, increased numbers of Langerhans and mast cells in cutaneous tissues, and a higher fat content despite similar overall body weights compared to female HCR rats. Sensory and motor nerve conduction velocities, thermal sensitivity, and mRNA expression of selected genes relevant to peripheral sensation were not different. Conclusions These results suggest that aerobic capacity and metabolic status influence sensory sensitivity and aspects of inflammation in peripheral tissues that could lead to poor responses to tissue damage and painful stimuli. The LCR and HCR rats should prove useful as models to assess how the metabolic status impacts pain.
Neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery for resectable esophageal cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NAC) therapy protocols were developed to improve survival in patients with resectable esophageal cancer. Our experience with two consecutive NAC therapy trials is reviewed. Both studies included patients with localized squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma. Patients were treated with cisplatinum 26 mg/m2/day (days 1–5 and 26–30), 5-Flourouracil (5-FU) 300 mg/m2/day (days 1–30), concurrent radiotherapy (4400 cGy) followed by esophagectomy. In the second trial, adjuvant taxol was added. The first protocol had 50 patients. Two patients died, both before surgery, one from sepsis. There was no residual viable tumor (CR) in 19 (40%) patients. The median sur-vial time was 31 months. The 5-year survival rate of 36% compared favorably with concurrent 5-year survival of 18% for surgery alone. Fourty-one patients were enrolled in the second trial. All underwent surgery. There were no treatment or operative deaths. Survival data for this group is maturing. Combined results from both protocols are: treatment mortality of 2.2%, complete response rate of 37%, and a median and 3-year disease-specific survival of 42 months and 54%, respectively. We conclude that NAC followed by surgery improves survival over surgery alone and that CR is predictive of improved survival.
Bladder debris on ultrasound as a predictor for positive urine culture in a pediatric population.

Summary Introduction Debris within the bladder is commonly seen on ultrasound. The etiology of bladder debris is varied and the likelihood that urinary debris represents positive urine culture is under investigation. We hypothesize that bladder debris will increase the likelihood that a urine culture is positive compared to those without bladder debris. Methods We performed a retrospective review on children aged 0–17 years who had a voiding cystourethrogram with a catheterized urinalysis or urine culture, and who also had a renal and bladder ultrasound up to 1 week prior, the day of, or up to 2 days after their urine studies. Presence of bladder debris and debris severity was recorded. Positive urine culture was defined as a single bacterial strain ≥50,000 cfu/mL. Demographic information, including findings of reflux and hydronephrosis were compared. Sensitivity, specificity, and risk ratios were calculated for predicting positive urine culture in patients with urinary debris on ultrasound. Results A total of 445 patients met inclusion criteria between January and December 2014. The positive urine culture rate was 20%, and the rate of bladder debris was 22%. The mean age for those with and without bladder debris was 6.6 and 5.5 years, respectively (p = 0.02). 23% of girls had bladder debris, compared to 12% of boys (p = 0.04, see results table). The sensitivity and specificity for bladder debris in detecting positive urine cultures was 52% and 86%, respectively. Forty-seven percent of those with bladder debris had positive cultures, compared with 12% of those without debris (p Conclusions Nearly half of pediatric patients undergoing urological evaluation found to have bladder debris on ultrasound will have a positive urine culture. Debris is noted more commonly in girls and at a slightly higher age. The presence of debris is associated with a fourfold increase in detecting a positive urine culture, regardless of debris severity, hydronephrosis, or vesicoureteral reflux. Given this, it is of value to routinely document and look for the presence of any amount of bladder debris seen on ultrasound, as this finding can be used to augment clinical decision-making and warrants strong consideration for obtaining urine culture. Table Overall results. With debris Without debris p n 96 349 Mean age (years) 6.6 5.5 0.02 Positive urine culture 45/96 (47%) 42/349 (12%) Hydronephrosis 32/96 (33%) 155/349 (44%) 0.05 Vesicoureteral reflux 34/96 (35%) 126/349 (36%) 0.90
Learning Network Architectures of Deep CNNs Under Resource Constraints

