cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
REGULATION OF GLYCOLYSIS IN MUSCLE. I. THE CONVERSION OF PHOSPHORYLASE BETA TO PHOSPHORYLASE ALPHA IN FROG SARTORIUS MUSCLE.

SUMMARY The interconversion of glycogen phosphorylase b ti phos- phorylase a in frog sartorii contracting isotonically at 20” has been studied. When repetitive stimuli were applied, there was a lag period followed by the appearance of phosphorylase a, which increased in amount until a steady state was reached. Increasing the rate of stimulation shortened lag period and resulted in higher steady state levels of phosphorylase a. Pretreatment of muscles with epinephrine, amounts that increased the resting level of phosphorylase a only slightly, abolished the lag period completely. Changes in external work affected neither the lag period nor the steady state levels of phosphorylase a. Lowering the transmembrane potential by increasing the concentration of K+ in the external media was associated with increases in phosphorylase a even after relaxation of the initial contracture. Caffeine (lop2 M),
Tuned LC Clock Buffers with Static Phase Adjust

An LC tank providing clock buffering for a half-rate binary phase detector in a clock and data recovery circuit is described. This paper analyzes the trade-offs involved in choosing the Q of the LC tank, presents an automatic tuning method for the LC tank and describes a method to program the phase of the clock relative to the input data using 2 LC tanks with mismatched center frequencies. This work is part of a transceiver chip for XFP fiber optic application fabricated in a 0.13 mum CMOS process.
The MIT bates X-ray laser project

Abstract MIT and the Bates Linear Accelerator Center are exploring the construction of an X-ray free electron laser user facility. It will be based on a superconducting linac of approximately 4 GeV energy, and produce XUV light in the 0.3–100 nm wavelength range at kilohertz repetition rates. The facility will be a full user facility incorporating multiple beamlines. Conventional lasers that produce the electron beam, seed the FEL, and execute pump–probe experiments are carefully integrated. The current design of the facility is discussed.
Theoretical Insights into the Tuning of Metal Binding Sites of Paddlewheels in rht-Metal–Organic Frameworks

Theoretical investigations of CO2 sorption are performed in four members of the highly tunable rht-metal-organic framework (MOF) platform. rht-MOFs contain two Cu(2+) ions that comprise the metal paddlewheels and both are in chemically distinct environments. Indeed, one type of Cu(2+) ion faces toward the center of the linker whereas the other type faces away from the center of the linker. Electronic structure calculations on the series of rht-MOFs demonstrate that one of the Cu(2+) ions has a consistently higher charge magnitude relative to the other. As a consequence, the Cu(2+) ion with the higher partial positive charge acts as the favored sorbate binding site at initial loading as revealed by grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations that include many-body polarization. It was found that the charge distribution about the copper paddlewheels is dependent on the type of functional groups present on the linker. This study demonstrates how the binding site about the metal paddlewheels in the rht-MOF platform can be controlled by changing the functionality on the organic ligand.
Summary Comments from Workshop Day 1: Nutritional Armor for the Warfighter—Can Omega-3 Fatty Acids Enhance Stress Resilience, Wellness, and Military Performance?

ABSTRACT The first day of this conference reviewed the literature on the intake of omega-3 fatty acids, in all forms, around the world. Clinical trials using omega-3 fatty acids for a variety of pathological conditions, and studies examining omega-3 supplementation in nonclinical populations, were examined. Finally, the basic science describing possible mechanisms for observed clinical effects was reviewed. Despite wide recognition that the minute levels needed to prevent clinical deficiency are probably not optimal for health, there is a dearth of information on intake needed to optimize performance among healthy populations. Randomized placebo-controlled trials in humans specially evaluating health outcomes relevant to military populations are needed. Widespread consensus must be built on solid evidence of appropriate intake, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total fat, before a recommendation to change the intake of omega-3 fatty acids in the Department of Defense is made.
bayesPop: Probabilistic Population Projections

We describe bayesPop, an R package for producing probabilistic population projections for all countries. This uses probabilistic projections of total fertility and life expectancy generated by Bayesian hierarchical models. It produces a sample from the joint posterior predictive distribution of future age- and sex-specific population counts, fertility rates and mortality rates, as well as future numbers of births and deaths. It provides graphical ways of summarizing this information, including trajectory plots and various kinds of probabilistic population pyramids. An expression language is introduced which allows the user to produce the predictive distribution of a wide variety of derived population quantities, such as the median age or the old age dependency ratio. The package produces aggregated projections for sets of countries, such as UN regions or trading blocs. The methodology has been used by the United Nations to produce their most recent official population projections for all countries, published in the World Population Prospects.
Conquering Metastatic Breast Cancer.

