cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neuroscience, neuroachitectronics, nanocomputers and nanotechnology

With the ultimate objectives to design nanocomputers hardware (e.g., develop affordable high-performance architectures, discover advance organizations, synthesize and examine novel topologies, analyze performance, et cetera) far-reaching research should be performed. The need for mathematical models is emphasized, and we report the results in mapping neuroscience into advanced nanocomputer architectures with the sequential analysis and modeling. Optimization of nanocomputers can be performed as they are designed by applying neuroscience-neuroachitectronics fundamentals. Then, using the mathematical models, analysis and optimization can be formulated and carried out.
Urinary enzymes as biomarkers of renal injury in experimental nephrotoxicity of immunosuppressive drugs.

Urinary excretion of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and of alanine-aminopeptidase (A AP) was studied after administration of cyclosporine A (CSA A), FK 506, or the corresponding vehicles to salt-depleted rats. On days 7, 14, and 28 after treatment for CSA and day 14 after treatment for FK 506, measurements of the urinary enzymes, serum creatinine (Scr), creatinine clearance (ClCr), and blinded renal histology were done. After 1 week on CSA there was a dramatic increase of 489% in the urinary excretion of AAP (162.6 IU/g Cr, CSA vs. 27.6 IU/g Cr control, p <.03), a significant decrease of 32% in ClCr, a significant increase of 41% in SCr, and mild proximal tubular atrophy and vacuolization. After 2 or 4 weeks of CSA treatment there were no more differences in the urinary AAP between CSA and control rats, but the urinary excretion of NAG was increased: 29.6 IU/g Cr, CSA vs. 20.9 IU/g Cr, control, p <.03 on day 14 and 26.9 IU/g Cr, CSA vs. 21.5 IU/g Cr, control, p <. 008 on day 28. At the same time there...
Modern protein force fields behave comparably in molecular dynamics simulations.

Several molecular dynamics simulations were performed on three proteins--bovine apo-calbindin D9K, human interleukin-4 R88Q mutant, and domain IIA of bacillus subtilis glucose permease--with each of the AMBER94, CHARMM22, and OPLS-AA force fields as implemented in CHARMM. Structural and dynamic properties such as solvent-accessible surface area, radius of gyration, deviation from their respective experimental structures, secondary structure, and backbone order parameters are obtained from each of the 2-ns simulations for the purpose of comparing the protein portions of these force fields. For one of the proteins, the interleukin-4 mutant, two independent simulations were performed using the CHARMM22 force field to gauge the sensitivity of some of these properties to the specific trajectory. In general, the force fields tested performed remarkably similarly with differences on the order of those found for the two independent trajectories of interleukin-4 with CHARMM22. When all three proteins are considered together, no force field showed any consistent trend in variations for most of the properties monitored in the study.
User-Level Virtual Network Support for Sky Computing

With the emergence of multiple cloud providers of Infrastructure-as-a-Service, it becomes possible to envision a near-future when high-performance computing users could combine services from different clouds to access huge numbers of resources. However, as more administrative privileges are exposed to end users, providers are required to deploy network security measures that present challenges to the network virtualization technologies that are needed to enable inter-cloud communication. This paper studies these challenges and proposes techniques to enable unmodified applications on resources across distinct clouds. The techniques are implemented in TinyViNe, an extension to ViNe, a virtual networking technology for distributed resources in different administrative domains. The results of evaluating TinyViNe on a WAN-based testbed across three sites are reported for a bioinformatics application (BLAST) and MPI benchmarks. The results confirm that TinyViNe enables cross-cloud computing while having little impact on application performance. TinyViNe also has auto-configuration and “download-and-run” capabilities for easy deployment by users who are not knowledgeable about networking.
Conditionally‐immortalized astrocytic cell line expresses GAD and secretes GABA under tetracycline regulation

We have engineered conditionally-immortalized mouse astrocytes to express beta-galactosidase or GAD(65) in a tetracycline-controlled fashion. The engineered cell lines, BASlinbetagal and BASlin65, divide at 33 degrees C but cease division at 39 degrees C. We carried out morphological and biochemical analyses to further understand GABA production and release, and to determine the suitability of these cells for transplantation. Using the BASlinbetagal cell line, we showed a dramatic regulation of beta-galactosidase expression by tetracycline. The BASlin65 cell line showed functional GAD(65) enzymatic activity and GABA production, both of which were suppressed by growth in the presence of tetracycline. When cultured in the absence of tetracycline, BASlin65 cells have a total GABA content equal to or greater than other GABA-ergic cell lines. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that GAD(65) had a distinct perinuclear localization and punctate staining pattern. GABA, on the other hand, showed diffuse staining throughout the cytoplasm. BASlin65 cells not only synthesize GABA, they also release it into the extracellular environment. Their ability to produce and release significant amounts of GABA in a tetracycline-regulated manner makes BASlin65 cells a useful cellular model for the study of GABA production and release. Furthermore, their non-tumorigenicity makes them excellent candidates for transplantation into specific regions of the brain to provide a localized and regulatable source of GABA to the local neuronal circuitry.
Flight Phenology of Sympatric Populations of Reticulitermes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Northern California: Disparate Flight Intervals Indicate Reproductive Isolation Among Cuticular Hydrocarbon Phenotypes

