cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recruited monocytes modulate malaria-induced lung injury through CD36-mediated clearance of sequestered infected erythrocytes

Pulmonary complications occur in a significant percentage of adults and children during the course of severe malaria. The cellular and molecular innate immune mechanisms that limit the extent of pulmonary inflammation and preserve lung function during severe Plasmodium infections remain unclear. In particular, the contributions to pulmonary complications by parasitized erythrocyte sequestration and subsequent clearance from the lung microvasculature by immune cells have not been clearly defined. We used the Plasmodium berghei ANKA-C57BL/6 mouse model of severe malaria to investigate the mechanisms governing the nature and extent of malaria-associated lung injury. We have demonstrated that sequestration of infected erythrocytes on postcapillary endothelial surfaces results in acute lung injury and the rapid recruitment of CCR2(+)CD11b(+)Ly6C(hi) monocytes from the circulation. These recruited cells remain in the lungs as monocyte-derived macrophages and are instrumental in the phagocytic clearance of adherent Plasmodium berghei-infected erythrocytes. In contrast, alveolar macrophages do not play a significant role in the clearance of malaria-infected cells. Furthermore, the results obtained from Ccr2(-/-), Cd36(-/-), and CD36 bone marrow chimeric mice showed that sequestration in the absence of CD36-mediated phagocytic clearance by monocytes leads to exaggerated lung pathologic features. In summary, our data indicate that the intensity of malaria-induced lung pathologic features is proportional to the steady-state levels of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes adhering to the pulmonary vasculature. Moreover, the present work has defined a major role of recruited monocytes in clearing infected erythrocytes from the pulmonary interstitium, thus minimizing lung damage.
A two-sample censored-data rank test for acceleration.

A score test for the null hypothesis of proportional hazards against rank-regression alternatives is proposed as a complement to the logrank test for comparing censored survival curves. The test statistic has an asymptotic normal distribution that is independent of the logrank distribution under the null hypothesis, and its power is good against acceleration alternatives (i.e. with crossing hazards) where the logrank test fails. Monte Carlo studies indicate that its small-sample properties are comparable to those of the logrank and ranksum procedures.
Aflatoxin production and Lepidopteran insect injury on corn in Georgia

Bagging ears of a dent corn hybrid in the field was effective in reducing damage by naturally occurring populations of Lepidoptera, but was not effective in reducing the production of aflatoxin on the ear. Insects produced conditions in the infested ear that were conducive to aflatoxin production and insect species differed in their relationship to increased aflatoxin production. Ears infested with European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), had the highest concentrations of aflatoxin B1.
Characterization of Clostridium difficile Spores Lacking Either SpoVAC or Dipicolinic Acid Synthetase

ABSTRACT The spore-forming obligate anaerobe Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea around the world. In order for C. difficile to cause infection, its metabolically dormant spores must germinate in the gastrointestinal tract. During germination, spores degrade their protective cortex peptidoglycan layers, release dipicolinic acid (DPA), and hydrate their cores. In C. difficile, cortex hydrolysis is necessary for DPA release, whereas in Bacillus subtilis, DPA release is necessary for cortex hydrolysis. Given this difference, we tested whether DPA synthesis and/or release was required for C. difficile spore germination by constructing mutations in either spoVAC or dpaAB, which encode an ion channel predicted to transport DPA into the forespore and the enzyme complex predicted to synthesize DPA, respectively. C. difficilespoVAC and dpaAB mutant spores lacked DPA but could be stably purified and were more hydrated than wild-type spores; in contrast, B. subtilisspoVAC and dpaAB mutant spores were unstable. Although C. difficilespoVAC and dpaAB mutant spores exhibited wild-type germination responses, they were more readily killed by wet heat. Cortex hydrolysis was not affected by this treatment, indicating that wet heat inhibits a stage downstream of this event. Interestingly, C. difficilespoVAC mutant spores were significantly more sensitive to heat treatment than dpaAB mutant spores, indicating that SpoVAC plays additional roles in conferring heat resistance. Taken together, our results demonstrate that SpoVAC and DPA synthetase control C. difficile spore resistance and reveal differential requirements for these proteins among the Firmicutes. IMPORTANCEClostridium difficile is a spore-forming obligate anaerobe that causes ∼500,000 infections per year in the United States. Although spore germination is essential for C. difficile to cause disease, the factors required for this process have been only partially characterized. This study describes the roles of two factors, DpaAB and SpoVAC, which control the synthesis and release of dipicolinic acid (DPA), respectively, from bacterial spores. Previous studies of these proteins in other spore-forming organisms indicated that they are differentially required for spore formation, germination, and resistance. We now show that the proteins are dispensable for C. difficile spore formation and germination but are necessary for heat resistance. Thus, our study further highlights the diverse functions of DpaAB and SpoVAC in spore-forming organisms.
Mechanisms of tumor-induced neutrophilia: constitutive production of colony-stimulating factors and their synergistic actions.

