cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spotting psychopaths using technology

For the past three and a half decades, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the self-report Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R) have been the standard measures for the diagnosis of psychopathy. Technological approaches can enhance these diagnostic methodologies. The purpose of this paper is to present a state-of-the-art review of various technological approaches for spotting psychopathy, such as electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and other measures. Results of EEG event-related potential (ERP) experiments support the theory that impaired amygdala function may be responsible for abnormal fear processing in psychopathy, which can ultimately manifest as psychopathic traits, as outlined by the PCL-R or PPI-R. Imaging studies, in general, point to reduced fear processing capabilities in psychopathic individuals. While the human element, introduced through researcher/participant interactions, can be argued as unequivocally necessary for diagnosis, these purely objective technological approaches have proven to be useful in conjunction with the subjective interviewing and questionnaire methods for differentiating psychopaths from non-psychopaths. Furthermore, these technologies are more robust than behavioral measures, which have been shown to fail.
Asymmetry in the Collision Judgments of People With Homonymous Field Defects and Left Hemispatial Neglect

PURPOSE Although the impact of homonymous visual field defects (HFDs) on mobility has been investigated previously, the emphasis has been on obstacle detection. Relatively little is known about HFD patients' ability to judge collisions once an obstacle is detected. We investigated this using a walking simulator. METHODS Patients with HFDs (n = 29) and subjects with normal vision (NV; n = 21) were seated in front of a large screen on which a visual simulation of walking was displayed. They made collision judgments for a human figure that appeared for 1 second at lateral offsets from the virtual walking path. A perceived-collision threshold was calculated for right and left sides. RESULTS Symmetrical collision thresholds (same on left and right sides) were measured for participants with NV (n = 21), and right (n = 9) and left (n = 7) HFD without hemispatial neglect. Participants with left neglect (n = 10) showed significant asymmetry with thresholds smaller (compared to the NV group and other HFD groups) on the blind (P < 0.001) and larger on the seeing (P = 0.05) sides. Despite the asymmetry, the overall width of the zone of perceived collision risk was not different, suggesting a relatively uniform rightward deviation in judgments of the left neglect group. CONCLUSIONS Left neglect was associated with rightward asymmetry in collision judgments, which may cause collisions on the left side even when an obstacle is detected. These behaviors may represent the spatial misperceptions in body midline described previously in patients with left neglect.
GTP gamma S loading of endothelial cells stimulates phospholipase C and uncouples ATP receptors

The effects of GTP gamma S, a stable GTP analogue that can activate guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, on phospholipase C activation/calcium mobilization were studied in intact cultured bovine ao...
Negative Cross-Resistance: History, Present Status, and Emerging Opportunities

During the 20th century, pesticide use has become integral for current agricultural practices, as has the challenge associated with pesticide resistance. Traditional resistance management plans have often used a “use and discard” approach, changing the chemical to target a different mode of action in the pest species once resistance becomes a problem in the field. An alternative strategy is to identify compounds that confer negative cross-resistance (NCR), where the NCR compound is more toxic to pesticide resistant insects as compared to their pesticide susceptible counterparts. Examples of NCR exist in the literature, however, a systematic approach to discover and use these compounds has been lacking in industrial agriculture. In the following chapter we explore both the limitations and the potential for use of NCR strategies in relation to resistance management.
Cause of Primary Bladder Stone in England — A Retrospective Epidemiological Study

Organized studies on primary human bladder stone can be said to have begun on February 20, 1773, when the Board of Governors of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital in Norwich, England, ordered that the “Apothecary do provide a suitable nest of drawers to deposit the (urinary calculi) extracted in this House to show to strangers, and be referred to occasionally, — and none suffered to be taken away”1.
Baseline assessment and comparison of arterial anatomy, hyperemic flow, and skeletal muscle perfusion in peripheral artery disease: The Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network "Patients with Intermittent Claudication Injected with ALDH Bright Cells" (CCTRN PACE) study.

Background Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is important to public health as a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques permit improved assessment of PAD anatomy and physiology, and may serve as surrogate end points after proangiogenic therapies. Methods The PACE study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to assess the physiologic impact and potential clinical efficacy of autologous bone marrow–derived ALDH br stem cells. The primary MRI end points of the study are as follows: (1) total collateral count, (2) calf muscle plasma volume (a measure of capillary perfusion) by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, and (3) peak hyperemic popliteal flow by phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI). Results The interreader and intrareader and test-retest results demonstrated good-to-excellent reproducibility (interclass correlation coefficient range 0.61-0.98) for all magnetic resonance measures. The PAD participants (n=82) had lower capillary perfusion measured by calf muscle plasma volume (3.8% vs 5.6%) and peak hyperemic popliteal flow (4.1 vs 13.5mL/s) as compared with the healthy participants (n=16), with a significant level of collateralization. Conclusions Reproducibility of the MRI primary end points in PACE was very good to excellent. The PAD participants exhibited decreased calf muscle capillary perfusion as well as arterial flow reserve when compared with healthy participants. The MRI tools used in PACE may advance PAD science by enabling accurate measurement of PAD microvascular anatomy and perfusion before and after stem cell or other PAD therapies.
Exact test-based approach for equivalence test with parameter margin