Abstract The diurnal flights of Reticulitermes spp. have been reported to occur in the spring and early fall in northern California. From the spring of 1994 until the fall of 2001, we collected hundreds of alates of Reticulitermes spp. cuticular hydrocarbon phenotypes CA-A/A′ and CA-D during flights from multiple locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. As predicted, there were two flight seasons: one in the spring from February to May and one in the fall from October to December. The flights in the spring were made only by phenotypes CA-A/A′; those in the fall exclusively included phenotype CA-D. These disparate flight times indicate that reproductive isolation is complete and provide further biological evidence that phenotypes CA-A and CA-A′ are variants of one taxon and are distinct from CA-D.
Model structures on commutative monoids in general model categories

Abstract We provide conditions on a monoidal model category M so that the category of commutative monoids in M inherits a model structure from M in which a map is a weak equivalence or fibration if and only if it is so in M . We then investigate properties of cofibrations of commutative monoids, rectification between E ∞ -algebras and commutative monoids, the relationship between commutative monoids and monoidal Bousfield localization functors, when the category of commutative monoids can be made left proper, and functoriality of the passage from a commutative monoid R to the category of commutative R-algebras. In the final section we provide numerous examples of model categories satisfying our hypotheses.
Influence of High Mainstream Turbulence on Leading Edge Film Cooling Heat Transfer

The influence of high mainstream turbulence on leading edge film effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient was studied. High mainstream turbulence was produced by a passive grid and a jet grid. Experiments were performed using a blunt body with a semicylinder leading edge with a flat afterbody. The mainstream Reynolds number based on leading edge diameter was about 100,000. Spanwise and streamwise distributions of film effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient in the leading edge and on the flat sidewall were obtained for three blowing ratios, through rows of holes located at ± 15 and ± 40 deg from stagnation
Crossroads of Freedom Antietam: The Battle that Changed the Course of the Civil War

Book Review James McPherson. 2002. Crossroads of Freedom Antietam: The Battle that Changed the Course of the Civil War . Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 203. Review by: Aaron Mason
3'-untranslated region of SP-B mRNA mediates inhibitory effects of TPA and TNF-alpha on SP-B expression

Surfactant protein-B (SP-B) is a small hydrophobic polypeptide that enhances spreading and stability of surfactant phospholipids in the alveolus of the lung. Decreased expression of SP-B is associated with respiratory failure in premature infants and in adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate (TPA) cause ARDS-like lung injury in vivo. Inhibitory effects of TPA and TNF-alpha on SP-B mRNA expression in vitro were mediated by decreased SP-B mRNA stability rather than by decreased rate of SP-B gene transcription. In the present study, a human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell line, NCI H441-4, was stably transfected with expression vectors consisting of the thymidine kinase (TK) promotor and human growth hormone (hGH) gene, in which the hGH 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) was replaced by the 2.0-kb human SP-B cDNA [pTKGH(SP-B2.0)] or the 837-bp human SP-B 3'-UTR [pTKGH(SP-B.837)]. The mRNAs and cellular growth hormone protein generated from the chimeric TKGH(SP-B2.0) and TKGH(SP-B.837) genes were each inhibited by approximately 50% by TPA and TNF-alpha. Dexamethasone decreased the inhibitory effects of TPA and TNF-alpha. The inhibition of steady-state hGH-SP-B mRNA by TPA and TNF-alpha was mediated by a cis-active element located in the 3-UTR region of SP-B mRNA.
The Sinking Tower of Research Methods: How Research Methods Textbooks in Political Science Ignore, Minimize, or Misconstrue Secondary Research in Their Effort to Focus on Primary Research

Secondary research is far more central to the intellectual development of students, scholars and professional practitioners than research methods textbooks in political science acknowledge. Many research methods textbooks that could be designed to help students become firmly-footed in conducting both primary and secondary research are surprisingly uninterested or uninformed about conducting secondary research--other than a brief treatment in the literature review phase of primary research. Yet secondary resources in political science continue to rapidly develop and diversify. And political science students continue to struggle with and show minimal skill in accessing existing knowledge. Textbooks on research methods and, in turn, instructors dependent on such texts, cannot continue to ignore the centrality of and methods for navigating, evaluating and collecting existing knowledge. This paper seeks to discern – from the perspective of a university librarian who co-teaches a political science research methods course -- the adequacy of political science textbooks in terms of their sections on secondary research. The author presents a comparative analysis of a representative selection of current political science research methods textbooks and then provides suggestions for improving the treatment of secondary research within textbooks which may, in turn, help to improve the teaching of research methods in associated courses.
Using Knowledge Management to Assist in Identifying Human Sex Trafficking

The rise of technology has enabled traffickers to lure victims and sell them at a faster rate than ever before. However, the rise of the Internet has also created new avenues for prosecution and criminal investigations for law enforcement. This study uses a knowledge management approach of identifying an ontology of keywords that were then used to assess a sample of online adult ads to identify potential human trafficking victims. The value of this paper is in the production of a set of keywords that can be used by law enforcement to find and rescue human trafficking victims.
MIDAS: a database-searching algorithm for metabolite identification in metabolomics.