Transplantation of a murine mammary carcinoma (CE maca) into mice induces marked granulocytosis and hypercalcemia secondary to excessive bone resorption. Such responses are not induced by another murine mammary carcinoma Bc66. In order to understand the mechanisms of these unique phenomena, we analyzed mRNA of tumor cells for expression of murine granulopoietic growth factors and studied interactions of tumor- derived factors using antiserum to a growth factor in vitro and in vivo. The Northern blot analysis of CE tumor clones revealed the expression of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), but no other CSF genes, while the Bc66 clone expressed only M-CSF. The G-CSF and M-CSF gene expression in CE tumor clones was accompanied by secretion of these proteins in culture. The granulocyte stimulating activity of CE tumor- derived G-CSF or recombinant human G-CSF was markedly enhanced by purified M-CSF in vitro. Significant but variable neutrophilia was observed in mice inoculated with CE tumor clones. Anti-M-CSF treatment of CE tumor-bearing mice significantly reduced neutrophilia, but did not affect hypercalcemia. These studies document that G-CSF and M-CSF are produced constitutively from the CE maca, and G-CSF is likely responsible for granulocytosis induced by this tumor. G-CSF and M-CSF function synergistically in granulocyte stimulation in vitro and this synergism may also play a role in marked granulocytosis of tumor- bearing animals, providing further evidence of the effect of CSFs in vivo.
Love and treachery

The empire of Charlemagne – an attempt to unify continental Europe – came to an end a few decades after Alcuin wrote. It collapsed from its own internal weaknesses and the invasions of outsiders, especially Vikings. Gone was Francia, while “France” was still far in the future. The area that we call France today (and shall do so here for convenience) disintegrated into small units, each ruled by more or less independent men and occasionally women. Their power was based not only on military might and castles that served them as fortified centers of exploitation and rule, but also on personal bonds and the prestigious attributes of leadership. As already implied by Alcuin's handbook for the count-warrior Wido, the new regional rulers cultivated the image (and to some degree the reality) of piety and virtue. They distributed gifts to demonstrate their generosity; they founded and supported monasteries where monks might carry out vicariously for them lives dedicated to God; and they surrounded themselves with vassals and others with whom they pledged mutual fidelity. As towns rose and the economy burgeoned, these regional rulers grew rich; with their money they employed officials, legal advisers, physicians, and entertainers, creating thriving courts. The new economy in turn supported the rise of centers of learning – cathedral schools and eventually universities. Here scholars drew on the writings of both ancient and more recent authorities to create daring new syntheses and theories – about emotions, among other things, as we shall see. The invasions that shattered the Carolingian empire ironically helped create a united England. In the course of the fifth and sixth centuries, Roman Britain had become Anglo-Saxon England, a global name for a shifting group of kingdoms. But with the Viking invasions came vigorous military action. Alfred the Great (d. 899) and his successors defeated the invaders and established a single kingdom with a real tax base and considerable military strength. At times ruled by kings who also reigned in Denmark and Norway, England was invaded in 1066 by one of the Continental rulers, Duke William of Normandy. He cut the links between England and Scandinavia, establishing in their place new ties with France.
Adjuvant Aromatase Inhibitors in Early Breast Cancer May Not Increase the Risk of Falls.

Background: Falling increases the risk for fracture. The impact of adjuvant aromatase inhibitors (AI) on the risk of falls is undefined. Methods: A retrospective case control study was performed examining women with early stage breast cancer on adjuvant AI and matched controls without cancer. Fall and fracture data were abstracted from the medical record. Results: Matched pairs of 332 women were identified (total N = 664). There was no statistically significant difference in the odds of a fall between cases and controls, p = 0.86. Similarly, the odds of a fracture between cases and controls was not significantly different, p = 1.0. There were 35 pairs in which the case fractured but the control did not and equal number of pairs where the control fractured but the case did not. For pairs in which control fractured but case did not, the median age at fracture was significant higher than that for pairs in which case fractured but the control did not (71 vs. 63 years p = 0.0003). Conclusion: This study did not identify a difference in the incidence of falls or fractures in women on adjuvant AI compared to their age matched controls without breast cancer. Prospective studies of falls and fracture in women on adjuvant AI therapy compared to age match controls would aid in the identification of fracture risk.
Transient Dystonia in Low-Birthweight Infants

The long-term neuromotor, cognitive, and behavioral development of very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants with transient dystonia, and without cerebral palsy, was evaluated at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Bergen, Norway.
Emancipatory engagement: An urban womanist social work pedagogy

