cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lethal trap trees: a potential option for emerald ash borer ( Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) management

BACKGROUND Economic and ecological impacts of ash (Fraxinus spp.) mortality resulting from emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) invasion are severe in forested, residential and urban areas. Management options include girdling ash trees to attract ovipositing adult beetles and then destroying infested trees before larvae develop or protecting ash with a highly effective, systemic emamectin benzoate insecticide. Injecting this insecticide and then girdling injected trees a few weeks later could effectively create lethal trap trees, similar to a bait-and-kill tactic, if girdling does not interfere with insecticide translocation. We compared EAB larval densities on girdled trees, trees injected with the emamectin benzoate insecticide, trees injected with the insecticide and then girdled 18–21 days later and untreated controls at multiple sites. RESULTS Pretreatment larval densities did not differ among treatments. Current-year larval densities were higher on girdled and control trees than on any trees treated with insecticide at all sites. Foliar residue analysis and adult EAB bioassays showed that girdling trees after insecticide injections did not reduce insecticide translocation. CONCLUSIONS Girdling ash trees to attract adult EAB did not reduce efficacy of emamectin benzoate trunk injections applied ≥18 days earlier and could potentially be used in integrated management programs to slow EAB population growth. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Utility of Computerized Data Bases of Drill-Stem Test Information in Hydrogeologic Studies: ABSTRACT

The Palo Duro basin, a subbasin of the Permian basin, is being investigated by the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin as a potential site for the location of a nuclear waste repository. As the program changes from a regional to a site-specific investigation, it becomes necessary to optimize the expenditure of funds for drilling and testing. Hydrogeologic information is of critical importance in evaluating the long-term stability of a potential repository; consequently, deep multipurpose wells should be drilled in locations that maximize the opportunity to obtain both hydraulic and geochemical data. Prior to our own borehole testing, the only hydrogeologic data available came from petroleum exploration activities, namely, drill-stem test (DST) pressure measurements and brine samples collected with the test. Computer data files of DST information were purchased from commercial sources or obtained directly from operators who had worked in the basin, and the data were merged into a master file. Approximately one thousand tests have been sorted according to geologic formation and lithology. The DST data were then screened and ranked according to their level of confidence based on shut-in pressure characteristics, fluid recoveries, and flowing times. Automatic computer contouring of the selected data produced an unsatisfactory map because of the varied quality of the tests. An objective geostatistical method was subsequently employed to map the regional pressure or hydraulic head distribution in the basin. Geostatistical analysis of the data revealed that a spatial dependency existed which could be modeled by a two-dimensional spherical variogram. The method of kriging was then applied to the data to estimate the regional hydraulic head surface. A chemical equilibrium computer program was used to determine the reaction state of the deep basin flow system, using as input data the chemical composition of the brines collected during drill-stem testing. The program then incrementally added the CO2 lost during collection back into the initial brine composition until it reached the calcite phase boundary. This mass transfer approach results in the computation of the most likely mineral constraints on the brine at measured formation temperatures, pressures, and computed pH conditions. The results of these studies provide interpretations of the regional hydrogeologic processes. Consequently, exploration decisions can be made concerning the location of future test wells to further define the geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical characteristics in this sedimentary basin. End_of_Article - Last_Page 546------------
Characteristics of a Highly Purified Pyrogenic Lipopolysaccharide

A highly purified lipopolysaccharide from Klebsiella pneumoniae was examined for qualitative chemical composition and, in a collaborative study, for pyrogenic activity. The principal constituents determined after hydrolysis were galactose and mannose, together with unidentified fatty acids. A dose of 0.001 mcg./kg. administered to groups of eight rabbits resulted in a high percentage of positive pyrogenic responses as defined by USP XVIII.
Crosslink Mapping at Amino Acid-Base Resolution Reveals the Path of Scrunched DNA in Initial Transcribing Complexes

RNA polymerase binds tightly to DNA to recognize promoters with high specificity but then releases these contacts during the initial stage of transcription. We report a site-specific crosslinking approach to map the DNA path in bacterial transcription intermediates at amino acid and nucleotide resolution. After validating the approach by showing that the DNA path in open complexes (RPO) is the same as in high-resolution X-ray structures, we define the path following substrate addition in "scrunched" complexes (RPITC). The DNA bulges that form within the transcription bubble in RPITC are positioned differently on the two strands. Our data suggest that the non-template strand bulge is extruded into solvent in complexes containing a 5-mer RNA, whereas the template strand bulge remains within the template strand tunnel, exerting stress on interactions between the β flap, β' clamp, and σ3.2. We propose that this stress contributes to σ3.2 displacement from the RNA exit channel, facilitating promoter escape.
Concordance of breast imaging reporting and data system assessments and management recommendations in screening mammography.

