cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Priming effects in amnesia: Evidence for a dissociable memory function

Amnesic patients are impaired on tests of recall and recognition memory, yet they exhibit intact priming effects. That is, their performance can be facilitated or biased by recently encountered information. This paper reviews the phenomenon of preserved priming effects in amnesia, describes relationships between priming and other memory functions, and comments on what this spared memory function tells us about the organization of memory.
Time warp state restoration via delta encoding

Optimistic simulation yields impressive performance gains for many models. State saving is a quick way to provide the rollback mechanism required for this approach, but it has some drawbacks: it may not handle models with massive states or be able to support memory-constrained systems. This work presents a novel approach to state saving by storing only the relative changes caused by an event. Compressing these deltas allows retaining a greater number of noncommitted events and allows Time Warp to further exploit parallelism in a window less constrained by memory limitations. By compressing the data, we realize greater returns in performance and avoid memory limitations on event / state sizes. Compression ratios over 200 are observed; and, despite chosen pathological conditions, state restoration is fast and efficient. Runtimes are often faster using delta encoding than are their conservative counterparts, without the need for complex reverse code or large memory consumption.
The acid-base balance in pneumonia.:

As a part of the study being made of the respiratory and metabolic disturbances occurring in pneumonia, the acid-base balance and the arterial oxygen unsaturation of pneumonia patients have been de...
Abstract 2744: Identification of synergistic effect of autophagy inhibitors and resveratrol on BRCA1 mutant cancer cells

Over 200,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed in the US each year, with 5% of cases caused by mutations in BRCA1 (Breast cancer associated gene 1). Mutation carries have a lifetime risk of up to 80% for developing breast cancer. Current treatment options are limited and often do not lead to cure. We showed previously that treatment with resveratrol, although initially reduced more the tumor size in BRCA1 mutant (mt) tumors, with respect to BRCA1 wild-type (wt) in mice, tumors continued to grow after prolonged treatment. To identify small molecules that can be repurposed and synergize the killing effect of resveratrol in BRCA1-mt tumors, we screened the NCGC Pharmaceutical Collection in which, more than 52% are drugs approved for human or animal use by FDA, and the rest are drugs approved in other countries or in clinical trial. Using a high-throughput cell viability assay by measuring intracellular ATP content, we identified the inhibitory effect of 43 compounds that exhibited synergy with resveratrol (Res) with efficacy>50% and potency Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2744. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2744
The Gold Agglutination Test in the Diagnosis of Primary Atypical Pneumonia.

SummarySignificant titers of cold agglutinins were demonstrated in a large proportion of cases of primary atypical pneumonia. Similar titers were not observed in sera from patients with a number of other respiratory diseases.
Open organizing: designing sustainable work practices for the engineering workforce

Maintaining a high quality of life that encompasses work satisfaction and work-life balance is a critical long term need for theengineering practitioners. In this paper I argue that to grow professionally engineers need to design sustainable work environments forthemselves through the productive use of information technology. I present a field study to identify ‘open organizing’ as a model tosustain engineering work. Open organizing refers to development of socio-technical infrastructure that allows people to successfullycontribute to an endeavor irrespective of their physical location. Through a grounded theory analysis of field study data collected froman organization I call Digitech, I outline characteristics of open organizing practices and discuss their benefits for the engineers whoworked there and for the organization. Overall, the findings reveal that successful creation and implementation of open organizing canresult in better work-life balance for engineers and increase productivity and innovation.
Recognising a zebra from its stripes and the stripes from “zebra”: the role of verbal labels in selecting category relevant information

ABSTRACTDistinguishing members from non-members of some categories can be accomplished by identifying one or several diagnostic features (e.g. zebra-stripes are diagnostic of zebras). Other categories lack diagnostic features (e.g. dogs). Consequently, distinguishing members from non-members requires attending to many correlated dimensions. Interestingly, children and non-human animals are less adept at using diagnostic features compared to adults – possibly due to adults’ more developed verbal labelling abilities. We examined whether recognition of categories with diagnostic features (“sparse” categories) is (1) linked to better abilities to selectively attend to relevant information and (2) aided by labelling. In Experiments 1–2, we quantify and validate a measure of category sparsity. Experiment 3 demonstrates that sparse categorisation, assessed by an implicit naming task, correlates with performance in the flanker task, a measure of selective attention. Experiment 4 demonstrates up-regulating activit...
Examining the influences of tree-to-tree competition and climate on size-growth relationships in hydric, multi-aged Fraxinus nigra stands