A database searching approach can be used for metabolite identification in metabolomics by matching measured tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) against the predicted fragments of metabolites in a database. Here, we present the open-source MIDAS algorithm (Metabolite Identification via Database Searching). To evaluate a metabolite-spectrum match (MSM), MIDAS first enumerates possible fragments from a metabolite by systematic bond dissociation, then calculates the plausibility of the fragments based on their fragmentation pathways, and finally scores the MSM to assess how well the experimental MS/MS spectrum from collision-induced dissociation (CID) is explained by the metabolite’s predicted CID MS/MS spectrum. MIDAS was designed to search high-resolution tandem mass spectra acquired on time-of-flight or Orbitrap mass spectrometer against a metabolite database in an automated and high-throughput manner. The accuracy of metabolite identification by MIDAS was benchmarked using four sets of standard tandem mass spect...
Behavioral changes in culturally disadvantaged children as the result of tutoring.

Ss from a disadvantaged population manifested improved classroom behavior as the result of being involved in moderately or highly structured, skill-centered tutoring sessions. This appears to conflict with educational philosophies that advocate unstructured pupil-centered learning situations. However, less structured situations may work best with advantaged and skilled populations, whereas, for unskilled disadvantaged children the structured, skill-centered approach is more successful.
Temperature, Oxygen, and Soot-Volume-Fraction Measurements in a Turbulent C2H4-Fueled Jet Flame

We present a detailed set of measurements from a piloted, sooting, turbulent C 2 H 4 - fueled diffusion flame. Hybrid femtosecond/picosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) is used to monitor temperature and oxygen, while laser-induced incandescence (LII) is applied for imaging of the soot volume fraction in the challenging jet-flame environment at Reynolds number, Re = 20,000. Single-laser shot results are used to map the mean and rms statistics, as well as probability densities. LII data from the soot-growth region of the flame are used to benchmark the soot source term for one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) modeling of this turbulent flame. The ODT code is then used to predict temperature and oxygen fluctuations higher in the soot oxidation region higher in the flame.
The Use of the Pipeline Embolization Device in the Management of Recurrent Previously Coiled Cerebral Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND The biggest downside of cerebral aneurysm coiling is the high rates of recurrence and retreatments. With the increasing number of aneurysm recurrences after failed coiling procedures, the best retreatment strategy remains unknown. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) in the treatment of recurrent previously coiled aneurysms. METHODS Thirty-three patients who underwent treatment with the PED of a recurrent previously coiled aneurysm were retrospectively identified. Efficacy was assessed in terms of angiographic occlusion at the latest cerebral angiogram, recurrence and retreatment rates after PED placement, and clinical outcome at the latest follow-up. Safety was assessed by looking at the complications, morbidity, and mortality after PED treatment. RESULTS The mean patient age was 53 years. The mean percent recurrence from coiling to PED placement was 34%. The mean time from coiling to PED placement was 40 months. PED treatment resulted in complete aneurysm occlusion in 76.7% of patients and near-complete aneurysm occlusion (≥90%) in 10%, for a total rate of complete and near-complete aneurysm occlusion of 86.7%. All patients, including those with incomplete aneurysm occlusion, had a significant reduction in aneurysm size. Two aneurysms required another retreatment after PED placement (6.2%). Ninety-seven percent of patients had a good clinical outcome. Complications were observed in 1 patient (3%), who suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage. There were no mortalities. CONCLUSION The use of the PED in the management of recurrent, previously coiled aneurysms is safe and effective in achieving aneurysm occlusion.
The 14th congress of the international society for twin studies: Selected highlights/research summaries: Twin study of telomere erosion; genetics of monozygotic twinning; developmental Dysplasia; fertility of mothers of twins / general interest: Video portraits; separated at birth; childhood actors; adult twin film villains

Selected highlights from the 14th International Congress on Twin Studies, set in Florence, Italy in April 2012, are presented. This meeting, which traditionally occurred every three years, is now being held every two years. Reviews of research on the topics of stress and aging (telomere erosion), the genetics of MZ twinning, developmental dysplasia, and fertility of mothers of twins follow. The final section includes several public interest items, namely an exhibit of twins' video portraits, unusual physical look-alikes, and young and adult twin television and film actors.
Improving NASA’s Earth Observation Systems and Data Programs Through the Engagement of Mission Early Adopters

