cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fibrillin-1 and -2 differentially modulate endogenous TGF-β and BMP bioavailability during bone formation

Extracellular regulation of signaling by transforming growth factor (TGF)–β family members is emerging as a key aspect of organ formation and tissue remodeling. In this study, we demonstrate that fibrillin-1 and -2, the structural components of extracellular microfibrils, differentially regulate TGF-β and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) bioavailability in bone. Fibrillin-2–null (Fbn2−/−) mice display a low bone mass phenotype that is associated with reduced bone formation in vivo and impaired osteoblast maturation in vitro. This Fbn2−/− phenotype is accounted for by improper activation of latent TGF-β that selectively blunts expression of osterix, the transcriptional regulator of osteoblast maturation, and collagen I, the structural template for bone mineralization. Cultured osteoblasts from Fbn1−/− mice exhibit improper latent TGF-β activation as well, but mature faster because of increased availability of otherwise matrix-bound BMPs. Additional in vitro evidence excludes a direct role of microfibrils in supporting mineral deposition. Together, these findings identify the extracellular microfibrils as critical regulators of bone formation through the modulation of endogenous TGF-β and BMP signaling.
Academic–Correctional Health Partnerships Preparing the Correctional Health Workforce for the Changing Landscape—Focus Group Research Results

Providing health care in corrections is challenging. Attracting clinicians can be equally challenging. The future holds a shortage of nurses and primary care physicians. We have a unique opportunity, now, to develop and stabilize our workforce, create a positive image, and enhance quality before the health care landscape changes even more dramatically. Focus groups were conducted with 22 correctional health care professionals divided into three groups: physicians (6), nurses (4), and nurse practitioners/physician assistants (12). Content focused on curricular themes, but additional themes emerged related to recruitment and retention. This article describes recruitment challenges, strategic themes identified, and the proposed initiatives to support a stable, high-quality correctional health workforce.
Seasonal changes of osmotic pressure, symplasmic water content and tissue elasticity in the blades of dune grasses growing in situ along the coast of Oregon

Abstract Midday water potentials of blades of the dune grasses Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link and Elymus mollis Trin. ex Spreng. growing in situ declined over the summer growing period, indicating a trend of increasing water stress. An analysis of the water relations characteristics of these blades using pressure-volume techniques demonstrated that both species increased bulk osmotic pressure at full hydration () and, therefore, bulk turgor as an acclimation response. In A. arenaria, however, the increase of osmotic pressure (+ 0.35 MPa) was entirely the result of decreasing symplasmic water content. The increase of osmotic pressure (+ 0.54 MPa) observed in E. mollis blades was due to solute accumulation (72% of Δ) and to a lesser degree, decreased symplasmic water content (28% of Δ). Osmotic adjustment in E. mollis blades was accompanied by a significant decrease in tissue elasticity (max went from 12 to 19 MPa). The elastic properties of A. arenaria blades remained constant over the same period and had a maximum modulus (10 MPa) that was always less than that of E. mollis, As estimated from Hofler plots, these seasonal adjustments of osmotic pressure and differences in tissue elasticity enabled plants in situ to maintain turgor pressure in the range of 0.5–0.6 MPa at the lowest water potentials of mid-August. Laboratorygrown plants exhibited the species-specific differences in osmotic pressure, turgor pressure, and tissue elasticity observed in field plants. Although certain alterations of leaf structure were expected to coincide with the observed changes and species-specific differences in symplasmic water content and tissue elasticity, these could not be detected by measurements of specific leaf weight or the ratio of dry matter to saturated water content.
Risk: A Concept Analysis

Shattell seek to analyze the concept risk, an essential element of theory development and research, and provide a new definition of risk. A new definition of risk that emerged from her concept analysis can provide clarity and direction for future research. She further claims that nurse researchers can look to this definition to expand what is known about health-seeking behavior as opposed to "risk" behaviors and seek to further the understanding of the cognitive and experiential process of risk identification.
Event-related potentials of emotional memory: encoding pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures.

Emotional events tend to be remembered better than nonemotional events. We investigated this phenomenon by measuring two event-related potential (ERP) effects: the emotion effect (more positive ERPs for pleasant or unpleasant stimuli than for neutral stimuli) and the subsequent memory effect (more positive ERPs for subsequently remembered items than for subsequently forgotten items). ERPs were measured while subjects rated the emotional content of pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures. As was expected, subsequent recall was better for pleasant and unpleasant pictures than for neutral pictures. The emotion effect was sensitive to arousal in parietal electrodes and to both arousal and valence in frontocentral electrodes. The subsequent memory effect at centroparietal electrodes was greater for emotional pictures than for neutral pictures during an early epoch (400–600 msec). This result suggests that emotional information has privileged access to processing resources, possibly leading to better memory formation.
Simultaneous Analysis of Primidone, Phenobarbital, and Phenylethylmalonamide in Plasma and Brain

