cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pretreatment biomarkers predicting PTSD psychotherapy outcomes: A systematic review

Although our understanding of the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), brain structure and function, neural networks, stress-related systems, and genetics is growing, there is considerably less attention given to which biological markers predict evidence-based PTSD psychotherapy outcomes. Our systematic PRISMA-informed review of 20 studies examined biomarkers as predictors of evidence-based PTSD psychotherapy outcomes. Results provide preliminary evidence that specific structural and functional neural systems (involved in information processing), glucocorticoid sensitivity and metabolism (part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the response to stress), heart rate (involved with fear habituation), gene methylation, and certain genotypes (associated with serotonin and glucocorticoids) predicted positive response to PTSD treatment. These pre-treatment biomarkers are associated with processes integral to PTSD treatment, such as those affecting fear learning and extinction, cognitive restructuring, information processing, emotional processing, and interoceptive monitoring. Identifying pre-treatment biomarkers that predict treatment response may offer insight into the mechanisms of psychological treatment, provide a foundation for improving the pharmaceutical augmentation of treatment, and inform treatment matching.
Visualization of stimulus-specific heterogeneous activation of individual vascular smooth muscle cells in aortic tissues

Intercellular communication among autonomic nerves, endothelial cells (ECs), and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays a central role in an uninterrupted regulation of blood flow through vascular contractile machinery. Impairment of this communication is linked to development of vascular diseases such as hypertension, cerebral/coronary vasospasms, aortic aneurism, and erectile dysfunction. Although the basic concept of the communication as a whole has been studied, the spatiotemporal correlation of ECs/VSMCs in tissues at the cellular level is unknown. Here, we show a unique VSMC response to ECs during contraction and relaxation of isolated aorta tissues through visualization of spatiotemporal activation patterns of smooth muscle myosin II. ECs in the intimal layer dictate the stimulus-specific heterogeneous activation pattern of myosin II in VSMCs within distinct medial layers. Myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation (active form of myosin II) gradually increases towards outer layers (approximately threefold higher MLC phosphorylation at the outermost layer than that of the innermost layer), presumably by release of an intercellular messenger, nitric oxide (NO). Our study also demonstrates that the MLC phosphorylation at the outermost layer in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) during NO-induced relaxation is quite high and approximately 10-fold higher than that of its counterpart, the Wister-Kyoto rats (WKY), suggesting that the distinct pattern of myosin II activation within tissues is important for vascular protection against elevated blood pressure.
Analysis of macrophage differentiation and function with monoclonal antibodies.

A large number of anti-mouse and anti-human macrophage/monocyte monoclonal antibodies (MAb) have recently been obtained that are proving invaluable reagents of extraordinary specificity for the study of macrophage differentiation, function, and surface antigen structure. This chapter summarizes information on such MAb reported up to February 1983 in tabular form, and then concentrates in more detail on antigens characterized by the authors and their collaborators.
Determination of structural state of calcic plagioclases by an X-ray powder technique

B(20o1t - 20<zot)v ersusI (2d1131{1 2|pzo't - 4gcrartf)o r calcic plagioclasesd eterminedf rom X-ray powder data distinguishesa mong structural statesa nd provides a rough estimateo f plagioclase composition. A linear relationship betweenB and I for plagioclaseso f a particular structural state is related to the apparent linear relationships between p* and composition 7* and composition for these feldspars.
A Tale of Two Chancellors: Machiavelli, Celālzāde Muṣṭafā and Connected Political Cultures in the Cinquecento/the Hijri Tenth Century

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) and Celālzāde Muṣṭafā (ca. 1490–1567) lived in different geographies, and wrote within distinct political and cultural traditions; still, their works display several commensurable features that warrant a connected and contextual reading. Seen within two separate registers that usually govern the interpretation of their works, one Eurocentric, and the other Orientalist/Ottomanist, the figures of Machiavelli and Muṣṭafā seem utterly irreconcilable. Seen outside the confines of these two registers, however, as two individuals who reacted similarly to political and cultural developments across early modern Eurasia, Machiavelli and Muṣṭafā’s works may be read as variations on similar themes. These include the relationship between morality and politics, the rise of new dynastic powers, the role of secretaries and other intermediate groups within this new environment, and the function of history writing. A joint reading of their works allows us to discuss the political and cultural dynamics that tied together early modern Eurasia, despite linguistic and religious difference and geographic distance.
The Role of Perception in Timing: Feedback Control in Motor Programming and Task Dynamics