This chapter provides an overview of the NASA Early Adopter Program from the perspective of three new and planned satellite earth observing missions—SMAP, ICESat-2 and SWOT. The level of activity and engagement of the mission’s applications is directly related to the maturity of the mission products and algorithms. Early Adopters were introduced to NASA through the SMAP Mission Applications Program in 2010 and it quickly became adopted by other missions (ICESat-2 2013 and SWOT in 2014). Early Adopters work with the mission scientists to test the thematic uses and applications of mission products, while providing feedback on the accomplishments and challenges of the data.
Transparent, superhydrophobic, and wear-resistant surfaces using deep reactive ion etching on PDMS substrates

Surfaces that simultaneously exhibit superhydrophobicity, low contact angle hysteresis, and high transmission of visible light are of interest for many applications, such as optical devices, solar panels, and self-cleaning windows. Superhydrophobicity could also find use in medical devices where antifouling characteristics are desirable. These applications also typically require mechanical wear resistance. The fabrication of such surfaces is challenging due to the competing goals of superhydrophobicity and transmittance in terms of the required degree of surface roughness. In this study, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) was used to create rough surfaces on PDMS substrates using a O2/CF4 plasma. Surfaces then underwent an additional treatment with either octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8) plasma or vapor deposition of perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane (PFOTCS) following surface activation with O2 plasma. The effects of surface roughness and the additional surface modifications were examined with respect to the contact angle, contact angle hysteresis, and optical transmittance. To examine wear resistance, a sliding wear experiment was performed using an atomic force microscope (AFM).
Inguinal Hernias: an Algorithmic Approach to Procedure Selection

Employing a minimally invasive or open inguinal hernia repair for a primary inguinal hernia remains debatable. It has been clearly established that in experienced hands, both the open and minimally invasive (MIS) techniques can produce excellent short- and long-term results while understanding that all inguinal hernia operations carry a small risk of chronic pain and recurrences. With a large variety of open repairs including tissue-only repairs, plug and patch techniques, or Lichtenstein repairs, and with a variety of minimally invasive approaches including both laparoscopic and robotic total extraperitoneal (TEP) or transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repairs, hernia repair options are really numerous and tough to compare and contrast. Weighing the benefits of open versus MIS repair for any new patient presenting with a primary inguinal hernia will remain an academic pursuit, but practical focus needs to shift to establishing the best technique to utilize at different times, depending on the patient, with the goal being outcome optimization. Treatment algorithms for the many different types of patients presenting with inguinal hernias can help guide surgeons toward this objective.
Atlas of Atomic Emission Spectral Lines

This section was included in this book essentially for the sake of completeness. Dr. P. T. Gilbert Jr. has prepared such an atlas for most elements which emit in air-hydrogen, oxyhydrogen, and oxyacetylene flames. His compilation appears in the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (Footnote 4, Table 4), and many of the data in this atlas are taken from that reference; however, the format has been rearranged to conform more closely to the format of Section I. The relative intensities are inclusive for each element in this section. Gilbert’s data are essentially complete for oxyhydrogen and air-hydrogen flames; however, some of his data for oxyacetylene flame have been updated, with the appropriate reference given. Essentially all the update work was by Dr. Fassel’s group (Footnote 5, Table 4). Mavrodineanu and Boiteux (Footnote 5, Table 4) have done extensive work with the air-acetylene flame. Unfortunately, they chose to use spectrographic plates rather than photoelectric detection, and their data will not necessarily correlate as well as those from the other workers.
Functional Role of WT1 in Prostate Cancer

ABSTRACT Although initial discoveries of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) expression in extrarenal disease generated controversy, we and others have examined WT1 expression in non-Wilms cancers and have demonstrated that the WT1(A) isoform, lacking the lysine-threonine-serine tripeptide (KTS) insertion, transcriptionally regulates the expression of growth control genes in other cancer types. Here, we review our evidence that WT1 is expressed in prostate cancer (PC) epithelial cells and regulates PC critical genes. That WT1 may promote metastatic disease is consistent with previous findings that WT1 suppressed E-cadherin and enhanced motility of PC cells with low migratory and metastatic potential. Recent findings led us to ask whether WT1 acts as an angiogenic switch in PC. Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is regulated at several levels and by a number of different factors, a mechanistic understanding of WT1-mediated transcriptional regulation in PC cells was previously lacking. Here, we discuss the evidence of WT1- and androgen receptor (AR)-binding sites in the VEGF promoter and show the potential for cooperation between hormone and WT1. These findings revealed that in AR-intact PC cells, WT1 was sufficient to upregulate VEGF transcription, and WT1 expression enhanced the hormone activation of VEGF expression. This notion that WT1 can activate an angiogenic switch in PC cells, to enhance tumor growth and progression to metastatic disease, is consistent with our understanding of the oncogenic nature of WT1 overexpression in inappropriate tissues or at inappropriate times. The potential for WT1 to promote both tumor angiogenesis and PC cell migration suggests that WT1 regulates genes that promote PC progression to lethal metastatic disease. Therapies targeting WT1 in PC may reduce metastatic spread and increase overall survival.
"They basically like destroyed the school one day": On Newer App Features and Cyberbullying in Schools