The gas-liquid chromatographic method we have developed analyzes primidone and its two active metabolites, phenobarbital and phenylethylmalonamide (PEMA), simultaneously with the use of a modified Supelco SP 2510-DA column and flame-ionization detection. Extraction and analysis are applicable to both plasma and brain samples. The drugs are quantitated underivatized. Extraction efficiency exceeded 91% for all components in both plasma and brain with coefficients of variation for primidone, phenobarbital, and PEMA of 16, 9 and 11% respectively. Mean levels for patient samples analyzed were 8.6p.g/ml for primidone, 26.0 p.g/ml for phenobarbital, and 6.2/~g/ml for PEMA. The method was used to analyze concurrent plasma and brain tissue In a kinetic study of primidone and motabolites in mice.
A Valentinian Interpretation of Baptism and Eucharist — and Its Critique of “Orthodox” Sacramental Theology and Practice*

The question of how different gnostic Christians interpreted and practiced sacraments — so long limited to the sparse references in the anti-gnostic writers — is being reexamined in the light of recently available gnostic documents. Yet one source long available — the fragments of Heracleon that Origen cites in his own Commentary on John — yields evidence that Heracleon not only interprets the sacraments in terms of Valentinian theology, but also criticized, from this theological standpoint, the sacramental theology and practice of the “great church.” Heracleon's sacramental theology, however, has escaped the notice of those researchers that have limited their investigation to the quoted fragments themselves. Analysis of Origen's commentary as a whole reveals that other statements of Heracleon's doctrine frequently appear apart from the direct quotations. Such statements, recognizable by their concurrence of terminology and doctrine with the quoted fragments, Origen introduces as the opinion of “the heterodox,” 3 or “those who introduce the doctrine of natures,” or in the voice of the imaginary interlocutor. As Heracleon is his principal protagonist, these often set forth his views. Extending our methodology to include investigation of Origen's arguments — which are characteristically structured, in the John commentary, to refute Heracleon's allegations — we discover in the extant debate evidence for a Valentinian theology of baptism and the eucharist.
Modeling predicts a connection between sinus vortex effects and aortic compliance

We submit this letter in order to clarify some methodological issues and concerns raised by Spronck et al. (2015) related to our mathematical modeling of aortic valve dynamics during systole Aboelkassem et al. (2015). It is important to note at the outset that these clarifications do not impact the simulation output or conclusions we originally reported in that paper. However, Spronck et al. have led us to recognize some unfortunate omissions and minor typographical errors in the methods portion of our report that, once corrected, will allow others to more easily reproduce and understand our results.
Drinking and driving among Italian adolescents: trends over seven years (2007-2013)

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), especially among young people. The aims of the present study were (1) to analyse the trends of DUI, riding with a driver under influence of alcohol (RWDUI) and alcohol-related road crashes (A-rC) in a nationally representative sample of students in the period 2007-2013, (2) to assess how different drinking patterns were associated with DUI and RWDUI, (3) to evaluate other influential factors (such as gender, older siblings' and friends' behaviour with alcohol) on DUI and RWDUI. Data were drawn from the cross-sectional European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) carried out annually in Italy. The sample size ranged from 25,555 to 40,390 students (15-19 years old). Results were stratified for students <18 years and ≥18 years old. Although a significant decreasing trend for alcohol consumption was observed only in the younger group, a significant decrease in DUI [APC (annual percent change) -9.7 in the younger and -6.4 in the older group] and in RWDUI (APC -6.7 in the younger and -4.8 in the older group) was detected. A significant decreasing trend of A-rC was observed only in the older group (APC -3.4). Three specific drinking patterns were identified: "Drinking to Excess" (DE), "Drinking with Intoxication" (DI) and "Drinking but Not to Excess" (DNE). In both age groups, the DE pattern significantly increased the likelihood of DUI, whereas the DI pattern was negatively associated, and the DNE pattern was not associated. Different results were found for RWDUI: the DE and DI patterns where significantly associated with RWDUI, whereas the DNE pattern was negatively associated. Overall, illegal substance use, parental monitoring, peers' and siblings' influence were associated with DUI and RWDUI. The change in behaviour towards DUI and RWDUI suggests a cumulative effectiveness of current alcohol policies, although further actions (greater attention to social context, law enforcement, and promotion of good practice) are needed to substantially reduce alcohol-related crashes.
Treatment of Limited Shoulder Motion: A Case Study Based on Biomechanical Considerations

This article describes the management of a 57-year-old female patient following a fracture and dislocation of the right humeral head. The treatment of the patient involved the use of thermal agents, manual therapy, continuous passive motion, and splinting of the arm in an elevated position. We describe an approach to treatment of limited shoulder motion that is focused on identifying and applying tension to restricting structures rather than restoration of translatory gliding movements of the humeral head. Our treatment approach is based on recent data from biomechanical studies that challenge the concave-convex theory of arthrokinematic motion first described by MacConaill. We believe that tension in capsular tissues, rather than joint surface geometry, may control the translatory movements of the humeral head. The rationale for treatment involving low-load prolonged stress to tissues in the form of continuous passive motion and splinting is discussed as well as potential limitations of more brief forms of stress such as joint mobilization and manual stretching.
A Frequency Analysis of Semiactive Control Methods for Vehicle Application