The source of temporal order in human motor behavior is currently the subject of a debate between the advocates of two principal approaches, the motor programming approach and the task-dynamic approach (Meijer and Roth, 1988). Advocates of motor programming argue that timing is determined by a neural program that imposes temporal order on the components of the motor system (Gielen, 1991; Keele, Cohen, and Ivry, 1990; Schmidt, 1988; Viviani and Laissard, 1979). Advocates of the task-dynamic approach argue that timing is determined by a task specific dynamic assembled through interaction among various components of a perception/action system. The components of this system include the nervous system, the muscles, tendons, and joints, as well as circulatory and environmental elements (Beek, 1989; Bingham, 1988; Kelso and Kay, 1986; Kugler and Turvey, 1987). Although the two approaches differ in many respects, the key difference is in the relative importance assigned to perception in modifying ongoing actions.
Functional Adaptation and Homeostasis of Bone, Tendons and Ligaments

In the musculoskeletal system, connective tissues, such as cortical and cancellous bones, tendons and ligaments, are comparatively inert. The existence of stress and motion homeostatic responses of these tissues has been recognized only in recent years. Atrophy and a decrease in strength of smaller bones following physical disuse has been documented first by Allison and Brooks (1) and later by others (2-4). Recently, Klein, et al (5) showed significant reduction in both the content and mass of collagen and mineral in the adult canine humeri following disuse. Uhthoff and Jaworski (6) found profound losses of the periosteal envelope of bones from young adult dogs after “non-traumatic” immobilization, but later showed that disuse atrophy for older dogs came from the endosteal envelope. Akeson, et al (7,8) are credited to be the first to demonstrate significant quantitative reduction of water and glycosaminoglycans in tendons and ligaments following immobilization of the animals’ knee. More recently, these authors documented increases in collagen cross-linking in these tissues (9). Biomechanical changes of joint mechanics and bone properties secondary to immobilization have been further studied by several groups of investigators (10-14), as well as by our laboratory (15).
Cascading speciation among mutualists and antagonists in a tree-beetle-fungi interaction.

Cascading speciation is predicted to occur when multiple interacting species diverge in parallel as a result of divergence in one species promoting adaptive differentiation in other species. However, there are few examples where ecological interactions among taxa have been shown to result in speciation that cascades across multiple trophic levels. Here, we test for cascading speciation occurring among the western pine beetle ( Dendroctonus brevicomis ), its primary host tree ( Pinus ponderosa ), and the beetle9s fungal mutualists ( Ceratocystiopsis brevicomi and Entomocorticium sp. B). We assembled genomes for the beetle and a fungal symbiont and then generated reduced representation genomic data (RADseq) from range-wide samples of these three interacting species. Combined with published data for the host tree, we present clear evidence that the tree, the beetle, and the fungal symbionts are all genetically structured into at least two distinct groups that have strongly codiverged with geographical isolation. We then combine our genomic results with diverse population and laboratory-based data to show evidence for reproductive isolation at each level of the cascade and for coevolution of both antagonistic and mutualistic species interactions within this complex network.
The Origins of Research on Thermophiles

Thermophiles are defined as organisms that can reproduce at high temperatures. How high a temperature? This depends on the group of organisms under consideration. Table 1 illustrates the upper temperature limits for various groups of organisms, as determined by observations in natural habitats. The upper temperature limits for multicellular organisms are much lower than those for unicellular organisms, and the upper limits for eukaryotes are much lower than for prokaryotes. Among the prokaryotes, Archaea have higher upper limits than bacteria (a few Archaea can live at temperatures above that of boiling water). However, within each major group of organisms, only a few members can live at the upper temperature limit.
The Resolution of Zeno’s Metrical Paradox of Extension for the Mathematical Continua of Space and Time

It is a commonplace in the analytic geometry of physical space and time that an extended straight line segment, having positive length, is treated as “consisting of” unextended points, each of which has zero length. Analogously, time intervals of positive duration are resolved into instants, each of which has zero duration.
Duplex Scanning of the Extracranial Carotid Arteries

A complete extracranial carotid duplex examination should include the following data: the peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities of common carotid, internal carotid, and external carotid arteries, right and left subclavian arteries, and vertebral arteries; the internal carotid artery to common carotid artery peak systolic velocity ratio; flow direction of the vertebral artery (antegrade or retrograde); analysis of the Doppler spectral waveform of the examined vessels; and the presence or absence of plaque and description of its morphology.
The Functional Utilization of Propulsive Capacity During Human Walking.

Aging and many gait pathologies are characterized by reduced propulsive forces and ankle moment and power generation during trailing leg push-off in walking. Despite those changes, we posit that many individuals retain an underutilized reserve for enhancing push-off intensity during walking that may be missed using conventional dynamometry. By using a maximum ramped impeding force protocol and maximum speed walking, we gained mechanistic insight into the factors that govern push-off intensity and the available capacity thereof during walking in young subjects. We discovered in part that young subjects walking at their preferred speed retain a reserve capacity for exerting larger propulsive forces of 49%, peak ankle power of 43%, and peak ankle moment of 22% during push-off - the latter overlooked by maximum isometric dynamometry. We also provide evidence that these reserve capacities are governed at least in part by the neuromechanical behavior of the plantarflexor muscles, at least with regard to ankle moment generation. We envision that a similar paradigm used to quantify propulsive reserves in older adults or people with gait pathology would empower the more discriminate and personalized prescription of gait interventions seeking to improve push-off intensity and thus walking performance.
Performance of Electronic Prediction Rules for Prevalent Delirium at Hospital Admission

