cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implications of Conflict to Sustainable Agribusiness in Mindanao, Southern Philippines

Mindanao has had a long history on agribusiness given that the establishment of plantation agriculture and agricultural colonies served as the cornerstone of American colonial government’s development policy. Hence, rubber, pineapple, abaca, and cassava plantations began operations in the early twentieth century. Despite conflict in some areas of Mindanao, particularly in the Bangsamoro region, I will show that there are successful agribusiness firms currently operating in the area. Key elements that allowed these firms to be successful are the following: partnership with an “enlightened” local strongman, knowledge and respect of the local culture and traditional leadership structure, provision of greater benefits to their farmer-partners compared to what the prevailing job opportunities in the area can offer, and self-reliance and flexibility in addressing unpredictable challenges that will arise from time to time due to the relative instability in the community. While violent conflict presents a difficult environment in which agribusiness firms can operate, the challenges it poses are not insurmountable as shown by highly profitable agribusiness companies operating in conflict areas. At present, there are strong interest indicated by other agribusiness firms to locate their operations in the Bangsamoro region, no doubt triggered by the optimism generated by the positive results on the on-going peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). I argue that there is a need for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) or any future arrangement acceptable to both parties that will allow greater selfrule among the Bangsamoro. If this happens, agribusiness can be a significant force that can contribute to uplifting the dismal socioeconomic situation in Muslim Mindanao. *due to circumstances, this abstract was not presented at ICAEM 2015.
Re-Imagining Normativity: The Role of the Imagination in Linguistic Communication

IntroductionMost mainstream analytic accounts of linguistic or semantic meaning tend to be overly rationalistic or cognitivist, focusing on denotation rather than connotation, representation rather than affect.They also tend to focus on problems of normativity rather than creativity (or, in a tradition going back to Chomsky, to explain linguistic creativity in terms of semantic normativity). Phenomenology offers a corrective because of its emphasis on embodiment and the role it accords to the imagination. In this essay, I argue that linguistic competence is best understood as requiring sensitivity to both normativity (as exemplified in the rule-following debate) and creativity (imagination).On the one hand, language is governed by conventions and, on the other hand, individuals can use language to express themselves in creative and novel ways. The imagination is clearly what makes the latter possible. Moreover, I will suggest that rule-following itself involves the imagination.Thus, one might say that linguistic competence is of necessity imaginative and that communication involves both understanding and imagination. In section 1, I consider why rule-following might be seen to reflect a lack of imagination, using Philip Pettit’s solution to the rule-following paradox as an example. I contrast this approach with one that places greater emphasis on contextual understanding of meaning and linguistic creativity, thus bringing the imagination back into play. In sections 2-4, I dis
Advances to megawatt scale demonstrations of high speed fault clearing and power restoration in breakerless MVDC shipboard power systems

The studies shown in this paper extend the work conducted previously for the megawatt scale demonstration of high speed fault clearing and power restoration in MVDC systems using modular multi-level converters (MMC) and fast disconnect switch. Enhancements were made to the MMC controllers to improve the performance and response times for certain trigger events during fault isolation and re-energization of MVDC systems. The time required for process of fault management, i.e., fault detection, location, isolation and re-energization has been reduced from previously achieved time of 80 ms to less than 25 ms. Moreover, the dynamic performance of the converters has been improved substantially. This work paves the way towards a breaker less architecture with fault clearing times approaching one 60 Hz cycle.
Examining publishing practices: moving beyond the idea of predatory open access

The word ‘predatory’ has become an obstacle to a serious discussion of publishing practices. Its use has been both overinclusive, encompassing practices that, while undesirable, are not malicious, and underinclusive, missing many exploitative practices outside the open access sphere. The article examines different business models for scholarly publishing and considers the potential for abuse with each model. After looking at the problems of both blacklists and so-called ‘whitelists’, the author suggests that the best path forward would be to create tools to capture the real experience of individual authors as they navigate the publishing process with different publishers.
A novel method for determining sex in late term gestational mice based on the external genitalia

In many experiments using fetal mice, it is necessary to determine the sex of the individual fetus. However, other than genotyping for sex-specific genes, there is no convenient, reliable method of sexing mice between gestational day (GD) 16.5 and GD 18.0. We designed a rapid, relatively simple visual method to determine the sex of mouse fetuses in the GD 16.5-GD 18.0 range that can be performed as part of a routine morphological assessment. By examining the genitalia for the presence or absence of key features, raters with minimal experience with the method were able to correctly identify the sex of embryos with 99% accuracy, while raters with no experience were 95% accurate. The critical genital features include: the presence or absence of urethral seam or proximal urethral meatus; the shape of the genitalia, and the presence or absence of an area related to the urethral plate. By comparing these morphological features of the external genitalia, we show a simple, accurate, and fast way to determine the sex of late stage mouse fetuses. Integrating this method into regular morphological assessments will facilitate the determination of sex differences in fetuses between GD 16.5 and GD 18.0.
Cryo-EM structure of 5-HT 3A receptor in its resting conformation