The performance of five different skyhook control methods is studied experimentally, using a quarter-car rig. The control methods that are analyzed include: skyhook control, groundhook control, hybrid control, displacement skyhook, and relative displacement skyhook. Upon evaluating the performance of each method in frequency domain for various control conditions, they are compared with each other as well as with passive damping. The results indicate that no one control method outperforms other control methods at both the sprung and unsprung mass natural frequencies. Each method can perform better than the other control methods in some respect. Hybrid control, however, comes close to providing the best compromise between different dynamic demands on a primary suspension. The results indicate that hybrid control can offer benefits to both the sprung and unsprung mass with control gain settings that provide equal contributions from skyhook control and groundhook control.
Penalty and Shrinkage Functions for Sparse Signal Processing

The function φ(·) is referred to as the penalty function (or regularization function). If φ(x) = λ|x|, then (4) is the same as (1). For sparse signal processing, φ(x) should be chosen so as to promote sparsity of x. It is common to set φ(x) = λ|x|, especially because it is a convex function unlike many other sparsity promoting penalty functions. Convex functions are attractive because they can be more reliably minimized than non-convex functions. However, non-convex penalty functions can lead to enhanced sparsity of sparse signals.
Learning the discriminative dictionary for sparse representation by a general fisher regularized model

This paper presents two novel discriminative dictionary learning models for sparse representation, namely the Fisher discriminative sparse model (FDSM) and the marginal Fisher discriminative sparse model (MFDSM). To learn the FDSM and the MFDSM efficiently and homogeneously, a general Fisher regularized model is further derived so that both of them can be learned without much modification. Experimental results on four popular databases, namely the extended Yale face database B, the AR face database, the 15 scenes dataset and the MIT-67 indoor scenes dataset show that the proposed method can improve upon other popular methods.
PSEUDORUTILE IN THE BARABOO RANGE, WISCONSIN: FIRST RECOGNITION AS A METAMORPHIC MINERAL

The iron titanate, pseudorutile, is typically an intermediate product in the alteration of ilmenite to rutile and hematite during weathering or diagenesis. In contrast to this common mode of occurrence, pseudorutile in the chlorite-grade Seeley slate (Baraboo Range, Wisconsin) appears to be metamorphic in origin, comprising tabular, poikiloblastic crystals and coexisting with quartz, muscovite, chlorite, tourmaline, apatite, pyrite, and rutile. Individual grains of pseudorutile are compositionally heterogeneous, with Fe 2 O 3 ranging from 29.4 to 35.5 wt.% and TiO 2 ranging from 58.3 to 61.9 wt.%. Complete electron microprobe (EMP) analysis for all elements, except H, yields a mean atomic formula for Seeley pseudorutile, based on 3 atoms of Ti + Si per formula unit, of: ( Fe 1.61 Mn 0.06 Zn 0.02 Al 0.01 ) 1.70 ( Ti 2.97 Si 0.03 ) 3.00 O 8.10 ( OH ) 0.90 · 0.69 H 2 O in which oxygen in excess of that required for the anhydrous cations is assigned to H, which is apportioned between OH and H 2 O based on charge balance considerations. It is anticipated that detailed investigation of tabular, opaque grains in other chlorite-grade slates and metapelites may reveal additional occurrences of metamorphic pseudorutile.
Multiquantum Vibrational Energy Exchanges in Nonequilibrium Hypersonic Flows

Numerical simulations are presented of steady state, hypersonic blunt body flows and the influence of multi-quantum vibrational energy exchange assesed for vibrational heating and cooling conditions. The objective is to understand the thermodynamic nonequilibrium phenomena encountered along the trajectory of hypersonic aerospace vehicles. The nonequilibrium vibrational energy distributions were modeled by the master kinetic equation and the population distributions in the quantum energy states of the diatomic molecule evaluated under multiple-quantum vibrational-translational (VT) and vibration-vibration (VV) energy exchanges. The competing effects of resonant and non-resonant VV exchanges and VT de-excitation rates were studied for Treanor distributions that exist for conditions typically encountered in expanding nozzles. For vibrational cooling flows, additional uppumping of energy in the intermediate quantum levels due to enhanced VV exchanges of the double quantum transitions was captured in the numerical simulation. Results from a newly developed dissociation model compared with existing experiments in pure nitrogen suggest that the ladder model with strong vibrational bias is suitable at temperatures 10,000 K and below; at much higher temperatures a weak bias is favored.
Growth rate and reproductive condition of the barnacle Conchoderma virgatum on gravid leatherback sea turtles in Caribbean waters