Most research on tree-tree competition and size-growth relationship (SGR – a stand-level metric that infers the relative efficiency with which different sized trees utilize available resources) has focused on upland systems. It is unclear if inferences from these studies extend to wetland forests. Moreover, no study to date has thoroughly investigated the relationship between individual tree-tree competition and SGR. To fill these research gaps, we conducted a dendrochronological study examining the relationship of tree-tree competition, SGR, and climate in late-successional Fraxinus nigra (black ash) wetland forests in northern Minnesota, USA. We took advantage of a detailed, stem-mapped dataset of 1670 trees in five late-successional, multi-aged stands to explore the following research questions: (1) how do competitive interactions, particularly size symmetry, influence individual-tree growth; (2) do late-successional F. nigra stands display inverse asymmetric SGR; and (3) do short-term variations in drought influence SGR in F. nigra wetland forests? Using neighborhood competition indices, which characterize the growth of individual trees based on the size, number, and distance of competitors, we examined the nature and strength of individual tree-tree interactions. Additionally, we used SGR to determine how tree size and individual tree contributions to stand productivity relate to changes in stand growth and competitive interactions during stand development. At the individual tree level, we found evidence of size-asymmetric competition, with larger trees disproportionately suppressing the growth of smaller trees. However, tree size was a stronger predictor of growth than competition at all sites. At the stand level, our multi-aged F. nigra sites showed consistent patterns of inverse size-asymmetric SGR (i.e., smaller individual trees growing at disproportionately higher rates relative to larger trees), which is generally consistent with previous observations of mature upland forests and supports the hypothesis that large trees decline in relative growth as stands age. While seemingly counter-intuitive, the simultaneous presence of size-asymmetric individual tree-level competition and stand-level inverse asymmetric SGR suggests declines in large tree production efficiency. Drought effects on SGR, as expressed by PDSI, while sometimes evident, appeared weak on both relatively mesic and extremely wet sites. Our findings, which are consistent with previous studies of both F. nigra wetlands and upland forests, demonstrate that the combined results of individual-tree competition models and stand-level SGR can provide deeper insights into growth and competition in F. nigra and other forest types.
Religion and Modern Society: Spiritualities: the media, feminism and consumerism

Introduction: urban mythologies In the contemporary world, there are obviously porous boundaries between religious fiction and religious fact. Hollywood films and popular fiction compete spiritually and culturally for the modern ‘religious imaginary’ in ways that ecclesiastical institutions and their intellectual spokespeople find hard to comprehend, even less to control. In this discussion, I compare two recent but very different examples of popular culture, namely Dan Brown's The da Vinci Code , which came out in 2003, and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ , which was launched on 25 February 2004. The former severely annoyed the authorities within the Catholic Church, because it appeared that many lay people were attempting to follow the trail for the Holy Grail in France and Britain in imitation of the novel's main storyline as a modern pilgrimage. Brown's book became the target of several academic criticisms, such as Darrell Bock's Breaking the da Vinci Code (2004). Both the book and the subsequent film globally enjoyed large sales. Although the film was judged by many to be a box-office failure, the book sold some four and a half million copies within the first nine months. Brown's other novels have also been enjoying high sales. There is now a Dan Brown industry in which The Lost Symbol (Brown, 2009) competes to overtake previous sales figures.
Detection of Positive Blood Cultures by the Bactec® NR660: The Clinical Importance of Five Versus Seven Days of Testing

The Bactec Model NR660 device for detection of bacteremia can sample cultures for either five or seven days before the culture is called normal. The authors studied organisms recovered daily during the seven-day cycle of testing and compared isolates recovered on days 6 and 7 with those recovered earlier. They also reviewed patient clinical charts to determine the clinical impact of the organisms recovered on days 6 and 7. Of 9,062 blood culture vials processed in a nine-week period, 547 had positive results (6% of vials and 10.3% of culture sets). Isolates on day 6 or 7 accounted for 19 (3.5%) of the total; 4 of these were believed to be clinically important by the patients' attending physicians. Detection of these four cultures required processing of 9,062 vials twice each. These data suggest that in our patient population the clinical benefit of testing on days 6 and 7 does not justify its cost. Whether this would be true in other settings would have to be determined by the individual hospital.
Characterization of Alzheimer Neurofibrillary Tangle (NFT) Epitopes and the Binding Site for the Regulatory Subunit (RII) of cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase II in Human Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 (MAP-2)

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) generated against enriched protein preparations of Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) have been used as probes to study the structure of the proteins associated with NFT1. Anti-NFT antibodies have been found to cross react with purified neurofilaments, ubiquitin, tau and MAP-2 suggesting that NFT represent a derangement of the neuronal cytoskeleton. The question remains, however, whether these proteins are integral components of NFT or have regions of homology with NFT proteins. To address this question we screened a human brain cDNA expression library with a pool of mAbs raised against SDS-extracted NFT and have isolated several cDNA clones2. One of these clones detects 6 kb and 9.5 kb transcripts in human neuroblastoma mRNA preparations2. Sequence analysis of the cDNA has determined that the 1.7 kb insert encodes 569 amino acids of the projection arm of MAP-23.
Uncovering perceptual awareness of visual stimulus with adaptive multiscale entropy