Serotonin receptors (5-HT3AR) directly regulate gut movement, and drugs that inhibit 5-HT3AR function are used to control emetic reflexes associated with gastrointestinal pathologies and cancer therapies. The 5-HT3AR function involves a finely tuned orchestration of three domain movements that include the ligand-binding domain, the pore domain, and the intracellular domain. Here, we present the structure from the full-length 5-HT3AR channel in the apo-state determined by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy at a nominal resolution of 4.3 A. In this conformation, the ligand-binding domain adopts a conformation reminiscent of the unliganded state with the pore domain captured in a closed conformation. In comparison to the 5-HT3AR crystal structure, the full-length channel in the apo-conformation adopts a more expanded conformation of all the three domains with a characteristic twist that is implicated in gating.
Training in laparoscopic common bile duct exploration: Role of simulation and its impact on clinical outcomes

Given the current healthcare environment, optimization of patient outcomes and maximization of limited financial resources are prerequisites for the adoption of any surgical procedure. Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) is an example of a safe, cost-effective strategy for managing patients who present with choledocholithiasis. However, despite the currently available evidence highlighting the clinical value of LCBDE, utilization has continued to decline, while the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) continues to increase. Commonly cited reasons for this trend include the advanced technical demands of the LCBDE procedure in addition to a lack of exposure to the procedure during surgical training. In the current era of graduate medical education (GME), restrictions on resident work hours have limited the amount of time that resident physicians can spend directly involved in patient care activities. In the field of surgical education, the practical consequence of this development is reduced time spent in the operating room under the guidance of a supervising surgeon, which has traditionally formed the foundation of surgical training. The emergence of simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) has provided surgical educators with a strategy for providing trainees with exposure to certain procedures prior to implementation in the clinical setting or as a way to teach techniques that are rarely encountered. This chapter describes the development of a low-cost simulator for teaching surgical residents the necessary knowledge and skills to perform LCBDE in the appropriately selected patient. Included is a brief discussion of the impact of implementing a simulation-based mastery learning curriculum for LCBDE with a focus on clinical outcomes for patients presenting with choledocholithiasis.
Cleopatra’s Nose and the Diagrammatic Approach to Flow Modelling in Random Porous Media

“Cleopatra’s nose: if it had been shorter, the face of the whole world would have been changed.” Mentioning B. Pascal’s famous passage here aims at emphasizing the power of an image and the important consequences that it may have in real world situations. Mutatis mutandis, the idea behind the use of diagrammatic representations in groundwater flow modelling is based on the concept that the qualitative grasp of form, shape and geometric order may go deeper than the quantitative grasp of abstract mathematical symbol and number. In this spirit, the proposed approach uses topological diagrams which reduce the original stochastic groundwater flow problem to a closed set of equations for the statistical moments. Random integral forms of flow are considered in the light of porous media description operators and graphic Green’s functions. Graphic visualizations of the underlying flow processes allow previously undetected features to be seen and can yield more general and accurate results than traditional methods. Depending upon the choice of a porous medium description operator, the diagrammatic approach can handle both cases of small and large fluctuations and can work at long as well as short range correlation scales.
jun: oncogene and transcription factor.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure of the cellular and retroviral jun genes and their relationship to other transcriptional regulators. The interaction between the jun and fos proteins, and the control and oncogenic potential of jun are also presented. In the cell the fos protein is associated with a cellular protein, p39. Together with p39, the fos binds sequence specifically to DNA and can trans-activate genes. By itself, however, the fos protein does not show specific DNA binding. DNA affinity precipitation and gel retardation assays in conjunction with immunoblots of the bound proteins have shown that the target site for the fos–p39 complex is the AP-1 consensus sequence. The p39 precipitated from the cell with anti-jun sera and p39 precipitated with anti-fos serum, as part of the fos–p39 complex have identical tryptic peptide maps. Therefore, p39 and jun are considered to be identical.
Multimodal estimation of distribution algorithm based on cooperative clustering strategy

Multimodal optimization is becoming more and more important. Among all the optimization algorithms, estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) attracts more attention because of its simple principle and special mechanism. Unfortunately, it loses feasibility and effectiveness in multimodal problems because of premature convergence and the missing of multimodality-specific mechanism. So niching is adopted to help EDA to locate diverse promising solution regions in multimodal optimization. However, many of the niching techniques are either sensitive to parameters or cost a number of fitness evaluations. In this paper a new proposed fast cooperative clustering strategy is adopted to offer improved assistance for locating multiple optima based on both decision and target space information. Taking the advantage of EDA in preserving high diversity, this paper proposes a cooperative clustering based multimodal EDA (CMEDA). Integrated with new proposed cooperative clustering strategy, multimodal problems are divided into certain promising regions automatically. Then each cluster independently runs a separate optimizer in parallel to search promising regions carefully, which can avoid premature convergence greatly. Based on the results of clustering, the value of key parameter is determined by statistic information but not artificial setting. Then a balance between exploration and exploitation is achieved. Experimental results indicate that the proposed technique is an effective and efficient algorithm which can not only explores and exploits the promising regions in the search space effectively but also obtain the global optima superior to the typical multimodal EDA (MEDA).
Clinical Experience With 9-Aminocamptothecin