The equivalence test has a wide range of applications in pharmaceutical statistics which we need to test for the similarity between two groups. In recent years, the equivalence test has been used in assessing the analytical similarity between a proposed biosimilar product and a reference product. More specifically, the mean values of the two products for a given quality attribute are compared against an equivalence margin in the form of ±f × σR, where ± f × σ R is a function of the reference variability. In practice, this margin is unknown and is estimated from the sample as ±f × SR. If we use this estimated margin with the classic t-test statistic on the equivalence test for the means, both Type I and Type II error rates may inflate. To resolve this issue, we develop an exact-based test method and compare this method with other proposed methods, such as the Wald test, the constrained Wald test, and the Generalized Pivotal Quantity (GPQ) in terms of Type I error rate and power. Application of those methods on data analysis is also provided in this paper. This work focuses on the development and discussion of the general statistical methodology and is not limited to the application of analytical similarity.
Foxo1 Expressed in Osteoblasts Promotes the Leukemogenic Properties of β-Catenin By Activating Notch Signaling

Abstract Osteoblasts affect self-renewal and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and homing of healthy hematopoietic and tumor cells into the bone marrow. Moreover, in the mouse, constitutive activation of b-catenin (Ctnnb1CAosb mice) in osteoblasts is sufficient to alter the differentiation potential of myeloid and lymphoid progenitors and to trigger the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Because the same genetic event is associated with AML development in humans we sought to better understand its molecular bases. For that purpose we examined in vivo whether FoxO1, a transcription factor known to interact with β-catenin, affects its AML inducing properties. Deleting one allele of FoxO1 mice from the osteoblasts of leukemic Ctnnb1CAosb mice prevented the appearance of anemia, peripheral monocytosis, neutrophilia and lymphocytopenia that are otherwise observed in Ctnnb1CAosb mice. Similarly, FoxO1 haploinsufficiency in osteoblasts of Ctnnb1CAosb mice prevented the shift in the differentiation of HSCs to the myeloid lineage and the increase in the LSK+/CD150+/CD48- subset of long term repopulating HSC progenitors (LT-HSCs). Histological analysis showed that myeloid and megakaryocyte dysplasias observed in Ctnnb1CAosb mice and associated with their AML phenotype were also rescued in Ctnnb1CAosb;FoxO1osb+/-animals. As a result FoxO1 haploinsufficiency in osteoblasts prevented the early lethality of Ctnnb1CAosb mice since Ctnnb1CAosb;FoxO1osb+/-mice lived and were healthy for at least one year, the entire time that they were observed. At the molecular level FoxO1 interacts with b-catenin in osteoblasts to induce expression of the Notch ligand Jagged-1 which initiates the dysmyelopoiesis leading to AML. ChiP/Re-ChiP assays and transient transfection experiments showed that this interaction requires the formation of a b-catenin/Foxo1 complex at two distinct locations in the regions of the Jagged-1 promoter. It also leads to subsequent activation of Notch signaling in LT- HSC progenitors. These events induce the leukemogenic transformation of HSCs. These findings identify FoxO1 through its expression in osteoblasts as a factor affecting hematopoiesis and provide a molecular mechanism whereby the FoxO1/ activated b-catenin interaction results in AML. They further support the notion that targeting the bone marrow niche may be a new strategy to treat leukemia and raise the prospect that FoxO1 oncogenic properties may occur in other tissues. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Management of the Patient with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Since its first formal characterization three decades ago as congestive heart failure with normal systolic function, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) has emerged as an increasingly common and challenging entity within the field of heart failure. Several early studies conducted on hypertrophic and infarcted hearts demonstrated diminished diastolic left ventricular (LV) filling and led to coining of the term diastolic heart failure. Yet as our understanding of heart failure has grown, the term “diastolic heart failure” was replaced by the nomenclature “heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction” by national guidelines in part because of diverse pathophysiologic mechanisms beyond diastolic dysfunction that contribute to the observed phenotype and are potential targets for therapy. The following chapter will cover the management of patients with HFPEF. After presenting an overview of the scope and pathophysiology of the condition, we will detail the diagnostic approach and treatment options before concluding with a look at the future directions in HFPEF.
Genomic differentiation as a tool for single nucleotide polymorphism prioritization for Genome wide association and phenotype prediction in livestock