This exploratory work studies the effects of emerging app features on the cyberbullying practices in high school settings. These include the increasing prevalence of image/video content, perceived ephemerality, anonymity, and hyperlocal communication. Based on qualitative analysis of focus groups and follow-up individual interviews with high school students, these features were found to influence the practice of cyberbullying, as well as creating negative socio-psychological effects. For example, visual data was found to be used in cyberbullying settings as evidence of contentious events, a repeated reminder, and caused a graphic impact on recipients. Similarly, perceived ephemerality of content was found to be associated with "broken expectations" with respect to the apps and severe bullying outcomes for those affected. Results shed light on an important technology-mediated social phenomenon of cyberbullying, improve understanding of app use (and abuse) by the teenage user population, and pave the way for future research on countering appcentric cyberbullying.
Can IV Sedatives Affect Outcome

Intravenous medications for analgesia and sedation are commonly administered in clinical practice, including in operating rooms for anesthesia, for procedural sedation outside of operating rooms, and in intensive care units for the care of critically ill patients. They are important in the treatment of pain, anxiety, and agitation and allow invasive procedures, including mechanical ventilation, to be performed. These medications vary considerably in their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and side effect profile. Administration of intravenous sedatives can lead to adverse events, including longer duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital stay, the development of acute brain dysfunction such as delirium and coma, and hemodynamic consequences such as hypotension and bradycardia. Clinicians need to balance the benefits and risks associated with intravenous analgesic and sedative medications, especially in vulnerable patients. Proper selection and use of intravenous sedative medications in order to maximize patient outcomes requires thorough understanding of their properties. Furthermore, clinical outcome data are available to guide clinicians in the administration of these agents. This chapter will address the properties of intravenous analgesic and sedative medications and review recent published evidence to outline potential approaches for administration of these agents in the operating room, for procedural sedation, and in the intensive care unit.
Resisting Narratives: Sexual Abuse Under American Slavery as “Twilight Moments”

This essay resists Anna Clark’s theoretical framework of using “twilight moments” in order to understand the rape of enslaved peoples. Clark’s framework of twilight moments endeavors to provide a vocabulary that explains prohibited sexual acts that were pursued in private or as an open secret without scrutiny. Based on this framework, she suggests that the rape of enslaved peoples can be understood in such a manner. By looking at the sexual abuses against African-American men under American Slavery, I argue that the conceptualization of twilight moments requires an element of mutual consent—an agreement that could not exist while slaves were considered an owner’s chattel. Rather, I argue that these sexual violations must be considered on their own terms in order to do justice to the grim histories created by American racialized law and sensibilities.
Innovative Applications of Shared Random Parameter Models for Analyzing Longitudinal Data Subject to Dropout

Shared random parameter (SRP) models provide a framework for analyzing longitudinal data with missingness. We discuss the basic framework and review the most relevant literature for the case of a single outcome followed longitudinally. We discuss estimation approaches, including an approximate approach which is relatively simple to implement. We then discuss three applications of this framework in novel settings. First, we show how SRP models can be used to make inference about pooled or batched longitudinal data subject to non-ignorable dropout. Second, we show how one of the estimation approaches can be extended for estimating high dimensional longitudinal data subject to dropout. Third, we show how to use jointly model complex menstrual cycle length data and time to pregnancy in order to study the evolution of menstrual cycle length accounting for non-ignorable dropout due to becoming pregnant and to develop a predictor of time-to-pregnancy from repeated menstrual cycle length measurements. These three examples demonstrate the richness of this class of models in applications.
ADVANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE

Marketers utilize social media to achieve marketing objectives ranging from customer care to advertising to commerce. Thus, social media marketing is the utilization of social media technologies, c...
Effectively Engaging Industry Partners Within the Classroom

Student projects with an industry partner provide a meaningful way for students to translate abstract knowledge into practice, and to develop the data management and communication skills desired in industry. This paper provides suggestions for engaging an industry partner in a classroom and improving the classroom project experience. Set up as a competition, a single industry partner works with a multitude of student teams on the same problem. The project design aims to develop students’ project framing, data management, and communication skills. The paper covers general considerations for field-based course projects, and provides suggestions on how to address these issues. In general, students have given exceptionally good feedback ratings for the project. Learnings from the student, faculty, and industry partner perspectives are discussed. Although based primarily on experiences in a simulation class, instructions and practitioners can apply many of these observations more widely in an operations resear...
Rosiglitazone Increases Visceral and Subcutaneous Fat in Youth with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in the TODAY Study