PURPOSE: To examine how frequently Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) mammographic screening assessments were associated with expected clinical management recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium mammography registries recorded screening assessments and recommendations in 1997 to identify the proportion of women in each BI-RADS category. The first screening assessment for a woman without cancer or a prior mammogram within 9 months was associated with its independently recorded recommendation. RESULTS: Among 292,795 women, screening assessments included 269,022 (91.9%) with a “negative” or “benign finding,” and 267,103 (99.3%) of these women were recommended for normal interval follow-up. Among 11,861 (4.1%) women with screening assessments of “probably benign finding,” 4,782 (40.3%) were recommended for short interval follow-up as expected on the basis of the BI-RADS, but a high proportion (36.9%) were recommended for additional imaging. Among 1,6...
Special Interests After Citizens United: Access, Replacement, and Interest Group Response to Legal Change

The legal literature on campaign finance law and the political science literature on how and why interest groups mobilize use different methodologies to get at overlapping issues. This review integrates some of these insights to better understand the relationship between interest group participation in elections and changes in campaign finance law. The post–Citizens United world of law created regulatory vacuums that only certain groups tried to take advantage of. For example, little corporate money found its way into Super PACs or groups engaging in independent electoral advocacy. We argue that ascertaining interest groups' objectives of either using contributions to candidates to obtain access, on one hand, or using independent expenditures to install friendly candidates in office, on the other, is key to understanding how interest groups respond to legal developments. We also argue that although interest group participation in elections increased in 2012, the party-centric federal election system was l...
Hormones and amino acids as possible factors in the control of hunger and satiety in sheep.

Abstract Several hormones and three amino acids were injected intravenously into sheep during spontaneous meals of a grain diet to test for their effect on feeding behavior. Injections at the beginning of each meal of either approximately 67 U of insulin or 0.71mg of growth hormone did not influence feeding behavior. Injections of epinephrine of about 6mg per meal, but not 0.07 or 1.09mg per meal, reduced feed intake; the injections were continuous throughout the approximately 10-minute meals. Neither injections of 1.23mg per meal of norepinephrine nor 2.6mg or 15.3mg per meal of hydrocortisone depressed feeding. Injections of 34.2 mmoles of lysine or 36.2 mmoles per meal of glycine reduced feed intake slightly; however, 16.8 mmoles per meal of alanine had no effect on feeding. Since feeding behavior was little affected by the large metabolic and physiological changes caused by the hormones, none of those tested is acting as intermediaries in the hunger-satiety control system. It is also suggested that because of the combination of effects of the various hormones tested, plasma free fatty acids probably do not affect feed intake. The large amounts of lysine and glycine required to produce the moderate depression of feed intake is evidence that at least these amino acids probably have little role in hunger and satiety.
Three-dimensional CT-Guided Bronchoscopy With a Real-Time Electromagnetic Position Sensor: A Comparison of Two Image Registration Methods

Study objectives: To compare two different imageregistration methods for accurately displaying the position of aflexible bronchoscope on a previously acquired three-dimensional CTscan during bronchoscopy. Setting: Bronchoscopy suiteof a university hospital. Patients: Fifteen adultpatients scheduled for nonemergent bronchoscopy. Methods: A miniature electromagnetic positionsensor was placed at the tip of a flexible bronchoscope. Previouslyacquired three-dimensional CT scans were registered with the patient inthe bronchoscopy suite. Registration method 1 used multiple skinfiducial markers. Registration method 2 used the inner surface of thetrachea itself for registration. Method 1 was objectively assessed bymeasuring the error distance between the real skin marker position andthe computer display position. Methods 1 and 2 were subjectivelyassessed by the bronchoscopist correlating visual bronchoscopicanatomic location with the computer display position on the CTimage. Results: The error distance (± SD) from knownpoints for registration method 1 was 5.6 ± 2.7 mm. Objective errordistances were not measured for method 2 because no accurate placementof the bronchoscope sensor could be correlated with CT position. Subjectively, method 2 was judged more accurate than method 1 whencompared with the fiberoptic view of the airways through thebronchoscope. Additionally, method 2 had the advantage of not requiringplacement of fiducial markers before the CT scan. Respiratory motioncontributed an error of 3.6 ± 2.6 mm, which was partially compensatedfor by a second tracking sensor placed on the patient’s chest. Conclusion: Image registration method 2 of surface fittingthe trachea rather than method 1 of fiducial markers was subjectivelyjudged to be superior for registering the position of a flexiblebronchoscope during bronchoscopy. Method 2 was also more practicalinasmuch as no special CT scanning technique was required beforebronchoscopy.
Density of States and the Role of Energetic Disorder in Charge Transport in an Organic Radical Polymer in the Solid State