Abstract Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in detecting associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and phenotypic variation and in identifying several causative mutations. However, SNPs with significant association identified using GWAS tend to explain only small fraction of the phenotypic variations. GWAS are affected by lack of power due to small sample size, large numbers of highly correlated markers, and the moderate to small effects of most quantitative trait loci (QTLs). This situation is further complicated by the continuous increase in marker density, especially with the availability of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. The latter generates an unprecedented number of marker variants, with a complex linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure limiting the advantage and adequacy of existing methods that internally try to prioritize (filter) SNPs (e.g. BayesB, and BayesR). Consequently, it is becoming necessary to either filter SNPs before conducting the association analysis or to enlist additional sources of information. Methods that include biological prior information (e.g. BayesRC) are limited by the amount and quality of available prior information. Knowledge of genetic diversity based on evolutionary forces is beneficial for tracking loci influenced by selection. The fixation index (F ST ), as a measure of allele frequency variation among sub-populations, provides a tool to reveal genomic regions under selection pressure. In order to evaluate its usefulness as an additional source of information, a simulation was carried out. A trait with heritability of 0.4 was simulated and three subpopulations were created based on the empirical phenotypic distribution ( 95% quantile; and between 5% and 95% quantiles). Marker data was simulated to mimic a bovine chip of 600 K, 1 million, and 3 million SNP marker panels. Genetic complexity of the trait was modelled by the number of QTLs, their distribution, and the magnitude of their effects. Using different empirical cut off values for F ST , most QTLs were correctly detected using as few as 2.5% of SNP markers in the panels. Furthermore, the genomic similarity, calculated based on the selected SNPs, was very high (>0.80) for individuals with similar genetic and phenotypic values despite having limited to no pedigree relationship. These results indicate that filtering SNPs using F ST could be beneficial for use in GWAS by focusing on genome regions under selection pressure. High functional genomic similarity based on selected markers indicates similarity in SNP signatures, regardless of relatedness, and translates into high phenotypic correlation that could be used in decision making.
Color Duplex Scanning of the Hepatoportal Circulation

Doppler assessment of blood flow through the liver has become an important clinical tool for evaluating abnormalities of the liver. Alterations in flow patterns in the portal and hepatic vessels can provide important information about the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the liver and cardiovascular system. As a result, liver Doppler has become part of the evaluation of any patient with known or suspected liver disease. Proper equipment and techniques are required for adequate evaluation of hepatic blood vessels.
Effects of Cavity Diameter on Acoustic Impedance in a Complex Acoustic Environment

This paper investigates the effects of cavity diameter on the acoustic performance of conventional perforate-over-honeycomb liners. This investigation is a follow up to a previous study where it was demonstrated that the cavity diameter has a relatively small effect on the acoustic impedance for core cavity diameters up to 2.0 inches. In the current study, liner concepts are exposed to a complex acoustic environment, where higher-order modes are present. Four liner configurations are explored in this investigation, which include two cavity cores of different cavity diameters combined with two facesheets. These configurations are tested in the Grazing Flow Impedance Tube (GFIT) at Mach 0.0, 0.3, and 0.5 at a source sound pressure level of 150 dB. A comparison of the acoustic performance of these samples suggests that the cavity diameter has a relatively small effect on the acoustic impedance for core cavity diameters up to 2.0 inches at these conditions. These configurations are exposed to a more complex acoustic environment (e.g., higher-order modes) in the Curved Duct Test Rig (CDTR) at Mach 0.0 and 0.3.
Mme Curie’s 2011 Centennial and the Public Debate on the Underrepresentation of Women in Science

During the calendar year 2011 the scientific community, science literati, women scientists, historians, and various others in the world-at-large celebrate the centennial (100th anniversary) of Mme Marie Curie’s (1867–1934) Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Nobelprize.org, 1911), awarded to her in 1911 in recognition for her discovery of the new elements—radium and polonium—and study of the properties of radium in compounds. The 1911 Nobel Prize was as a sole award, reaffirming her share in the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics (divided between M. Henri Becquerel (1/2), M. Pierre Curie (1/4) and Mme Marie Sklodowska Curie (1/4)) (Nobelprize.org, 1903) and also accepting the greater challenge posed by her interdisciplinary discoveries for the field of chemistry.
Quality control of multichannel haematology analysers: critique of current methods and the need for performance goals.