To probe the perceptual awareness of a visual stimulus, we use the paradigm of generalized flash suppression (GFS) to dissociate physical stimulation from perceptual experience. This perceptual suppression approach has previously been used to investigate perceptual visibility correlates in visual cortex, mainly with linear methods, such as spectral analysis. While meaningful, the linear method alone may be insufficient for the full assessment of neural dynamics due to the fundamentally nonlinear nature of neural signal. In this contribution, we set forth to analyze local field potential (LFP) data collected from the multiple visual areas in V1, V2 and V4 of a macaque monkey while performing the GFS task using nonlinear method - adaptive multiscale entropy (AME) - to study the neural dynamics of perceptual suppression. We also propose a new cross-entropy measure at multiple scales, namely adaptive multiscale cross-entropy (AMCE), to assess the nonlinear interdependency between cortical areas. We show that: (1) multiscale entropy exhibits perception-related changes in all three areas, with higher entropy (i.e. higher complexity) observed during perceptual suppression; (2) the magnitude of the perception-related entropy changes increases systematically over successive hierarchical stages (i.e. from lower areas V1 to V2, up to higher area V4); and (3) cross-entropy between any two cortical areas reveals higher degree of asynchrony or dissimilarity during perceptual suppression, indicating decreased neuronal interdependency between areas. Our findings demonstrate that the adaptive multiscale entropy is a sensitive measure of perceptual visibility, and thus can be used to uncover perceptual awareness of a stimulus.
Toddler parasympathetic regulation and fear: Links to maternal appraisal and behavior.

There is a growing recognition that parental socialization influences interact with young children's emerging capacity for physiological regulation and shape children's developmental trajectories. Nevertheless, the transactional processes linking parental socialization and physiological regulatory processes remain not well understood, particularly for fear-prone toddlers. To address this gap in the literature, the present study investigated the biopsychosocial processes that underlie toddlers' fear regulation by examining the relations among toddler parasympathetic regulation, maternal appraisal, and parenting behaviors. Participants included 124 mothers and their toddlers (Mage = 24.43 months), who participated in a longitudinal study of temperament and socio-emotional development. Toddlers' parasympathetic reactivity was found to moderate the links between maternal anticipatory appraisal of child fearfulness and (a) maternal provision of physical comfort and (b) preschool-age child inhibition. Additionally, maternal comforting behaviors during the low-threat task predicted preschool-age separation distress, specifically for toddlers demonstrating a low baseline RSA.
Deploying images of enemy bodies: US image warfare and strategic narratives

This article investigates the practice of post 9/11 US image warfare through an analysis of three sets of enemy capture and killing: Uday and Qusay Hussein, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden. Specifically, the article examines these images in terms of their potential to support, complicate, and/or undermine the strategic narratives of the Bush and Obama administrations as they relate to the Iraq War and the killing of Osama bin Laden, respectively. Today’s new media ecology complicates the relationship between images and strategic narratives. The analysis finds that the capture and death images of the Hussein family primarily served to reinforce the Bush administration strategic system narratives of American dominance and hegemony, the illegitimacy and oppression of the Hussein regime, and of ‘justice’; however, the images can also be interpreted as complicating and potentially undermining these same narratives. The absence of Osama bin Laden death images supported the Obama administration’s counter str...
Mutational Analysis of Androgen Receptor Gene in Two Families with Androgen Insensitivity.

Background: Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a rare X-linked disorder due to mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene causing end-organ resistance to the androgenic hormone. Subjects and Methods: Genetic studies were carried out in two families by karyotype and targeted exome sequencing of the AR gene. Results: Two novel missense mutations were identified, p.L822P and p.P392S, in two families with complete androgen insensitivity (CAIS) and partial androgen insensitivity (PAIS), respectively. Both had 46, XY karyotype. The mother was a heterozygous carrier in PAIS and negative in CAIS. These two were novel mutations, reported for the first time, in the AR gene. In silico analysis predicted that both mutations were damaging. We reviewed the various reported Indian mutations in the AR gene. Conclusion: AR gene mutations cause a wide spectrum of disorders from CAIS to male infertility or primary amenorrhea. Early diagnosis is essential for gender assignment and further management, family counseling, and prenatal diagnosis.
Electromagnetic methods for thermal therapy monitoring and assessment

The desire for noninvasive monitoring of thermal therapy is readily apparent given its intent to be a minimally-invasive form of treatment. Electromagnetic properties of tissue vary with temperature; hence, the opportunity exists to exploit these variations as a means of following thermally-based therapeutic interventions. The review describes progress in electrical impedance tomography and active microwave imaging towards the realization of noninvasive temperature estimation. Examples are drawn from the author's experiences with these technologies in order to illustrate the principles and practices associated with electromagnetic imaging in the therapy monitoring context.
Biofortification of Wheat with Iron