Importance Delirium at admission is associated with increased hospital morbidity and mortality, but it may be missed in up to 70% of cases. Use of a predictive algorithm in an electronic medical record (EMR) system could provide critical information to target assessment of those with delirium at admission. Objectives To develop and assess a prediction rule for delirium using 2 populations of veterans and compare this rule with previously confirmed rules. Design, Setting, and Participants In a diagnostic study, randomly selected EMRs of hospitalized veterans from the Veterans Affairs (VA) External Peer Review Program at 118 VA medical centers with inpatient facilities were reviewed for delirium risk factors associated with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) delirium rule in a derivation cohort (October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013) and a confirmation cohort (October 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014). Delirium within 24 hours of admission was identified using key word terms. A total of 39 377 veterans 65 years or older who were admitted to a VA medical center for congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, community-acquired pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included in the study. Exposure The EMR calculated delirium risk. Main Outcomes and Measures Delirium at admission as identified by trained nurse reviewers was the main outcome measure. Random forest methods were used to identify accurate risk factors for prevalent delirium. A prediction rule for prevalent delirium was developed, and its diagnostic accuracy was tested in the confirmation cohort. This consolidated NICE rule was compared with previously confirmed scoring algorithms (electronic NICE and Pendlebury NICE). Results A total of 27 625 patients were included in the derivation cohort (28 118 [92.2%] male; mean [SD] age, 75.95 [8.61] years) and 11 752 in the confirmation cohort (11 536 [98.2%] male; mean [SD] age, 75.43 [8.55] years). Delirium at admission was identified in 2343 patients (8.5%) in the derivation cohort and 882 patients (7.0%) in the confirmation cohort. Modeling techniques identified cognitive impairment, infection, sodium level, and age of 80 years or older as the dominant risk factors. The consolidated NICE rule (area under the receiver operating characteristic [AUROC] curve, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.91-0.92;P Conclusions and Relevance This analysis identified preexisting cognitive impairment, infection, sodium level, and age of 80 years or older as delirium screening targets. Use of this algorithm in an EMR system could direct clinical assessment efforts to patients with delirium at admission.
The Synthesis of Biblical and Operatic Styles in Handel’s Jephtha

The oratorio Jephtha by Handel and librettist Thomas Morell is often singled out by critics for its power and spiritual depth, although it is difficult to say exactly how it achieves this quality. ...
Recommendations for Fall-Related Injury Prevention: A 1-Year Review of Fall-Related Root Cause Analyses in the Veterans Health Administration.

Background Injurious falls continue to challenge health care. Causes of serious falls from the largest health care system in the United States can direct future prevention efforts. Purpose This article analyzes injurious falls in the Veterans Health Administration and provides generalizable recommended actions to prevent future events. Methods We categorized root cause analysis (RCA) reports and coded injury type, fall type, location, and root causes. We describe interventions during the fall and provide resources for future prevention. Results There were 154 reported fall RCAs during this time. Most (83%, n = 128) resulted in major injury: hip fractures (43%, n = 66), other fractures (25%, n = 38), and head injury (16%, n = 24). Most falls were unwitnessed (75%, n = 116). Conclusions Patients who fell were not wearing hip or head protection. Most falls were unwitnessed, and none were on 1:1 observation. Such interventions may help prevent future injurious falls.
Biomechanical Comparison of Two Conical Coupling Plate Constructs for Cat Tibial Fracture Stabilization.

Objective This study aimed to compare the biomechanical characteristics of two conical coupling plate (CCP) constructs in an ex vivo feline tibial fracture gap model. Study Design Paired tibiae harvested from eight recently euthanatized cats were alternately assigned to one of two stabilization groups. One tibia was stabilized with a standard, 6-hole, 2.5-mm CCP and the contralateral tibia was stabilized with a 6-hole, 2.5-mm prototype CCP (pCCP). Non-destructive cyclic four-point craniocaudal bending, mediolateral bending and axial compression testing were performed, and stiffness was recorded. The specimens were then loaded to failure in axial compression, and yield and failure loads were recorded. Results During non-destructive testing, the pCCP constructs were significantly stiffer than the CCP constructs in both modes of bending and axial loading. Both constructs demonstrated significantly greater craniocaudal bending stiffness compared with mediolateral bending. Yield load and failure load were significantly greater for the pCCP constructs. Conclusion The augmented design of the pCCP yielded superior mechanical characteristics during both non-destructive and destructive testings compared with constructs employing standard CCP. The more rigid design of the pCCP suggests that this implant may be better at withstanding greater loads, particularly when applied in a bridging fashion, during the postoperative convalescence. Further investigations are warranted to prospectively evaluate the clinical performance of the pCCP.
Numerical evaluation of hydrogen outgassing from copper electrodes with mitigation based on a tungsten capping layer