Performance goals for internal quality control of multichannel haematology analysers have been developed by consensus in the Subcommittee on Quantitative Cellular Haematology of the National Committee of Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Conventional methods of quality control (i.e. use of standards for machine calibration and control samples to detect drift) are not feasible for the automated complete blood-cell count because standards and generally accepted reference methods for cell enumeration are not currently available. In the absence of an ideal system, a host of different quality control strategies are utilized with fresh whole blood, stabilized blood preparations, commercial surrogate materials, and statistical functions of measurements on patient specimens. All have their theoretical strengths and weaknesses which, up to now, have been difficult to quantify and to compare experimentally between methods and between laboratories. Performance goals, or what have been judged by a consensus of experts to be achievable tolerance limits for the various sources of analytical variations, were determined for the following measurements: haemoglobin concentration, erythrocyte count, leukocyte count, platelet count, and mean cell volume. These performance goals can be used to compare the effectiveness of the various quality control strategies now used and to determine which strategy would perform best and be most cost-effective in a particular laboratory situation.
Maternal-fetal transport of iron and iodine in human subjects.

Information on the absorption, distribution and metabolism of normal body constituents as well as drugs, and toxic materials in man is difficult to obtain. The development of tracer techniques has made it possible to label various components and to follow the distribution of the labelled material. In many circumstances, it is possible to use small amounts of radioactive isotopes as labels, and with this technique accurate results can be obtained with simplicity. In some circumstances, especially in normal pregnant subjects or in normal newborn infants, it is not possible to justify the use of radioactive tracers. In these situations, the same kind of information can often be obtained with stable tracers. This paper will summarize data we have obtained on maternal-fetal transport of the radioactive tracers 131I and 59Fe in women receiving therapeutic abortions and of the stable tracer 58Fe in normal pregnancies.
Win-Win-Lose? Sustainable HRM and the promotion of unsustainable employee outcomes

Abstract HRM sustainability has become increasingly important to both practitioners and scholars. Specifically, there is an increased focus on the organizational triple bottom line, or the combination of a firm's economic, environmental, and social goals. Although it is largely assumed that triple bottom line initiatives are fully intertwined, there may be more competition and conflict between these goals than previously considered. Drawing upon multiple identity theory and role theory, I explore how an organizational emphasis on the triple bottom line may create challenges at the employee level through increased role conflict and role ambiguity. Further, I identify perceived organizational support, leader initiating structure, leader consideration, and Type A behavior pattern as potential boundary conditions that may further inform our understanding of these relationships. Finally, I examine the ways in which synergies may be promoted between triple bottom line goals to mitigate potential conflicts and ambiguities and promote a more sustainable HRM function.
A Good Neighbor of Bad Governance? China’s Energy and Mining Development in Southeast Asia

The policies of Going Out and Good Neighbor have worked in tandem to direct Chinese diplomacy toward Southeast Asia over the past decades. This article asks how these policies have shaped Chinese e...
Public health education in a tribal college setting: description of a BSc programme at Navajo Nation Tribal College, New Mexico, USA

Abstract Background Models of academic public and global health programmes that are culturally situated and that provide training to meet the needs of communities affected by health disparities can provide inspiration for the development of such programmes throughout the world. In the USA, for example, more American Indian health professionals and researchers are needed to develop culturally relevant health education. Native Nations should exercise their sovereignty by designing programmes and passing policy to achieve health equity while recognising the role that culture plays in our understanding of health. Here, we describe a programme at Dine College (Navajo Nation Tribal College) that aims to build and institutionalise the social and institutional infrastructure needed to enhance the Navajo Nation's professional public health capacity by training Navajo students, practitioners, and researchers. Methods Public health faculty at Dine College have developed a BSc degree that meets the specific health needs of the Navajo Nation. The programme is grounded in the Dine educational philosophy, Są'ah Naaghai Bik'eh Hozhoo (SNBH). SNBH provides a philosophy for healthy living through balance with the universe and protection from life's deficiencies. SNBH is composed of four equal and interdependent components: thinking, planning, living, and assurance. In addition, the BSc in Public Health programme is guided by core competencies that reflect both Western public health practice and traditional Dine ideas about health, healing, and the research process. Through a culturally-informed curriculum, this programme aims to produce Dine scholars who are uniquely qualified to conduct health research and to practise public health in their communities. Findings We evaluated the project through tracking student enrolment, completed courses, and student experiences; we also documented factors associated with academic success and application of learned skill sets. Students report that the indigenous focus of the programme reinforces their commitment to a career in health or public health service and research. The new BSc in Public Health programme had 60 enrolled majors in 2018. Students have completed up to 100 credit hours of coursework, and a student advisory committee has reported self-confidence in their progress towards public health competencies. Interpretation Academic programmes that use a culturally-situated curriculum to successfully target aspiring global health practitioners from rural communities with health disparities can serve as models to increase the diversity of global health researchers and the global health workforce. Funding Navajo NARCH Partnership National Institutes' of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH-NIGMS), S06GM123550. Dine College Title III Funding.
Associations between respiratory health and ozone and fine particulate matter during a wildfire event.