ABSTRACT Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting at regular time intervals on Sandy Point, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, provided an opportunity to obtain multiple measurements of Conchoderma virgatum, a pedunculate epibiotic cirriped. Mean capitular length for gravid C. virgatum was 12.4 mm (SD = 1.8, range 8.8-15.9 mm). A growth curve was predicted after fitting paired measurements (capture and recapture) from 43 individuals to a von Bertalanffy growth interval equation. Estimates of asymptotic length and intrinsic growth rate were made using nonlinear least-squares regression procedures. The predicted asymptotic size of 14.6-mm capitular length is considerably less than that reported elsewhere for the species. It is possible that stress associated with the terrestrial nesting phase of the host prevented the barnacles from attaining full growth potential. Considerable plasticity in both maximum size and intrinsic growth rate may exist between populations exposed to different physio-ecological regimes.
Antimony tartrate transition-metal-oxo chiral clusters.

A chiral precursor K2Sb2(l-tartrate)2 was used for the assembly of three homochiral heterometallic antimony(III)–tartrate transition-metal–oxo clusters: Mn(H2O)6[Fe4Mn4Sb6(μ4-O)6(μ3-O)2(l-tartrate)6(H2O)8]·10.5H2O (1), [V4Mn5Sb6(μ4-O)6(μ3-O)2(l-tartrate)6(H2O)13]·9.5H2O (2), and (H3O)[Ni(H2O)6]2[NiCrSb12(μ3-O)8(μ4-O)3(l-tartrate)6]·6H2O (3). In 1 and 2, the antimony tartrate dimer precursor decomposes and recombines to form Sb3(μ3-O)(l-tartrate)3 chiral trimers, which act as scaffolds to construct negative-charged [Fe4Mn4Sb6(μ4-O)6(μ3-O)2(l-tartrate)6]2– in 1 and neutral [V4Mn5Sb6(μ4-O)6(μ3-O)2(l-tartrate)6] in 2. The scaffold is flexible and accommodates different types of transition-metal–oxo clusters due to the different possible coordination modes of the l-tartrate ligand. In 3, a two-level chiral scaffold Sb3(μ3-O)(l-tartrate)3Sb3 is formed from the precursor. Two such scaffolds are linked by three bridging oxygen atoms to form a cavity occupied by one Cr3+ ion and one Ni2+ ion disordered over two po...
Abstract 3279: Enhancedin vivoinhibition of neuropeptide-mediated castration resistant prostate cancer progression by combination therapy with enzalutamide and saracatinib.

Introduction: It has been shown that overexpression of the neuropeptides gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in LNCaP cells renders the cells castration-resistant through both androgen receptor (AR) activation and intracrine androgen biosynthesis. Aberrant activation of AR by GRP is mediated through Src kinase activation, which may be inhibited by the specific SFK inhibitor saracatinib. Inhibition of cognate AR activation requires anti-androgen. We hypothesize that treatment of this kind of CRPC demands the combination of saracatinib and new generation anti-androgen enzalutamide (MDV-3100). Materials and methods: LNCaP GRP-Pro cells grown in CS medium were treated with control, saracatinib (2 μM), enzalutamide (10 μM) or the combination. Cell proliferation over 7 days was monitored by MTT assays. Cell cycle distributions over 72 hours of treatment were analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells were collected to prepare nuclear and cytosolic lysates respectively and examined by Western Blotting analysis for AR, pSrc, pAkt, LC-3 and β-actin. Expression of full-length AR and variants were compared by RT-qPCR. Orthotopic injection of GRP-Pro cells into castrated SCID male mice was used as the animal model for drug treatment studies. Results: Enzalutamide or saracatinib alone only slightly inhibited CR cell growth but the combination brought it down to 27% of the control. Apoptosis was also enhanced with the combination. Enzalutamide only inhibited AR nuclear translocation in regular serum-kept GRP-Pro cells, while saracatinib inhibited the translocation in CS conditions. In the orthotopic model, neither treatments with saracatinib (25 mg/kg/daily) or enzalutamide (10 mg/kg/daily) alone showed any effect on tumor take, tumor weight or serum PSA levels. However, the combination treatment drastically reduced the tumor weights (0.66±0.13 g for controls vs. 0.24±0.07 g for the combo) and serum PSA levels (120.79±27.87 ng/ml vs. 19.19±7.45 ng/ml). Conclusions: For GRP mediated CRPC growth, neither saracatinib or enzalutamide alone is sufficient to inhibit AR translocation and tumor progression. Combination of the two significantly improved the treatment for the CRPC orthotopic tumor model. Citation Format: Joy C. Yang, Hao G. Ngyuen, Allen C. Gao, Christopher P. Evans. Enhanced in vivo inhibition of neuropeptide-mediated castration resistant prostate cancer progression by combination therapy with enzalutamide and saracatinib. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3279. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3279
Effect of Changing Dietary Energy Levels and Environmental Temperatures on Feed Consumption and Egg Production of Single Comb White Leghorns