ABSTRACTStanding on the hope of the initial social work course from 1914 at Morgan College, this article provides insight into the significant learning outcomes of contemporary students in advanced social work practice with urban African American families. This research introduces the conceptual framework of urban womanist social work pedagogy as an inclusive practice-informed knowledge produced through the rituals, traditions, values, culture, and resilience of historically disenfranchised communities. Urban womanist social work teaching methods honor truth telling from the ones who have lived there. Urban womanist social work affirms transformative-centered research, teaching, and scholarship produced through institutions such as historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s). The students’ reflective narratives reveal a process of transformation, centered in the freedom standpoint, which includes recognizing the location and context of their individual and collective identity as African American...
Increasing acetyl-CoA metabolism attenuates injury and alters spinal cord lipid content in mice subjected to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Acetate supplementation increases brain acetyl-CoA metabolism, alters histone and non-histone protein acetylation, increases brain energy reserves, and is anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective in rat models of neuroinflammation and neuroborreliosis. To determine the impact acetate supplementation has on a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, we quantified the effect treatment had on injury progression, spinal cord lipid content, phospholipase levels, and myelin structure in mice subjected to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE was induced by inoculating mice with a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide fragment (MOG35-55 ), and acetate supplementation was maintained with 4 g/kg glyceryl triacetate by a daily oral gavage. Acetate supplementation prevented the onset of clinical signs in mice subject to EAE compared to control-treated mice. Furthermore, acetate supplementation prevented the loss of spinal cord ethanolamine and choline glycerophospholipid and phosphatidylserine in mice subjected to EAE compared to EAE animals treated with water. Treatment increased saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid levels in phosphatidylserine compared to controls suggesting that acetate was utilized to increase spinal cord fatty acid content. Also, acetate supplementation prevented the loss of spinal cord cholesterol in EAE animals but did not change cholesteryl esters. Treatment significantly increased GD3 and GD1a ganglioside levels in EAE mice when compared to EAE mice treated with water. Treatment returned levels of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2 ) levels back to baseline and based on FluoroMyelin™ histochemistry maintained myelin structural characteristics. Overall, these data suggest that acetate supplementation may modulate lipid metabolism in mice subjected to EAE.
Generation of emotional behavior for non-player characters: development of EmoBot for Quake II

Recent technology advances in computer game industries demand a development of high-level artificial intelligence. This trend motivates the International Game Developers’ Association to develop a special interest group (SIG) in artificial intelligence (IGDA 2003) and the roundtable of ‘AI in Computer Games’ at the Game Developers Conference (GDC 2003). According to the IGDA SIG, high-level artificial intelligence is defined by the realization of more attractive humanistic features within computer games, such as believable and interesting nonplayer characters (NPCs) that perform complex reasoning and learning in order to exhibit emotions. Similarly, the AAAI 2000 Spring Symposium on AI and Interactive Entertainment discussed issues concerning the generation of human-like characteristics for computer games and toys. Reflecting industrial demands and being inspired by contributions from AAAI symposiums, a set of intelligent agents named EmoBot was developed to generate emotional behaviors for NPCs (Laird 2000; Wilson 2000). EmoBot is embedded within an open-source first-person shooter computer game, ID Software’s Quake II. The following provides a short overview of the AI engine in Quake II (Hooley 2003): Quake II by ID Software uses a simplistic statemachine approach to its artificial intelligence. ... An objective can be interpreted as a “state.” Bots start out with their objective as the world, which signifies the bot will follow pre-determined actions such as guarding or patrolling. Once the bot is aware of a player, the bot’s objective becomes that player.
Comparison of the Diagnostic Yield of EUS Needles for Liver Biopsy: Ex Vivo Study.

Background and Aims. EUS-guided liver biopsy is an emerging method of liver tissue acquisition which is safe and had been shown to produce excellent histological yield. There is limited data comparing the diagnostic yield of different FNA needles. We aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of four commercially available 19-gauge FNA needles. Methods. Four FNA needles and one percutaneous needle were used to perform liver biopsies on two human cadaveric livers: Cook Echotip Procore™, Olympus EZ Shot 2™, Boston Scientific Expect Slimline™, Covidien SharkCore™, and an 18-gauge percutaneous needle (TruCore™, Argon Medical Devices). Each needle obtained biopsies by three, six, and nine complete back-and-forth motions of the needle (“throw”) with a fanning technique. The combined lengths of specimen fragments and the total number of complete portal tracts (CPT) were measured by a blinded pathologist. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni correction were used for statistical analysis. Results. A total of 52 liver biopsies were performed. The Covidien SharkCore needle had significantly greater number of CPT compared to other FNA needles. The number of “throws” did not impact the number of CPT significantly. There was no statistically significant difference in mean total specimen length between each FNA needle type. Conclusion. The Covidien SharkCore needle produced superior histological specimen by capturing more CPT, possibly due to its unique needle design.
Grain Boundaries in Carbon- and Boron-Densified SiC: Examination by High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy

Grain boundaries in G.E. (sintered and hot-pressed) SiC were investigated by light-optical and transmission electron microscopy for possible glassy films indicative of liquid-phase densification, which has been proposed to account for the beneficial roles of boron and carbon. The high-resolution TEM techniques employed are capable of revealing the thinnest grain boundary phases. None was found in the G.E. materials, and the possibility of liquid phase sintering must be discounted.
Serological evidence for the co‐circulation of two lineages of influenza D viruses in equine populations of the Midwest United States