Recent works in deep learning have been driven broadly by the desire to attain high accuracy on certain challenge problems. The network architecture and other hyperparameters of many published models are typically chosen by trial-and-error experiments with little considerations paid to resource constraints at deployment time. We propose a fully automated model learning approach that (1) treats architecture selection as part of the learning process, (2) uses a blend of broad-based random sampling and adaptive iterative refinement to explore the solution space, (3) performs optimization subject to given memory and computational constraints imposed by target deployment scenarios, and (4) is scalable and can use only a practically small number of GPUs for training. We present results that show graceful model degradation under strict resource constraints for object classification problems using CIFAR-10 in our experiments. We also discuss future work in further extending the approach.
Similarities and differences in circuit responses to applied Gly1-SIFamide and peptidergic (Gly1-SIFamide) neuron stimulation.

Limited insight exists regarding how identified peptidergic neurons modulate microcircuits. We show that the modulatory projection neuron modulatory commissural neuron 5 (MCN5) is peptidergic, cont...
Activity and characterization of a pH-sensitive antimicrobial peptide.

Abstract Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been an area of great interest, due to the high selectivity of these molecules toward bacterial targets over host cells and the limited development of bacterial resistance to these molecules throughout evolution. Previous work showed that when Histidine was incorporated into the peptide C18G it lost antimicrobial activity. The role of pH on activity and biophysical properties of the peptide was investigated to explain this phenomenon. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) results demonstrated that decreased media pH increased antimicrobial activity. Trichloroethanol (TCE) quenching and red-edge excitation spectroscopy (REES) showed a clear pH dependence on peptide aggregation in solution. Trp fluorescence was used to monitor binding to lipid vesicles and demonstrated the peptide binds to anionic bilayers at all pH values tested, however, binding to zwitterionic bilayers was enhanced at pH 7 and 8 (above the His pKa). Dual Quencher Analysis (DQA) confirmed the peptide inserted more deeply in PC:PG and PE:PG membranes, but could insert into PC bilayers at pH conditions above the His pKa. Bacterial membrane permeabilization assays which showed enhanced membrane permeabilization at pH 5 and 6 but vesicle leakage assays indicate enhanced permeabilization of PC and PC:PG bilayers at neutral pH. The results indicate the ionization of the His side chain affects the aggregation state of the peptide in solution and the conformation the peptide adopts when bound to bilayers, but there are likely more subtle influences of lipid composition and properties that impact the ability of the peptide to form pores in membranes.
Public Memory Underground Photographs of Protest in Uwe Johnson’s “The Third Book About Achim” (1967)

This paper offers a preliminary investigation of the interrelation between literature, photography, and public memory under the conditions of authoritarian and neoliberal state control. Focusing on a fictionalized photograph of the 1953 workers’ uprising in East Germany in Uwe Johnson’s novel The Third Book about Achim (1967), I explore the performative capacity of photo-literary spaces to open up, and disrupt, institutionalized productions of public memory. Whereas official memorial technologies tend to close down alternative interpretations of history, this essay shows how small-scale, clandestine, or itinerant photographs embedded in literary archives animate historical impasses and possibilities, which persist to be responded to by future readers. More specifically, drawing on affect theory and political philosophy, I aim to rehabilitate photography’s indexicality as a performative register that enables human proximities across the boundaries of time and space.
Clinician-Educator Training and Its Impact on Career Success: a Mixed Methods Study.