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to determine how quickly S.C. White Leghorn hens in egg production adjusted feed consumption after being subjected to changes in environmental temperature and dietary energy levels. After seven days acclimation to the chambers at 21 ± 1° C. environmental temperature and the intermediate energy level diet, hens changed to 35 ± 1° C. environmental temperature required only one day to adjust feed consumption to the new environment. They consumed significantly (P Hens changed to the 4.5 ± 1° C. environmental temperature appeared to consume more feed throughout both experiments than hens maintained at 21 ± 1° C. environmental temperature, but this difference was not significant (P Even though hens appeared to eat more of the lower energy diet and less of the higher energy diet as compared to the intermediate energy diet, level of dietary energy had no significant (P
The Changes in the Bacterial Content of Stored Normal and Typhoid Feces

Number,?No attempt has been made in this study to determine the total number of viable bacteria in feces. The difficulties of such an undertaking are recognized by most workers and have been clearly set forth by Harris.1 For purposes of comparison the ordinary standard agar count at 37 C. is probably as useful as more elaborate methods and combinations of methods. Some of the earlier observations on the number of cultivable bacteria in stools show considerable variation. Sucksdorff,2 using gelatin as a culture medium, found a range of 2,300,000 to 25,000 per mg. and deemed 381,000 an average. Gilbert and Dominici3 recorded an average of 67,000 per mg., Casciani,4 16,000, and Matzuschita,5 18,000,000. Unfortunately, the methods used in obtaining these counts were not uniform. Later results obtained by methods which are fairly comparable give more uniform results. MacNeal, Latzer and Kerr,6 using litmus lactose agar in the examination of 202 stools from 12 subjects, record a maximum of 1,526,140 bacteria per mg. of feces, a minimum of 1,360 and a mean of 116,239. Houston,7 who used an agar medium for examining 17 stools, found 4,140,000 the maximum, 2,800 the minimum and 373,000 the average (per mg. of feces). Harris1 gives a range from 950,000 maximum to 10,000 minimum, using standard agar medium and 30 stools from 6 subjects.
Medications development for the treatment of alcohol use disorder: insights into the predictive value of animal and human laboratory models

Development of effective treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) represents an important public health goal. This review provides a summary of completed preclinical and clinical studies testing pharmacotherapies for the treatment of AUD. We discuss opportunities for improving the translation from preclinical findings to clinical trial outcomes, focusing on the validity and predictive value of animal and human laboratory models of AUD. Specifically, while preclinical studies of medications development have offered important insights into the neurobiology of the disorder and alcohol's molecular targets, limitations include the lack of standardized methods and streamlined processes whereby animal studies can readily inform human studies. Behavioral pharmacology studies provide a less expensive and valuable opportunity to assess the feasibility of a pharmacotherapy prior to initiating larger scale clinical trials by providing insights into the mechanism of the drug, which can then inform recruitment, analyses, and assessments. Summary tables are provided to illustrate the wide range of preclinical, human laboratory, and clinical studies of medications development for alcoholism. Taken together, this review highlights the challenges associated with animal paradigms, human laboratory studies, and clinical trials with the overarching goal of advancing treatment development and highlighting opportunities to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research.
Linear Programming Techniques

The optimization of objective functions under general inequality constraints is needed in many applications, especially in business and industry. In statistics, optimization under inequality constraints occurs in several situations. Many problems in regression analysis involve constrained optimization with inequality constraints. Such problems of optimization under constraints are usually studied in mathematical programming. Usually, the solutions to optimization problems with inequality constraints do not lead to closed form solutions; hence, numerical procedures are devised to solve them. Mathematical programming techniques are applied also too many other areas such as economics, operations research, engineering, and industry. The area of optimization in operations research is understood to comprise all mathematical programming techniques. This chapter discusses the optimization techniques of stochastic approximation, dynamic programming, variational methods, and simulation methods in addition to those of mathematical programming.
Structuring the Deal: Payment and Legal Considerations

This chapter elaborates the deal structuring process and legal considerations associated with it. A deal structure is an agreement between two parties, the acquirer and target firms, defining the rights and obligations of the parties involved. The way in which this agreement is reached is called the deal-structuring process. This process is fundamentally about satisfying as many of the primary objectives of the parties involved and determining how risk will be shared. In this chapter, the deal structuring process is described in terms of seven interdependent components. These include the acquisition vehicle, the postclosing organization, the form of payment, the legal form of the selling entity, the form of acquisition, and accounting and tax considerations. This chapter briefly addresses the form of the acquisition vehicle, postclosing organization, and the legal form of the selling entity. The chapter also discusses the interrelatedness of payment, legal, and tax forms by illustrating how decisions that are made in one area affect other aspects of the overall deal structure. The focus in this chapter is on the form of payment, form of acquisition, and alternative forms of legal structures in which ownership is conveyed.
Carbon Monoxide Cognitive Impairment