In various micronutrient-deficient countries, wheat is used as staple food, comprise more than 50% of the diet. Like many staple foods, wheat contain low concentration of iron (Fe). About two billion people globally have iron deficiency, especially in the regions where staple foods are based on cereal crops such as wheat. Because of high rate of Fe deficiency cases, increased Fe intake through staple food has become the main focused research area globally. As wheat is main source of protein and dietary energy for human beings, its potential to support reducing malnutrition related to Fe can be increased through producing genetically modified wheat varieties with high concentration of Fe. High Fe concentration in cereal crop is a major challenge. Even though during wheat is commonly fortify, promising and more long term solution is biofortification of wheat, which bases on the production of new wheat varieties with characteristically higher concentration of iron. Till now, may researches, which focused on increasing Fe in wheat, aimed at producing natural varieties in progenitor or related species. This review focused on the promising and sustainable approaching to maintain the improve concentration of iron in wheat.
Theoretical and experimental study on interdependence of wear and wetting in metallic surfaces

Abstract This paper presents the results of an experimental and analytical investigation on the effect of wear and friction on the wetting characteristics of metallic surfaces. The analysis takes into account the plastic deformation of the surface asperities and implements the load-sharing concept to treat the mixed-lubrication behavior from the transient stage (during the running-in period) to the steady wear. The prediction results are then used in the Cellular Potts model (CPM) to calculate the contact angle values. Laboratory experiments with a water-lubricated disk-on-disk configuration were conducted to assess the evolution of surface roughness and contact angle. The comparison of the measurements and the prediction show good agreement in trend and magnitude.
Magnetoelastic modeling of circular cylindrical shells immersed in a magnetic field: Part II: Implications of finite dimensional effects on the free vibrations

In the context of free vibration analysis of axi-symmetric perfectly electro-conductive circular cylindrical shells, four simplified magnetoelastic load models are investigated. Concerning the model of circular cylindrical shells, a linear theory based on Love–Kirchhoff hypothesis is adopted. Due to the high complexities involving singularity of integral equations, infinite integral domains and excessive time needed to evaluate some kernels, special treatments are designed toward achieving highly efficient and highly accurate numerical computation. The influence of applied magnetic field, thickness ratio and dimensionless radius on free vibrations of circular cylindrical shells are further investigated and pertinent conclusions are outlined.
VIRUSES WITH COMPLEX OR A COMBINATION OF SYMMETRIES

This chapter discusses the structure and dimensions of bullet-shaped viruses, tailed even phage, and poxviruses. These viruses consist of particles with their protein components assembled according to a mixture of symmetrical plans. The structure and arrangement of the envelope associated with the bullet-shaped viruses is of special interest and is itself a relatively complicated part of the particle when compared to the myxoviruses. One of the striking features is the relationship and distribution of the surface spikes to the components forming the layers within the envelope together with the coiled ribbon. The T-even phages are the most intricate viral structures and possess functional anatomy at the molecular level. They contain approximately 60 μm of DNA folded or packed into a prolate or extended icosahedral head composed of protein molecules. Attached to one end of the head axis is a tail structure of several protein components: an inner core or spike is surrounded by a helical contractile sheath to which is attached a hexagonal baseplate and six tail fibers.
Optorelaxers: Achieving real-time control of NMR relaxation.

Abstract We present an approach to increase the detection sensitivity of NMR by shortening the spin-lattice relaxation time using transient paramagnetic species created by light irradiation of “optorelaxer” molecules. In the ultimate implementation of this concept, not yet realized here, these transient species are absent during the detection period, thereby avoiding the loss of spectral resolution caused by inhomogeneous broadening from paramagnetic species. Real-time control of NMR relaxation by visible light is demonstrated with Fe(II)(ptz)6(BF4)2, (ptz = 1-propyltetrazole), abbreviated FePTZ. Illumination of FePTZ at 30 K results in a decrease of the 1H NMR spin-lattice relaxation time T1 due to formation of a high spin photoexcited state. The 1H NMR of polystyrene containing a low concentration of FePTZ molecules shows a similar reduction in T1, establishing that FePTZ can act as an optorelaxer for the protons of a matrix. Numerical modeling of the spin-diffusion processes from the protons in a FePTZ core to those in a shell of polystyrene accounts for the observed T1 effects under both dark and light conditions. Additionally, 1H MAS (magic-angle spinning) NMR results for pure FePTZ provide information on the isotropic and anisotropic portions of the electron-nuclear hyperfine interactions.
Heart Transplantation in a Fontan Patient Using a Hepatitis C-Positive Donor:

A 38-year-old female with tricuspid atresia and normally related great arteries, initially palliated with Bjork modified Fontan, and ultimately converted to extracardiac conduit Fontan, with a history of ventricular tachycardia and hepatitis C virus (HCV) treated with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, was referred to our center for consideration of combined heart and liver transplantation. The patient's blood group was O with panel reactive antibodies of 52%. She consented to consideration of HCV-positive donors. Fifteen days later, an HCV-positive donor was identified, and she underwent heart transplantation with pulmonary artery reconstruction performed jointly by adult and pediatric transplant surgeons. To our knowledge, this the first time an HCV-positive donor heart has been to transplant an adult with congenital heart disease.
Arabidopsis PIP5K2 Is Involved in Lateral Root Development Through Regulating Auxin Accumulation

To study the physiological functions of PIP5K2, a putative knockout mutant pip5k2 (SALK_012487) was identified by searching the Salk Institute T-DNA insertion library database. The T-DNA insertion was confirmed by PCR analysis. Phenotypic observation revealed that the knockout mutant of PIP5K2, pip5k2, has reduced lateral root formation in all the stages of lateral root development and this phenotype could be rescued by exogenous auxin. Transformation rescue of PIP5K2 in pip5k2 background rescues all the phenotype, indicating the defects are indeed caused by PIP5K2 deficiency. Reduced auxin accumulation in pip5k2 is confirmed by GUS activity detection in cross progenies with DR5-GUS marker line. Real-time RT-PCR analysis on auxin biosynthesis and homeostasis genes revealed that auxin biosynthesis-related genes were suppressed while metabolism-related genes that convert auxin to inactive conjugates were stimulated in pip5k2. These results indicate that Arabidopsis PIP5K2 is involved in regulating lateral root formation, probably through modulating auxin accumulation and homeostasis.
Topiramate in posttraumatic stress disorder: preliminary clinical observations.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and debilitating mental condition that affects a significant proportion of the general population at some time in their lives. To date, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved only 1 pharmacologic treatment for this indication. Additional effective therapies are urgently required to control the destructive symptoms experienced by individuals with PTSD. This article reviews the effects of the novel antiepileptic drug topiramate on 3 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for chronic PTSD. In these previously treatment-refractory patients, topiramate had a marked effect: reducing and even eliminating trauma-related intrusive memories and nightmares and normalizing depressed mood. Adverse events were effectively controlled with careful drug titration and discontinuation of concomitant therapies. These findings, together with observations in more than 30 additional patients (reported elsewhere), suggest that further study of topiramate as a treatment for PTSD is warranted.
Investigating relationships among cancer survivors' engagement in an online support community, social support perceptions, well-being, and moderating effects of existing (offline) social support.

Socially supportive relationships help cancer survivors cope with their diagnosis and may improve quality of life; however, many survivors report unmet support and information needs. Online communities of survivors may address these needs, but research on their benefits have been equivocal. This cross-sectional, self-report study investigated relationships among cancer survivors’ level of engagement in an online survivor community (The American Cancer Society Cancer Survivors Network®; CSN), perceptions of emotional/informational support available from online communities (“online social support”), well-being, and moderating effects of “offline social support.” Participants were 1255 registered users of the CSN who completed surveys between 2013 and 2014. Three types of engagement with the CSN—social/communal, interpersonal communication, and informational/search engagement—were identified through principal components analysis. Regression analyses examined hypotheses. More frequent social/communal and interpersonal communication engagement were associated with increased online social support (p < .0001), and the relationship between interpersonal communication engagement and online social support was strongest for survivors reporting lower offline social support (interaction β = − .35, p < .001). Greater online social support was associated with increased well-being, but only among survivors reporting low offline social support (interaction β = − .35, p < .0001). Engagement in online survivor communities may increase support perceptions that promote well-being, but benefits may accrue more to survivors reporting low offline social support. Newly diagnosed cancer survivors, particularly those with unmet emotional/informational support needs, should be given the opportunity to communicate with other survivors through online survivor support networks.
Imagine a world… where ectogenesis isn't needed to eliminate social and economic barriers for women.

We can imagine a world in which ectogenesis provides a safe gestating space that eliminates maternal morbidity and mortality while maximising healthy outcomes for babies. In this world, women, no longer physically—and visibly—pregnant, are no longer economically, socially or physically disadvantaged due to the potential for pregnancy and birth. Because everyone can access the same technology, women are able to work without fear of pregnancy-related discrimination or restrictions, and health disparities among individuals in gestation and birth based on socioeconomic status are eliminated. This imagining allows us to explore the ethical and social underpinnings of such a world, and consider how to achieve it in our current paradigm. Having explored the freedom and equality that is possible in an ideal hypothetical where all have equal access to such technologies, we can now imagine that same world without ectogenesis: women, no longer economically, socially or physically disadvantaged due to pregnancy and birth, despite still becoming pregnant. Such is the potential political perspective and provocation that can be spurred on by discussion of ectogenesis. As Cavaliere argues, the technological reality of ectogenesis may not achieve the freedom and equality that …
Biomechanical Analysis of Zone 2 Flexor Tendon Repair With a Coupler Device Versus Locking Cruciate Core Suture.