Objective: In TODAY, metformin + rosiglitazone (M+R) was better in maintaining glycemic control than metformin alone (M) or metformin + lifestyle (M+L), but longitudinal differences in whole body adiposity were small and unrelated to treatment group. As excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are common in T2D, we hypothesized that changes in VAT, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and liver enzymes, as a marker of NAFLD, would be related to treatment effect. Methods: TODAY enrolled 699 youth 11-17 y/o with T2D Results: At BL, mean age was 13.9 year, 66.4% were female, 41.1% hispanic, 31.1% non-hispanic black, 20.3% non-hispanic white (NHW). Mean BMI was 33.7 kg/m2 and BMI z-score +2.2. 3.3% had ALT ≥1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN), suggestive of NAFLD, and 0.3% had AST ≥1.5 ULN. At 24 mo, BMI, BMI z-score, VAT, and SAT all increased. VAT increased most in M+R and least in M+L (14.2% vs. 3.1%, p Conclusion: Unlike in adults, in youth in TODAY, VAT rise was greater in M+R than M+L. VAT and SAT changes were not related to treatment group differences in glycemic control. Increased VAT and SAT correlated with lower insulin sensitivity and secretion. In T2D youth, R may blunt the rise in ALT, but does not lower the VAT:SAT ratio. Disclosure R. Dhaliwal: None. J.A. Shepherd: None. L. El Ghormli: None. K.C. Copeland: Other Relationship; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc. M. Geffner: Other Relationship; Self; Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited. J. Higgins: None. L.L. Levitsky: Consultant; Self; Eli Lilly and Company. K.J. Nadeau: None. R.S. Weinstock: Research Support; Self; Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., Mylan, Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Diasome Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Calibra Medical, Dexcom, Inc., Ultradian Diagnostics LLC., JAEB Center For Health Research, JDRF, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. N.H. White: None.
Electron Delocalization in the Theory of Intermolecular and Intergroup Interactions: Cause, Effect, Prevention

It is common to think about complex electronic systems as if they were made up of distinct groups of electrons such as core and valence shells, or atoms and molecules. If one wishes, however, to base a computational method on such physical concepts, one must address certain basic questions. The classic question is, what keeps the electrons of a group from delocalizing to its neighbors and collapsing into their cores? A second question is, what is the effect of transfer and collapse in terms of wave functions and energies? The energies will be wrong, but can one recognize that they are wrong? And, finally, can transfer or collapse be prevented? The Pauli Exclusion Principle “explains” why physically there is no transfer and collapse, but that does not prevent the Schrodinger equation from having solutions corresponding to transfer and collapse. To prevent transfer and collapse, strong-orthogonality has often been imposed in variational theories which distinguish between groups of electrons. In the Hartree-Fock theory screening or localizing potentials have been introduced without making approximations. In contrast, the problem has been largely ignored in the perturbation theory of intermolecular interactions, which we believe to be a serious mistake. In this paper these questions are considered anew within the framework defined by the exact eigenfunctions of the nonrelativistic Hamiltonian for N-electron systems and within that defined by exact solutions of the Hartree-Fock equation. We focus on the question of how electron delocalization can be prevented without resorting to approximations.
Transparency into opacity: Nadeem Aslam’s alternative to the 9/11 novel

AbstractNadeem Aslam’s The Wasted Vigil (2008) and The Blind Man’s Garden (2013) tell the story of 9/11 and the subsequent US invasion of Afghanistan from the perspective of people living in Afghan...
Gabapentin use, abuse, and the US opioid epidemic: the case for reclassification as a controlled substance and the need for pharmacovigilance

The abuse potential of gabapentin is well documented; with gabapentin having been noted as an agent highly sought after for use in potentiating opioids. When combined with opioids, the risk of respiratory depression and opioid-related mortality increases significantly. In the US, gabapentin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a non-controlled substance. To date, and in spite of empirical evidence suggestive of diversion and abuse with opioids, gabapentin remains a non-controlled substance at the federal level. This has forced individual US states and jurisdictions - often significantly impacted by the opioid epidemic - to forge ahead with legislative initiatives designed to reclassify and/or monitor the use of gabapentin. Since August 1, 2016, 14 of 51 US states and jurisdictions have either implemented legislative mandates requiring pharmacovigilance programs, amended rules and regulations, are in the throes of crafting policy, or are in the midst of gathering additional data for decision making. This fragmented geographic approach yields only a modest benefit in combating the abuse of gabapentin and/or the national opioid epidemic. Herein, we report state-by-state efforts to enhance pharmacovigilance and call for a re-evaluation of the schedule status of gabapentin at the federal level, and design and implementation of a national pharmacovigilance program.
Connective Tissue Disorders in Women

Connective tissue disorders describe diseases affecting the fascia and are now understood to encompass both genetic and autoimmune causes. Although the diseases have divergent mechanisms, the term is still commonly used and found in the name of some diseases such as “mixed connective tissue disorder.” Of the genetic disorders such as Marfan syndrome or Loeys-Dietz syndrome, some of the causative genes have been identified and mechanisms well explored. Other disorders such as fibromuscular dysplasia remain important clinically without clearly known genetic mechanisms. Depending on the mode of inheritance, each one of the genetic diseases has different proportion of women affected. Connective tissue disorders with autoimmune etiologies, i.e. autoimmune diseases, are common affecting millions of people within the United States and known to injure most organs in the body ranging from skin to kidney to heart to nervous system.
Paranoids, Factoids, and Opioids: The Social Consequences of the Destruction of Cultural Scripts for Left-Behind Men