Clinician-educator (CE) careers in academic medicine are heterogeneous. Expectations for CEs have grown, along with a need to better prepare CEs for these roles. To assess whether advanced education training is associated with productivity and success. We used a sequential mixed methods approach, collecting quantitative survey data and qualitative focus groups data. We developed a three-tiered categorization of advanced training to reflect intensity by program type. We surveyed CEs in the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and conducted two focus groups at an SGIM annual meeting. Primary outcomes were academic productivity (manuscripts, presentations, etc.) and leadership role attainment. Secondary analysis examined the interactive effect of gender and training intensity on these outcomes. A total of 198 completed the survey (response rate 53%). Compared with medium- or low-intensity training, high-intensity training was associated with a greater likelihood of publishing ≥ 3 first- or senior-author manuscripts (adjusted OR 2.6; CI 0.8–8.6; p = 0.002), teaching ≥ 3 lectures/workshops at the regional/national/international level (adjusted OR 5.7; CI 1.5–21.3; p = 0.001), and having ≥ 3 regional/national committee memberships (adjusted OR 3.4; CI 1.0–11.7; p = 0.04). Among participants in the “no training” and “high-intensity training” categories, men were more likely to have ≥ 3 publications (OR 4.87 and 3.17, respectively), while women in the high intensity category had a likelihood similar to men with no training (OR 4.81 vs. OR 4.87). Participants felt the value of advanced training exists not only in content but also in networking opportunities that programs provide. While opinions were divided as to whether advanced training is necessary to position oneself for education roles, it is associated with greater academic productivity and reduced gender disparity in the publication domain. Institutions should consider providing opportunities for CEs to pursue advanced education training.
Receipt of Social Support among Compound and Noncompound Caregivers of Adults with Autism.

For parents of adult children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), caregiving can be ongoing, beginning at diagnosis and continuing throughout adulthood. As parental caregivers age, many may be fac...
A Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Sensor of Steric Pressure on Membrane Surfaces

Cellular membranes are densely covered by proteins. Steric pressure generated by protein collisions plays a significant role in shaping and curving biological membranes. However, no method currently exists for measuring steric pressure at membrane surfaces. Here, we developed a sensor based on Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET), which uses the principles of polymer physics to precisely detect changes in steric pressure. The sensor consists of a polyethylene glycol chain tethered to the membrane surface. The polymer has a donor fluorophore at its free end, such that FRET with acceptor fluorophores in the membrane provides a real-time readout of polymer extension. As a demonstration of the sensor, we measured the steric pressure generated by a model protein involved in membrane bending, the N-terminal homology domain (ENTH) of Epsin1. As the membrane becomes crowded by ENTH proteins, the polymer chain extends, increasing the fluorescence lifetime of the donor. Drawing on polymer theory, we use this change in lifetime to calculate steric pressure as a function of membrane coverage by ENTH, validating theoretical equations of state. Further, we find that ENTH's ability to break up larger vesicles into smaller ones correlates with steric pressure rather than the chemistry used to attach ENTH to the membrane surface. This result addresses a long-standing question about the molecular mechanisms of membrane remodeling. More broadly, this sensor makes it possible to measure steric pressure in situ during diverse biochemical events that occur on membrane surfaces, such as membrane remodeling, ligand-receptor binding, assembly of protein complexes, and changes in membrane organization.
Microbial transformation of peptide antibiotics. VI. Purification and properties of a peptide lactonase hydrolyzing dihydrostaphylomycin S.

A constitutive peptide antibiotic lactonase opening the lactone linkage of dihydrostaphylomycin S was isolated from Actinoplanes missouriensis. Approximately 200-fold purification was achieved by ammoniumsulfate precipitation followed by chromatography on calcium phosphate-cellulose, DEAE-cellulose, and Sephadex G-200 columns. The molecular weight, as determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, is 35, 000. The Km value for dihydrostaphylomycin S is 3.73×10-4M. This enzyme also hydrolyzed the lactone bond in echinomycin, etamycin, staphylomycin S, stendomycin, and vernamycin Bα. The enzyme content of the cells was increased by addition of these peptides and also actinomycin to the growing culture.
Institutions Supporting Constitutional Democracy: Some Thoughts About Anti-Corruption (and Other) Agencies