The plight of women (and men) with metastatic breast cancer and our wish to improve on our current inability to effect long-term cures for these patients are in our thoughts. Metastatic breast cancer is the top cancer killer for US women younger than 54 years of age, and some 40,000 individuals succumb each year in the United States, accounting for many lost years of productive life.1
Instrumental with, locatum with and the argument/adjunct distinction

The objects of the proposition 'with', as in 'I cut the bread with a knife' and 'I covered the ground with a blanket', have received conflicting analyses as to whether they are arguments or adjuncts of the verb. Utilizing a variety of semantic and syntactic diagnostics of argumenthood, I argue that the first kind of participant, an instrument, is an adjunct/modifier and the second kind of participant, what I call a locatum, is an argument/complement of the verbal head.
The Temperature Dependence of the Dielectric Constant in Solid H2, D2, 4He, and Ne*

The dielectric constant e of solid hexagonal close-packed H2(X≃0), H2(X≃0.7), D2(X=0.33), and He4 at constant volume and of H2(X=0.75) and Ne at saturated vapor pressure is studied as a function of temperature between 1.17 and 10 K. HereX is the fraction of molecules with angular rotational momentumJ=1, the fraction 1−X havingJ=0. These are the first reported measurements on van der Waals solids at constant volume. The experiments were carried out using a thick-walled capacitance cell, the measurement frequency being 14 MHz. The observed changes of e withT are expressed in terms of the effective polarizability αCM defined by the Clausius-Mosotti relation. A reduced polarizability α*=αCM(T)/αCM (T=1.17 K) is presented as a function of temperature. The initial purpose of the measurements was to observe the effect of rotational ordering of the(J=1) molecules in H2, to be detected by a change in polarizability, as suggested by A. B. Harris. With increasing temperature it was found that αCM decreased of the order of 0.1% for H2 and D2. Also, differences were found between H2(X=0) and H2(X=0.75), which are briefly discussed. For He4, αCM decreased by about 3×10−5 between 1.17 K and the melting point, 3.8 K. An analysis of the results showed that the temperature variation of αCM could not be caused by the effect of lattice vibrations. Also, a simple calculation shows that the rearrangement of molecular positions in H2 and D2 at constant volume would have to be quite substantial to account for the observed temperature change in αCM, which change is therefore not understood. The dielectric constant of Ne was measured at saturated vapor pressure and corrections were made to obtain the change of αCM at constant volume. Rather different results were obtained for Ne than for the other solids: αCM rose sharply with temperature, and this behavior also is not understood. Measurements of the diectric constant of H2(X=0) and H2(X=0.73) near the melting curve showed that the polarizability αCM is the same within 0.1% in both the liquid and the solid phases. In the solid and liquid phases the density differences between H2(X=0) and H2(X=0.75) and also the differences in the respective melting pressures are in good agreement with the previous published work.
A representational assessment of meaningfulness

The present investigation has demonstrated that significant agreement occurs among Ss directed to judge which referents are best represented by CVCs. This agreement occurs independent of rated meaningfulness (m1). These results suggest that consideration of specific representational qualities rather than rated association, alone, may result in greater precision in verbal learning studies.
Textbook Use and Learning: A North American Perspective

Eight hundred and ninety students at 35 US institutions of higher education participated in a comprehensive study of textbook use and its relation to ratings of textbook quality and helpfulness, a student self-report of learning, student self-report of their deep approach to learning, student perceptions of instructors, and a measure of quiz performance. Intercorrelations between key measures revealed surprising relationships about the influence of these variables on self-reported learning and quiz performance. An analysis of textbook differences revealed some significant differences between the books in terms of quality and helpfulness as well as self-reported learning, but not on quiz performance. The authors identified significant predictors of self-reported learning (deep approach and student perceptions of instructor) and quiz performance (grade point average and textbook helpfulness). These results highlight the complexity of examining student learning and suggest some important variables and proble...
Difference in Condom Use Between Bear Concordant and Discordant Dyads During the Last Anal Sex Event

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to understand how bear identity influenced condom use during the last anal sex event. Participants were recruited to complete an online, anonymous self-report survey through bear-related sexual and social networking websites. A total of 1,080 men who identified as gay or bisexual and as a member of the bear community and were 18 years or older completed the survey. Overall, fewer than a third of men reported condom use during the most recent receptive (28%) and insertive (30%) anal sex event. Men in bear concordant pairings were less likely to use a condom during receptive and insertive anal sex compared to those is discordant pairings (p < .05). Findings suggest that bear identity concordance influences condom use during anal sex after accounting for an individual’s relationship to their most recent partner as well as other confounding variables.
Early Identification and Treatment of Pathogens in Sepsis: Molecular Diagnostics and Antibiotic Choice.