Outgassing remains a pertinent issue for high power applications and is exacerbated by the high field driven, localized heating environments commonly encountered. Here, molecular dynamics simulations are performed for a simple model-based assessment of outgassing from electrodes. Our results of temperature dependent diffusion coefficients for hydrogen in copper agree well with experimental reports over a wide range spanning 300 K to 1330 K. Separate results are also obtained for transport of hydrogen to ascertain whether a grain-boundary would facilitate channeled transport or work to impede flow by clustering the gas atoms. Finally, the use of a tungsten overlayer on copper is evaluated as a material-based strategy for mitigating outgassing. It is demonstrated that a few monolayers of tungsten coating on the outer surface can be effective in significantly reducing outdiffusion at 700 K.
A robot made of robots: Emergent transport and control of a smarticle ensemble

Robot locomotion is typically generated by coordinated integration of single-purpose components, like actuators, sensors, body segments, and limbs. We posit that certain future robots could self-propel using systems in which a delineation of components and their interactions is not so clear, becoming robust and flexible entities composed of functional components that are redundant and generic and can interact stochastically. Control of such a collective becomes a challenge because synthesis techniques typically assume known input-output relationships. To discover principles by which such future robots can be built and controlled, we study a model robophysical system: planar ensembles of periodically deforming smart, active particles—smarticles. When enclosed, these individually immotile robots could collectively diffuse via stochastic mechanical interactions. We show experimentally and theoretically that directed drift of such a supersmarticle could be achieved via inactivation of individual smarticles and used this phenomenon to generate endogenous phototaxis. By numerically modeling the relationship between smarticle activity and transport, we elucidated the role of smarticle deactivation on supersmarticle dynamics from little data—a single experimental trial. From this mapping, we demonstrate that the supersmarticle could be exogenously steered anywhere in the plane, expanding supersmarticle capabilities while simultaneously enabling decentralized closed-loop control. We suggest that the smarticle model system may aid discovery of principles by which a class of future “stochastic” robots can rely on collective internal mechanical interactions to perform tasks.
How the West will be won: using Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the effects of NHL realignment

The NHL has realigned its conferences and divi- sions, and starting with the 2013-2014 season the Eastern Conference features 16 teams and the Western Conference features 14. Yet because there are eight playoff spots avail- able in both conferences, teams in the West have a 57% probability of making the playoffs, compared to just 50% for teams in the East. As a result we should expect that, on average, the last team to make the playoffs in the West will have a worse record than the last playoff team in the East. We call the difference in points earned by the 8th seed in each conference the "conference gap." The purpose of this paper is to estimate the expected size of the conference gap under the new alignment. Using tens of thousands of simu- lated seasons, we demonstrate that the conference gap will be, on average, 2.74 points, meaning that Eastern Confer- ence teams hoping to make the playoffs will have to win 1-2 games more than Western Conference playoff-hopefuls. We also show the 9th place team in the Eastern Conference has a better record than the 8th place Western team twice as often as the 9th best Western team has a better record than the East's 8th best. Our findings inform questions about competitive balance and equity in the NHL.
Determining bandgap of black phosphorus using capacitance

The bandgap of black phosphorus is widely tunable, depending on the number of layers, external electric field, and strain. Since the bandgap of black phosphorus is very narrow, it is difficult to measure using standard photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy in the visible range. In this paper, we propose a method to extract the bandgap of black phosphorus using capacitance measured at various temperatures and frequencies. From the transition frequency or transition temperature, where C–V changes from high-frequency to low-frequency behavior, we can extract the bandgap information. Using this method, we extracted the bandgap of black phosphorus with a thickness of 50 nm to be 0.30 eV. For comparison, we also extracted the bandgap of black phosphorus using minimum conductance and threshold voltage methods, and the results are consistent with those of the C–V method. This C–V method can overcome the wavelength limitation of the photoluminescence measurement and spatial resolution limitation of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Another advantage of this C–V method is that the extracted bandgap is unaffected by the contact resistance and device area, making it reliable and convenient in determining the bandgap of narrow bandgap materials.
Application of magnetic stimulation in respiratory diseases

Magnetic stimulation is a useful non-invasive method to stimulate the central and peripheral nervous system. The application of magnetic stimulation has allowed non-volitional evaluation of the pathophysiological function of the motor cortex,phrenic nerves and the respiratory muscles. With magnetic stimulation central fatigue can be distinguished from peripheral muscle fatigue. Recent studies have shown the potential application of functional magnetic stimulation for conditioning of respiratory muscles of patients in the intensive care units. This article describes diagnostic and therapeutic values of magnetic stimulation in pulmonary and critical care medicine and emphasizes the potential areas of research interests in this field. Key words: Respiratory center; Diaphragm; Compound muscle action potentials; Transdiaphragmatic pressure; Respiratory muscle training
Nanodroplet-Mediated Intravascular Sonothrombolysis: Cavitation Study