On the basis of atomistic simulations of the stable organic radical polymer material poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy methacrylate) (PTMA), various material properties relating to charge transport were evaluated in terms of the Marcus charge-transfer rates between radical sites. The reorganization energy of the PTMA monomer unit was calculated using density functional theory to provide an approximate value to enter into the Marcus charge-transfer rate. The role of energetic disorder in the charge transfer between sites caused by the different local environments seen by radical sites is examined in terms of both steric and electrostatic effects. The electronic coupling between sites was examined in terms of the intersite network, morphological features, and energetic disorder. Energetic disorder was found to result in both sites that act as traps and paired sites that were highly coupled to each other and would act as a single site for transport purposes.
The Strepsiptera are a True Order, Unrelated to Coleoptera

The reduction of the Strepsiptera to a family of Coleoptera in a recent textbook on beetles of the United States is found untenable. The Strepsiptera have a unique hypermetamorphic development, carried on entirely in the bodies of other insects of the orders Zygentoma (Lepismatidae), Orthoptera, Homoptera, and Hymenoptera. The female of Eoxenos (a parasite of Lepisma ) redevelops legs and emerges from the host to free her young; in all other members of the order the females are legless sacs, with cephalothoracic plates protruding from the host abdomen to receive sperm from the male and to permit exit of the active first larvae. Males all are winged, and are separated into families and super-families on the bases of reduction of tarsal joints, antennal joints, and wing veins; the tarsi are isomerous, never heteromerous as in the Coleoptera to which Strepsiptera have been referred. Pupal development of the males with a puparium with detachable cephalotheca does not occur in Coleoptera, but is found in Strepsiptera, Aleurodoptera, Coccoptera, and cyclorrhaphous Diptera. Free first larvae also occur in other orders, and do not constitute a valid character for uniting Strepsiptera with Coleoptera. The strepsipterous metathorax has the same parts as in the Aleurodoptera, and is totally unlike the coleopterous thorax. The simple wing venation is distinctive; the mouthparts are nonfunctional and very distinct from those of Coleoptera; the raspberrylike compound eyes are similar to those of Coccoptera, some Diptera, and a few other groups, but not like those of Coleoptera.
Computational Dynamics in Rhythmic Neural Circuits

Circuit dynamics are an outcome of the constant interplay between the intrinsic properties of neurons and the strengths of the synaptic connections among them. Examples from the small networks that generate the rhythms of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion are used to illustrate general features of the different time scales over which both synaptic and intrinsic properties are altered by circuit activity and neuromodulation. These demonstrate that neither intrinsic membrane properties nor synaptic strengths should be considered fixed parameters; rather, they are dynamic variables with time scales that range from milliseconds to days. NEUROSCIENTIST 3:295–302, 1997
Effects of Different Combinations of Plant Densities and N Rates on Yield Formation and Rice Quality of High-quality Hybrid Rice ‘Yixiang4245'

In this paper,taken‘Gangyou725'as a control,the field experiments were conducted to study the effects of different combination of plant density,N rate and N application pattern on grain yield and rice quality of high-quality hybrid rice‘Yixiang4245'. The results showed that the grain yield and rice quality of hybrid mid-season rice was not significantly affected by N application patterns. The chalky grain rate,chalkiness and amylase of‘Yixiang4245'were significantly lower than that of‘Gangyou725',while the differences between‘Yixiang4245'and‘Gangyou725'in grain yield,brown rice percentage,milled rice percentage and head rice percentage were relatively small,and the gel consistency of‘Yixiang4245'was significantly higher than that of‘Gangyou725'. Significant differences of grain yields of‘Yixiang4245'were observed among different combinations of plant densities and N application rates,of which the highest yield of‘Yixiang4245'was observed in combination of mid-density and mid-N rate,with average of 7. 96 t ·hm- 2,5.2 % higher than that of combination of high-density and low-N rate and 6. 9 % than that of combination of low-density and high-N rate. The rice quality of‘Yixiang4245'was not significantly affected by combinations of plant density and N rate. In a word,it was concluded that increasing grain yield and rice quality of‘Yixiang4245'could be achieved under the combination of mid-density and mid-N rate.
Generalized predictive and fuzzy control in 600MW supercritical unit coordinated control system