Sepsis and septic shock are serious conditions associated with high morbidity and mortality. Rapid molecular methods for detection of microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance genes from positive blood cultures or whole blood have evolved over the past 10 years. Such diagnostic methods coupled with therapeutic interventional programs are desirable to improve the overall clinical outcome and mortality. This article discusses the usefulness of current molecular test methods for the diagnosis of sepsis and their potential to enhance the success of antimicrobial stewardship programs. Clinicians and laboratories alike must appreciate key factors influencing the appropriate use and potential impact of these methods.
Glucocorticoids regulate glutamine synthetase expression in lung epithelial cells

During septic states efflux of glutamine from the lung increases, a response sustained by an increase in glutamine synthetase (IGS) activity. We have used a cell culture model employing a rat epithelial cell line of pulmonary origin (L2 cells) to study the effect of several hormones and cytokines which mediate the septic shock response on GS expression. We found that GS mRNA and GS protein contents increased rapidly and severalfold in response to physiologically relevant levels of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex). In contrast, GS expression was not markedly induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), cytokines, activated complement C5a, or prostaglandins. Dex did not alter the kinetics of GS mRNA decay in the presence of actinomycin D. The increase in GS mRNA in response to Dex was completely blocked by RU-38486 and by actinomycin D, but not by cycloheximide (CHX). CHX together with Dex caused a superinduction of GS mRNA. GS mRNA decay kinetics suggested that this superinduction is at least in part caused by an approximately twofold increase in GS mRNA half-life caused by CHX. In addition, actinomycin D was found to increase GS mRNA half-life by approximately 50%. Actinomycin D plus CHX acted synergistically to cause a profound inhibition of GS mRNA decay. Our results are consistent with regulation of lung GS expression via a direct glucocorticoid receptor-mediated response. In addition, GS mRNA decay in L2 cells seems to be regulated by two independent mechanisms, one which is sensitive to CHX and one which is sensitive to actinomycin D.
Liberia rising? Foreign direct investment, persistent inequalities and political tensions

AbstractA key component of post-conflict reconstruction is inclusive and equitable economic development. In the post-Cold War era, Western donors have promoted the liberal peacebuilding model that emphasises democratisation and marketisation to accomplish stability and development. Attracting Foreign Direct Investment is an essential component of these marketisation policies, contributing to creating new employment opportunities, bringing in new technologies, skills and access to international markets. Others point to potential negative consequences for social stability of large international firms entering post-civil war countries, creating winners and losers and contributing to conflicts over access to land, jobs, social services and revenues generated by the companies. This paper examines the socio-economic and political consequences of FDI flows in Liberia. It argues that the very success of encouraging FDI, mostly channelled into palm oil, forestry, rubber and iron ore mining, undermined other policy...
Angiogenesis--retrospect and outlook.

The process of angiogenesis, the growth of capillary blood vessels, is fundamental to reproduction, development and repair. Under these conditions, angiogenesis is highly regulated and of short duration. In many pathological states, this regulation is deranged so that the disease itself is driven by persistent, unabated neovascularization. Thus, tumor growth and metastasis are angiogenesis-dependent and a wide variety of non-neoplastic diseases are dominated by uncontrolled angiogenesis. These “angiogenic diseases” include arthritis, psoriasis, hemangiomas, and many types of ocular neovascularization, to name but a few.
Development of the crop residue and rangeland burning in the 2014 National Emissions Inventory using information from multiple sources.

ABSTRACTBiomass burning has been identified as an important contributor to the degradation of air quality because of its impact on ozone and particulate matter. One component of the biomass burning inventory, crop residue burning, has been poorly characterized in the National Emissions Inventory (NEI). In the 2011 NEI, wildland fires, prescribed fires, and crop residue burning collectively were the largest source of PM2.5. This paper summarizes our 2014 NEI method to estimate crop residue burning emissions and grass/pasture burning emissions using remote sensing data and field information and literature-based, crop-specific emission factors. We focus on both the postharvest and pre-harvest burning that takes place with bluegrass, corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, sugarcane and wheat. Estimates for 2014 indicate that over the continental United States (CONUS), crop residue burning excluding all areas identified as Pasture/Grass, Grassland Herbaceous, and Pasture/Hay occurred over approximately 1.5 million acre...
Validating sonication as a DNA extraction method for use with carrion flies.