Nanodroplets mediated sonothrombolysis has the potential to improve thrombolytic outcomes and minimize the need for thrombolytic drugs. Our group has developed a forward-viewing intravascular transducer which can perform contrast agent mediated sonothrombolysis. Most applications of nanodroplets mediated sonothrombolysis are applied by an external transducer, which cannot access locations blocked by bones or gassy organs, thus greatly limiting its usage. The purpose of our study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using nanodroplets with our small aperture intravascular transducers, which would allow access to a wide range of locations. Passive cavitation detection was performed to determine the minimum peak negative pressure output necessary for nanodroplet mediated sonothrombolysis and initial clot lysis tests were performed. The stable cavitation dose increased with increasing peak negative pressure output, with there being a higher stable cavitation dose at 0.9 MPa and 1.2 MPa compared to controls. The inertial cavitation dose was higher at 0.6 and 0.9 MPa compared to the control group. In our proof-of-concept demonstration, nanodroplets mediated sonothrombolysis presented a mass decrease of 55 ± 1% compared to 29 ± 6% for the control group (p=0.02). We demonstrated that it was feasible to deliver nanodroplet mediated sonothrombolysis using the small aperture intravascular transducers.
Anti-Smoking Media Campaigns and Disparities in Smoking Cessation in the United States, 2001-2015.

Purpose:To evaluate sociodemographic differences in the relationship between state and national anti-smoking media campaigns and cessation behaviors among adult smokers in the U.S.Design:Repeated c...
Tiempo y ficción

I am interested in examining in a partial way -or perhaps too generally- and, even more, from a fictional perspective, the course of acute social dilemmas in a set of Chilean novels written since the 19th century. I attempt to think how and how much social pacts, places, the configuration of the elites and political powers have been modified in the 21st century. In fact, the main question of this essay is temporality and its capacity for social renewal. Or whether certain temporalities keep the same structures of domination overlapped, overlapped or wrapped in new discursive parameters.
Metacognitive Labeling of Contentious Claims: Facts, Opinions, and Conspiracy Theories

Congenial information is often judged to be more valid than uncongenial (but otherwise equivalent) information. The present research explores a related possibility concerning the process by which people label a claim as fundamentally factual (open to proof or disproof) or opinion (a matter of personal preference not amenable to falsification). Rather than merely being more skeptical of uncongenial claims, uncongenial claims may be metacognitively categorized as more opinion than factual, while congenial claims may be more likely to be categorized as factual. The two studies reported here attempt to trace a preliminary outline of how claims are categorized as fact, opinion, or some mix of the two in the context of mundane claims, contentious political issues, and conspiracy theories. The findings suggest that claims are more likely to be labeled factual (and, to a lesser extent, are less likely to be labeled opinion) to the extent that one subjectively agrees with the content of the claim. Conspiracy theories appear to occupy a middle-ground between fact and opinion. This metacognitive approach may help shed light on popular debate about conspiracy theories, as well as seemingly intractable political disagreements more generally, which may reflect fundamental differences in the perceived epistemic foundations of claims rather than simple disagreement over the facts of the matter. Given limitations of the stimuli and participant samples, however, it remains to be seen how generalizable these findings are.
Case 47. Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm presenting with deep purple nodules

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare, aggressive hematologic malignancy primarily in elderly males. Almost all patients present with cutaneous tumors characterized by purpuric hue secondary to thrombocytopenia. Lymphadenopathy and pancytopenia are noted to have varying degrees, and CNS involvement is seen in up to 30% of cases. BPDCN arises from plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Those are large cells typically positive for CD4, CD56, BDCA-2, CD123, and TCL1 and negative for markers of myeloid, T-lymphoid, B-lymphoid, or monocyte lineage. Up to 10–20% of patients with BPDCN have a concurrent history of hematologic malignancy, including myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia. BPDCN often undergoes a leukemic transformation with a median survival of less than 1 year. A new subset of skin-limited BPDCN with an excellent prognosis was recently defined; however, it is not clear which patient will remain to have a skin-limited disease since cases of metastatic spread after a presentation with an isolated cutaneous nodule were also described.
Domain size effects on particle microstructures settling in non-Stokes regime

Monodisperse particles in settling is studied using particle resolved direct numerical simulations. Inter particle and fluid interactions are modeled using immersed boundary method and inter-particle interactions are modeled using soft sphere discrete element method. It is observed both velocity fluctuations and particle microstructures can be affected by size of domain for smaller settling Reynolds number and volume fraction of particles. For finite settling Reynolds number of particles $({\mathrm Re}\geq 10)$ ; the variance of fluctuations of particles velocity saturates at some constant value by increasing the domain size due to wake-induced interactions between particles.
Thyrotoxicosis: a rare presentation of molar pregnancy.