The supercritical unit boiler systems of a certain power plant, with the properties of time-varying, large delay, large inertia, etc., shows the characteristics of long stable time and great fluctuation in main parameter like the main steam pressure when the AGC (Auto Generation Control) is used and the load changed frequently. To solve the above problem that the controlled parameter is unstable, the generalized predictive control and the fuzzy control technology are adopted in the coordination control system and the problem is been efficiently improved. The practical application indicates that when the unit runs at the rate of 2%/min, it works fast and steady with a smooth transition and small overshoot in the main parameter and also the mainstream deviation is within 0.4MPa, which greatly improves the stability and safety of the unit.
Does Exercise Decrease Pain via Conditioned Pain Modulation in Adolescents

Purpose:Pain relief after exercise, exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH), is established across the lifespan. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM: pain inhibits pain) may be a mechanism for EIH.Methods:In 55 adolescents, pressure pain thresholds were measured before and after exercise (deltoid, quadricep
Flame Wars on Worldnet: Early Constructions of the International User

Some of the earliest users of the Internet described their activities as predicting a widespread communication medium that would cross national boundaries even before the technical capability was possible. An analysis of conversations on Human-Nets, an early ARPANet mailing list, shows how users were concerned about providing a forum for open discussion and hoped that the network would spread to provide communication throughout the world. Moving forward to CSNET, one can also see a strong insistence that the network provide connectivity beyond the United States. Contrary to those who might tell the history of the Internet as a story of a technology that was first perfected by the military, adapted by U.S. academics and then brought to the rest of the world in the 1990s, these users reveal a strong ideology of international communication.
Abstract 517: Diabetic Status Is More Predictive of Necrotic Core Burden in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Versus Stable Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention as Quantified by Intravascular Ultrasound Virtual Histology

Background: ACS plaque is thought to differ from non-ACS plaque by manifesting more inflammation / cellular debris and lower plaque volume. We used intravascular ultrasound-Virtual Histology (IVUS-VH) to validate reported plaque compositional differences pre- PCI in ACS vs. non-ACS patients (pts). Methods: 2,579 IVUS-VH frames were acquired in 36 PCI pts (ACS: n = 15, 6 diabetic (DM); non-ACS: n = 21, 9 DM). Automated IVUS-VH pullbacks were performed using Volcano EagleEye Platinum 20 MHz probes with VH frames traced and blindly adjudicated. VH data was divided into Fibrous (FI), Fibro-Fatty (FF), Necrotic Core (NC), and Dense Calcium (DC). Statistical analyses were performed in groups stratified by ACS and DM status. Results: ACS pts overall had slightly higher plaque area/frame (Fig 1) with lower proportional NC (16% vs. 21%, p 2 , p Conclusions: ACS plaque does not uniformly contain greater NC but does evidence greater NC/DC ratio suggesting increased overall plaque vulnerability. DM status is more predictive of absolute NC burden in ACS patients than non-ACS patients. This raises the question of whether the impact of DM on NC content eclipses the impact of ACS and merits further study.
Addressing a clinical challenge: guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a chronic intracellular parasitic infection that travelers, immigrants, deployed military personnel, and refugees from endemic global areas acquire from the bite of infected sand flies and carry with them, including to non-endemic countries where leishmaniasis may be an unfamiliar illness to medical providers. This commentary discusses the first clinical practice guidelines produced by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene for the diagnosis and management of leishmaniasis, targeted for clinicians in North America.
Predictive perceptual systems

This article attempts to clarify the commitments of a predictive coding approach to perception. After summarizing predictive coding theory, the article addresses two questions. Is a predictive coding perceptual system also a Bayesian system? Is it a Kantian system? The article shows that the answer to these questions is negative.
Fusing machine algorithm with welder intelligence for adaptive welding robots

Abstract Current industrial welding robots are mostly articulated arms with a pre-programmed set of movement. These robots lack the adaptation and intelligence skilled human welders possess. With the recent developments in measuring 3D weld pool surface in GTAW, the critical process feedback available to human welders also becomes available to welding robots. To effectively use this critical feedback to equip welding robots, welders’ responses to this critical feedback have been modeled. It is arguable that human may have better robustness against process certainties but machine algorithms may be designed to be quicker in response. Switching among them appropriately may improve the performance but should base on a scientific criterion. Further, fusing them together may even better perform than simply switching. In this paper, a criterion is established to automatically rate the performance from each of the three algorithms being fused – one machine algorithm and two human response models/algorithms. A fuzzy system has been proposed and established to fuse the decisions from these algorithms per their performance ratings. Simulation confirms the superiority of the fusion method to any of these three algorithms. Automated welding experiments conducted by welding robot verifies that the fusion based welding speed controller was robust under different welding currents and input disturbances. A foundation is thus established to developing next generation intelligent welding robots by fusing machine and human intelligence.
Imaginary Worlds and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) Evidence Report: Targeted Immune Modulators for Rheumatoid Arthritis