Classical constitutional theory identified three functions of government—law-making, law-enforcement, and adjudication of legal disputes—and assigned them to three distinct branches of government. As this tripartite framework began to break down over the course of the twentieth century, constitutional theorists identified a fourth function—the protection of the constitution itself. The corruption of high-level public officials can undermine democracy, in large part by generating public cynicism about the possibility that government can act for the general good. In principle, a structurally independent institution suggests itself as the solution, such as electoral commissions and anti-corruption institutions. This paper presents two case studies of institutions supporting democracy in South Africa and Brazil. It suggests that those who design these institutions, and those who staff them, should be sensitive to the complicated interactions between independence, necessary to ensure that high-level corruption comes under scrutiny, and accountability, necessary to ensure that anti-corruption investigations are well-integrated into the nation's system of government as a whole.
Husk Power Systems: Financing Expansion

Husk Power Systems, a young but widely celebrated firm based in India, needs $1.5 million to $2.5 million of expansion capital to grow quickly beyond the small footprint it had established in northeast India. It was a successful green-energy enterprise that aimed to provide electricity to millions of rural Indians in a financially viable way. With 10 "mini power plants" that used rice husks as a fuel source and a presence in 25 isolated Indian villages as of April 2009, the company's goal was to reach 350,000 to 400,000 consumers in 400 villages by the end of 2011. It was offered a convertible-note financing structure by a cleantech private equity firm and needed to assess whether it suited the company's and founders' interests.This case was designed for and is used in Darden's Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity elective. With less of a focus on the financials, the Husk case has also been used in other Darden courses such as Social Entrepreneurship and Global Economies and Markets in a module focusing on emerging markets. Excerpt UVA-F-1629 Rev. Nov. 20, 2013 Husk Power Systems: Financing Expansion In Washington D.C., late April meant enjoying the cherry blossoms, but for Manoj Sinha and Chip Ransler, it was all about securing the future of their company—Husk Power Systems (HPS). They had just left their second meeting with Simon Pasternik, a partner at GreenPoint Partners and a potential investor. HPS needed $ 1.5 million to $ 2.5 million of expansion capital to grow quickly beyond the small footprint it had established in northeast India. It aimed to provide electricity to millions of rural Indians in a financially viable way. With 10 “mini power plants” and a presence in 25 isolated Indian villages as of April 2009, the goal was to reach 350,000 to 400,000 consumers in 400 villages by the end of 2011. GreenPoint, a green-energy-oriented and emerging-markets-focused firm, was a great fit to finance HPS. During their first meeting, Pasternik concentrated on the usual drivers of investment decisions: EBITDA, operating margins, and the management team. This time, he carefully examined how the operations side of the business might affect the expansion plans and the ability to deploy that much capital. Pasternik grilled Ransler and Sinha on whether HPS had the capability, operational structure, and management team in place to meet the financial projections the business plan laid out. Ransler and Sinha were certain HPS's business model was well suited for India's environment and that it capitalized significantly on obstacles unique to India. Ransler painted HPS's future as bright: It would be a dominant supplier of electricity to remote rural areas. The country's demographics and geography spoke loudly to the market size and to the potential entry barriers and operational challenges. Investors seemed to agree. GreenPoint was one of about a dozen funds that showed serious interest in investing in HPS. . . .
Dynamic Games among Teams with Delayed Intra-Team Information Sharing.

We analyze a class of stochastic dynamic games among teams with asymmetric information, where members of a team share their observations internally with a delay of $d$. Each team is associated with a controlled Markov Chain, whose dynamics are coupled through the players' actions. These games exhibit challenges in both theory and practice due to the presence of signaling and the increasing domain of information over time. We develop a general approach to characterize a subset of Nash Equilibria where the agents can use a compressed version of their information, instead of the full information, to choose their actions. We identify two subclasses of strategies: Sufficient Private Information Based (SPIB) strategies, which only compress private information, and Compressed Information Based (CIB) strategies, which compress both common and private information. We show that while SPIB-strategy-based equilibria always exist, the same is not true for CIB-strategy-based equilibria. We develop a backward inductive sequential procedure, whose solution (if it exists) provides a CIB strategy-based equilibrium. We identify some instances where we can guarantee the existence of a solution to the above procedure. Our results highlight the tension among compression of information, existence of (compression based) equilibria, and backward inductive sequential computation of such equilibria in stochastic dynamic games with asymmetric information.
A Qualitative Exploration of Intercultural Contact between Domestic and International Undergraduate Students

To assess the influence of quality of contact on attitudes towards intercultural communication while quantity remained constant, 21 domestic-international undergraduate student pairs engaged in fou...
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Ophthalmology Clinical Trials Resulting in US Food and Drug Administration Drug Approvals From 2000 to 2020.