Neuropsychological tests were administered to 45 students exposed for 2 hours to carbon monoxide in low concentrations (mean, 61 ppm) from residential kerosene stoves and results compared to 47 nonexposed control students at the Hebrew, Haddasah, and Ben-Gurion Universities, Jerusalem, Israel.
Ablative Therapies for Early Stage Kidney Cancer and the Evolving Role of the Urologist

Abstract Introduction The modern treatment paradigms for early stage kidney cancer include ablative therapies. Unlike surgical ablation, percutaneous ablation uses a radiographic platform, potentially altering the role of the urologist. We compared surgical and percutaneous ablation regarding treatment processes and outcomes. Methods Using SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-Medicare data, we identified subjects undergoing surgical or percutaneous ablation between 2006 and 2009 for stage I kidney cancer. We evaluated outcomes relating to 30-day complications, unplanned hospital admissions, long-term survival and mortality. Adjusting for patient characteristics, we compared processes and outcomes according to ablation approach using generalized estimating equations and Cox proportional hazard models, respectively. Results We identified 376 subjects (45.8%) treated with surgical ablation and 444 (54.1%) treated with percutaneous ablation. Use of percutaneous ablation increased substantially during the study period. Compared to surgical ablation, percutaneous ablation was applied more often in the outpatient setting (71.2% vs 2.4%, p Conclusions Percutaneous ablation has become the most common ablative modality for early stage kidney cancer. Although percutaneous ablation carries a more favorable safety profile, posttreatment morbidity occurs with some frequency, highlighting the need for continued urologist engagement.
Evaluation of key detector parameters for isotope identification

The algorithm used for isotope identification onboard a radioisotope identifier (RIID) plays a key role in obtaining a correct identification. The majority of RIIDs deployed by the United States Department of Homeland Security are based on NaI spectrometers. Their performance in isotope identification has been well-documented. It has been demonstrated that the secondary analysis of spectra by a trained spectroscopist is frequently necessary to resolve problems in the RIIDs identification. It is also clear that trained spectroscopists are capable of identifying complicated, multiple-line sources with even the poorest resolution detectors such as Nal. This paper seeks to understand the factors in detector performance such as energy resolution that play an important role in isotope identification.
Economics of Steady-State Plutonium-238 Production in Epithermal Reactors

The availability of uranium fuels enriched in 236U and 237Np makes it possible to contemplate fuel cycles for the production of 238Pu that operate with equilibrium concentrations of the important n...
Shari‘a and the Secular in Modern Turkey

This article discusses the paradoxical relationship of Kemalist state power and traditional Muslim theologians at the beginning of the Turkish Republic. By analyzing the history of a now-commonly accepted argument for change with the Shari‘a, this article proposes that the anxious relationship between state Kemalism and Muslim modernist theologians helped to lay the foundations of mainstream Muslim praxis in modern Turkey. I argue that the supposed conflict between “religious” and “secular(ist)” ideas in Turkey may be better described as a debate over the definition of secularity itself. A concept of the secular is implied in both Kemalist political secularism and Islamic modernism, and these two interact in ways that contribute to each other’s formation. This article will also bring contemporary theorizing on the nature of the “secular” to bear on this question in order to open up new possibilities for the study of Islam in contemporary Turkey.
A Survey of Submassive Pulmonary Embolism Treatment Preferences among Medical and Endovascular Physicians.

Abstract Purpose To determine treatment preferences among endovascular and medical physicians who manage acute submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). Materials and Methods From July through August 2016, 83 sites across the United States were surveyed, and 60 completed the survey. Endovascular and medical physicians were asked to rate their predilection for catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) on a 5-point scale and for systemic thrombolysis (ST) as "yes" or "no" in seven case scenarios of submassive PE. A CDT score ≥ 4 was considered to represent a predilection for CDT. Mean scores were used to compare CDT preferences between physicians. Percentages of physicians who preferred CDT or ST were calculated. P values Results Across all scenarios (numbered S1–S7) combined, endovascular physicians had a significantly higher CDT score (mean, 3.52) than medical physicians (mean, 3.01; P P P P = .001]; S4, 2.37 [ P = .011]; S5, 2.97 [ P P P P P Conclusions Endovascular physicians exhibited a greater predilection for CDT to treat acute submassive PE compared with their medical colleagues. Endovascular and medical physicians seemed to more frequently choose CDT than ST.
Quantum entanglement as a quantifiable resource

Quantum mechanical objects can exhibit correlations with one another that are fundamentally at odds with the paradigm of classical physics; one says that the objects are entangled. In the last few ...
Ethical and Legal Concerns Associated With the Comprehension of Legal Language and Concepts.