In preclinical studies first published in 1989 by Giovanella and colleagues, 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC) demonstrated highly promising antitumor activity against human colorectal cancer xenografts (1). This led to an extensive drug development program for 9-AC initially under the guidance of the National Cancer Institute, and later in cooperation with pharmaceutical industry sponsors. However, despite this impressive preclinical activity, 9-AC has not demonstrated clinically useful antitumor activity to date. Thus, in contrast to its more successful brethren, irinotecan and topotecan, 9-AC is no longer under active clinical development. Nonetheless, testing of other novel and new camptothecin derivatives remains an active area of pharmacological research. Thus a careful review of the early clinical and pharmacological trials of 9-AC may help us to understand why 9-AC has not shown more meaningful antitumor activity and may also provide important lessons for the future drug development of novel camptothecins and other topoisomerase I (TOP-I) targeting agents.
Mechanical regulation of gene expression in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts.

The intact heart undergoes complex and multiscale remodelling processes in response to altered mechanical cues. Remodelling of the myocardium is regulated by a combination of myocyte and non-myocyte responses to mechanosensitive pathways, which can alter gene expression and therefore function in these cells. Cellular mechanotransduction and its downstream effects on gene expression are initially compensatory mechanisms during adaptations to the altered mechanical environment, but under prolonged and abnormal loading conditions, they can become maladaptive, leading to impaired function and cardiac pathologies. In this Review, we summarize mechanoregulated pathways in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts that lead to altered gene expression and cell remodelling under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Developments in systems modelling of the networks that regulate gene expression in response to mechanical stimuli should improve integrative understanding of their roles in vivo and help to discover new combinations of drugs and device therapies targeting mechanosignalling in heart disease. In this Review, the authors summarize mechanoregulated pathways in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts that lead to altered gene expression and cell remodelling under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. They also discuss the use of systems modelling to discover new therapies to target mechanosignalling in heart disease.
Impact of medicaid policy changes on immigrant parents

During the 1990s and early 2000s many states expanded Medicaid eligibility for parents particularly after the 1996 welfare reform. At the same time, welfare reform also put in place policies that limited the eligibility of recent immigrants for public programs including Medicaid. This paper evaluates the effects of these changes in Medicaid eligibility policy on the private and public health insurance coverage of immigrants as well as the overall insurance rate. It also looks at the effect on health care use and measures of health status. The findings indicate a significant increase in Medicaid coverage and an increase in the proportion insured overall with negligible crowd-out of private insurance. There is also an increase in the use of health care services. In the case of permanent residents, there is a diminished response to Medicaid eligibility changes possibly due to a “chilling effect”.
SYMMETRIC SOR METHOD AND RELATED METHODS

This chapter discusses the symmetric successive overrelaxation (SSOR) method and related methods. SSOR method can be considered as two half iterations. The first half iteration is the same as the SOR method, while the second half iteration is the SOR method with the equations taken in reverse order. The chapter discusses convergence properties of the SSOR method under the assumption that A is real and symmetric with positive diagonal elements. Convergence holds if and only if A is positive definite and 0<ω<2. The chapter also discusses the choice of ω when A is positive definite. A unique optimum value of ω exists, and in certain cases, a value of ω can be determined which, though not optimum, is sufficiently good so that when semi-iteration is used, the resulting method is better than the SOR method by an order-of-magnitude. The chapter also describes the methods related to the SSOR method, including the unsymmetric SOR method and unsymmetric modified SOR methods.
Aniseikonia: A 21st Century Look.

Purpose: Aniseikonia, an appreciation of image size differences between the eyes, can produce symptoms in patients, ranging from headaches to loss of fusion. The purpose of this research was to tak...
Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Methane Flux from Forested Wetland Soils of the Great Dismal Swamp, USA.