Influenza D virus (IDV) is a newly described influenza type of the Orthomyxoviridae virus family that was first isolated from diseased swine in 2011 and has subsequently been detected in cattle around the world in 2014. In addition, serological evidence for IDV infection in humans has been recently established. Despite all the progress, the full range of susceptible hosts for this novel virus has yet to be determined, but includes swine, bovine, small ruminants and human. This study was designed to determine if equine is a possible host to this newly emerging influenza virus. Three hundred and sixty-four equine serum samples were collected in 2015 from 141 farms within the Midwestern United States. Serum samples were examined using hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay against two established IDV lineages (D/OK and D/660) and one IDV-related human ICV lineage (C/JHB). Results of this study showed 44 (44 of 364, 12%) samples positive for antibodies against D/OK, 39 (39 of 364, 11%) samples positive for antibodies against D/660, and 41 (41 of 364, 11%) samples positive for antibodies against C/JHB. A subset of these samples was further confirmed via microtitre neutralization (MN) assay. Our data demonstrated that horses are susceptible to two lineages of IDV, and that these viruses were present in equine populations throughout multiple Midwestern states of the United States. These findings continue to support the need for further surveillance of IDV viruses in agricultural species to work towards a better understanding of the full host range and natural reservoirs of influenza D virus.
Oncolytic HSV therapy sensitizes glioma cells to integrin antagonists in vitro and in vivo.

LB-236 Oncolytic viral therapy exploits the natural or engineered propensity of some viruses to replicate in cancer cells, causing their lytic destruction with minimal damage to non-neoplastic tissue. We have been investigating oncolytic HSV-1 (OV) therapy - induced changes in tumor microenvironment, and have uncovered a significant, induction of CYR61 gene expression (8.94 fold, P = 0.001) in tumors treated with OV in vivo . CYR61 is a secreted extra cellular matrix protein, which can bind to and activate integrin αvβ3, and αvβ5 on glioma and endothelial cells. Further CYR61 mRNA and protein were induced upon infection using different HSV-1 derived OVs in multiple human cancer cell lines and primary human tumor derived cells in vitro and in orthotopic human gliomas grown in nude mice in vivo . Increased CYR61 in the ECM of breast cancer cells has also been shown to activate an autocrine loop resulting in upregulation of its own receptor α v β 3 resulting and increased sensitization to integrin anatgonists (Menendez JA, et al. Oncogene 2005). Consistent with this we found that glioma cells stably over expressing CYR61 were much more sensitive to cell killing by integrin antagonist Cilengetide, than control cells (LD50=146.5 ng/ml of overexpressing Vs control LD50=521.1 ng/ml) (P = 0.48 to 0.49). These results suggested that treatment of glioma with OV followed by treatment with Cilengitide would enhance therapeutic efficacy. We tested this hypothesis in human glioma cells (U87ΔEGFR) grown as intracranial tumors in vivo . Briefly, seven days after tumor cell implantation, mice were treated with OV or PBS by direct intratumoral injection. Five days after OV treatment mice were injected systemically with a single dose of cRGD (5mg/kg) or PBS. Mice treated with OV and Cilengitide survived significantly longer than mice treated with OV alone (median survival: Control: 12d; OV: d16; cRGD + OV: d25) (P
Sensory processing styles and eating behaviors in healthy adults

IntroductionEngagement in unhealthy eating behaviors is a significant risk factor for the development of obesity. These eating behaviors include uncontrolled and mindless eating in response to emotional and sensory cues. This study examines the relationship between sensory processing styles and eating behaviors in typical adults.MethodOne hundred and fifty healthy individuals aged 18–60 completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, the Dutch Eating Behaviors Questionnaire, and a rating task of 40 healthy and unhealthy food images.FindingsSensory processing styles characterized by passive self-regulation strategies (low registration and sensory sensitivity) were positively correlated with rates of emotional and external eating behaviors. Sensory seeking was positively correlated with ratings of desirability of healthy food images.ConclusionIndividuals whose sensory processing styles are characterized by passive self-regulation strategies are more likely to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors, including ...
From Byzantine Fault-Tolerance to Fault-Avoidance: An Architectural Transformation to Attack and Failure Resiliency

We present Byzantine Fault-Avoidance (BFA), a fault-resilient architecture designed for Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) systems to withstand against attacks and failures. BFA allows replicas to short live on a given computing platform, i.e., hardware, hypervisors and OS, to thwart successful and in-progress attacks while simultaneously preserving the correctness condition of BFT properties; safety and liveness . BFA combines the cloud management software stack of OpenStack ( nova) and the Software Defined Network (SDN) implementation (neutron) to control the replicas susceptibility window of attack in order to avoid Byzantine faults. The proposed fault-avoidance scheme illustrates the defensive security solutions enabled by the underlying cloud computing fabric are far superior than the ones implemented at the application/protocol level. Preliminary results of widely studied BFT system ( BFT-SMaRT ) deployed in a cloud infrastructure ( OpenStack-Kilo ) indicate that BFA achieves desired BFT reliability properties and throughput over contested environments.
FOCUS: A fog computing-based security system for the Internet of Things