Wildfires have been increasing in frequency in the western United States (US) with the 2017 and 2018 fire seasons experiencing some of the worst wildfires in terms of suppression costs and air pollution that the western US has seen. Although growing evidence suggests respiratory exacerbations from elevated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during wildfires, significantly less is known about the impacts on human health of ozone (O3) that may also be increased due to wildfires. Using machine learning, we created daily surface concentration maps for PM2.5 and O3 during an intense wildfire in California in 2008. We then linked these daily exposures to counts of respiratory hospitalizations and emergency department visits at the ZIP code level. We calculated relative risks of respiratory health outcomes using Poisson generalized estimating equations models for each exposure in separate and mutually-adjusted models, additionally adjusted for pertinent covariates. During the active fire periods, PM2.5 was significantly associated with exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and these effects remained after controlling for O3. Effect estimates of O3 during the fire period were non-significant for respiratory hospitalizations but were significant for ED visits for asthma (RR = 1.05 and 95% CI = (1.022, 1.078) for a 10 ppb increase in O3). In mutually-adjusted models, the significant findings for PM2.5 remained whereas the associations with O3 were confounded. Adjusted for O3, the RR for asthma ED visits associated with a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was 1.112 and 95% CI = (1.087, 1.138). The significant findings for PM2.5 but not for O3 in mutually-adjusted models is likely due to the fact that PM2.5 levels during these fires exceeded the 24-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 35 μg/m3 for 4976 ZIP-code days and reached levels up to 6.073 times the NAAQS, whereas our estimated O3 levels during the fire period only occasionally exceeded the NAAQS of 70 ppb with low exceedance levels. Future studies should continue to investigate the combined role of O3 and PM2.5 during wildfires to get a more comprehensive assessment of the cumulative burden on health from wildfire smoke.
Design of a selectable pinhole module for use in adaptive SPECT collimators

We present a module for the real-time control of gamma-camera pinhole apertures. The mechanical design includes the ability to rapidly select between an array of pinhole diameters and pinhole states (whether open or shuttered). This is achieved through the use of a wheel with multiple pinhole bores configured with the same entrance angles. Control of the module is via wireless Arduino using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to avoid wiring trailing from the system. Modulation of the aperture can either be done via manual control by the user, or through an automated routine integrated into the data acquisition code. Since we can control pinhole diameter, as well as the number and position of pinholes that are open in a multi-pinhole configuration, system resolution and sensitivity are dynamic variables that we can change for each individual acquisition (based on a priori information or a scout scan). The integration of these modules into the gamma ray camera is discussed, including the drive mechanism used to achieve the rotary motion and an opto-interrupter module used to obtain feedback for reproducible positioning. Two applications are discussed: apertures for clinical gamma cameras, and apertures for a dedicated brain imaging system.
Automated Noninvasive Seizure Detection and Localization Using Switching Markov Models and Convolutional Neural Networks

We introduce a novel switching Markov model for combined epileptic seizure detection and localization from scalp electroencephalography (EEG). Using a hierarchy of Markov chains to fuse multichannel information, our model detects seizure onset, localizes the seizure focus, and tracks seizure activity as it spreads across the cortex. This model-based seizure tracking and localization is complemented by a nonparametric EEG likelihood using convolutional neural networks. We learn our model with an expectation-maximization algorithm that uses loopy belief propagation for approximate inference. We validate our model using leave one patient out cross validation on EEG acquired from two hospitals. Detection is evaluated on the publicly available Children’s Hospital Boston dataset. We validate both the detection and localization performance on a focal epilepsy dataset collected at Johns Hopkins Hospital. To the best of our knowledge, our model is the first to perform automated localization from scalp EEG across a heterogeneous patient cohort.
Virtual Manipulatives: A Tool to Support Access and Achievement With Middle School Students With Disabilities:

Manipulatives offer students with disabilities access and support in classrooms. However, it is important for educators to be aware that concrete manipulatives are not the only option. Teachers ser...
Morphological spectrum of immune check-point inhibitor therapy-associated gastritis