The Great Dismal Swamp, a freshwater forested peatland, has accumulated massive amounts of soil carbon since the postglacial period. Logging and draining have severely altered the hydrology and forest composition, leading to drier soils, accelerated oxidation, and vulnerability to disturbance. The once dominant Atlantic white cedar, cypress, and pocosin forest types are now fragmented, resulting in maple-gum forest communities replacing over half the remaining area. In order to determine the effect of environmental variabes on carbon emissions, this study observes 2 years of CO2 and CH4 soil flux, which will also help inform future management decisions. Soil emissions were measured using opaque, non-permanent chambers set into the soil. As soil moisture increased by 1 unit of soil moisture content, CH4 flux increased by 457 μg CH4–C/m2/h. As soil temperature increased by 1 °C, CO2 emissions increased by 5109 μg CO2–C/m2/h. The area of Atlantic white cedar in the study boundary has an average yearly flux of 8.6 metric tons (t) of carbon from CH4 and 3270 t of carbon from CO2; maple-gum has an average yearly flux of 923 t of carbon from CH4 and 59,843 t of carbon from CO2; pocosin has an average yearly flux of 431 t of carbon from CH4 and 15,899 t of carbon from CO2. Total Cha−1year−1 ranged from 1845 kg of Cha−1year−1 in maple-gum to 2024 kg Cha−1year−1 for Atlantic white cedar. These results show that soil carbon gas flux depends on soil moisture, temperature and forest type, which are affected by anthropogenic activities.
Unilateral motor progression in MS: Association with a critical corticospinal tract lesion.

Objective Progressive motor impairment anatomically attributable to a single critical demyelinating lesion on eloquent corticospinal tract locations occurs in progressive solitary sclerosis and in some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with highly restricted CNS lesion burden (2-5 lesions). We determined whether a similar critical lesion is found in patients with MS with unilateral motor progression and unlimited lesion burden. Methods In this observational study, we retrospectively identified Mayo Clinic patients (January 1, 1996–December 31, 2017) with an MS diagnosis (2017 McDonald criteria), ≥1 year of exclusively unilateral motor progression, and >5 demyelinating lesions on MRI. A blinded neuroradiologist identified a single critical lesion (last available MRI) based on prominent size, atrophy, and eloquent corticospinal tract location (spinal cord lateral columns, medullary pyramids, cerebral peduncles, internal capsules). We then determined whether the motor impairment was anatomically attributable to the identified lesion. Results Thirty-eight patients with MS were included: 20 (53%) with primary progressive MS and 18 (47%) with secondary progressive MS. Median age at progression onset was 54 (range 39–73) years. Median Expanded Disability Status Scale score was 5 (range 2.5–7.5) at the last follow-up (median 132.5 months from symptom onset, range 23–390 months). A single critical lesion was identified in 25 of 38 cases (66%): 19 in the cervical cord and 6 in the thoracic cord. In the remaining patients, >1 potential critical lesions were present. The overall probability to detect demyelinating lesions was higher along the corticospinal tract where the motor deficit localized (38 of 38 [100%]) than on the contralateral side (15 of 38 [39%]) (p Conclusions In patients with MS with unilateral motor progression, the motor deficit may be attributable to a single critical corticospinal tract lesion.
The Urologist as an Effective Administrative Leader

Urologists are uniquely equipped with the skills and experiences to serve as effective administrative leaders in the current healthcare climate. With complex healthcare challenges such as treating patients across the care continuum to identifying new, cost-effective ways to move treatment from the inpatient to ambulatory setting, the clinical subspecialty lends itself to addressing some of these broader issues in the day-to-day management of patients with urologic conditions. Administrative leaders are tasked with creating an environment in which physicians, administrative staff and researchers can grow and prosper in their careers. This involves clinical practice efficiency, financial management, regulatory and billing compliance, effective marketing and outreach, educational program development, human resource management and talent acquisition, and creative scientific inquiry. The most effective administrative leaders take the time to be introspective to get clear about their motivations and leadership values. Additionally, there are several concrete strategies, some of which we touched on that can be helpful to employ as an aspiring clinical administrator. With the ever-increasing demands on the time and effort of clinicians, taking on the role of an administrative leader may seem like yet another burden posed to today’s urologist, however, when done well it can provide professional rewards unlike any other aspect of your career.
Death by Decade: Establishing a Transfusion Ceiling for Futility in Massive Transfusion.

Abstract Background Age and massive transfusion are predictors of mortality after trauma. We hypothesized that increasing age and high-volume transfusion would result in progressively elevated mortality rates and that a transfusion “ceiling” would define futility. Methods The Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database was queried for 2013-2016 records and our level I trauma registry was reviewed from 2013 to 2018. Demographic, mortality, and blood transfusion data were collected. Patients were grouped by decade of life and by packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusion requirement (zero units, 1-3 units, or ≥4 units) within 4 h of admission. Results TQIP analysis demonstrated an in-hospital mortality risk that increased linearly with age, to an odds ratio of 10.1 in ≥80 y old (P Conclusions In massively transfused patients, mortality increased with age. However, a significant proportion of older adults were successfully resuscitated. Therefore, age alone should not be considered a contraindication to high-volume transfusion. Traditional physiologic and laboratory criteria indicative of hemorrhagic shock may have reduced reliability with increasing age, and thus providers must have a heightened suspicion for hemorrhage in the elderly. Early transfusion requirements can be combined with age to establish prognosis to define futility to help counsel families regarding mortality after traumatic injury.
Fest and revolt In Alboroto y Motín de Indios de México / Fiesta y revuelta en Alboroto y Motín de indios de México