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, there arises concerns and challenges with regard to the security and privacy of the IoT. Cyber attacks such as man-in-the-middle and distributed denial of service (DDoS) are typical threats to the IoT. In this paper, we propose a FOg CompUting-based Security (FOCUS) system to protect the IoT against malware cyber attacks. The proposed FOCUS system leverages the virtual private network (VPN) to secure the communication channels to the IoT devices. In addition, FOCUS adopts a challenge-response authentication to protect the VPN server against potential DDoS attacks, which can further enhance the security of the IoT system. Such a double protection scheme is effective in mitigating various malicious attacks and can provide a high standard security for the IoT system. Furthermore, FOCUS is implemented in fog computing that is close to the end users, thus achieving a fast response and an efficient network consumption. We demonstrate FOCUS in a proof-of-concept prototype, and conduct experiments to evaluate its performance. The results show that FOCUS can effectively filter out malicious attacks with a low response time and a small amount of network bandwidth consumption.
Politeness and prosody in the co-construction of medical provider persona styles and patient relationships

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how politeness and prosody work in the construction of medical provider communicative styles. Data are taken from a corpus of audio-recorded and transcribed bilingual Spanish-English medical consultations in a community clinic in the United States. Through discourse analysis and prosodic analysis, we demonstrate that particular linguistic features contribute to the construction of stances associated with two medical-provider particular communicative styles that we identify as an egalitarian communicative style and an authoritarian communicative style. We also indicate ways in which these communicative styles may impact patient health outcomes in the local clinical context. Implications include the need for further research that engages in fine-grained linguistic analysis to understand provider styles and their relationship to patient health outcomes.
How CPED Guiding Principles and Design Concepts Influenced the Development and Implementation of an EdD Program

In this essay, I have described how the CPED Guiding Principles for Program Design (GPPD) and Design Concepts (DC) have influenced the development and implementation of Arizona State University’s EdD in Leadership and Innovation program. I have explained the pervasive influence of the CPED GPPD and DC on various aspects of the program including (a) more general or global aspects of the program; (b) signature pedagogies of the program; (c) development of program milestones; and (d) development and implementation of courses in the program. As a result, faculty members have created and continue to deliver a more coherent, practitioner-oriented program, which benefits students and is guided by the CPED Principles and Design Concepts.
A Domain Decomposition Solver for the Discontinuous Enrichment Method for the Helmholtz Equation

The discontinuous enrichment method (DEM) [4] for the Helmholtz equation approximates the solution as a sum of a piecewise polynomial continuous function and element-wise supported plane waves [5]. A weak continuity of the plane wave part is enforced using Lagrangemultipliers. The plane wave enrichment improves the accuracy of solutions considerably. In the mid-frequency range, severalfold savings in terms of degrees of freedom over comparable higher order polynomial discretizations have been observed, which translates into even larger savings in compute time [6, 9]. The partition of unity method [8] and the ultra weak variational formulation [1] also employ plane waves in the construction of discretizations. It was shown recently in [10] that DEM without the polynomial field is computationally more efficient than these methods.
Sociality and seasonal size variation in Halictine bees

For species ofLasioglossum, subgenusDialictus, the amount of seasonal body size variation of worker bees is correlated with indicators of the level of sociability attained by the species, such as queen longevity. Interspecific comparison of the amount of variation gives a simple measure of the level of sociality of the species. Different patterns of seasonal body size variation can be controlled by factors such as temperature and day length which are exogenous to the colony but in species with higher levels of sociality these patterns may be controlled endogenously.
The Thermal-Neutron Capture Cross Section of Cadmium

(1968). The Thermal-Neutron Capture Cross Section of Cadmium. Nuclear Science and Engineering: Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 152-153.
Association of age at diagnosis and stage of disease with ATRX mutations in neuroblastoma.

10525Background: Older age at diagnosis is associated with poor outcome in neuroblastoma (NB). A recent study identified ATRX mutations in older patients with stage 4 NB (JAMA 307:1062, 2012). We p...
The Black Prophetic Fire of Colin Kaepernick

NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling for the national anthem before games in the fall of 2016 was meant to call attention to racial injustice in the United States. He has become a lightning rod for criticism as well as a hero for speaking truth to power. I argue in this essay that Kaepernick is best understood as that which draws on what Cornel West calls “black prophetic fire.” This distinguishes Kaepernick’s activism from the kind that criticizes white supremacy without linking it to institutional structures that support it. The hyper-militaristic/capitalistic context that the NFL has fostered helps make Kaepernick’s protest appropriately prophetic.
QuikLitE, a Framework for Quick Literacy Evaluation in Medicine: Development and Validation.