ABSTRACTIn this article I discuss the role that the social disorganization accompanying globalization plays in producing a demographic I refer to as “left behind” men. I suggest that much of the pu...
Soft Wearable Pressure Sensors for Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Monitoring

Wrinkled gold thin films on elastomeric substrates are used as robust parallel plate electrodes for soft capacitive pressure sensors. The wrinkled structures create a robust integration with the polymer, allowing repeated normal force to deform the thin film without failure. By incorporating microridged structures that support the counter electrodes to create air cavities within the elastomeric dielectric layer, pressure sensitivity is further increased to 0.148 kPa-1 over a wide dynamic range of up to 10 kPa. The wide dynamic range and pressure sensitivity of the pressure sensor allow for consistent measurements of the pressure exerted by the radial artery located on the wrist. The soft capacitive pressure sensor displays comparable results when tested against an FDA approved device (Clearsight, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA) measuring beat-to-beat blood pressure. These soft pressure sensors using wrinkled thin films, therefore, illustrate considerable potential to continuously monitor beat-to-beat blood pressure.
Linear Receivers for Massive MIMO Systems with One-Bit ADCs.

In this letter, we propose three linear receivers including Bussgang-based Maximal Ratio Combining (BMRC), Bussgang-based Zero-Forcing (BZF), and Bussgang-based Minimum Mean Squared Error (BMMSE) for massive MIMO systems with one-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Closed-form expressions of the proposed receivers are obtained by using the Bussgang decomposition to cope with the non-linear effect of the one-bit ADCs. Simulation results show significantly lower bit error rate floors obtained by the proposed receivers than those of conventional linear receivers.
Transforming Academic Library Instruction: Shifting Teaching Practices to Reflect Changed Perspectives

In this extremely well-researched and well-organized volume, Amanda Nichols Hess has provided the academic librarian community, from practitioners to library leaders to library educators, with a cl...
Stereospecific Cross‐Coupling Reactions Provide Conformationally‐Biased Arylalkanes with Anti‐Leukemia Activity

A focused small library of carbamates and alcohols was prepared employing stereospecific Kumada-ring opening reactions of tetrahydropyrans. The core framework of the library members is acyclic and incorporates 1,3-substituents, to provide a conformational bias in avoiding syn-pentane interactions. A new compound with micromolar activity against MOLT-4, CCRF-CEM, and HL-60(TB) leukemia cell lines was identified from this series.
Factor structure of the Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire (NEDQ) and an evaluation of the diagnostic criteria of the night eating syndrome

The Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire (NEDQ) is a validated assessment of the night eating syndrome (NES) based on the proposed diagnostic criteria. While past results show that NEDQ is associated with psychopathology and body mass index (BMI), the relationships between the proposed NES diagnostic criteria and psychopathology and BMI have not been investigated. Thus, the relationships between the proposed NES diagnostic criteria and factors previously associated with NES, namely depression, “food addiction” (FA), sleep quality, and BMI were examined. Finally, the NEDQ factor structure was examined for the first time in order to determine whether the NEDQ is assessing NES appropriately. The NEDQ, depression, sleep quality, and FA questionnaires were administered to a sample of older community members (n = 468) and a student sample (n = 254). Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was performed to examine the factor structure of the NEDQ. The relationships between the proposed diagnostic criteria and depression, sleep quality, FA, and BMI were examined using multiple regression. The proposed NES criteria were highly intercorrelated. PCA revealed a single factor solution for the NEDQ. In the community sample, depression was associated with the presence of five of nine proposed diagnostic criteria while poor sleep quality and FA were associated with the presence of seven and six criteria respectively. In the community sample, only the sleep problems and impairment/distress criteria were positively associated with BMI. In the student sample, fewer criteria were associated with psychopathology, and no criteria were associated with BMI. These findings support the proposed criteria for diagnosis of NES. All proposed criteria were associated with at least one psychopathology measure. BMI was only associated with the sleep problems and impairment/distress criteria in the community sample. The PCA finding of a single factor indicates that the NEDQ is a cohesive assessment of NES, and that the NEDQ is a good measure of NES criteria.
Effect of phosgene on rat lungs after single high-level exposure. II. Ultrastructural alterations.

Lungs were removed at intervals after rats were exposed under static conditions to phosgene at concentrations within the LCt5Q range and above. Samples were prepared for electron microscopy by standard methodology. This investigation focused on morphologic events taking place in the terminal bronchiolar-alveolar region. The first ultrastructural alteration was vesiculation of cells in the terminal bronchiolar epithelium and most probably represented the beginning of edema in these cells. This was followed by septal extracellular edema with minimal intracellular edema. Intracellular edema developed next and led to cellular disruption and necrosis. As the postexposure period continued, some type II cells developed cellular edema, and on a focal basis type I cells were disrupted. Fluid appeared in the alveoli after the intracellular and extracellular interstitial spaces of the septa became very swollen. In spite of this widespread interstitial edema, large areas of the cells comprising major portion...
Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Provides a Lower and More Accurate Assessment of Costs in the Field of Orthopaedic Surgery as Compared to Traditional Accounting Methods.