Importance Diverse, representative enrollment in pivotal clinical trials is vital to sufficiently power subgroup analyses and ensure equity and validity of trial results. Objective To evaluate the racial/ethnic representation, trends, and disparities in clinical trials leading to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ophthalmology drug approvals from 2000 to 2020. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used data from participants in clinical trials of drugs for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), open-angle glaucoma (OAG), and expanded indications for diabetic retinopathy (DR) from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2020. Trial data were sourced from FDA reviews, ClinicalTrials.gov, and relevant linked studies. National expected racial/ethnic proportions were sourced from public National Eye Institute prevalence data as well as published rates scaled using US Census Bureau data. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome measures were the distribution of and change over time in the racial/ethnic proportion of participants in clinical trials leading to FDA approval of drugs for AMD, OAG, and DR. Results During the 20-year period, 31 clinical trials were identified for 13 medications with 18 410 participants. The distribution of trial participants was different from the expected trial distribution for most approvals with regard to race/ethnicity (12 drugs) and sex (10 drugs). Compared with the first decade (2000-2010), trials conducted in the second decade (2011-2020) showed increases in enrollment of Asian (odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% CI, 1.97-2.68;P Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, Black, Hispanic or Latinx, and other non-White participants were underrepresented in clinical trials leading to FDA ophthalmology drug approvals compared with the expected disease burden and racial/ethnic distribution in the US. Although there was meaningful improvement from 2000 to 2020, further efforts to increase minority enrollment in clinical trials seem to be warranted.
Systematic analysis of goal-related movement sequences during maternal behaviour in a female mouse model for Rett syndrome.

Rodent dams seek and gather scattered pups back to the nest (pup retrieval), an essential aspect of maternal care. Systematic analysis of the dynamic sequences of goal-related movements that comprise the entire behavioural sequence, which would be ultimately essential for understanding the underlying neurobiology, is not well-characterized. Here, we present such analysis across 3 days in alloparental female mice (Surrogates or Sur) of two genotypes; Mecp2Heterozygotes (Het), a female mouse model for Rett syndrome and their wild type (WT) siblings. We analysed CBA/CaJ and C57BL/6J WT surrogates for within-strain comparisons. Frame-by-frame analysis over different phases was performed manually using DataVyu software. We previously showed that surrogate Het are inefficient at pup retrieval, by end-point analysis such as latency index and errors. Here, the sequence of searching, pup-approach and successful retrieval streamlines over days for WT, while Het exhibits variations in this pattern. Goal-related movements between Het and WT are similar in other phases, suggesting context-driven atypical patterns in Het during the pup retrieval phase. We identified proximal pup approach and pup grooming as atypical tactile interactions between pups and Het. Day-by-day analysis showed dynamic changes in goal-related movements in individual animals across genotypes and strains. Overall, our approach (1) highlights natural variation in individual mice on different days, (2) establishes a "gold-standard" manually curated dataset to help build behavioural repertoires using machine learning approaches, and (3) suggests atypical tactile sensory processing and possible regression in a female mouse model for Rett syndrome.
Econophysics and Entropy in Dynamically Complex Urban/Regional Systems

Since at least the early efforts of Alan Wilson (1967, 1970), the idea of using the law of entropy to assist in modeling the development of urban and regional spatial structural patterns has been influential. To understand how this has been done and how useful it is as an approach, we must first consider the various formulations of that law that have been made. The full development of the idea is associated with the second law of thermodynamics due principally to Boltzmann (1884), although drawing on earlier work by Carnot (1824) and Clausius (1867). Jaynes (1957) prepared this approach for application in economics with Georgescu-Roegen (1971) also providing a deep perspective. Later, Shannon (1948) would extend this to the study of information patterns. Rosser Jr. (2016b) argues that within economic systems the former is most appropriate when ontological thermodynamic forces are objectively driving the dynamics of a system. The latter is more important as a metaphorical tool when a similar mathematical pattern arises.
DEDUCE 2: Further Investigations of Deduction in Relational Data Bases