Entomological evidence can be critical in establishing a postmortem interval estimate. DNA-based species identification can be an extremely valuable tool for forensic entomology. The problem of processing samples in a consistent, cost-effective manner that retains the morphological attributes of the specimen for vouchering has led us to investigate sonication as a primary means of non-destructive DNA extraction from carrion flies. We analyze the efficacy of this technique and compare it to an established DNA extraction technique — the Qiagen DNeasy tissue kit. Our results indicate that sonication produces a significant reduction in the sequence length and lower PHRED quality scores when compared to sequences using DNA obtained using the DNeasy kit, but species identification and phylogenetic inferences between sonication and DNeasy extractions are equivalent.
Projecting 21st century snowpack trends in western USA mountains using variable-resolution CESM

Climate change will impact western USA water supplies by shifting precipitation from snow to rain and driving snowmelt earlier in the season. However, changes at the regional-to-mountain scale is still a major topic of interest. This study addresses the impacts of climate change on mountain snowpack by assessing historical and projected variable-resolution (VR) climate simulations in the community earth system model (VR-CESM) forced by prescribed sea-surface temperatures along with widely used regional downscaling techniques, the coupled model intercomparison projects phase 5 bias corrected and statistically downscaled (CMIP5-BCSD) and the North American regional climate change assessment program (NARCCAP). The multi-model RCP8.5 scenario analysis of winter season SWE for western USA mountains indicates by 2040-2065 mean SWE could decrease −19% (NARCCAP) to −38% (VR-CESM), with an ensemble median change of −27%. Contrary to CMIP5-BCSD and NARCCAP, VR-CESM highlights a more pessimistic outcome for western USA mountain snowpack in latter-parts of the 21st century. This is related to temperature changes altering the snow-albedo feedback, snowpack storage, and precipitation phase, but may indicate that VR-CESM resolves more physically consistent elevational effects lacking in statistically downscaled datasets and teleconnections that are not captured in limited area models. Overall, VR-CESM projects by 2075–2100 that average western USA mountain snowfall decreases by −30%, snow cover by −44%, SWE by −69%, and average surface temperature increase of +5.0 $$^\circ$$ C. This places pressure on western USA states to preemptively invest in climate adaptation measures such as alternative water storage, water use efficiency, and reassess reservoir storage operations.
REDUCED-FAT CHEESE: REGULATIONS AND DEFINITIONS

On January 6, 1993, the Food and Drug Administration published new rules that amended its food labeling regulations to establish definitions and criteria for the use of specific nutrient content claims (or descriptors) on food labels such as “free,” “low,” “reduced,” “light” or “lite,” and “less.” The agency also established a new General Standard of Identity which permits the use of such nutrient content claims on labels of standardized foods that have been specifically formulated to achieve a nutrition goal, for example, a reduced-fat form of a standardized cheese. Use of a nutrient content claim such as “reduced fat” on a cheese label will require that the product conform to the definition of “reduced” and also to the new general standard of identity. Products which do not have a nutrient content claim shall comply with the specific varietal or class standard of identity for that traditional product, (e.g., cheddar cheese standard).
The effect of varying Bemisia argentifolii and Eretmocerus mundus ratios on parasitism

We investigated the effects of different host: parasitoid ratios on the efficacy of the parasitoid Eretmocerus mundus attacking the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii. When host density was held constant (100 second instars) and parasitoid density was decreased from 15 to 1 females, the percentage of total host mortality was significantly lower at low parasitoid densities. The number of host nymphs killed, and the number of female parasitoid progeny per female, increased 3.6 and 20.4 times, respectively. The emergence rate, sex ratio, longevity, and body lengths of progeny were significantly larger at the lowest parasitoid density while developmental time was significantly shorter. When the number of hosts was increased from 5 to 250 and parasitoid density was held constant (5 females), the percentage of nymphal mortality decreased 1.6 times. The percentage of desiccated nymphs was significantly highest (65.7%) at the lowest host density, while percentage parasitism (34.3%) was significantly lowest at the lowest host density. The data could be described using a Type I functional response curve. We propose a generalized index of efficacy (GIE) to summarize and compare the total effects of parasitoid--host ratios. This index showed that the most efficient ratio was one parasitoid female per ten second instar host nymphs.
The Ecology of Teachers’ Experiences with Violence and Lack of Administrative Support

Teacher-directed violence is a common, yet understudied, phenomenon. Perpetrators of violence against teachers include not just students, but also administrators, parents, and colleagues. Administrators are key stakeholders when it comes to shaping school climate and safety that can reduce or increase the negative impact of violence against teachers. In this study, 237 teachers' qualitative responses from a larger sample of 2,431 anonymous, online survey responses were examined to better understand their experiences with incidents of violence and how administrators played a role in these experiences. Results reveal that lack of administrator support negatively impacts teachers at multiple levels, including teachers' feelings (individual); challenges associated with addressing issues related to students, parents, and other perpetrators (interpersonal); and school systems and policies (organizational). This study highlights the importance of administrative support and illustrates how administrators' actions and inactions can have ripple effects at each level of the school microcosm. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.
Kinds of Graphs

In research, graphs of data are the most widely used means of communication. A graph turns numbers into pictures. Data evolve into bars, curves, or points which vividly show rise and fall, divergences, relationships, trends, and changes. A graph is a powerful way to show the results of a mathematical calculation.
Predicting help-seeking behavior: The impact of knowing someone close who has sought help