Aims Immune check-point inhibitors are frequently used in the treatment of a variety of solid tumours. The mechanism of action of these drugs involves up-regulation of cytotoxic T cells, which can lead to a lack of self-tolerance and immune-related adverse events, including those involving the gastrointestinal tract. This study was performed to characterise the histological features of immune check-point inhibitor therapy-associated gastritis. Methods and results Gastric biopsies from patients on immune check-point inhibitor therapy with clinical suspicion of drug-associated gastrointestinal injury were identified. The predominant histological pattern of injury, distribution of injury, degree of tissue eosinophilia and prominence of apoptosis were recorded. Presenting symptoms, treatment and follow-up data were obtained by medical chart review. The 12 patients included in the study group were treated with ipilimumab, nivolumab or pembrolizumab for a variety of tumours. Symptoms at presentation included nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Chronic active gastritis with intra-epithelial lymphocytosis and prominent apoptosis was seen in eight of 12 patients, and was the most useful combination for the diagnosis of drug-induced gastritis in these patients. Four patients showed focal enhancing gastritis with a lymphohistiocytic cuff around inflamed glands reminiscent of Crohn's disease. One of those four patients was homozygous for the ATG16L1 Crohn's disease-associated gene variant, but had no history of inflammatory bowel disease. Ten patients responded to medication withdrawal and steroid therapy, while two required treatment with infliximab. Conclusions Awareness of the morphological spectrum of immune check-point inhibitor therapy-associated gastritis is important for the accurate diagnosis and prompt management of these patients.
96 Understanding the meaning attributed by jordanian parents of children with cancer to their illness: a phenomenological study

Background Jordanian culture is a variant of Arab-Islamic culture that comprises two intertwined strands: the interpretation of Islamic religion and vernacular Arab culture. Few studies have been conducted in the Middle East to explain the way culture shapes and reflects parents’ lived experiences and interactions with their children, particularly concerning the meaning and philosophy of disease. Methods The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Jordanian parents of children with cancer. The study investigated the cultural meaning of illness and how it affected parents’ lived experiences of their children’s illness. The study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological approach informed by the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and used semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted in one paediatric oncology unit in one Jordanian hospital. Results Twenty-five interviews were collected from 24 mothers and one father. During the interviews, the parents expressed that their spiritual beliefs helped them accept their child’s disease. Showing patience towards the suffering of their children was perceived as an important value the parents tried to stick to despite the deep suffering the children were experiencing. All the parents demonstrated a thankful approach as they perceived that everything that happens to their child is according to destiny. The beliefs the parents held about their child’s illness were perceived to positively affect the way they interacted with them. This was especially so in sensitive situations, such as their reactions to initial diagnoses and receiving bad news. Conclusion The findings of this study will inform the education of health professionals and increase their understanding of the beliefs and practices demonstrated by the study’s participants and their integration into supportive patient plans.
Metabolic and physiological effects of high intensity interval training in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A pilot and feasibility study

Summary Objective To examine the feasibility of a 6-week high intensity interval training (HIIT) program in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). A secondary aim was to evaluate the change in whole-body metabolism. Design In a single-arm intervention, 16 adults (mean age 59.9 yrs; BMI: 29.0 ± 4.3 kg/m2; 77% female) with radiographically diagnosed knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence [KLG]: 2–4) and moderate to severe pain score (≥6) from the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Index (WOMAC) enrolled in a 6-week, twice weekly, supervised HIIT cycle ergometry intervention. The primary outcome was feasibility; secondary outcomes included change in peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), WOMAC, and circulating biomarkers of metabolism. Results Feasibility was moderate; of the 21 participants screened by phone, 16 were enrolled; 13 completed pre- and post-testing. The average adherence rate (sessions completed/available) was >96%. VO2peak was significantly improved (mean ± SD: 2.6 ± 3.0 mL/min/kg; 95% CI [0.70–4.56]). Significant improvements in WOMAC (mean ± SD: −8.7 ± 12.5; CI: [18.9 to −2.80]), pain [-5.15 to −1.01], and function [-12.9 to −0.98] resulted. There was a significant reduction in concentrations of amino acids: methionine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine (p Conclusions In this cohort of overweight adults with symptomatic knee OA, 6-weeks of HIIT cycling showed excellent rates of retention and adherence with no adverse events, improved cardiorespiratory fitness and OA symptoms, in concert with metabolic alterations indicative of improved skeletal muscle energetics. Trial registration number clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03039452 .
Permafrost Features and Talik Geometry in Hydrologic System

Permafrost is widely distributed in the high latitudes. This chapter discusses frozen (permafrost) and unfrozen states of the hydrological geometry in the northern regions. The hydrological activities are very active and dynamic not only in discontinuous permafrost zone but also in cold continuous permafrost areas. Water carries significant amount of heat in aquifer and talik system. Water locates in the depth below the maximum ice formation can develop an unfrozen layer underneath the water body (i.e., talik and thaw bulb). Taliks could be open to connect to the sub-permafrost layer, while the hydrologic gradient makes flow in upward or downward directions. The heat balance of the super-, inter-, or sub- permafrost generates unique unfrozen geometry in the permafrost. This chapter also reviews various cellars developed and used in the arctic regions by indigenous people.
Categorical framework for mathematical sense making in physics