DEDUCE is a deductive query language proposed for relational data bases. This language allows one to state queries, axioms, integrity constraints, preferences, and heuristics. In this paper, we shall give a new syntax of DEDUCE for uniformly handling queries having existential, universal or numerical quantifiers. Axioms are used to define virtual relations. A user can make a query against virtual relations and original base relations. The query is evaluated in two steps: First, use axioms to transform the query into a query containing only base relations. Second, check if the transformed query can be answered from the front-end intensional information, such as integrity constraints, within a prespecified time limit. If it can, output the answer. Otherwise, evaluate the transformed query by using a data base system such as System R. In this paper, we shall use the rewriting rule approach to transform the query. In addition, an optimization problem about access methods for efficient deductions in a relational data base will be discussed.
Identification of α-Ketobutyrate as the Prosthetic Group of Urocanase from Pseudomonas putida

Abstract Urocanase was purified 60-fold and crystallized from extracts of Pseudomonas putida. Crystalline preparations of the enzyme were homogeneous by ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic criteria. Urocanase has an s20,w of 7.6 S, and a molecular weight of 110,000 ± 4,000 was calculated from sedimentation equilibrium data. Electrophoresis of the enzyme in 4 m urea resulted in a dissociation of the native protein into two electrophoretically distinct fractions. Urocanase has a specific activity of 5.1 µmoles of urocanate degraded per min per mg of protein when measured at pH 7.5 and extrapolated to saturating substrate concentration. The Michaelis constant is 0.24 mm. Urocanase was inactivated upon treatment with carbonyl inhibitors such as hydroxylamine and semicarbazide, which suggests that an enzyme-bound carbonyl group was required for the catalytic process. Pyridoxal phosphate was ruled out as a cofactor on the basis of enzyme spectral measurements and direct pyridoxal phosphate analysis. Reduction of urocanase with tritiated sodium borohydride resulted in the complete inactivation of the enzyme and led to the stable incorporation of slightly less than 1 g atom of hydrogen per mole of enzyme. Hydrolysis of labeled enzyme released a radioactive compound which was identified as α-hydroxybutyrate by paper chromatography, by high voltage electrophoresis, and by formation of a p-bromophenacyl ester identical with one prepared from authentic α-hydroxybutyrate. These results indicate that the native urocanase contains a covalently bound α-ketobutyrate which is essential for catalytic activity. A mechanism for urocanase action is presented to explain the role of α-ketobutyrate in the reaction process.
Crystalline Robots: Self-Reconfiguration with Compressible Unit Modules

We discuss a robotic system composed of i>Crystalline modules. Crystalline modules can aggregate together to form distributed robot systems. Crystalline modules can move relative to each other by expanding and contracting. This actuation mechanism permits automated shape metamorphosis. We describe the Crystalline module concept and show the basic motions that enable a Crystalline robot system to self-reconfigure. We present an algorithm for general self-reconfiguration and describe simulation experiments.
Eclectic anesthesiologist - acute aortic dissection type B in Marfan syndrome complicating end-stage pregnancy

Pregnancy in women with Marfan syndrome (MFS) is linked to approximately a 4.4% risk of acute aortic dissection (AAD). The natural history of pregnancy and the ability to deliver a viable fetus depends on the interaction between the pace of changes in the cardiovascular system and the advancement of pregnancy. We report the management of a type B acute aortic dissection in a woman in her 36th week of pregnancy. The anesthesiologist has the unique task of managing complicated and mutually exclusive physiologic goals and acts as a consultant bridging the mother’s well-being and fetal management.
The Two Federal Circuits