Objectives: This study sought to replicate and extend research on social facilitators of college student's help seeking for psychological problems. Participants: We collected data on 420 ethnically...
2,2′-Disulfanediylbis(pyridine N-oxide)–hydrogen peroxide (1/1)

In the title co-crystal, C10H8N2O2S2·H2O2, both mol­ecules are generated by crystallographic twofold symmetry; the dihedral angle between the pyridine rings is 101.16 (9)°. In the crystal, the components are linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to generate [010] chains of alternating 2,2′-di­thio­bis­(pyridine N-oxide) and hydrogen peroxide mol­ecules. The structure was refined as a two-component inversion twin.
Growth Factors: Neuronal Atrophy

Growth factors are proteins that bind to specific receptors on the cell surface, with the primary effect during nervous system development of stimulating cell proliferation, neuronal differentiation, or neurite outgrowth. Expression of growth factors and their receptors continues in the nervous system throughout adulthood, where the growth factors act to modulate the functional state of neurons, influence synaptic efficacy, and potentially modify neuronal structure. Growth factors also exert potent effects on cell survival and axonal outgrowth in animal models of nervous system disease or age-related atrophy. This article focuses on the roles of growth factors in affecting neurons in a state of atrophy arising from either aging or disease.
Directed control of discrete event systems

For the control of discrete event systems, the notion of directed control refines that of supervisory control. A directed controller is one that selects at most one controllable event to be enabled at any state (without disabling any uncontrollable event), which is in fact how a discrete event control is implemented. In contrast, a supervisory controller computes a maximal allowable set of controllable events at each state, leaving undecided exactly which one is to be enabled. We model discrete event systems using the automaton formalism. Under directed control, our first goal is to achieve logical correctness of the controlled system behavior as specified by safety and nonblocking. Subsequently we address the best performance issue by providing an optimization based framework. The optimization task is to direct a system in such a way that regardless of the history of evolution, it accomplishes a pending task in a minimal cost. In a state-based setting, we formulate and study the existence and synthesis problems with the above objectives. We first show that the existence and the synthesis of a safe and nonblocking directed controller are both solvable in polynomial complexity. Then we present a novel approach with polynomial complexity for the synthesis (and the existence) of an optimal director, thus providing a complete solution to the problems in study.
Chemistry from 3D-printed objects

3D printing technology has started to take hold as an enabling tool for scientific advancement. Born from the marriage of computer-aided design and additive manufacturing, 3D printing was originally intended to generate prototypes for inspection before their full industrial production. As this field has matured, its reach into other applications has expanded, accelerated by its ability to generate 3D objects with complex geometries. Chemists and chemical engineers have begun to take advantage of these capabilities in their own research. Certainly, the most prominent examples of this adoption have been the design and use of 3D printed reaction containers and flow devices. The focus of this Review, however, is on 3D printed objects, the chemical reactivities of which are of primary interest. These types of objects have been designed and used in catalytic, mechanical, electronic, analytical and biological applications. Underlying this research are the efforts to add chemical functionality to standard printing materials, which are often inert. This Review details the different ways in which chemical reactivity is endowed on printed objects, the types of chemical functionality that have been explored in the various printing materials and the reactions that are facilitated by the final printed object. Finally, the Review discusses new avenues for the development and further sophistication of generating chemically active, 3D printed objects. 3D printing technology emerged as a tool for the design and fabrication of prototypes. Chemists are now using this technology to produce chemically reactive materials. In this Review, Hartings and Ahmed discuss different approaches to 3D print chemically reactive objects.
Catalyst-Controlled C–H Functionalization of Adamantanes Using Selective H-Atom Transfer

A method for the direct functionalization of diamondoids has been developed using photoredox and H atom transfer catalysis. This C–H alkylation reaction has excellent chemoselectivity for the stron...
Carbapenmase-producing Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CP-CRE) investigation and containment in an acute-care inpatient physical rehabilitation hospital mandates a multi-faceted approach