In April 2017, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) issued its evidence report on the value of targeted immune modulators (TIMs) in rheumatoid arthritis. The report made the case that for the TIMs to be accepted for formulary placement in the US, where notional willingness-to-pay thresholds are the ICER gateway criteria, manufacturers should be prepared to offer substantial unit price discounts. The purpose of this commentary is to make the case that the methodology underpinning the ICER claims for value assessment does not meet the required standards of normal science. None of the claims made for clinical and comparative cost-effectiveness are credible, evaluable and replicable. As such, formulary committees have no idea whether ICER recommendations are right or even if they are wrong. They are, in fact, immune to failure and should be rejected. Utilizing ICER claims generated by simulated projections, this review points out that it is entirely possible to justify the current WAC or net pricing structure of TIMS. The review concludes that if ICER is to contribute to the successful formulary placement of drugs and devices the methodology for pricing recommendation should be re-assessed. As it stands, questions must be raised regarding recommendations for, possibly unnecessary, price discounts. ICER needs to develop an assessment framework that focuses on developing claims for competing therapies that are robust, evaluable and replicable together with recommendations on how these claims are to be evaluated in a timeframe meaningful to health care decision makers. Type: Commentary
Adaptive Configuration Interaction for Computing Challenging Electronic Excited States with Tunable Accuracy

We introduce and analyze various approaches for computing excited electronic states using our recently developed adaptive configuration interaction (ACI) method [Schriber, J. B. and Evangelista, F. A. J. Chem. Phys. 2016, 144, 161106]. These ACI methods aim to describe multiple electronic states with equal accuracy, including challenging cases like multielectron, charge-transfer, and near-degenerate states. We develop both state-averaged and state-specific approaches to compute excited states whose absolute energy error can be tuned by a user-specified energy error threshold, σ. State-averaged schemes are found to be more efficient in that they obtain all of the states simultaneously in one computation, but they lose some degree of statewise tunability. State-specific algorithms allow for direct control of the error of each state, though the states must be computed sequentially. We compare each method using methylene, LiF, and all-trans polyene benchmark data.
Secretory autophagy in cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes head and neck cancer progression and offers a novel therapeutic target

Despite therapeutic advancements, there has been little change in the survival of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Recent results suggest that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) drive progression of this disease. Here, we report that autophagy is upregulated in HNSCC-associated CAFs where it is responsible for key pathogenic contributions in this disease. Autophagy is fundamentally involved in cell degradation, but there is emerging evidence that suggests it is also important for cellular secretion. Thus, we hypothesized that autophagy-dependent secretion of tumor-promoting factors by HNSCC-associated CAFs may explain their role in malignant development. In support of this hypothesis, we observed a reduction in CAF-facilitated HNSCC progression after blocking CAF autophagy. Studies of cell growth media conditioned after autophagy blockade revealed levels of secreted IL-6, IL-8 and other cytokines were modulated by autophagy. Notably, when HNSCC cells were co-cultured with normal fibroblasts they upregulated autophagy through IL-6, IL-8 and bFGF. In a mouse xenograft model of HNSCC, pharmacological inhibition of Vps34, a key mediator of autophagy, enhanced the antitumor efficacy of cisplatin. Our results establish an oncogenic function for secretory autophagy in HNSCC stromal cells that promotes malignant progression.
Evaluating discriminatory accuracy of models using partial risk-scores in two-phase studies

Prior to clinical applications, it is critical that risk prediction models are evaluated in independent studies that did not contribute to model development. While prospective cohort studies provide a natural setting for model validation, they often ascertain information on some risk factors (e.g., an expensive biomarker) in a nested sub-study of the original cohort, typically selected based on case-control status, and possibly some additional covariates. In this article, we propose an efficient approach for evaluating discriminatory ability of models using data from all individuals in a cohort study irrespective of whether they were sampled in the nested sub-study for measuring the complete set of risk factors. For evaluation of the Area Under the Curve (AUC) statistics, we estimate probabilities of risk-scores for cases being larger than those in controls conditional on partial risk-scores, the component of the risk-score that could be defined based on partial covariate information. The use of partial risk-scores, as opposed to actual multivariate risk-factor profiles, allows estimation of the underlying conditional expectations using subjects with complete covariate information in a non-parametric fashion even when numerous covariates are involved. We propose an influence function based approach for estimation of the variance of the resulting AUC statistics. We evaluate finite sample performance of the proposed method and compare it to an inverse probability weighted (IPW) estimator through extensive simulation studies. Finally, we illustrate an application of the proposed method for evaluating performance of a lung cancer risk prediction model using data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer (PLCO) trial.
Macrophages sensing oxidized DAMPs reprogram their metabolism to support redox homeostasis and inflammation through a TLR2-Syk-ceramide dependent mechanism.