Student mathematical reasoning in physics can be viewed as the repeated engagement in and combination of four basic sense making modes.
Variation in Health Blog Features and Elements by Gender, Occupation, and Perspective

This study explores whether there are gender and occupational differences in the health blogosphere and whether there are differences by blogger perspective. Data were derived from content analysis of 951 health blogs identified between June 2007 and May 2008. Results indicate that male, physician bloggers were more likely to have blogs that feature a SiteMeter, sponsorship, and advertising, which also were more prevalent among those blogging from a professional perspective. Women, bloggers in non-health-related employment, and patient/consumer and caregiver bloggers were more likely to blog about disease and disability; men, bloggers in health-related employment, and professional bloggers were more likely to blog about provider experiences, health research/news, and health policy, business, law, and technology. Because the Internet is becoming a primary source of health information, establishing normative guidelines regarding information quality, patient privacy, and conflicts of interest is essential. Future research should build on these findings using national surveys of health bloggers and textual analysis of blog content.
9 Brand Measurement Methods

While the importance of developing a superior brand is a common goal across firms, a key challenge marketers face is the measurement of a brand. What does it mean to measure a brand? It is about the worth of the brand? Is it about the target consumer's perception? Or is it about how well known the brand is? The purpose of this tech note is to: (1) create a conceptual model framing the ways in which brands can be measured, (2) describe the key measurement methods, and (3) provide commonly used examples for each measurement method. Excerpt UVA-M-0920 Feb. 21, 2019 Brand Measurement Methods Brands—whether product, service, retail or corporate, consumer or business-to-business—are demonstrably the most important and sustainable asset any organization has. —Rita Clifton As Peter Drucker said, “The purpose of a business is to create a customer.” The conduit through which a customer is created is the brand, and as such, developing strong brands is a priority across most firms and industries. As an example of the importance of brands, consider the following perspective provided by investment firm Fidelity to investors on the consumer discretionary industry. . . .
Oxidative damage increases with degree of simulated bacterial infection, but not ectoparasitism, in tree swallow nestlings

The purpose of mounting an immune response is to destroy pathogens, but this response comes at a physiological cost, including the generation of oxidative damage. However, many studies on the effects of immune challenges employ a single high dose of a simulated infection, meaning that the consequences of more mild immune challenges are poorly understood. We tested whether the degree of immunological challenge in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) affects oxidative physiology and body mass, and whether these metrics correlate with parasitic nest mite load. We injected 14 day old nestlings with 0, 0.01, 0.1 or 1 mg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) per kg body mass, then collected a blood sample 24 h later to quantify multiple physiological metrics, including oxidative damage (i.e. d-ROMs), circulating amounts of triglyceride and glycerol, and levels of the acute phase protein haptoglobin. After birds had fledged, we identified and counted parasitic nest mites (Dermanyssus spp. and Ornithonyssus spp.). We found that only nestlings injected with 1 mg LPS kg-1 body mass, which is a common dosage in ecoimmunological studies, lost more body mass than individuals from other treatment groups. However, every dose of LPS resulted in a commensurate increase in oxidative damage. Parasitic mite abundance had no effect on oxidative damage across treatments. The amount of oxidative damage correlated with haptoglobin levels, suggesting compensatory mechanisms to limit self-damage during an immune response. We conclude that while only the highest-intensity immune challenges resulted in costs related to body mass, even low-intensity immune challenges result in detectable increases in oxidative damage.
Toward prediction of abscopal effect in radioimmunotherapy: Pre-clinical investigation.

Purpose Immunotherapy (IT) and radiotherapy (RT) can act synergistically, enhancing antitumor response beyond what either treatment can achieve separately. Anecdotal reports suggest that these results are in part due to the induction of an abscopal effect on non-irradiated lesions. Systematic data on incidence of the abscopal effect are scarce, while the existence and the identification of predictive signatures or this phenomenon are lacking. The purpose of this pre-clinical investigational work is to shed more light on the subject by identifying several imaging features and blood counts, which can be utilized to build a predictive binary logistic model. Materials and methods This proof-of-principle study was performed on Lewis Lung Carcinoma in a syngeneic, subcutaneous murine model. Nineteen mice were used: four as control and the rest were subjected to combined RT plus IT regimen. Tumors were implanted on both flanks and after reaching volume of ~200 mm3 the animals were CT and MRI imaged and blood was collected. Quantitative imaging features (radiomics) were extracted for both flanks. Subsequently, the treated animals received radiation (only to the right flank) in three 8 Gy fractions followed by PD-1 inhibitor administrations. Tumor volumes were followed and animals exhibiting identical of better tumor growth delay on the non-irradiated (left) flank as compared to the irradiated flank were identified as experiencing an abscopal effect. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to create models for CT and MRI radiomics and blood counts, which are predictive of the abscopal effect. Results Four of the treated animals experienced an abscopal effect. Three CT and two MRI radiomics features together with the pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio correlated with the abscopal effect. Predictive models were created by combining the radiomics with NLR. ROC analyses indicated that the CT model had AUC of 0.846, while the MRI model had AUC of 0.946. Conclusions The combination of CT and MRI radiomics with blood counts resulted in models with AUCs of 1 on the modeling dataset. Application of the models to the validation dataset exhibited AUCs above 0.84, indicating very good predictive power of the combination between quantitative imaging and blood counts.
Clinical pregnancy resulting from intracytoplasmic sperm injection of prematurely ovulated oocytes retrieved from the posterior cul-de-sac