BACKGROUND Patients admitted from an outside acute-care facility, to an acute-care inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), are considered at-risk-populations for undiagnosed Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Potential intra-facility transmission could result in a facility-wide outbreak. Various diagnosed carbapenemase organisms challenged staff to prevent person-to-person transmission while providing optimal rehabilitative therapy. METHODS Over three months, point prevalent studies (PPS) were conducted by staff, county, and state representatives at an acute-care IRF. Input/consultation from a national health agency was provided. PPS were specific to the source patient's 41 bed unit. PPS consisted of increased hand hygiene audits (HH) and patient rectal swabbing. Prior to discontinuing PPS, two consecutive negative PPS were necessary. Patient's right-to-refusal to participate in any PPS was honored. Isolation precautions, personal protective equipment (PPE) and environmental services (EVS) procedures were observed and enhanced. RESULTS Five PPS were conducted. HH audits showed 78.7% compliance. Rectal swab results for census totaled 119 patients with 94 patients screened. Three various types of CRE were identified. Enhanced isolation precautions were instituted for CRE positive patients who were incontinent of bowel/bladder. IRF and EVS staffs were taught how to properly don/doff PPE, along with additional education around appropriate cleaning of shared equipment. Proper methods for isolation cleaning were reinforced with all EVS staff. CONCLUSIONS Prevention of intra-facility or person-to-person transmission of CRE is possible. Consistent reinforcement of HH in all disciplines is paramount. Adopting targeted interventions, including EVS cleaning to control transmission, instituting enhanced precautions to maintain optimal therapies and treatments, result in greatest patient outcomes. Screening incoming patients from other facilities, on admission, is a reserved option. Screening increases cost to patients, as well as debatably unnecessary testing. Administration, medical, nursing, therapeutic staff and EVS, must support one another to avert transmission of CRE.
Conclusion: Continuing Changes in Marriage and Family; Supporting Diverse Perspectives on End-of-Life Decision-Making

As is evident in the case of Mrs. Kim from Chap. 1, when confronted with serious illness, family relationships are a key element of patient decision-making. While clinicians, including the author, have encountered situations where the family and the patient are at odds with one another about optimal treatment, it is important that healthcare providers not necessarily assume that active family involvement is a type of corrupting influence on individual patient autonomy.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative naloxone distribution strategies: First responder and lay distribution in the United States

Abstract Background The U.S. is facing an unprecedented number of opioid-related overdose deaths, and an array of other countries have experienced increases in opioid-related fatalities. In the U.S., naloxone is increasingly distributed to first responders to improve early administration to overdose victims, but its cost-effectiveness has not been studied. Lay distribution, in contrast, has been found to be cost-effective, but rising naloxone prices and increased mortality due to synthetic opioids may reduce cost-effectiveness. We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of increased naloxone distribution to (a) people likely to witness or experience overdose (“laypeople”); (b) police and firefighters; (c) emergency medical services (EMS) personnel; and (d) combinations of these groups. Methods We use a decision-analytic model to analyze the cost-effectiveness of eight naloxone distribution strategies. We use a lifetime horizon and conduct both a societal analysis (accounting for productivity and criminal justice system costs) and a health sector analysis. We calculate: the ranking of strategies by net monetary benefit; incremental cost-effectiveness ratios; and number of fatal overdoses. Results High distribution to all three groups maximized net monetary benefit and minimized fatal overdoses; it averted 21% of overdose deaths compared to minimum distribution. High distribution to laypeople and one of the other groups comprised the second and third best strategies. The majority of health gains resulted from increased lay distribution. In the societal analysis, every strategy was cost-saving compared to its next-best alternative; cost savings were greatest in the maximum distribution strategy. In the health sector analysis, all undominated strategies were cost-effective. Results were highly robust to deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Conclusions Increasing naloxone distribution to laypeople and first responder groups would maximize health gains and be cost-effective. If feasible, communities should distribute naloxone to all groups; otherwise, distribution to laypeople and one of the first responder groups should be emphasized.
A cultural approach to algorithmic bias in games

As algorithms come to govern every aspect of our lives—from bank loans, to job applications, to traffic patterns, to our media consumption patterns—communication research has become increasingly co...
Investigating Long-Range Seasonal Predictability of East African Short Rains: Influence of the Mascarene High on the Indian Ocean Walker Cell

AbstractWe investigate predictability of East African Short Rains at long (up to 12 month) lead times by relating seasonal rainfall anomalies to climate anomalies associated with the predominant Wa...
Missing misters: uncovering the pedagogies and positionalities of male teachers of color in the school lives of Black and Latino adolescent boys

Educational stakeholders often recruit male teachers of color as solutions to the problems facing Black and Latino boys and young men in PreK-12 schools. However, given the assumptions made of thes...
Novel use of the ENROUTE transcarotid arterial sheath for antegrade cerebral perfusion during retrograde innominate stenting.