Abstract Objective Macrophages control tissue homeostasis and inflammation by sensing and responding to environmental cues. However, the metabolic adaptation of macrophages to oxidative tissue damage and its translation into inflammatory mechanisms remains enigmatic. Methods Here we identify the critical regulatory pathways that are induced by endogenous oxidation-derived DAMPs (oxidized phospholipids, OxPL) in vitro, leading to formation of a unique redox-regulatory metabolic phenotype (Mox), which is strikingly different from conventional classical or alternative macrophage activation. Results Unexpectedly, metabolomic analyses demonstrated that Mox heavily rely on glucose metabolism and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) to support GSH production and Nrf2-dependent antioxidant gene expression. While the metabolic adaptation of macrophages to OxPL involved transient suppression of aerobic glycolysis, it also led to upregulation of inflammatory gene expression. In contrast to classically activated (M1) macrophages, Hif1α mediated expression of OxPL-induced Glut1 and VEGF but was dispensable for Il1β expression. Mechanistically, we show that OxPL suppress mitochondrial respiration via TLR2-dependent ceramide production, redirecting TCA metabolites to GSH synthesis. Finally, we identify spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) as a critical downstream signaling mediator that translates OxPL-induced effects into ceramide production and inflammatory gene regulation. Conclusions Together, these data demonstrate the metabolic and bioenergetic requirements that enable macrophages to translate tissue oxidation status into either antioxidant or inflammatory responses via sensing OxPL. Targeting dysregulated redox homeostasis in macrophages could therefore lead to novel therapies to treat chronic inflammation.
Choosing Motherhood and Medicine: The First Questions

If you were to ask my children, they’d tell you their mother is qualified to write this chapter because she looks after their well-being and safety, only sometimes at the expense of fun. They appreciate the tragedies avoided and the extra knowledge they gain as a result of all the medical terminology. Yes, I am a mother of a teen girl who is an avid reader, fast butterfly swimmer, strong in self-esteem and intellect, and at times a stellar big sister to her tween brother. He too is keenly intelligent, and he will make music with anything and everything. And when I am working in the land of academia, I am engrossed in curricular planning, teaching, research, and also providing pediatric primary care to children in a community-based inner-city health center. And none of this would be feasible nor meaningful without the support and patience of the love of my life, how lucky I am to have him as my partner.
Visual Diagnosis: A Rapidly Progressive Soft Tissue Shoulder Mass in a 3-month-old Infant.

1. James C. League-Pascual, MD, MS* 2. Kip R. Hartman, MD† 1. *Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA 2. †Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD A 3-month-old healthy boy presents with parental concerns of a growing mass developing near his left shoulder. His mother reports no other unusual symptoms, such as fevers or increased fussiness. He is feeding well without difficulty and gaining weight appropriately for his age. On physical examination the mass is palpable, firm, and mobile, without any signs of erythema or induration; the patient nevertheless has decreased left hand grip strength and an abnormally positioned left upper extremity at rest. Laboratory evaluation results, including a complete blood cell count, a complete metabolic panel, and inflammatory markers, are normal. Radiography (Fig 1) and ultrasonography (Fig 2) are performed. Findings on initial examination are concerning for potential malignancy, so additional imaging is obtained to better define the mass. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) reveals a 4.6 × 4.2 × 5.1-cm, solid, peripherally enhancing, encapsulated mass with low vascularity in the left axilla (Fig 3). A positron emission tomographic/computed tomographic scan (PET/CT) shows enhancement localized only to the primary mass with a maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) of 4.7 (Fig 4). In PET/CT, SUVs are a quantitative measure of radioactivity level in a mass; responses to therapeutic interventions can also be measured in the same manner. The pediatric surgery service is consulted, but due to …
The Product Process Service Life Cycle Assessment Framework to Estimate GHG Emissions for Highways

This chapter introduces readers to the Product Process Service (PPS) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework. This framework is founded in principals of pavement life cycle assessment and provides the basis for tools that can aid decision-makers in assessing pavement life cycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The chapter will discuss methodologies involved in the data collection process, emissions calculation and project inventory development that support the PPS framework.
Introduction and Commentary: Preventing Child Abuse

This chapter introduces Approaches to Preventing Child Abuse: The Health Visitor’s Concept, the paper by C. Henry Kempe that is the focus of this section, and summarizes the commentaries written in response to this paper.
The Power of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Systemic Approach for a Systemic Disease