Objective To report a clinical pregnancy resulting from intracytoplasmic sperm injection of prematurely ovulated oocytes retrieved from the posterior cul-de-sac. Design Case report. Setting Academic center. Patient(s) A 40-year-old nulligravid woman underwent ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Daily injections of gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist were initiated on cycle day 8. A 10,000 IU dose of human chorionic gonadotropin was administered on cycle day 15 to trigger follicular maturation. The estradiol and luteinizing hormone levels on the trigger day were 1528 pg/mL and 2.4 mIU/mL, respectively. The patient underwent oocyte retrieval 35 hours after the trigger. Transvaginal sonography at the time of the retrieval revealed a large pocket of free fluid in the posterior cul-de-sac. Only 3 follicles measuring 10–12 mm were noted in both ovaries. No lead follicles were visualized. Intervention(s) Aspiration of free fluid from the posterior cul-de-sac. Main Outcome Measure(s) Clinical pregnancy. Result(s) The fluid in the posterior cul-de-sac was aspirated, and 3 mature oocytes were retrieved. Aspiration of the smaller ovarian follicles measuring 10–12 mm did not yield oocytes. All mature oocytes retrieved from the posterior cul-de-sac were fertilized with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Three cleavage-stage embryos were transferred 3 days later. A single intrauterine pregnancy with cardiac activity was confirmed at a gestational age of 7 weeks. Conclusion(s) In the setting of premature ovulation, aspiration of free fluid from the posterior cul-de-sac can result in the retrieval of mature oocytes, which may result in clinical pregnancies.
The Practice of Oldhammer: Re-Membering a Past Through Craft and Play:

Games Workshop is a juggernaut in the world of tabletop games and miniatures with a long history and near total market dominance of the wargaming industry. However, over the last decade Oldhammer, ...
Crop physiological response to nutrient solution electrical conductivity and pH in an ebb-and-flow hydroponic system

Abstract Small-scale hydroponic and aquaponic crop production is increasingly common in urban areas of the US and growers have questions about which system and crops to use. Hydroponic nutrient solution contains water soluble nutrients, electrical conductivity (EC) is maintained between 1 and 3 dS m−1, and target pH is between 5.5 and 6. In contrast, plants in aquaponic systems are fertilized by aquaculture effluent, which is characterized by lower EC (less than 1 dS m−1) and a target pH near 7.2. Duplicate greenhouse trials were conducted between 2013 and 2015 to assess the growth, yield, quality, and potential gross returns of four crops – basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), kale (Brassica oleracea L.), chipotle pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), and cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) – grown in a recirculating ebb-and-flow system with nutrient solution EC and pH levels commonly observed in hydroponic (high EC–low pH) and small-scale aquaponic (low EC–high pH) systems. Solution pH and EC, plant height, and leaf greenness data were collected regularly throughout crop growth, and yield and percent soluble solids (°Brix) data were collected at harvest. Crops grown in the high EC–low pH solution approached a greater final height, but relative growth rate was not different from the low EC–high pH solution. Leaf chlorophyll content, estimated from leaf greenness, was up to 37% lower in the low EC–high pH solution. Marketable yield of basil and kale was reduced by 44% and 76% in the low EC–high pH solution, respectively. Yield loss in tomato and pepper was less severe (
The Golgi complex: a common platform for canonical and non-canonical autophagy?

Naydenov et al. found that siRNA-mediated downregulation of αSNAP, a component of the SNARE system, triggers autophagy as measured by the lipidation of LC3 and flux analysis.1 The SNARE system participates in vesicular fusion. Its key components include N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) and its adaptor soluble NSF-attachment protein α (αSNAP). Notably, downregulation of NSF had no effects on LC3 lipidation. This suggests that in mammalian cells, the autophagy regulatory function of αSNAP is separated from its other functions that involve its partner protein NSF.