A 49-year-old woman, G8P7, presented with 1 week of worsening vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramps in the setting of a recently discovered unplanned pregnancy. Vaginal ultrasound findings and a significantly elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level were concerning for molar pregnancy. She developed signs of hyperthyroidism on the night of admission, for which the endocrinology team was consulted. Laboratory data were consistent with hyperthyroidism. The patient was believed to have thyrotoxicosis secondary to molar pregnancy with concern for impending thyroid storm. Her mental health disorder and bacteraemia made taking care of her further challenging. She was started on a beta-blocker, antithyroid agent and intravenous corticosteroids. She underwent an uncomplicated suction dilation and curettage (D&C), with resolution of her symptoms a few days after. At a follow-up appointment, the patient continued to be asymptomatic and was feeling well.
Observation of a marginal Fermi glass

A long-standing open problem in condensed-matter physics is whether or not a strongly disordered interacting insulator can be mapped to a system of effectively non-interacting localized excitations. Using terahertz two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy, we investigate this issue in phosphorus-doped silicon, a classic example of a correlated disordered electron system in three dimensions. Despite the intrinsically disordered nature of these materials, we observe coherent excitations and strong photon echoes that provide us with a powerful method for the study of their decay processes. We extract the energy relaxation and decoherence rates close to the metal–insulator transition. We observe that both rates are linear in excitation frequency with a slope close to unity. The energy relaxation timescale counterintuitively increases with increasing temperature, and the coherence relaxation timescale has little temperature dependence below 25 K, but increases as the material is doped towards the metal–insulator transition. Here we argue that these features imply that the system behaves as a well-isolated electronic system on the timescales of interest, and relaxation is controlled by electron–electron interactions. Our observations constitute a distinct phenomenology, driven by the interplay of strong disorder and strong electron–electron interactions, which we dub the marginal Fermi glass. The combination of disorder and strong interactions makes it hard to understand the nature of doped silicon’s insulating phase. State-of-the-art spectroscopy measurements show marginal electronic behaviour reminiscent of what is seen in the cuprates.
Body-Force Stresses in Gravity Structures

ELASTIC WEDGE THEORY IS INVESTIGATED TO SHOW THAT THE ACCEPTED ANALYTIC SOLUTION FOR BODY-FORCE STRESSES CURRENTLY USED FOR MASONRY STRUCTURES IS NOT VALID FOR THE BROAD SHAPES OF SOIL MECHANICS SUCH AS EARTH DAMS AND SLOPES, DUE TO INCOMPLETE SPECIFICATION OF BOUNDARY CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, WITH AN EXPERIMENTAL METHOD USING PHOTOELASTIC GELATIN MODELS, THE ELASTIC SOLUTION FOR A FINITE VERTICAL CUT WAS VERIFIED AND MAXIMUM SHEARING STRESSES AND PRINCIPAL STRESS TRAJECTORIES DETERMINED FOR THE SPECIFIC EARTH DAM AND 45 DEGREE SLOPE PROFILES TESTED. THE IMPLICATION FROM THESE RESULTS THAT THE ELASTICITY APPROACH IS MORE APPLICABLE TO THESE SHAPES THAN THERETOFORE RECOGNIZED IS DISCUSSED. /ASCE/
Minimum Energy Magnetic Fields with Toroidal Topology

Consider a flux tube initially constructed in an incompressible perfectly conducting fluid around an arbitrary knot K in a standard way such that the total helicity is prescribed; the minimum energy of the flux tube is then determined (in principle) solely by the topology of K. In this paper we restrict attention to axisymmetric configurations, so that K is a circle. The functional relationship between minimum energy (in axisymmetric relaxed states) and helicity is determined via a variational principle approach. The result is confirmed by considering the scaling properties of the Grad-Shafranov equation. We discuss briefly how this result is modified when non-axisymmetric equilibrium states are allowed.
In Search of the Diabolical Disconnect

Although you can't see something that isn't there, you can perceive the powerful effects of its nonexistence. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/vahyX-lM9AI is an audio recording of author David Alan Grier expanding on his Errant Hashtag column, in which he talks about the lack of connection that can exist between two people or organizations.
Object detection and recognition in a multiresolution representation

The authors discuss the detection and recognition of visual objects. They deal with recognizing objects in natural scenes. Two assumptions are vital in the whole process: that the object representation is equivalent to some 2D function, and that the stability and sensitivity of the representation are preserved and are of equal importance. A truncated multiresolution pyramid neural net is used. >
Federated Searching Interface Techniques for Heterogeneous OAI Repositories