Purpose To compare flexor tendon repair strength and speed between a tendon coupler and a standard-core suture in a cadaver model. Methods In 5 matched-pair fresh cadaver hands, we cut the flexor digitorum profundus tendon of each finger in zone 2 and assigned 20 tendons to both the coupler and the suture groups. Coupler repair was with low-profile stainless steel staple plates in each tendon stump, bridged by polyethylene thread. Suture repair was performed using an 8-strand locking-cruciate technique with 4-0 looped, multifilament, polyamide suture. One surgeon with the Subspecialty Certificate in Surgery of the Hand performed all repairs. Via a load generator, each flexor digitorum profundus was loaded at 5 to 10 N and cycled through flexion just short of tip-to-palm and full extension at 0.2 Hz for 2,000 cycles to simulate 6 weeks of rehabilitation. We recorded repair gapping at predetermined cycle intervals. Our primary outcome was repair gapping at 2,000 cycles. Tendons that had not catastrophically failed by 2,000 cycles were loaded to failure on a servohydraulic frame at 1 mm/s. Results Tendon repair gapping was similar between coupled and sutured tendons at 2,000 cycles. Tendons repaired with the coupler had higher residual load to failure than sutured tendons. Mean coupler repair time was 4 times faster than suture repair. Conclusions Zone 2 flexor repair with a coupler withstood simulated early active motion in fresh cadavers. Residual load to failure and repair speed were better with the coupler. Clinical relevance This tendon coupler may eventually be an option for strong, reproducible, rapid flexor tendon repair.
Inverse Design of Ultralow Lattice Thermal Conductivity Materials via Materials Database Screening of Lone Pair Cation Coordination Environment.

The presence of lone pair (LP) electrons is strongly associated with the disruption of lattice heat transport, which is a critical component of strategies to achieve efficient thermoelectric energy...
Individualized PEEP to optimise respiratory mechanics during abdominal surgery: a pilot randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background Higher intraoperative driving pressures (ΔP) are associated with increased postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC). We hypothesised that dynamic adjustment of PEEP throughout abdominal surgery reduces ΔP, maintains positive end-expiratory transpulmonary pressures (Ptp_ee) and increases respiratory system static compliance (Crs) with PEEP levels that are variable between and within patients. Methods In a prospective multicentre pilot study, adults at moderate/high risk for PPC undergoing elective abdominal surgery were randomised to one of three ventilation protocols: (1) PEEP≤2 cm H2O, compared with periodic recruitment manoeuvres followed by individualised PEEP to either optimise respiratory system compliance (PEEPmaxCrs) or maintain positive end-expiratory transpulmonary pressure (PEEPPtp_ee). The composite primary outcome included intraoperative ΔP, Ptp_ee, Crs, and PEEP values (median (interquartile range) and coefficients of variation [CVPEEP]). Results Thirty-seven patients (48.6% female; age range: 47–73 yr) were assigned to control (PEEP≤2 cm H2O; n=13), PEEPmaxCrs (n=16), or PEEPPtp_ee (n=8) groups. The PEEPPtp_ee intervention could not be delivered in two patients. Subjects assigned to PEEPmaxCrs had lower ΔP (median8 cm H2O [7–10]), compared with the control group (12 cm H2O [10–15]; P=0.006). PEEPmaxCrs was also associated with higher Ptp_ee (2.0 cm H2O [-0.7 to 4.5] vs controls: -8.3 cm H2O [-13.0 to -4.0]; P≤0.001) and higher Crs (47.7 ml cm H2O [43.2–68.8] vs controls: 39.0 ml cm H2O [32.9–43.4]; P=0.009). Individualised PEEP (PEEPmaxCrs and PEEPPtp_ee combined) varied widely (median: 10 cm H2O [8-15]; CVPEEP=0.24 [0.14–0.35]), both between, and within, subjects throughout surgery. Conclusions This pilot study suggests that individualised PEEP management strategies applied during abdominal surgery reduce driving pressure, maintain positive Ptp_ee and increase static compliance. The wide range of PEEP observed suggests that an individualised approach is required to optimise respiratory mechanics during abdominal surgery. Clinical trial registration NCT02671721.
Transcriptional Profiling of Normal, Stenotic, and Regurgitant Human Aortic Valves