This Article explores the institutional characteristics of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and places the court’s role in context. The most important institutional question facing the court today involves choosing between two approaches to implementing its special role in the patent system—in one, the court acts as a “decider” of cases, and in the other, it acts as a “manager” of the jurisprudence. It is the choice between these two roles—decisional and managerial— that largely defines the work of the Federal Circuit, and many (if not all) of the jurisprudential debates in patent law can be traced to an ongoing struggle between and among the judges of the court with respect to these roles. Exploring this role duality is necessary to a complete understanding of the Federal Circuit as an institution.
The place of the L 1 -norm in robust estimation

Abstract In robust estimation, L 1 -methods serve two main purposes: They provide estimates with minimal bias if the observations are asymmetrically contaminated, and they furnish convenient starting values for estimates based on iterative procedures. In general, such L 1 -estimates are weighted ones, but there are problems with the choice of weights. It is pointed that the two most popular choices of weights are non-robust: with constant weights, the estimates are sensitive to outliers at influential points, and with Hampel—Krasker—Welsch-type weights they are sensitive to local shifts. Other M-estimates of regression suffer from the same problem. Some recommendations for qualitative improvement are given.
Radio and Optical Astrometry

Radio positional measurements have achieved an accuracy as high as that of optical astrometry, with uncertainties no greater than a few hundredths of an arc second in each coordinate. Declinations and relative right ascensions are determined absolutely. Since the principal sources of systematic error are different for radio and optical astrometry, radio measurements can be useful in the preparation of future fundamental catalogues.
COMMERCIAL AIRLINE IN-FLIGHT EMERGENCY: MEDICAL STUDENT RESPONSE AND REVIEW OF MEDICOLEGAL ISSUES

Abstract Background As the prevalence of air travel increases, in-flight medical emergencies occur more frequently. A significant percentage of these emergencies occur when there is no certified physician, nurse, or paramedic onboard. During these situations, flight crews might enlist the help of noncertified passengers, such as medical students, dentists, or emergency medical technicians in training. Although Good Samaritan laws exist, many health care providers are unfamiliar with the limited legal protections and resources provided to them after responding to an in-flight emergency. Case Report A 78-year-old woman lost consciousness and became pulseless onboard a commercial aircraft. No physician was available. A medical student responded and coordinated care with the flight crew, ground support physician, and other passengers. After receiving a packet (4 g) of sublingual sucrose and 1 L i.v. crystalloid, the patient regained pulses and consciousness. The medical student made the decision not to divert the aircraft based on the patient's initial response to therapy and, 45 min later, the patient had normal vital signs. Upon landing, she was met and taken by paramedics to the nearest emergency department for evaluation of her collapse. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Emergency physicians are the most qualified to assist in-flight emergencies, but they might not be aware of the medicolegal risks involved with in-flight care, the resources available, and the role of the flight crew in liability and decision making. This case, which involved a medical student who was not given explicit protection under Good Samaritan laws, illustrates the authority of the flight crew during these events and highlights areas of uncertainty in the legislation for volunteer medical professionals.
Construction of vectors for inducible and constitutive gene expression in Lactobacillus

Microarray analysis of the genome of Lactobacillus acidophilus identified a number of operons that were differentially expressed in response to carbohydrate source or constitutively expressed regardless of carbohydrate source. These included operons implicated in the transport and catabolism of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), lactose (lac), trehalose (tre) and genes directing glycolysis. Analysis of these operons identified a number of putative promoter and repressor elements, which were used to construct a series of expression vectors for use in lactobacilli, based on the broad host range pWV01 replicon. A β-glucuronidase (GusA3) reporter gene was cloned into each vector to characterize expression from each promoter. GUS reporter assays showed FOS, lac and tre based vectors to be highly inducible by their specific carbohydrate and repressed by glucose. Additionally, a construct based on the phosphoglycerate mutase (pgm) promoter was constitutively highly expressed. To demonstrate the potential utility of these vectors, we constructed a plasmid for the overexpression of the oxalate degradation pathway (Frc and Oxc) of L. acidophilus NCFM. This construct was able to improve oxalate degradation by L. gasseri ATCC 33323 and compliment a L. acidophilus oxalate-deficient mutant. Development of these expression vectors could support several novel applications, including the expression of enzymes, proteins, vaccines and biotherapeutics by intestinal lactobacilli.
Analysis of Antigenic Heterogeneity Within Individual 3-Methylcholanthrene-Induced Mouse Sarcomas