Federating repositories by harvesting heterogeneous collections with varying degrees of metadata richness poses a number of challenging issues: (1) how to address the lack of uniform control for various metadata fields in terms of building a rich unified search interface, and (2) how easily new collections and freshly harvested data in existing repositories can be incorporated into the federation supporting a unified interface? This paper focuses on the approaches taken to address these issues in Arc, an Open Archives Initiative-compliant federated digital library. At present Arc contains over 1M metadata records from 75 data providers from various subject domains. Analysis of these heterogeneous collections indicates that controlled vocabularies and values are widely used in most repositories. Usage is extremely variable, however. In Arc we solve the problem by implementing an advanced searching interface that allows users to search and select in specific fields with data we construct from the harvested metadata, and also by an interactive search for the subject field. As the metadata records are incrementally harvested we address how to build these services over frequently-added new collections and harvested data. The initial result is promising, showing the benefits of immediate feedback to the user in enhancing the search experience as well as in increasing the precision of the user's search.
Ionic Channels as Natural Nanodevices

Ion channels are proteins with a hole down their middle important in a wide range of biological functions yet simple enough to be analyzed as devices in the engineering tradition.
Social security coverage in Latin America

For almost a decade, the debate on social security in the region has revolved around the diversification of risks, macroeconomic effects of the systems, and private sector participation in their management. Now, however, many analysts are starting to focus on the issue of coverage. The debate on social security coverage has been complicated by a lack of consistent quantitative information that would allow for rigorous comparisons of different countries and different periods. Although many recently published articles and opinions include statistics, their sources and methodology are not always clear. For that reason, the publication of coverage information in a significant number of the region's countries, calculated simultaneously and based on similar data, makes an important contribution to clarifying the debate and developing specific policy proposals. This document is a first step in that direction. It presents coverage indicators and their determinants for seventeen countries of Latin America, based on Household Surveys. The information is not perfect, given problems of comparability among instruments and systems, as well as difficulties for precisely capturing the characteristics sought in the survey data. Consequently, the authors consider this document to be a first step in a collective information evaluation process, understanding that the results may be adjusted in future reviews.
Influence of TRPV1 and/or TRPV4 receptors on osmoregulatory thirst in mice (683.2)

Recent in vitro studies suggest that hypothalamic osmolality-sensing is mediated by either the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) or vanilloid-4 (TRPV4) channel expressed by neurons i...
Influence of the spatial coherence of the background noise on high resolution passive methods

Research directed towards the improvement of underwater passive listening technique has led to powerful methods but which require the knowledge of the spatial coherences of the sources and of the background noise. They are sensitive to the shape of the wavefront of the signals from the sources. But they are also sensitive to the spatial coherence of the background noise : this is shown in this paper in particular for the method of the indentification of the components of the noisefield from the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the spectral density matrix of the signals received on the array.
The Respect for Bill Reid Pole

The Respect for Bill Reid Pole. An online exhibition of the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia and the Virtual Museum of Canada. ALDONAJONAITIS
Familial clustering of Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata: an unknown genetic syndrome?

Background Leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (LPD) is defined as the occurrence of multiple tumorous intraabdominal lesions, which are myomatous nodules. LPD is a rare disease with only about 100 cases reported. The usual course of LPD is benign with the majority of the patients being premenopausal females. Only two cases involving men have been reported, no syndrome or familial occurrence of LPD has been described.
Extravascular localization of albumin and IgG in normal tonic and phasic muscles of the rat

Interstitial space localizations of albumin and IgG by sensitive immunohistochemical methods have reaffirmed that many large molecular weight proteins exit the vascular system and pass into the interstitial spaces between skeletal muscle fibres. Extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles were found to contain native albumin and IgG and perhaps other serum proteins such as complement C3 or fibrinogen. In addition, IgG content was observed to increase with age but both the locale and apparent concentrations of the other molecules remained unchanged.
Effects of fertilization and irrigation on yield and potassium content of alfalfa and on available soil potassium

Abstract Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) yields were determined for five years on Davidson clay loam at Orange, Virginia. The effects of irrigation and K application on the yield and chemical composition of alfalfa and on the available soil K content were determined. Seven rates of K were applied annually. The available K content of the 0‐to 15‐cm soil depth gradually decreased on irrigated and non‐irrigated plots when 0, 93, and 186 kg K/ha were applied. Available soil K increased over 100% when 556 kg K/ha was applied. Possibly because of leaching, the decrease in available soil K in the 0‐to 15‐cm depth of plots treated with 0 and 93 kg K/ha was slightly greater on irrigated than on non‐irrigated plots. Where K was applied, considerably more available K was present in 1973 in the profile of irrigated plots than in non‐irrigated plots. The K concentration of the alfalfa was unaffected by irrigation but was increased with added K during the last three years. Alfalfa yields were increased each year with irrigat...
Biophysical Characterization of the FtsL/B Subcomplex of the Bacterial Divisom