This research analyses how Carlos de Siguenza and Gongora describes the dichotomy of festivity-revolt in Alboroto y motin de Indios de Mexico. This study is structured in five parts. The first one takes as its starting point the concept of polis and the regulations for the common good. The second one alludes to the Spanish splendor produced in the different members of Novohispanic polis. The third part analyses the letrado’s function within the viceregal organization. The fourth part examines the active role of Female Indigenous in the revolt’s organization and development. Finally, in the fifth part, I propose the existence of a Plebeian collective consciousness within the viceroyalty of New Spain. Through this analysis, the study concludes that the revolt that took place In 1692 has all the characteristics of the revolts that happened in the Spanish territories throughout the 17th century, in which, during a celebratory event, there could arise insurrectionary actions to impose the isonomia in the polis.
Recent developments in siderotyping: procedure and application

Siderophores are metal chelating secondary metabolites secreted by almost all organisms. Beside iron starvation, the ability to produce siderophores depends upon several other factors. Chemical structure of siderophore is very complex with vast structural diversity, thus the principle challenge involves its detection, quantification, purification and characterisation. Metal chelation is its most fascinating attribute. This metal chelation property is now forming the basis of its application as molecular markers, siderotyping tool for taxonomic clarification, biosensors and bioremediation agents. This has led researchers to develop and continuously modify previous techniques in order to provide accurate and reproducible methods of studying siderophores. Knowledge obtained via computational approaches provides a new horizon in the field of siderophore biosynthetic gene clusters and their interaction with various proteins/peptides. This review illustrates various techniques, bioinformatics tools and databases employed in siderophores' studies, the principle of analytical methods and their recent applications.
Perfusion balloon catheter

An autoperfusion balloon catheter was developed to allow passive myocardial perfusion during balloon inflation, through a central lumen and multiple side holes in the shaft proximal and distal to the balloon. This report reviews preliminary experimental animal data and initial human clinical experience with this device. In our first study with this device, the duration of inflation in dogs was compared with the maximal duration of inflation using a standard angioplasty catheter. Coronary arteriography was performed to demonstrate distal coronary blood flow through the perfusion balloon catheter. Electrocardiographic recordings and repeated left ventriculograms were performed to detect evidence of ischemia during standard and perfusion and balloon catheter inflations. The average inflation time was 3 ± 1 minute for the standard catheter and 37 ± 10 minutes for the perfusion catheter. Each dog had evidence of severe myocardial ischemia during standard inflation, yet none of the animals had ST-segment elevation, ventricular arrhythmia or wall motion abnormality during dilatation with the perfusion catheter. In a second experiment, the effect of prolonged balloon inflations (30 minutes) on intimal hyperplasia was evaluated in the rabbit model. Results of this study showed reduction of intimal and medial hyperplasia after 4 weeks in iliac arteries in rabbits treated with prolonged inflations compared with the contralateral vessel in rabbits treated with standard angioplasty. Initial clinical results from patients treated with this new catheter are presented. The availability of an effective autoperfusion catheter should allow for testing the hypothesis that prolonged inflations could alter the acute angioplasty success rate and long-term restenosis rate.
Posted Pricing versus Bargaining in Sequential Selling Process

We study the role of bargaining in a firm’s sequential selling process. The seller firm under consideration sequentially sells a fixed amount of stock to a random arrival stream of potential buyers who are heterogeneous in product valuation. Based on the stock level and the time to the end of the selling season, the seller may dynamically choose either to post a take-it-or-leave-it price or to engage in bargaining with an arriving buyer. We introduce a stochastic order, called the scaled pricing order, for the buyer’s valuation distribution. The scaled pricing order measures the average portion of trade surplus that the seller can obtain by posting a price. For distributions with increasing length-biased hazard rate, checking the property of increasing (decreasing) scaled pricing order boils down to verifying the convexity (concavity) of the Mills’ ratio. We fully characterize the family of distributions that are invariant in the scaled pricing order, which includes uniform and exponential distributions. When the buyer’s valuation distribution belongs to the invariant family, the seller should stick to either pricing or bargaining throughout the selling season, depending on her bargaining power vis-a-vis the buyer. When the buyer’s valuation is increasing (decreasing) in the scaled pricing order, the seller should choose pricing (bargaining) when she has a small (large) stock to sell over a long (short) horizon. We also discuss several model variations to demonstrate the application of the scaled pricing order in analyzing sequential trading processes.
Postnatal development alters functional compartmentalization of myosin light chain kinase in ovine carotid arteries.