A method of establishing sublines by trocar transplantation in vivo was used to analyze possible cellular heterogeneity with regard to tumor-specific antigens in individual methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas. Differences in antigenic specificity were found in at least 1 of the 9 pairs of sublines obtained, respectively, from opposite poles of 9 different primary tumors. No evidence suggested such differences among 7 pairs of sublines similarly derived from later transplant generations. The lack of variation in antigenic specificity between members of subline pairs obtained from later transplant generation tumors suggested that antigenic specificity was a stable characteristic. Even when derived from later transplant generations, the sublines of a particular tumor sometimes differed in growth potential, and/or immunizing capacity, and/or responsiveness to immunity. There was little or no correlation between variations in the two parameters: immunizing capacity and responsiveness to immunity. These findings led to the interpretation that immunizing capacity and responsiveness to immunity behaved like partially independent variables, and that variations in these parameters probably depended on factors other than, or in addition to, cellular antigen content per se. The marked, random, spacial heterogeneity revealed within the tumors in cellular growth rate and antigenic properties suggests that changes seen during serial tumor transplantation are probably due to random clonal variation and subsequent selection.
Recent Advances In InGaAsP/InP Phototransistors

The sensitivities of three different detector/pre-amplifier configurations suitable as 1.3 pm optical fiber receivers -- a heterojunction bipolar phototransistor, a p-i-n photo-diode with a FET preamplifier, and an avalanche photodiode with a FET preamplifier -- are calculated and compared using recently published performance data. Use of a state-of-the-art low capacitance, high transconductance FET preamplifier promises to increase the sensitivity of a pin-FET receiver to the point that it is only 6-7 db less than that of a low noise, low leakage APD detector with the same FET preamplifier. Heterojunction phototran: sistors, however, have the simplest structure of any of the three receivers, are monolithic, and require the least amount of control circuitry, while having sensitivities comparable to those of the advanced pin-FET receivers.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
P‐76 The effect of omega‐3 fatty acid supplementation on cutaneous and plasma fatty acid concentrations in dogs with atopic dermatitis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a fatty acid supplement on the concentration of essential fatty acids in the skin and plasma of dogs with atopic dermatitis. Twenty-nine dogs with nonseasonal atopic dermatitis were supplemented with 1000 mg flax oil capsules, 3V Caps containing 180 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 120 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/capsule, or mineral oil as placebo at 1 capsule/5 kg once daily for 10 weeks in a randomized, double-blinded trial. Dogs were evaluated by owners and clinicians before and after supplementation using a clinical scoring system. Blood samples and skin biopsies from the lateral chest were taken before and after 10 weeks of supplementation. Overall, daily intake of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids was calculated for each patient before and after supplementation. Linoleic acid (LA), α-linolenic acid (α-LA), arachidonic acid (AA), EPA and DHA were determined in plasma and skin using gas chromatography. α-Linolenic acid and EPA were significantly increased in plasma (P = 0.0165 and 0.0042, respectively), but not in skin after supplementation with 3V Caps. The concentration of α-LA was increased after flax oil supplementation (P = 0.0226). Plasma AA decreased in dogs supplemented with 3V Caps (P = 0.0029). Supplements changed the plasma and skin fatty acid concentrations significantly. A significant correlation between clinical outcome and cutaneous or plasma concentration was not present for any of the fatty acids. Based on these results, supplementation with fatty acids changes the plasma, but not skin concentrations of fatty acids in dogs with atopic dermatitis. Funding: Shipley Foundation.
Preservation of Old, Waterlogged Wood by Treatment with Polyethylene Glycol

The excessive cracking and distortion that old waterlogged wood undergoes when it is dried can be substantially reduced by treating the wood with polyethylene glycol. The process was used to dry 200-year-old waterlogged wood boats recently raised from Lake George, New York.