Cancer is increasingly recognized as not solely a disease of the genes and chromosomes but as a systemic disease that affects numerous components of the host including blood vessel formation, immune cell function, and nutrient recycling. This review summarizes a variety of time-dependent mathematical models that focus on the consequences of tumor growth within an evolving microenvironment, represented by a dynamic carrying capacity. Transcending the specifics of each model, their overview reveals that the key to tumor control really lies in controlling the support furnished the tumor by its microenvironment.
Estrangement: A Beginner’s Guide to the Strangeness of the World

Geographers adopted the concept of Being-in-the-World from Martin Heidegger. However, most have wisely eschewed the philosopher’s larger ontological and pantheistic project. Nevertheless, geographers can make use of basic phenomenological concepts and terms. The world of appearances can be reduced to the three basic phenomena of objects, subjects, and death, and each of these phenomena engenders in humans a feeling of estrangement, angst, or alienation. There are four responses to the world’s appearance as an uncanny place: otherworldliness, existentialism, naturalism, and escapism. Because the events predicted in this volume will almost certainly make the world appear more and more uncanny, an important (but here unanswered) question is which of these responses will prevail.
FUNCTIONAL UTILITY OF WEARING A MYOELECTRIC ORTHOSIS FOR UPPER EXTREMITY PARALYSIS DUE TO SPINAL CORD INJURY

INTRODUCTION Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States with the majority of injuries resulting in incomplete quadriplegia due to cervical lesions.1 This leads to significant neurological impairment including upper extremity (UE) weakness and decreased independence with self-care activities of daily living (ADLs). Previous work demonstrated that using a myoelectric elbow-wrist-hand orthosis as a therapeutic adjunct to a multi-week rehabilitation regimen resulted in decreased UE motor impairment and increased function in stroke survivors with moderate UE hemiparesis.2 The purpose of this case study was to determine if wearing a myoelectric elbow-wrist-hand orthosis reduces upper extremity motor impairment and increases functional ability in an individual with chronic, incomplete spinal cord injury and resultant quadriplegia. Abstract PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/32021/24439 How to cite: Wengerd L. FUNCTIONAL UTILITY OF WEARING A MYOELECTRIC ORTHOSIS FOR UPPER EXTREMITY PARALYSIS DUE TO SPINAL CORD INJURY. CANADIAN PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS JOURNAL, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2, 2018; ABSTRACT, POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE AOPA’S 101ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, SEPT. 26-29, VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2.32021 Abstracts were Peer-reviewed by the American Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) 101st National Assembly Scientific Committee. http://www.aopanet.org/
Nuclear Mechanics and Cancer Cell Migration

As a cancer cell invades adjacent tissue, penetrates a basement membrane barrier, or squeezes into a blood capillary, its nucleus can be greatly constricted. Here, we examine: (1) the passive and active deformation of the nucleus during 3D migration; (2) the nuclear structures—namely, the lamina and chromatin—that govern nuclear deformability; (3) the effect of large nuclear deformation on DNA and nuclear factors; and (4) the downstream consequences of mechanically stressing the nucleus. We focus especially on recent studies showing that constricted migration causes nuclear envelope rupture and excess DNA damage, leading to cell cycle suppression, possibly cell death, and ultimately it seems to heritable genomic variation. We first review the latest understanding of nuclear dynamics during cell migration, and then explore the functional effects of nuclear deformation, especially in relation to genome integrity and potentially cancerous mutations.
Frailty Is Intertwined With Heart Failure: Mechanisms, Prevalence, Prognosis, Assessment, and Management

Frailty, a syndrome characterized by an exaggerated decline in function and reserve of multiple physiological systems, is common in older patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with worse clinical and patient-reported outcomes. Although several detailed assessment tools have been developed and validated in the geriatric population, they are cumbersome, not validated in patients with HF, and not commonly used in routine management of patients with HF. More recently, there has been an increasing interest in developing simple frailty screening tools that could efficiently and quickly identify frail patients with HF in routine clinical settings. As the burden and recognition of frailty in older patients with HF increase, a more comprehensive approach to management is needed that targets deficits across multiple domains, including physical function and medical, cognitive, and social domains. Such a multidomain approach is critical to address the unique, multidimensional challenges to the care of these high-risk patients and to improve their functional status, quality of life, and long-term clinical outcomes. This review discusses the burden of frailty, the conceptual underpinnings of frailty in older patients with HF, and potential strategies for the assessment, screening, and management of frailty in this vulnerable patient population.
Synthesis, characterization, DFT calculations, and reactivity study of a nitrido-bridged dimeric vanadium(iv) complex.