Background: A plethora of health literacy instruments was developed over the decades. They usually start with experts curating passages of text or word lists, followed by psychometric validation and revision based on test results obtained from a sample population. This process is costly and it is difficult to customize for new usage scenarios. Objective: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a framework for dynamically creating test instruments that can provide a focused assessment of patients’ health literacy. Methods: A health literacy framework and scoring method were extended from the vocabulary knowledge test to accommodate a wide range of item difficulties and various degrees of uncertainty in the participant’s answer. Web-based tests from Amazon Mechanical Turk users were used to assess reliability and validity. Results: Parallel forms of our tests showed high reliability (correlation=.78; 95% CI 0.69-0.85). Validity measured as correlation with an electronic health record comprehension instrument was higher (.47-.61 among 3 groups) than 2 existing tools (Short Assessment of Health Literacy-English, .38-.43; Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, .34-.46). Our framework is able to distinguish higher literacy levels that are often not measured by other instruments. It is also flexible, allowing customizations to the test the designer’s focus on a particular interest in a subject matter or domain. The framework is among the fastest health literacy instrument to administer. Conclusions: We proposed a valid and highly reliable framework to dynamically create health literacy instruments, alleviating the need to repeat a time-consuming process when a new use scenario arises. This framework can be customized to a specific need on demand and can measure skills beyond the basic level.
Embedded Content Assessment

This work-in-progress paper presents initial work in technical content assessment practices embedded into and integrated throughout the curriculum of a new engineering program. These practices range from program-level evaluation to combatting persistent misconceptions in foundational courses. Specific cases are presented from current practices and future work is described. The methods and considerations presented in this paper can be used as a model for other institutions looking to understand students’ technical content knowledge beyond course-specific homework, exams, and other assessments.
Solving the secular equation of the system for eigenenergy – 2D hexagonal materials

Abstract With the advent of the metal–insulator transition (MIT) as a tool for adjusting the properties of lower dimensions materials, with nanoscale dimensions in one or more of the coordinate directions, it is worthwhile to derive analytical formulas for the electronic energy in k-space, for a generic two-dimensional hexagonal lattice as a prelude for their use in nanoscopic transport devices (using the MIT) or other solid state devices. This is done in the tight binding (TB) approximation, since it allows a tractable analytical development, with some refinements possible. This lattice structure is applicable to many 2D materials like graphene, BN, MoS2, and many others. This chapter treats the exact solution based upon the Hamiltonian matrix elements (Section 5.1 ), an approximate solution viewing various parameters as possessing orders (Section 5.2 ), unnormalizing the parameters in eigenenergy (Section 5.3 ), and unnormalizing the eigenenergy (Section 5.4 ).
Simple and Efficient Room-Temperature Release of Biotinylated Nucleic Acids from Streptavidin and Its Application to Selective Molecular Detection.

The biotin–streptavidin bond is the strongest noncovalent bond in nature and is thus used extensively in biotechnology applications. However, the difficulty of releasing the bond without high temperatures or corrosive solutions can be a barrier to applications involving nucleic acids and other delicate substrates. Here, room-temperature phenol is employed to release biotin-tagged DNA constructs from streptavidin rapidly and efficiently. It is demonstrated that synthetic biotinylated DNA can be recovered at yields approaching 100% from both solution-phase and bead-bound streptavidin with as little as 12% (v/v) phenol, leaving the biotin tag active and reusable after extraction. As an application of this recovery method, biotinylated DNA fragments are isolated from a mixed solution to provide selectivity for solid-state nanopore detection.
Limit cycles appearing from the perturbation of differential systems with multiple switching curves

Abstract This paper deals with the problem of limit cycle bifurcations for a piecewise near-Hamilton system with four regions separated by algebraic curves y = ± x 2 . By analyzing the obtained first order Melnikov function, we give an upper bound of the number of limit cycles which bifurcate from the period annulus around the origin under nth degree polynomial perturbations. In the case n = 1 , we obtain that at least 4 (resp. 3) limit cycles can bifurcate from the period annulus if the switching curves are y = ± x 2 (resp. y = x 2 or y = − x 2 ). The results also show that the number of switching curves affects the number of limit cycles.
Ancient Skepticism and Modern Fiction: Some Political Implications

This article draws out the political implications of some of the avatars of ancient skepticism in modern fiction. It relies on Martha Nussbaum’s claim that fiction can provide some of the best lessons in moral philosophy to refute her claim that ancient skepticism was a bad influence on morals. It surveys references to skepticism from Shakespeare through such diverse writers as Isabel de Charriere, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Anatole France, and Albert Camus down to recent writers such as Orhan Pamuk and Michel Houellebecq. The most substantial treatment is of Naguib Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy, which is interpreted in two ways: one, as an example of isosthenia or equipollence in arguments on both sides of questions about gender in the Islamic world, and two, as the biography of a person who claims to be a self-conscious skeptic. Skepticism emerges as a multi-faceted concept in modern literature, but there are definite references back to the ancient skeptics, including mention of the name Pyrrhonism and knowledge of the writings of Sextus Empiricus. The political implications militate against dogmatic claims to truth and knowledge of a one-dimensional justice.
Victimization and students’ psychological well-being: The mediating roles of hope and school connectedness