Abstract Femoral-carotid bypass has been described to preserve antegrade cerebral perfusion during aortic arch and great vessel interventions. We describe a novel use of the ENROUTE transcarotid arterial sheath (Silk Road Medical, Sunnyvale, Calif) as the outflow component of a femoral-carotid shunt for maintenance of antegrade cerebral perfusion during a retrograde innominate stenting procedure. We discuss the unique advantages of this sheath for use in this application.
Nef homodimers down-regulate SERINC5 by AP-2–mediated endocytosis to promote HIV-1 infectivity

SERINC5 is a multipass intrinsic membrane protein that suppresses HIV-1 infectivity when incorporated into budding virions. The HIV-1 Nef virulence factor prevents viral incorporation of SERINC5 by triggering its down-regulation from the producer cell membrane through an AP-2–dependent endolysosomal pathway. However, the mechanistic basis for SERINC5 down-regulation by Nef remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that Nef homodimers are important for SERINC5 down-regulation, trafficking to late endosomes, and exclusion from newly synthesized viral particles. Based on previous X-ray crystal structures, we mutated three conserved residues in the Nef dimer interface (Leu112, Tyr115, and Phe121) and demonstrated attenuated homodimer formation in a cell-based fluorescence complementation assay. Point mutations at each position reduced the infectivity of HIV-1 produced from transfected 293T cells, the Jurkat TAg T-cell line, and donor mononuclear cells in a SERINC5-dependent manner. In SERINC5-transfected 293T cells, virion incorporation of SERINC5 was increased by dimerization-defective Nef mutants, whereas down-regulation of SERINC5 from the membrane of transfected Jurkat cells by these mutants was significantly reduced. Nef dimer interface mutants also failed to trigger internalization of SERINC5 and localization to Rab7+ late endosomes in T cells. Importantly, fluorescence complementation assays demonstrated that dimerization-defective Nef mutants retained interaction with both SERINC5 and AP-2. These results show that down-regulation of SERINC5 and subsequent enhancement of viral infectivity require Nef homodimers and support a mechanism by which the Nef dimer bridges SERINC5 to AP-2 for endocytosis. Pharmacological disruption of Nef homodimers may control HIV-1 infectivity and viral spread by enhancing virion incorporation of SERINC5.
Economic benefits of diagnostic testing in livestock

Anaplasmosis is an economically important livestock disease that can result in death loss, productivity loss, and burdensome treatment costs. Uncontrolled outbreaks can impose a significant financial burden on cattle producers worldwide, which may be mitigated by diligent surveillance and management. Evaluating the economic benefit of various management tools can be complicated, and in the case of diagnostic testing, is influenced by disease prevalence as well as the test and individual herd characteristics. This study applies an economic model to determine the value of anaplasmosis testing in various scenarios representative of cow-calf operations.
Investment Opportunities and Share Repurchases

Previous studies of share repurchase have primarily focused on examining announcement effects and long-term operating performance in order to distinguish among the diverse possible hypotheses for repurchase. One of the most important rationales they have studied is the over-investment hypothesis: firms repurchase in order to avoid investing in negative net present value projects. While the recent empirical analyses have presented some indirect evidence in support of the over-investment hypothesis, this study examines this rationale for repurchase from a unique perspective, empirically showing that project returns have an important influence on the decision to repurchase shares. Our sample of firms consists of 125 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in order to utilize a time series of real estate capitalization rates (property ROAs) from market transactions on different property types. These cap rates proxy for a REIT.s project opportunity set. Using both Logit and Tobit models that corrects for other possible buyback rationales, we show that during periods with relatively low cap rates, REITs are more likely to both repurchase shares and repurchase larger amounts of shares than when cap rates are high.
Predictors of traumatic nerve injury and nerve recovery following humeral shaft fracture

Introduction Nerve palsy is common after humeral shaft fracture, with the radial nerve being the most commonly injured nerve. Isolated nerve injuries usually recover spontaneously, and operative intervention is rarely indicated. Our goal was to study the predictors of traumatic nerve injury and recovery in a large cohort of patients with humeral shaft fractures. Methods A total of 376 patients with humeral shaft fracture, including 96 patients with documented traumatic nerve palsy and 280 with intact neurovascular examination on presentation, were retrospectively included in the study. The primary outcome was incidence of a traumatic nerve palsy, and the secondary outcome was nerve recovery. Results Nerve palsy was present in 96 patients (25.5%) at the time of injury. Radial nerve was the most commonly injured nerve (93.6%), followed by the ulnar (5.1%) and axillary (1.2%) nerves. Seventeen patients (17.7%) had multiple nerves palsies. A multivariable regression analysis revealed that the concomitant vascular injury (odds ratio [OR] 52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6-480.6), distal one-third fractures (OR 6.3, 95% CI 2.7-14.7), and middle one-third (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.5) vs. proximal fractures, open fracture (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.4), and high-energy trauma (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.9) were independent predictors of nerve palsy. Iatrogenic nerve injury was detected in 7 patients (4.6%), all affecting the radial nerve. Spontaneous recovery of traumatic nerve injuries was detected in 87 patients (91%), with 19% partial and 72% complete recovery. The initial sign of recovery was observed at median times of 7 and 9 weeks for those managed conservatively or fracture fixation. Operative treatment of the fracture had no effect on the outcome of nerve recovery (88.5% vs. 100%, P = .14). Ten patients (14.1%) had transected nerves at the time of exploration and open fractures (22.7% vs. 6.8%, P = .04), and concomitant vascular injury (33.3% vs. 7.3%, P = .02) were associated with nerve transection, portending a worse prognosis for nerve recovery compared with nerves in continuity (40% vs. 95.3%, P = .004). Discussion The incidence of nerve injury after humeral shaft fracture was 25%, reflecting an abundance of high-energy and open injuries in this cohort. Ninety-one percent of patients experienced improvement in their nerve function with a median time to recovery of 7-9 weeks. Operative treatment of the fracture did not change the rate of nerve recovery. Patients with multiple nerve palsies and concurrent vascular insult had worse nerve recovery. We recommend nerve studies if no sign of recovery is observed by 9 weeks.
A Case of Kratom Use: Implications for Managing Addiction and Addressing Comorbidity in Overdose Survivors, and for the Education of Clinicians Who Are Not Addiction Specialists.