Cell division in the gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli is carried out through the cooperative assembly of at least 10 required proteins, known as the divisome. Few divisome proteins have described functions, and the structural details of their interactions are still primitive. The focus of this study is the structural characterization of two proteins that interact independent of other divisome components; FtsL and FtsB. Both proteins contain a small cytoplasmic tail, a single-pass transmembrane domain (TMD), and a predicted coiled-coil domain (CCD). We are also structurally characterizing the homologs of FtsL and FtsB, FtsL and DivIC, respectively, in Bacillus subtilis, the gram-positive model system of bacteria.The sequences of FtsL and FtsB are not highly conserved, but similar proteins are present in other bacterial species. FtsL and FtsB rapidly degrade in the absence of one another in vivo, so their interaction is a possible regulation point in division. Additionally, the stability of FtsL and DivIC is predicted to be important for guarding against transmembrane proteolysis. Here, we present a detailed structural characterization done through the use of use of in vitro biophysical interaction assays, in vivo screening methods, and computational modeling. Due to the difficult nature of studying integral membrane proteins, we have dissected FtsL and FtsB into their separate domains and performed biophysical interaction assays to determine how the domains work together to interact in vitro. Our combinatorial approach will provide a basis for functional hypotheses of these proteins in vivo, significantly improving our understanding of bacterial cell division.
Genome-wide features of neuroendocrine regulation in Drosophila by the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor DIMMED

Neuroendocrine (NE) cells use large dense core vesicles (LDCVs) to traffic, process, store and secrete neuropeptide hormones through the regulated secretory pathway. The dimmed (DIMM) basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor of Drosophila controls the level of regulated secretory activity in NE cells. To pursue its mechanisms, we have performed two independent genome-wide analyses of DIMM's activities: (i) in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to define genomic sites of DIMM occupancy and (ii) deep sequencing of purified DIMM neurons to characterize their transcriptional profile. By this combined approach, we showed that DIMM binds to conserved E-boxes in enhancers of 212 genes whose expression is enriched in DIMM-expressing NE cells. DIMM binds preferentially to certain E-boxes within first introns of specific gene isoforms. Statistical machine learning revealed that flanking regions of putative DIMM binding sites contribute to its DNA binding specificity. DIMM's transcriptional repertoire features at least 20 LDCV constituents. In addition, DIMM notably targets the pro-secretory transcription factor, creb-A, but significantly, DIMM does not target any neuropeptide genes. DIMM therefore prescribes the scale of secretory activity in NE neurons, by a systematic control of both proximal and distal points in the regulated secretory pathway.
Viscoelasticity of concentrated isotropic solutions of semiflexible polymers. 2. Linear response

Linear rheological properties of tightly-entangled isotropic solutions of semi-flexible polymers are calculated using a tube model, and qualitative predictions are given for the response of more dilute solutions. The linear complex modulus of a solution of long, tightly-entangled chains is dominated at low frequencies by a curvature contribution, analogous to the elastic stress of entangled flexible chains, that relaxes by reptation and gives rise to a broad elastic plateau. The modulus is dominated at higher frequencies by a larger tension contribution, whose frequency dependence is controlled at intermediate frequencies by the diffusion of excess length along the tube and at very high frequencies by the unhindered transverse motion of the chain within the tube. This high-frequency regime yields a complex modulus that varies as G*(ω) ∝ (iω)3/4 with frequency ω. Solutions of shorter, rod-like chains also exhibit a slowly-decaying orientational contribution analogous to the elastic stress found in solution...
ISOLATION OF V79 FIBROBLAST CELL LINES CONTAINING ELEVATED METALLOTHIONEIN LEVELS THAT HAVE INCREASED RESISTANCE TO THE CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF ULTRAVIOLET-A RADIATION

Isolated clones of V79 Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts, selected for resistance against cadmium toxicity, were exposed to monochromatic 365 nm ultraviolet-A (UVA; 320 nm to visible light) radiation and examined for cell survival. All three of the Cd-resistant V79 clones (V79Cd) tested exhibited significant increases in survival after irradiation compared with control cultures similar to the increased survival observed in Zn acetate-induced V79 cells. Dose-modifying factors calculated for these survival experiments were all approximately 1.5. When characterized for steady-state levels of metallothionein (MT) mRNA and associated Cd-binding activity, all of the Cd-resistant V79Cd clones demonstrated elevated constitutive levels of both, implicating MT as the mechanism responsible for the observed cellular resistance to Cd and also to 365 nm UVA radiation. However, whereas levels of intracellular MT protein correlated with differences in survival against Cd, MT intracellular levels did not correlate well with protection against 365 nm UVA. Increased cell survival after exposure to 365 nm UVA radiation mediated by MT appeared to reach a threshold level and MT only provided a limited degree of protection. Since UVA radiation is known to cause cell death mediated through the intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), these results suggest that the role of MT in ameliorating cellular photooxidative damage produced by UVA is by reducing intracellular ROS.