Abstract A plethora of evidence supports the negative effects of bullying victimization on students’ adjustment. Grounded in the Social and Psychological Capital Framework (Cassidy, McLaughlin, & McDowell, 2014), the authors investigated the effects of victimization on students’ psychological well-being assessed through life satisfaction and emotional difficulties via hope and school connectedness. Based on a sample of 1060 students from grades 3–6, results provided support for a negative relation between victimization and life satisfaction; and a positive relation between victimization and emotional difficulties. The results further supported the hypotheses of hope and school connectedness as mediators for the relations between victimization and life satisfaction and emotional difficulties. The significant mediation model reinforced hope and school connectedness as protective factors against bullying victimization and further advanced the Social and Psychological Capital Framework to be applied to school bullying. Results shed light on practical implications for victimization interventions, considering psychological well-being outcomes and incorporation of hope and school connectedness. Implications for future research were also discussed.
Functionality of a new live-capture device for river otters

Assessments of novel capture techniques are critical to wildlife research. We used Comstock traps, a new live-capture technique, to capture North American river otters Lontra canadensis. We measure...
Amphibian responses in the aftermath of extreme climate events.

Climate change-induced extinctions are estimated to eliminate one in six known species by the end of the century. One major factor that will contribute to these extinctions is extreme climatic events. Here, we show the ecological impacts of recent record warm air temperatures and simultaneous peak drought conditions in California. From 2008–2016, the southern populations of a wide-ranging endemic amphibian (the California newt, Taricha torosa) showed a 20% reduction to mean body condition and significant losses to variation in body condition linked with extreme climate deviations. However, body condition in northern populations remained relatively unaffected during this period. Range-wide population estimates of change to body condition under future climate change scenarios within the next 50 years suggest that northern populations will mirror the loss of body condition recently observed in southern populations. This change is predicated on latter 21st century climate deviations that resemble recent conditions in Southern California. Thus, the ecological consequences of climate change have already occurred across the warmer, drier regions of Southern California, and our results suggest that predicted climate vulnerable regions in the more mesic northern range likely will not provide climate refuge for numerous amphibian communities.
Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Telemedicine Preoperative Evaluation Initiative at a Major Academic Medical Center.

Background With health care practice consolidation, the increasing geographic scope of health care systems, and the advancement of mobile telecommunications, there is increasing interest in telemedicine-based health care consultations. Anesthesiology has had experience with telemedicine consultation for preoperative evaluation since 2004, but the majority of studies have been conducted in rural settings. There is a paucity of literature of use in metropolitan areas. In this article, we describe the implementation of a telemedicine-based anesthesia preoperative evaluation and report the program's patient satisfaction, clinical case cancellation rate outcomes, and cost savings in a large metropolitan area (Los Angeles, CA). Methods This is a descriptive study of a telemedicine-based preoperative anesthesia evaluation process in an academic medical center within a large metropolitan area. In a 2-year period, we evaluated 419 patients scheduled for surgery by telemedicine and 1785 patients who were evaluated in-person. Results Day-of-surgery case cancellations were 2.95% and 3.23% in the telemedicine and the in-person cohort, respectively. Telemedicine patients avoided a median round trip driving distance of 63 miles (Q1 24; Q3 119) and a median time saved of 137 (Q1 95; Q3 195) and 130 (Q1 91; Q3 237) minutes during morning and afternoon traffic conditions, respectively. Patients experienced time-based savings, particularly from traveling across a metropolitan area, which amounted to $67 of direct and opportunity cost savings. From patient satisfaction surveys, 98% (129 patients out of 131 completed surveys) of patients who were consulted via telemedicine were satisfied with their experience. Conclusions This study demonstrates the implementation of a telemedicine-based preoperative anesthesia evaluation from an academic medical center in a metropolitan area with high patient satisfaction, cost savings, and without increase in day-of-procedure case cancellations.
Asymptotic behavior of the magnetization near critical and tricritical points via Ginzburg-Landau polynomials