Abstract Purpose To analyze the implementation and benefits of time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) in the field of orthopaedic surgery. Methods We performed a search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase in March 2020, using the following terms: “Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing,” “TDABC,” “Orthopaedic Surgery,” and “Cost.” Then we selected the studies that used the TDABC methodology to generate costs for a particular aspect of orthopaedic surgery. The included studies were divided into the following 5 main categories for ease of analysis: joint arthroplasty, trauma, hand, electronic medical record (EMR) implementation, and pediatric. We analyzed the overall ability of TDABC in the field of orthopaedic surgery, compared to the standard costing methods. Results We included a total of 19 studies that implemented the TDABC methodology to generate a cost, which was compared to traditional accounting methods. The orthopaedic subspecialty with the most amount of TDABC implementation has been the field of joint arthroplasty. In these studies, the authors have noted that TDABC has provided a more granular breakdown of costs and has calculated a lower cost compared with traditional accounting methods. Conclusion TDABC is a powerful cost analysis method that has demonstrated benefit over the activity-based costing (ABC) approach in determining a lower and more accurate cost of orthopaedic procedures. Furthermore, the TDABC method generates an average cost reduction of $10,000 and $12,000 for total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty, respectively. Clinical Relevance TDABC can allow health care administration to better determine and understand the cost drivers of particular orthopaedic procedures at their institutions. With improved estimates on the true cost of an activity, hospital administrators and department chairs can adjust to ensure cost-effective, patient-centered health care.
Design and Experimentation of a Novel Five Coil Asymmetric Magnetic Resonance Wireless Power Transfer System

This paper introduces a wireless power transfer system using a 5-coil asymmetric topology to mitigate range limitations when powering devices requiring small coils. The efficiency of a traditionally coupled wireless power transfer system falls sharply at distances beyond the diameter of the coils used. In order to power devices requiring small packaging at a distance, this limitation must be eliminated. Magnetically coupled coils have demonstrated the ability to extend power transfer distances beyond that of traditional coupling techniques; however, power transfer is still limited by coil size. We utilized the power transfer capabilities demonstrated by a 4-coil magnetic resonant transfer system and introduced a fifth coil to extend the transfer range. Coil asymmetry was then introduced to overcome coils radius limitations. This power transfer technique was demonstrated by charging a cell phone at a distance of 61 cm. The 5-coil transfer system operates at 40% efficiency from amplifier output to rectifier input. We develop an end-to-end power transfer system including a power amplifying source, 5-coil transfer system, and load including rectification to feed the cell phone. Circuit models and equations are introduced for all three stages with an emphasis on the asymmetric 5-coil system. Key parameters characterizing the 5-coil wireless transmission segment are also derived. Individual and system-wide efficiency limitations are discussed, and areas of future work are presented.
Engaging the Poetic Perspective on Care of the Surgical Patient: Lessons from W.H. Auden's “Surgical Ward”

Attention has been brought to the importance of cultivating empathy, communication skills, reflective writing, and self-care in surgeons-in-training. Classical literature and poetry pertaining to themes of surgery, specifically sonnets, can be exemplary methods for cultivating such skills. “Surgical Ward” by W.H. Auden is such a sonnet. Here we suggest that working poems such as “Surgical Ward” can cultivate transferable skills for analysis of text, context and subtext, as well as providing a substrate for discussion of multiple perspectives. These skills can aid in the development of surgical decision-making to produce positive outcomes, yet also benefit self-reflection when mistakes are inevitably made.
Brainstem Serotonin (5-HT) and Arterial Blood Pressure Regulation in Neonatal Rats Exposed to Intermittent Asphyxia

In neonatal rats, a systemic loss of 5-HT exaggerates the drop in arterial blood pressure (BP) during severe hypoxia. In adult animals, intermittent hypoxia or asphyxia (IA) leads to a long-termt increase in ventilation (VE), sympathetic activity and BP (long-term facilitation, LTF). The consequences of a central loss of 5-HT on the acute BP response to asphyxia and the long-term regulation of BP have not been studied in the neonatal period. We hypothesized that 1) a partial loss of 5-HT neurons increases the drop in BP during asphyxia; 2) BP increases following IA; and 3) the hypertension and respiratory LTF following IA would be reduced in 5-HT-deficient pups. We utilized 2 week-old Sprague Dawley rats treated i.c.v. with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (n=11), lesioning 39% of brainstem 5-HT neurons. Littermate controls were injected with saline (CTRL, n=12). We measured VE with the barometric method and BP with a femoral artery catheter. Heart rate (HR) was derived from BP. After 15 min in room air, animals w...