As overdose mortality rises, overdose morbidity - complications seen as a result of overdose events - is rising too. Although comorbidity is often thought of as psychiatric or psychological, a case report of compartment syndrome, rhabdomyolysis, and acute renal insufficiency in a patient with loss of consciousness for 6 hours after smoking Kratom highlights medical comorbidity. The case is a reminder that a broad range of medical comorbidities can occur in patients with overdose and with unhealthy substance use. Patients with these comorbidities will often be cared for by clinicians who are not addiction specialists, who will need to have sufficient training to recognize and address them.
Vicarious Liability and the Private University Student Press

The lack of a First Amendment prohibition against administrative interference with the student press leaves a private university open to legal liability from the content of student publications through the doctrine of vicarious liability. To insulate a private university from such a lawsuit, commentators have encouraged the adoption of formal policy statements that give student journalists the right to make all content decisions. But given the trend in vicarious liability law, such policy statements are unlikely to protect a private university from liability for torts committed by its dependent student press. Instead, decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States suggest, and this article argues, that the adoption of policies and procedures designed to prevent and correct foreseeable misconduct associated with the dissemination of student-produced content will help protect a private university from vicarious liability arising from the operation of its student press.
Novel Technologies for Target Delivery of Therapeutics to the Placenta during Pregnancy: A Review

Uterine spiral artery remodeling is essential for placental perfusion and fetal growth and, when impaired, results in placental ischemia and pregnancy complications, e.g., fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, premature birth. Despite the high incidence of adverse pregnancies, current treatment options are limited. Accordingly, research has shifted to the development of gene therapy technologies that provide targeted delivery of “payloads” to the placenta while limiting maternal and fetal exposure. This review describes the current strategies, including placental targeting peptide-bound liposomes, nanoparticle or adenovirus constructs decorated with specific peptide sequences and placental gene promoters delivered via maternal IV injection, directly into the placenta or the uterine artery, as well as noninvasive site-selective targeting of regulating genes conjugated with microbubbles via contrast-enhanced ultrasound. The review also provides a perspective on the effectiveness of these technologies in various animal models and their practicability and potential use for targeted placental delivery of therapeutics and genes in adverse human pregnancies affected by placental dysfunction.
China's Inferior Political Model

Mr. Sturgeon, an American academic law librarian and Chinese law specialist, concisely compares China's post-1949 political model with that of the United States and deems it inferior.
An Analysis of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program: Outside Students’ Empathy, Social Connectedness, and Criminal Justice Activism

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program unites college students and incarcerated individuals for semester-long courses. The present study assessed the association between Inside-Out participation an...
Ecosystem change and carbon cycle perturbation preceded the end-Triassic mass extinction

Abstract During the Phanerozoic, major global upheavals in life history and the carbon cycle are predominantly linked to the emplacement of large igneous provinces, but the delineation of a cause and effect framework remains unclear. The end-Triassic mass extinction (ETE) is temporally associated with emplacement of the Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP). A better understanding of precursor events to the ETE is essential if the mechanisms for this mass extinction are to be fully delineated. Here, we present new high-resolution data integrating petrographic, biotic, mercury, and carbon isotope analyses of the pre-extinction interval at the Ferguson Hill locality, Nevada (USA). We document the “precursor” carbon isotope excursion along with low Hg concentrations and sulphidic sediments prior to the ETE. A combination of proxies reveals disruptions to shallow marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles prior to the main phase of CAMP volcanism. We propose that episodic anoxic conditions led to the restructuring of shallow marine benthic ecosystems towards overall lower diversity, including more low oxygen tolerant taxa preceding the ETE. The timing of the initial marine ecosystem restructuring in eastern Panthalassa could be related to the early phase of CAMP emplacement, and implies that an early intrusive event initiated the ecosystem changes. These restructured marine ecosystems reflect the deteriorating environmental conditions leading up to the ETE that ultimately resulted in the ETE.