The purpose of this paper is to prove connections among the asymptotic behavior of the magnetization, the structure of the phase transitions, and a class of polynomials that we call the Ginzburg–Landau polynomials. The model under study is a mean-field version of a lattice spin model due to Blume and Capel. It is defined by a probability distribution that depends on the parameters β and K, which represent, respectively, the inverse temperature and the interaction strength. Our main focus is on the asymptotic behavior of the magnetization m(βn,Kn) for appropriate sequences (βn,Kn) that converge to a second-order point or to the tricritical point of the model and that lie inside various subsets of the phase-coexistence region. The main result states that as (βn,Kn) converges to one of these points (β,K), \(m(\beta_{n},K_{n})\sim \bar{x}|\beta -\beta_{n}|^{\gamma}\rightarrow 0\) . In this formula γ is a positive constant, and \(\bar{x}\) is the unique positive, global minimum point of a certain polynomial g. We call g the Ginzburg–Landau polynomial because of its close connection with the Ginzburg–Landau phenomenology of critical phenomena. For each sequence the structure of the set of global minimum points of the associated Ginzburg–Landau polynomial mirrors the structure of the set of global minimum points of the free-energy functional in the region through which (βn,Kn) passes and thus reflects the phase-transition structure of the model in that region. This paper makes rigorous the predictions of the Ginzburg–Landau phenomenology of critical phenomena and the tricritical scaling theory for the mean-field Blume–Capel model.
«Bon Fiol di questo Stado». Borso d'Este, Venice, and pope Paul II: explaining success in Renaissance Italian politics

Despite Giuseppe Pardi’s judgment that Borso d’Este lacked the ability to connect single parts of statecraft into a stable foundation, this study suggests that Borso conducted a coherent and successful foreign policy of peace, heightened prestige, and greater freedom to dispose. As a result, he was an active participant in the Quattrocento state system (Grande Politico Quadro) solidified by the Peace of Lodi (1454), and one of the most successful rulers of a smaller principality among stronger competitive states. He conducted his foreign policy based on four foundational principles. The first was stability. Borso anchored his statecraft by aligning Ferrara with Venice and the papacy. The second was display or the politics of splendor. The third was development of stored knowledge, based on the reputation and antiquity of Estense rule, both worldly and religious. The fourth was the politics of personality, based on Borso’s affability, popularity, and other virtues. The culmination of Borso’s successful statecraft was his investiture as Duke of Ferrara by Pope Paul II. His success contrasted with the disaster of the War of Ferrara, when Ercole I abandoned Borso’s formula for rule. Ultimately, the memory of Borso’s successful reputation was preserved for more than a century.
A Noninvasive Ultrasound Based Technique to Identify Treatment Responders in Patients with Portal Hypertension.

Rationale and Objective Subharmonic aided pressure estimation (SHAPE) is based on the inverse relationship between the subharmonic amplitude of ultrasound contrast microbubbles and ambient pressure. The aim of this study was to verify if SHAPE can accurately monitor disease progression in patients identified with portal hypertension. Materials & Methods A modified Logiq 9 scanner with a 4C curvi-linear probe (GE, Waukesha, WI) was used to acquire SHAPE data (transmitting and receiving at 2.5 and 1.25 MHz, respectively) using Sonazoid (GE Healthcare, Oslo, Norway; FDA IND 124,465). Twenty-one (median age 59 years; 12 Males) of the 178 patients enrolled in this institutional review board approved study (14F.113) were identified as having clinically significant portal hypertension based on their hepatic venous pressure gradient results ≥ 10 mmHg. Repeat SHAPE examinations were done every 6.2 months. Liver function tests and clinical indicators were used to establish treatment response. Results Of the 21 portal hypertensive subjects, 11 had successful follow up scans with an average follow up time of 6.2 months. There was a significantly larger SHAPE signal reduction in the group who were classified as treatment responders (n = 10; -4.01±3.61 dB) compared to the single nonresponder (2.33 dB; p Conclusion SHAPE can potentially monitor disease progression in portal hypertensive patients and hence, may help clinicians in patient management. A larger study would further validate this claim.
Mitochondrial Functions, Cognition, and the Evolution of Intelligence: Reply to Commentaries and Moving Forward

In response to commentaries, I address questions regarding the proposal that general intelligence (g) is a manifestation of the functioning of intramodular and intermodular brain networks undergirded by the efficiency of mitochondrial functioning (Geary 2018). The core issues include the relative contribution of mitochondrial functioning to individual differences in g; studies that can be used to test associated hypotheses; and, the adaptive function of intelligence from an evolutionary perspective. I attempt to address these and related issues, as well as note areas in which other issues remain to be addressed.
Mechanisms and Machine Learning for Magnesium Alloys Design

We will show our extensive high-throughput studies for magnesium alloys through both the dislocation and twinning mechanisms. Possible descriptors for the mechanisms are explored and a united picture is demonstrated, which is consistent with available experiments. There are two major contributions of this work, i.e., (i) The relationship between two well-acknowledged deformation mechanisms based on dislocations is clarified; (ii) Machine-learning models show that it is possible to design ductile magnesium alloys without the prior knowledge of deformation mechanisms.
Of Scintillating Lights, Tunnels, and Astral Encounters

In this chapter, the author discusses the occurrence and significance of near-death experiences (NDEs) in survivors of cardiac arrest and provides some biological explanation for the same. The author posits that the mass/energy of the dying person, in other words the “soul,” passes on to another parallel universe.