Because numerous standards and ethics rules underscore the importance of language and communication within the legal process, the inability to successfully comprehend legal language is a pressing concern, particularly because many populations that are overrepresented within legal systems typically show problems with language and communication. In order to better describe the nexus between language comprehension and the law, therefore, I identify four hierarchical aspects of legal language and concepts that may challenge the language-comprehension processes and impede comprehension: (1) the challenge to “lower level” cognitive functions; (2) the demand for inferences; (3) the need for complex situation models; and (4) the idiosyncratic nature of legal language's text “genre.” Using common examples of black-letter law, I examine how these four aspects might create legal problems and ethical concerns for both the adjudicated individual and the representing attorney. This analysis should be a valuable first s...
Differentiation of Differential Forms

The goal of this section is to figure out what we mean by the derivative of a differential form. One way to think about a derivative is as a function which measures the variation of some other function. Suppose ω is a 1-form on ℝ2. What do we mean by the “variation” of ω? One thing we can try is to plug in a vector field V.
Using evidence based design to produce healthier hospital buildings

Evidence about how architecture affects healthcare staff and patients is increasingly influencing the design of hospitals. Diana Anderson, a qualified architect and a doctor in a major urban tertiary hospital, and Kirk Hamilton, an architect now working in academia after 30 years of practice, provide an international perspective on the issues involved
Hydrogen-based, hollow-fiber membrane biofilm reactor for reduction of perchlorate and other oxidized contaminants

Many oxidized pollutants, such as nitrate, perchlorate, bromate, and chlorinated solvents, can be microbially reduced to less toxic or less soluble forms. For drinking water treatment, an electron donor must be added. Hydrogen is an ideal electron donor, as it is non-toxic, inexpensive, and sparsely soluble. We tested a hydrogen-based, hollow-fiber membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) for reduction of perchlorate, bromate, chlorate, chlorite, chromate, selenate, selenite, and dichloromethane. The influent included 5 mg/L nitrate or 8 mg/L oxygen as a primary electron accepting substrate, plus 1 mg/L of the contaminant. The mixed-culture reactor was operated at a pH of 7 and with a 25 minute hydraulic detention time. High recirculation rates provided completely mixed conditions. The objective was to screen for the reduction of each contaminant. The tests were short-term, without allowing time for the reactor to adapt to the contaminants. Nitrate and oxygen were reduced by over 99 percent for all tests. Removals for the contaminants ranged from a minimum of 29% for chlorate to over 95% for bromate. Results show that the tested contaminants can be removed as secondary substrates in an MBfR, and that the MBfR may be suitable for treating these and other oxidized contaminants in drinking water.
Attitude and Activity: Contextual Constraints on Subjective Judgments

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present paper is to explore the effects that differing activities might have on subjects' evaluation of speakers of regional dialects within the United States. In order to do this two experiments were run. In Experiment 1, a group of Southern American subjects rated the same 10 speakers on two different activities: reading a prose passage and engaging in free conversation. In Experiment 2, another group of subjects rated these same speakers on two instances of the same activity, i.e. on two different free conversation passages. Results of these experiments indicate that evaluations for many speakers varied not only on different activities but also on different instances of the same activity. Only the ratings of two groups of speakers were constant: North Midland speakers and Southern blacks. Thus, within American English, it might be possible to talk about fixed attitudes toward language only when talking about speech which is either prestigious or socially stigmatized. For all other speakers, an attitude measurement will have to take into account a speaker's specific activity.
Alternative Ventilatory Techniques

Most patients undergoing thoracic surgical procedures suffer from some degree of pulmonary disease which impacts their ventilatory management. Traditional modes of positive pressure mechanical ventilation are familiar to the general practitioner (Box 11-1) (Fig 11-1) and have been well reviewed (1). Variations on these common modes, dictated by pathophysiology (e.g., longer expiratory time for obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.) should also be familiar (2). The focus of this chapter will be alternative ventilatory techniques that may be necessary during specific thoracic surgical procedures or situations, when traditional ventilatory techniques are inadequate. Such alternative techniques (e.g., jet ventilation, high frequency ventilation (HFV), etc.) may be used as the primary mode of ventilation, or as an adjunct in various thoracic surgical situations.
GABA | Synchrony Through GABAergic Inhibition

While epilepsy constitutes a heterogeneous array of disorders, the conventional view is that there is a common underlying failure in the ability of synaptic inhibition to balance excitation. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that eroding GABA receptor-mediated inhibition leads to massive synchronous discharges in neuronal circuits. However, GABAergic inhibition is known to play a fundamental role in the orchestration of physiological brain rhythms and could also play a proactive role in the generation and synchronization of seizure activity. A more detailed understanding of how the multiple facets of GABAergic inhibition contribute differentially to sculpting both physiological and pathological network activity may pave the way for more selective therapeutic strategies.
Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis/Cutaneous Small Vessel Vasculitis

Cutaneous small vessel vasculitis (CSVV) is typically caused by inflammation of postcapillary venules in the superficial and mid dermis classically presenting as palpable purpura in dependent areas.
Solidification dynamics and microstructure evolution in nanocrystalline cobalt