The rate-limiting enzyme for vascular contraction, myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), phosphorylates regulatory myosin light chain (MLC20) at rates that appear faster despite lower MLCK abundance in...
Light Levels in ICU Patient Rooms: Dimming of Daytime Light in Occupied Rooms:

One-third of patients report disruption of sleep by overnight light. Importantly, light causes both immediate sleep disturbance and influences circadian function, a fundamental process underpinning high-quality sleep. Short bursts of light at night and/or lack of bright daytime light disrupt circadian alignment, leading to sleep deficiency. To improve understanding of 24-hour light patterns, we conducted a longitudinal study of light levels in intensive care unit (ICU) rooms. Over 450 room-days, we observed high variability, dim daytime light, and active dimming of natural sunlight in occupied rooms. Such noncircadian light patterns have multifactorial influences on sleep and are a key target for sleep improvement in the ICU.
Ode to Salt: Commentary on "Skin Sodium Accumulates in Psoriasis and Reflects Disease Severity".

"Skin Sodium Accumulates in Psoriasis and Reflects Disease Severity" (Maifeld et al., 2021) showed that skin sodium ion (Na+) is increased in patients with a PASI > 5. Na+ concentration as well as its content were increased in these patients, supporting the proposed mechanism that increased Na+ concentrations enhance IL-17 expression from CD4+ cells. These data initially were generated using a noninvasive technique, sodium (23Na) magnetic resonance imaging, and then were verified using 23Na spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry in ashed-skin biopsies in humans and also using mouse models of psoriasis. These findings suggest a novel pathologic mechanism for psoriasis development and target for treatment.
The Effects of Household Technology on Body Mass Index among Chinese Adults

Current public obesity intervention focuses on promoting programs that encourage exercise and healthy eating. Our study emphasizes that rapid technological changes may also have the potential to lead to obesity epidemics. This research investigates whether household technology launched in China during the last two decades has the potential to cause increases in body mass index (BMI). We hypothesize that adopting household technology is a contributory factor in BMI increase, independent of daily calorie consumption and energy expenditure in exercise. To test this hypothesis, we use longitudinal data from individuals aged 18–55 who participated in the 1997–2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Linear fixed-effects regression captures the effects of the dynamic processes of adopting household technology on BMI. All analyses are stratified by gender. The results show that adopting computers or air conditioners is associated with BMI increases in men, while adopting washing machines promotes BMI increases in women. Having a computer is associated with a decrease in BMI for women. Food-preparation technologies, such as refrigerators, microwaves, rice makers, and pressure cookers, are associated with BMI increases for both men and women. This study suggests that household technology ownership and BMI increases are linked, whereas changes in overall energy intake and exercise may not function as mediators for this relationship. Future public health policy may evaluate interventions focused on increasing low-intensity activities impacted by household technologies.
Molecular classification and prediction in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer, a highly heterogeneous disease, is the second leading cause of cancer death and the fourth most common cancer globally, with East Asia accounting for more than half of cases annually. Alongside TNM staging, gastric cancer clinic has two well-recognized classification systems, the Lauren classification that subdivides gastric adenocarcinoma into intestinal and diffuse types and the alternative World Health Organization system that divides gastric cancer into papillary, tubular, mucinous (colloid), and poorly cohesive carcinomas. Both classification systems enable a better understanding of the histogenesis and the biology of gastric cancer yet have a limited clinical utility in guiding patient therapy due to the molecular heterogeneity of gastric cancer. Unprecedented whole-genome-scale data have been catalyzing and advancing the molecular subtyping approach. Here we cataloged and compared those published gene expression profiling signatures in gastric cancer. We summarized recent integrated genomic characterization of gastric cancer based on additional data of somatic mutation, chromosomal instability, EBV virus infection, and DNA methylation. We identified the consensus patterns across these signatures and identified the underlying molecular pathways and biological functions. The identification of molecular subtyping of gastric adenocarcinoma and the development of integrated genomics approaches for clinical applications such as prediction of clinical intervening emerge as an essential phase toward personalized medicine in treating gastric cancer.
Manipulating neuronal activity in the mouse brain with ultrasound: A comparison with optogenetic activation of the cerebral cortex

Low-intensity focused ultrasound induces neuronal activation via mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. We recorded local field potential fluctuations in the motor cortex in response to ultrasound stimulation of the somatosensory barrel cortex, comparing them to those recorded in response to optogenetic stimulation of interneurons and pyramidal neurons of the somatosensory cortex in the same animals. Comparison of the waveform produced by ultrasound stimulation to those produced by optogenetic stimulation revealed similarities between ultrasound-induced responses and optogenetically-induced responses to pyramidal cell stimulation, but not interneuron stimulation, which may indicate that ultrasound stimulation is mediated by excitation of cerebral cortical pyramidal neurons. Comparison of post mortem evoked responses to responses in living tissue confirmed the necessity for excitable tissue in the evoked response. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate an excitation-dependent response to low-frequency transdural ultrasound stimulation of cerebral cortical neuronal activity.
The clinical physiology of aging.