The genetic mechanisms underlying aortic stenosis (AS) and aortic insufficiency (AI) disease progression remain unclear. We hypothesized that normal aortic valves and those with AS or AI all exhibit unique transcriptional profiles. Normal control (NC) aortic valves were collected from non-matched donor hearts that were otherwise acceptable for transplantation (n = 5). Valves with AS or AI (n = 5, each) were collected from patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. High-throughput sequencing of total RNA revealed 6438 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for AS vs. NC, 4994 DEGs for AI vs. NC, and 2771 DEGs for AS vs. AI. Among 21 DEGs of interest, APCDD1L, CDH6, COL10A1, HBB, IBSP, KRT14, PLEKHS1, PRSS35, and TDO2 were upregulated in both AS and AI compared to NC, whereas ALDH1L1, EPHB1, GPX3, HIF3A, and KCNT1 were downregulated in both AS and AI (p < 0.05). COL11A1, H19, HIF1A, KCNJ6, PRND, and SPP1 were upregulated only in AS, and NPY was downregulated only in AS (p < 0.05). The functional network for AS clustered around ion regulation, immune regulation, and lipid homeostasis, and that for AI clustered around ERK1/2 regulation. Overall, we report transcriptional profiling data for normal human aortic valves from non-matched donor hearts that were acceptable for transplantation and demonstrated that valves with AS and AI possess unique genetic signatures. These data create a roadmap for the development of novel therapeutics to treat AS and AI.
Association of Midlife Cardiovascular Risk Factors With the Risk of Heart Failure Subtypes Later in Life.

Abstract Background Independent associations between cardiovascular risk factor exposures during midlife and later life development of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) versus reduced EF (HFrEF) have not been previously studied. Methods We pooled data from 4 US cohort studies (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, Cardiovascular Health, Health , Aging and Body Composition, and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) and imputed annual risk factor trajectories for body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose starting from age 40 years. Time-weighted average exposures to each risk factor during midlife and later life were calculated and analyzed for associations with the development of HFpEF or HFrEF. Results A total of 23,861 participants were included (mean age at first in-person visit, 61.8 ±1 0.2 years; 56.6% female). During a median follow-up of 12 years, there were 3666 incident HF events, of which 51% had EF measured, including 934 with HFpEF and 739 with HFrEF. A high midlife systolic blood pressure and low midlife high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with HFrEF, and a high midlife body mass index, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, and glucose were associated with HFpEF. After adjusting for later life exposures, only midlife pulse pressure remained independently associated with HFpEF. Conclusions Midlife exposure to cardiovascular risk factors are differentially associated with HFrEF and HFpEF later in life. Having a higher pulse pressure during midlife is associated with a greater risk for HFpEF but not HFrEF, independent of later life exposures.
Survey study of research integrity officers' perceptions of research practices associated with instances of research misconduct.

Research on research integrity has tended to focus on frequency of research misconduct and factors that might induce someone to commit research misconduct. A definitive answer to the first question has been elusive, but it remains clear that any research misconduct is too much. Answers to the second question are so diverse, it might be productive to ask a different question: What about how research is done allows research misconduct to occur? With that question in mind, research integrity officers (RIOs) of the 62 members of the American Association of Universities were invited to complete a brief survey about their most recent instance of a finding of research misconduct. Respondents were asked whether one or more good practices of research (e.g., openness and transparency, keeping good research records) were present in their case of research misconduct. Twenty-four (24) of the respondents (39% response rate) indicated they had dealt with at least one finding of research misconduct and answered the survey questions. Over half of these RIOs reported that their case of research misconduct had occurred in an environment in which at least nine of the ten listed good practices of research were deficient. These results are not evidence for a causal effect of poor practices, but it is arguable that committing research misconduct would be more difficult if not impossible in research environments adhering to good practices of research.
Automated small-scale radiopharmaceutical distribution analysis for patient bone biopsy based on histopathological and 223Ra autoradiographic images