Abstract Solidification and microstructures of fast quenched cobalt (from 1950 K to 600 K ) are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Two types of microstructures, a nanocrystalline type consisting of multiple grains and a lamellar type are obtained. The lamellar type microstructure shows a dominant layering direction with fcc phases separated by stacking faults, coherent twin boundaries or hcp phases. The nanocrystalline type is dominant at fast quenching rates. Both microstructures are highly twinned. Twins can originate either from ab initio faults of several morphologies in the nuclei or from stacking accidents in 〈 1 1 1 〉 directions during growth. It is supported that fivefold twins form by a successive growth of the fcc subunits, but not by an equilateral layer-by-layer growth from a five-folded symmetric core that exists at the very beginning of nucleation. Annealing of the as-quenched samples above the phase transformation temperature leads to gradual growth of the fcc phase and local reversible fcc-hcp transformation facilitated by existing Shockley dislocations. Under uniaxial tensile loading, the nanocrystalline samples show an early initial yielding, followed by continuous work hardening, reaching an ultimate tensile strength of about 3000 MPa . The lamellar samples, in contrast, show a much more intermittent plastic flow. The strongest sample has a nanotwinned structure resembling TEM images of vapor deposited films of fcc metals. The ultimate tensile strength is over 5000 MPa , assisted by coherent twin boundaries serving as strong obstacles to dislocation motion.
The Wide Complex Tachycardia Formula: Derivation and validation data.

Abstract A recent publication (May et al., 2019) introduced a novel means (i.e. WCT Formula) to automatically distinguish ventricular tachycardia and supraventricular wide complex tachycardia using modern-day computerized electrocardiogram software measurements. In this article, a summary of data components relating to the derivation and validation of the WCT Formula is presented.
Editorial for the Special Issue on Implantable Microdevices.

Implantable microdevices, providing accurate measurement of target analytes in animals and humans, have always been important in biological science, medical diagnostics, clinical therapy, and personal healthcare [...]
Media Disruption Exacerbates Revolutionary Unrest: Evidence from Mubarak’s Quasi-Experiment

Conventional wisdom suggests that lapses in media connectivity - for example, disruption of Internet and cell phone access - have a negative effect on political mobilization. I argue that on the contrary, sudden interruption of mass communication accelerates revolutionary mobilization and proliferates decentralized contention. Using a dynamic threshold model for participation in network collective action I demonstrate that full connectivity in a social network can hinder revolutionary action. I exploit a decision by Mubarak's regime to disrupt the Internet and mobile communication during the 2011 Egyptian uprising to provide an empirical proof for the hypothesis. A difference-in difference inference strategy reveals the impact of media disruption on the dispersion of the protests. The evidence is corroborated using historical, anecdotal, and statistical accounts.
SECTION 4-7 – Charon 28

Publisher Summary Charon 28 is one of the original λ replacement vectors that is designed to clone large BamHI and MboI fragments. This cloning vehicle can accommodate up to 20-kb inserts. Currently, many eukaryotic genomic libraries in existence have been made with this vector. It lacks the polylinker at the insertion sites that is present in EMBL3, making excision of a cloned insert or preparation of the cloning vector somewhat more difficult. The chapter discusses the plaque size of various recombinants that varies greatly in libraries constructed of Charon 28, a disadvantage when the library is screened. The chapter also illustrates the representative RE sites on a Charon 28 vector.
Intraspecific competition for host resources in a parasite.

Summary Intraspecific competition among parasites should, in theory, increase virulence, but we lack clear evidence of this from nature.1–3 Parasitic plants, which are sessile and acquire carbon-based resources through both autotrophy (photosynthesis) and heterotrophy (obtaining carbon from the host), provide a unique opportunity to experimentally study the role of intraspecific competition for nutrients in shaping the biology of both parasite and host.4–6 Here, we manipulated the spatial position of naturally occurring individuals of desert mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum), a xylem hemiparasite, by removing parasites from co-infected branches of a common nitrogen-fixing host, velvet mesquite (Prosopsis velutina), in the Sonoran Desert. We measured physiological performance of both host and parasite individuals under differing competitive environments—parasite location along the xylem stream—through time. Performance was determined by measuring resource availability and use, given that resource demand changed with competitor removal and monsoon-driven amelioration of seasonal drought. Our principal finding was that intraspecific competition exists for xylem resources between mistletoe individuals, including host carbon. Host performance and seasonal climate variation altered the strength of competition and virulence. Hemiparasitic desert mistletoes demonstrated high heterotrophy, yet experimental removals revealed density- and location-dependent effects on the host through feedbacks that reduced mistletoe autotrophy and improved resource availability for the remaining mistletoe individual. Trophic flexibility tempered intraspecific competition for resources and reduced virulence. Mistletoe co-infections might therefore attenuate virulence to maintain access to resources in particularly stressful ecological environments. In summary, experimental field manipulations revealed evidence for intraspecific competition in a parasite species.
Cancer Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries And Their Younger Uninsured Counterparts.

Proposals for expanding Medicare insurance coverage to uninsured Americans approaching the Medicare eligibility age of sixty-five has been the subject of intense debate. We undertook this study to ...