Aging is a lifelong process, beginning at conception, ending at death, but largely genetically programmed and hence passed on to succeeding generations via gametocyte DNA. It is by definition a time-related process proceeding along a vector that is the resultant of genetic and behavioral/environmental forces, the former being defined as ‘primary aging’ and the latter as ‘secondary aging’. Thus descriptions of the physiology of aging in the ‘real world’ reflect individual or population gene-and-environmental interactions. A corollary principle holds that the earlier in the lifecourse that a process passes the clinical horizon from ‘normal’ to ‘abnormal’ (in the clinical context, from health to disease), the more likely it is that genetic forces will predominate (e.g., the rare, almost purely genetic homozygous autosomal recessive diseases of infancy and childhood); conversely, the later the clinical horizon is crossed and - especially germane to geriatrics - the later dysfunction, disability, and death will ensue, and the greater the role of behavioral/environmental determinants. Or, put otherwise, at one extreme of the lifecourse, childhood disorders are more likely to be attributable to single, genetic and notably simply-inherited or homozygous recessive disorders. At the other end of life, diseases of old age rarely if ever are caused by single-gene abnormalities; in fact, all disorders of old age are multifactorial in origin. In between these extremes, diseases that express themselves throughout adulthood but before old age reflect varying proportions of genetic and behavioral/environmental influences. Although much has recently been written of so-called ‘longevity genes‘, and whereas no doubt certain patterns of DNA confer particularly robust health and resistance to disease, such patterns are most likely to reflect the hybrid vigor of the ‘wild type’ (i.e., lack of mutant genes that increase vulnerability) and, in any event most probably are highly polygenic as well. Thus it appears to be more the absence of major disease-conferring genes than the presence of longevity genes per se that represents the genetic basis of long life. All this is by way of introducing the physiology of aging as a largely time-dependent, stochastic process, the efficiency of which generally increases rapidly during infancy and childhood (Fig. 1), reaches a maximum around age 30 (with much variance about that age among different systems and especially among different individuals), declines slowly and almost imperceptibly throughout mid-life (defined by the author as 25–75 years, age 50 being a convenient midpoint of midlife that also coincides with the average age of menopause in women), and decreases in accelerating fashion in old age, often ending in a terminal cascade of vulnerability, frailty, dysfunction, dependency, and death.
Topographic relief as a factor

Variation in the nature of soils with topography can readily be appreciated by comparing thin, rocky soils of mountain tops with thick, fertile soils of lowland plains. However, even in relatively featureless lowlands, the nature of soil varies profoundly, depending on whether it is well or poorly drained. This aspect of soil formation is not completely independent of the others discussed here because vegetation, microclimate, and age of land surfaces vary in different parts of the landscape. In small areas, however, other factors may be limited to such an extent that variation across the landscape constitutes a well constrained set of soils (toposequence) for obtaining mathematical expressions for variations in topographically related soil features (topofunctions). The undulating till ridges abandoned from the last glacial advance (Cary Till, ca. 14 000 years old) in north central Iowa provide examples of toposequences that are all the more striking because of the subtle topography involved, i.e., a relief of only 5 m from well drained summit to boggy bottoms. Soils from the top of the ridge to the bog show marked decreases in gravel and mean grain size and increases in profile thickness and amounts of clay, organic matter, and carbonate (Fig. 11.1). As an example of a topofunction, the increase in thickness (y) of the soil with distance from the summit down the slope (x) can be expressed by a polynomial equation: y = 1.41 − 0.91x + 0.49x2 − 0.034x3 (Ruhe 1969).
Defective Interfering Passages of Sindbis Virus: Chemical Composition, Biological Activity, and Mode of Interference

Defective interfering (DI) particles of Sindbis virus, appearing between the eighth and fourteenth passages, cosediment with and have the same buoyant density as standard virus. Virion RNA from such late passages is heterogeneous by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, whereas early passage RNA is homogeneous. No differences were found in the virion proteins from such passages. Cells co-infected with early and late passage virus synthesize as much intracellular viral-specific RNA and protein as is made after infection with early passage virus alone, although virus production is inhibited by 90% or more. Such cells synthesize two new intracellular species of RNA with molecular weights of 2.2 x 10(6) and 0.86 x 10(6). Nucleocapsid assembly is blocked in these cells, and the amount of intracellular capsid protein made is reduced by 50%. The presence of a new intracellular protein in late passage infection was detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Interaction of virus with cells in tissue cultures. I. Adsorption on and growth of vaccinia virus in L cells.