529 Objectives: Alpha particles are drawing intense research and translational interest because of their potent cytotoxic effects and short path lengths. Analyzing the dose distribution for alpha therapy near the cell scale plays a key role in predicting the response of targeted radiotherapy, especially as the alpha particle path length is within the microscopic scale. Current small-scale dosimetry methods are predominately based upon idealized anatomical models. Yet, there are no direct on-tissue analytical methods for alpha emitter and dose distributions. To overcome these problems, we investigated bone biopsies from patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with 223Ra and we present an automated procedure to analyze radiopharmaceutical distribution using histopathological and autoradiographic images. Materials & Methods: Eight bone biopsies collected from four patients were sectioned and autoradiographic images were captured. The same sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and scanned by a bright field microscope. Next, patches were sampled from the CIELAB space images converted from the raw image and 127 statistical and texture features were extracted from these patches. K-means clustering was used from these features to segment the non-osseous tissues. To segment the bone surface, the spatial constraints between adjacent patches were considered and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier was trained based on the modified features. After segmentation, the histopathological and autoradiographic images were co-registered automatically based on their mutual information without the use of fiducial markers. Results & Discussion: We used 20 primary patient tissue slides to train the SVM classifier and another 60 slides to evaluate the segmentation results. Compared to standard SVM classifiers without spatial constraints, our results were more accurate and robust. Several performance measures were used to evaluate the results including precision, recall, dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and accuracy. The first three parameters could all reach approximately 0.95 and the accuracy reached above 0.98. The registration with in situ223Ra signal worked well across these two modalities without any manual operations because the high activity regions in the autoradiographic images are highly correlated to the bone surface in the histopathological images. Based on the results of segmentation and registration, small scale radiopharmaceutical distribution estimation and downstream analysis can be achieved. Conclusion: The procedure proposed is efficient and effective for automated local activity distribution analysis, which can overcome the shortcomings of the current methods. Next, we propose to do immunofluorescent protein specific staining to detect metastasis and correlate with radioisotope distribution. This work will enable further small scale dosimetric studies and the optimization of the therapy.
Pastoral Ministry in Unsettled Times: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Clergy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 and its associated restrictions around in-person gatherings have created unprecedented challenges for religious congregations and those who lead them. While several surveys have attempted to describe how pastors and congregations responded to COVID-19, these provide a relatively thin picture of how COVID-19 is impacting religious life. There is scant qualitative data describing the lived reality of religious leaders and communities during the pandemic. This paper provides a more detailed look at how pastors and congregations experienced and responded to COVID-19 and its associated restrictions in the early period of the pandemic. To do so, we draw from 26 in-depth interviews with church-appointed United Methodist pastors conducted between June and August 2020. Pastors were asked to describe how their ministry changed as a result of COVID-19 and interviews were analyzed using applied thematic analysis approaches to identify the most common emergent themes. Pastors reported that COVID-19 fundamentally unsettled routine ways of doing ministry. This disruption generated both challenges and opportunities for clergy and their congregations. In the findings, we describe how clergy responded in key areas of ministry–worship and pastoral care–and analyze how the pandemic is (re)shaping the way that clergy understood their role as pastors and envisioned the future of the Church. We argue for the value of examining the pandemic as an “unsettled” cultural period (Swidler 1986) in which religious leaders found creative ways to (re)do ministry in the context of social distancing. Rather than starting from scratch, we found that pastors drew from and modified existing symbolic and practical tools to fit pandemic-related constraints on religious life. Notably, however, we found that “redoing” ministry was easier and more effective in some areas (worship) than others (pastoral care). The impact of COVID-19 on pastors and congregations is complex and not fully captured by survey research. This study provides a baseline for investigating similarities and differences in the responses of pastors within and across denominations and traditions. It also provides a baseline for assessing whether changes in ministry implemented during the early stages of the pandemic remain in place in the post-COVID world.
A distinct association of inflammatory molecules with outcomes of COVID-19 in younger versus older adults.

Aging can alter immunity affecting host defense. COVID-19 has the most devastating clinical outcomes in older adults, raising the implication of immune aging in determining its severity and mortality. We investigated biological predictors for clinical outcomes in a dataset of 13,642 ambulatory and hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients, including younger (age < 65, n = 566) and older (age ≥ 65, n = 717) subjects, with in-depth analyses of inflammatory molecules, cytokines and comorbidities. Disease severity and mortality in younger and older adults were associated with discrete immune mechanisms, including predominant T cell activation in younger adults, as measured by increased soluble IL-2 receptor alpha, and increased IL-10 in older adults although both groups also had shared inflammatory processes, including acute phase reactants, contributing to clinical outcomes. These observations suggest that progression to severe disease and death in COVID-19 may proceed by different immunologic mechanisms in younger versus older subjects and introduce the possibility of age-based immune directed therapies.
Is Shylock Jewish?: Citing Scripture and the Moral Agency of Shakespeare's Jews

Is Shylock Jewish? studies Shakespeare's extensive use of stories from the Hebrew Bible in "The Merchant of Venice", and argues that Shylock and his daughter Jessica draw on recognizably Jewish ways of engaging with those narratives throughout the play.
Evaluation of trends in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Respiratory Support Practice for Very Low Birth Weight Infants: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objectives To characterize the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) over time and test the association of multi-level factors, including respiratory support, with the diagnosis of BPD. Study design This population-based cohort study included 40,268 infants born between 22 and 32 weeks of gestation at hospitals in California between 2008 and 2017. BPD diagnosis was based on respiratory support at 36 weeks post-menstrual age. Tests for linear trend and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results The rate of BPD was consistent year over year, and the mortality rate declined. The incidence of BPD was 23.5% for the overall cohort, and was 44.9% for less than 28 weeks gestational age and 45.2% for extremely low birth weight infants. For infants >26 weeks gestational age, the incidence of BPD for the most recent three years significantly decreased compared with vthe earlier three years (odds ratio (OR) 0.91). Invasive ventilation during delivery room resuscitation (OR 2.64) and after leaving the delivery room (OR 10.02) conferred the highest risk of BPD compared with oxygen or no respiratory support. Non-invasive ventilation as maximum respiratory support at 36 weeks increased by 20% over time. Conclusions Marked changes to non-invasive support care have occurred without an overall decline in BPD rates. Further research, quality improvement, and strategies in addition to non-invasive respiratory support are needed for reduction of BPD.