Two vanadium(III) complexes, CztBu(PyriPr)2VCl2 (1) and CztBu(PyriPr)2V(N3)2 (2), were synthesized and characterized. Chemical reduction of both 1 and 2 gives the thermally stable nitrido-bridged vanadium(IV) dimer complex, [{CztBu(PyriPr)2}V]2(μ-N)2 (3), which is a rare example of a dimeric vanadium(IV) complex bridged by two nitrido ligands. The nitride ligands of 3 are unreactive due to the well-protected environment provided by the pincer ligand and its substituents, as is supported by its X-ray crystal structure and further described by DFT calculations.
Life stress and cortisol reactivity: An exploratory analysis of the effects of stress exposure across life on HPA-axis functioning.

Stressful experiences affect biological stress systems, such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Life stress can potentially alter regulation of the HPA axis and has been associated with poorer physical and mental health. Little, however, is known about the relative influence of stressors that are encountered at different developmental periods on acute stress reactions in adulthood. In this study, we explored three models of the influence of stress exposure on cortisol reactivity to a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) by leveraging 37 years of longitudinal data in a high-risk birth cohort (N = 112). The cumulative stress model suggests that accumulated stress across the lifespan leads to dysregulated reactivity, whereas the biological embedding model implicates early childhood as a critical period. The sensitization model assumes that dysregulation should only occur when stress is high in both early childhood and concurrently. All of the models predicted altered reactivity, but do not anticipate its exact form. We found support for both cumulative and biological embedding effects. However, when pitted against each other, early life stress predicted more blunted cortisol responses at age 37 over and above cumulative life stress. Additional analyses revealed that stress exposure in middle childhood also predicted more blunted cortisol reactivity.
Joint Optimization of Sampling Pattern and Priors in Model Based Deep Learning

Deep learning methods are emerging as powerful alternatives for compressed sensing MRI to recover images from highly undersampled data. Unlike compressed sensing, the image redundancies that are captured by these models are not well understood. The lack of theoretical understanding also makes it challenging to choose the sampling pattern that would yield the best possible recovery. To overcome these challenges, we propose to optimize the sampling patterns and the parameters of the reconstruction block in a model-based deep learning framework. We show that the joint optimization by the model-based strategy results in improved performance than direct inversion CNN schemes due to better decoupling of the effect of sampling and image properties. The quantitative and qualitative results confirm the benefits of joint optimization by the model-based scheme over the direct inversion strategy.
We charge genocide: Racist state violence is a labor issue

Abstract With the We Charge Genocide petition to the United Nations as a guide, the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) International Committee calls for solidarity with CUNY students and workers devastated by COVID 19, neoliberal CUNY cuts and racist state and structural violence
Sentido, Referência e Computação

In this paper, I revisit Frege’s theory of sense and reference in the constructi-ve setting of the meaning explanations of type theory, extending and sharpe-ning a program–value analysis of sense and reference proposed by Martin-Lof building on previous work of Dummett. I propose a computational iden-tity criterion for senses and argue that it validates what I see as the most plausible interpretation of Frege’s equipollence principle for both sentences and singular terms. Before doing so, I examine Frege’s implementation of his theory of sense and reference in the logical framework of Grundgesetze, his doctrine of truth values, and views on sameness of sense as equipollence of assertions.
Visualizing the Role of Lipid Dynamics during Infrared Neural Stimulation with Hyperspectral Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy

Infrared neural stimulation, or INS, is a method of using pulsed infrared light to yield label-free neuronal stimulation with broad experimental and translational utility. Despite its robust demonstration, the mechanistic and biophysical underpinnings of INS have been the subject of debate for more than a decade. The role of lipid membrane thermodynamics appears to play an important role in how fast IR-mediated heating nonspecifically drives action potential generation. Direct observation of lipid membrane dynamics during INS remains to be shown in a live neural model system. To directly test the involvement of lipid dynamics in INS, we used hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (hsSRS) microscopy to study biochemical signatures of high speed vibrational dynamics underlying INS in a live neural cell culture model. Findings suggest that lipid bilayer structural changes are occurring during INS in vitro in NG108-15 neuroglioma cells. Lipid-specific signatures of cell SRS spectra were found to vary with stimulation energy and radiant exposure. Spectroscopic observations were verified against high-speed ratiometric fluorescence imaging of a conventional lipophilic membrane structure reporter, di-4-ANNEPS. Overall, the presented data supports the hypothesis that INS causes changes in the lipid membrane of neural cells by changing lipid membrane packing order - which coincides with likelihood of cell stimulation. Furthermore, this work highlights the potential of hsSRS as a method to study biophysical and biochemical dynamics safely in live cells.