Abstract The interaction between L cells and vaccinia virus has been clarified in experiments in which virus particles were counted and infectivity titrated. The virus particles are adsorbed on L cells more slowly than the rate predicted by the kinetic theory of molecular movements. This rate is constant for a period of 4 hours. Higher rates are observed at higher multiplicities, and the increase is significantly more rapid than a linear increase with multiplicity. The number of particles adsorbed per L cell can be accurately predicted when multiplicity and exposure time are known. Maximum virus particle yield has been 2600 per L cell in cultures inoculated while in linear growth phase. Cultures in lag and stationary phases have produced only about 900 per cell. Although virus titer decreases over tenfold in the “eclipse” period, the number of particles countable by microscopy decreases only slightly. About 10% of total virus particle yield is extracellular. This fraction has only 3% of the infectivity for the CAM.
Water quality and exurbanization in southern Appalachian streams

Jackson R. Webster, Ernest F. Benfield, Kristen K. Cecala, John F. Chamblee, Carolyn A. Dehring, Ted Gragson, Jeffrey H. Cymerman, C. Rhett Jackson, Jennifer D. Knoepp, David S. Leigh, John C. Maerz, Catherine Pringle and H. Maurice Valett 1Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, USA 2Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, USA 3Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, USA 4Department of Insurance, Legal Studies and Real Estate, University of Georgia, Athens, USA 5U.S. Forest Service, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Otto, USA 6Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, USA 7Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, USA
A major ubiquitin conjugation system in wheat germ extracts involves a 15-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) homologous to the yeast UBC4/UBC5 gene products

Abstract In eukaryotes, conjugation of ubiquitin to proteins serves as a committed step for intracellular protein degradation. Formation of ubiquitin-protein conjugates involves the transfer of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2)-bound ubiquitin to the target proteins with or without the assistance of ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3). We report the isolation and characterization of an E2 purified from wheat germ that accounts for the majority of ubiquitin conjugation activity observed in vitro. This E2 is basic, has an apparent molecular mass of 15 kDa, and forms oligomers that dissociate upon treatment with sulfhydryl reducing agents. E(2)15kDa will not work alone in vitro but requires an additional factor putatively identified as an E3 for substrate recognition. This E3 is distinct from E3 alpha previously described to be required for N-terminal recognition of target proteins. Partial amino acid sequence analysis of E(2)15kDa revealed a substantial identity (approximately 80% in two peptide regions) with yeast E2s encoded by UBC4/UBC5 genes. This homology was confirmed by immunodetection of a 16-kDa yeast protein corresponding to the molecular mass of the UBC4/UBC5 proteins with E(2)15kDa antisera. The products of yeast UBC4 and UBC5 genes along with that of UBC1 gene constitute a subfamily of functionally overlapping E2s that mediate the selective degradation of short-lived and abnormal proteins in vivo. Considering the high degree of functional and structural similarity of wheat E(2)15kDa with that of yeast UBC4/UBC5, it is likely that yeast UBC4/UBC5 and their homologs from other eukaryotes exhibit the same E3 dependence in performing their roles in protein degradation.
Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase and Transport of Fatty Acids

This chapter will review the data describing the mitochondrial enzyme, carnitine palmitoyltransferase (hexadecanoyl-CoA:carnitine O-hexadecanoyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.23), and its role in the transport and metabolism of long-chain fatty acids.
Transport in Laser Microfabrication: Pulsed-laser interaction with liquids

Rapid vaporization of liquids on a pulsed-laser-heated surface Background The laser-beam interaction with materials in liquid environments exhibits unique characteristics in a variety of technical applications. The explosive vaporization of liquids induced by short-pulsed laser irradiation is utilized in laser cleaning to remove micro-contaminants (Park et al ., 1994) and in medical laser surgery. Physical understanding of superheated liquids and liquid-to-vapor phase transitions has been sought in order to achieve better control of such applications. The transient development of the bubble-nucleation process and the onset of phase change were monitored by simultaneous application of optical-reflectance and -scattering probes (Yavas et al ., 1993). The numerical heat-conduction calculation also shows that the solid surface achieves temperatures of tens of degrees of superheat (Yavas et al ., 1994). Real-time measurement of the surface temperature transient in the course of the laser-induced vaporization process is needed, since the surface temperature is an important parameter in heterogeneous nucleation. The kinetics of heterogeneous bubble nucleation and the growth dynamics have long been a subject of intense research interest (Skripov, 1974; Stralen and Cole, 1979; Carey, 1992). Enhanced pressure is produced in the interaction of short-pulsed laser light with liquids (Sigrist and Kneubuhl, 1978). The efficient coupling of laser light into pressure is of interest in many technical and medical areas, such as laser cleaning to remove surface contaminants, laser tissue ablation, corneal sculpturing (Vogel et al ., 1990), and gall-stone fragmentation (Teng et al ., 1987).