cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Spatial Access to Primary Care Affect Emergency Department Utilization for Nonemergent Conditions

Objective To examine the contributions of individual- and neighborhood-level spatial access to care to the utilization of emergency departments (EDs) for preventable conditions through implementation of novel local spatial access measures. Data Sources/Study Setting Emergency department admissions data are from four HealthLNK member hospitals in Chicago from 2007 to 2011. Primary care physician office and clinic locations were obtained from the American Medical Association and the City of Chicago. Study Design Multilevel logit regression was used to model the relationship between individual- and neighborhood-level attributes and preventable ED use. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Emergency department admissions data were classified based on the primary diagnosis for each encounter. Spatial access to care indices were generated in ArcGIS, and values were extracted at each ZIP code centroid to match patients' ZIP codes. Principal Findings Beyond sociodemographic factors such as gender and race, patients living in medically underserved areas (MUAs) and areas with lower spatial access to primary care clinics had higher odds of preventable ED use. Conclusions Preventable ED use can be associated with sociodemographic characteristics, as well as spatial access to primary care services. This study reveals potential for using local measures of spatial accessibility for preventable ED analyses.
Addressing 21st Century Challenges in Education: An Ecocritical Conceptual Framework toward an Ecotistical Leadership in Education

This article critiques the notion of individually-focused notions of leadership, instead offering an ecocritical conceptual framework that works to support education at all levels with the aim of recognizing the importance of how leaders in Western industrial culture think, act, and thus organize communities. This framework is applied to examine the potential for EdD programs to critically (re)imagine the role K-12 and higher education institutions might play in reinterpreting how leadership might be (re)constituted—as local and in support of social justice and sustainability. From this lens, the article explores how 21 st century challenges that emerge from the complex intersections of social justice and sustainability might be addressed through EdD program development, supportive program structures, and course content influencing teacher education and K-12 school leadership. Calling for a particular kind of leadership supportive of social justice and sustainability, this article shares examples from the authors own practice, program structures, curriculum, and future research.
Applied physics: A new spin on nanoscale computing.

A nanoscale magnetic device that mimics the behaviour of neurons has been used to recognize audio signals. Such a device could be adapted to tackle tasks with greater efficiency than conventional computers. See Letter p.428 Neuromorphic computing takes the exceptional information processing capabilities of the biological brain as inspiration and attempts to build artificial neurons, synapses and networks for tackling specific tasks that are challenging or energy-intensive for regular computers, such as recognizing images and patterns in sensory signals. Julie Grollier and colleagues use magnetic nanoscale oscillators to mimic the nonlinear oscillating behaviour of neurons and test the capability of such devices to recognize audio signals. The system was trained to recognize spoken digits from five different voices from a benchmark database and could do so with accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art machine learning. The work opens a new direction for chip-based, low-power, brain-like information processing.
The oral microbiota in patients with pancreatic cancer, patients with IPMNs, and controls: a pilot study

Poor oral health appears to be a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, possibly implicating the oral microbiota. In this pilot study, we evaluated the characteristics of the oral microbiota in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN), and healthy controls. Forty newly diagnosed PDAC patients, 39 IPMN patients, and 58 controls, excluding current smokers and users of antibiotics, provided saliva samples. Common oral bacterial species were comprehensively surveyed by sequencing of the 16S rRNA microbial genes. We obtained measures of diversity and the mean relative proportions of individual taxa. We explored the degree to which these measures differed according to respondent characteristics based on individual interviews. PDAC cases did not differ in diversity measures from either controls or IPMN cases. PDAC cases had higher mean relative proportions of Firmicutes and related taxa, while controls had higher mean relative proportions of Proteobacteria and related taxa. Results were generally similar when comparing PDAC to IPMN cases. Among IPMNs and controls combined, younger individuals had higher levels of several taxa within the Proteobacteria. The only other variable consistently related to mean relative proportions was mouthwash use, with taxa within Firmicutes more common among users. While there were no differences in diversity of the oral microbiota among these groups, there were differences in the mean relative proportions of some taxa. Characteristics of the oral microbiota are not associated with most measures of oral health.
Riboswitches for the alarmone ppGpp expand the collection of RNA-based signaling systems.

Riboswitches are noncoding portions of certain mRNAs that bind metabolite, coenzyme, signaling molecule, or inorganic ion ligands and regulate gene expression. Most known riboswitches sense derivatives of RNA monomers. This bias in ligand chemical composition is consistent with the hypothesis that widespread riboswitch classes first emerged during the RNA World, which is proposed to have existed before proteins were present. Here we report the discovery and biochemical validation of a natural riboswitch class that selectively binds guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), a widespread signaling molecule and bacterial “alarmone” derived from the ribonucleotide GTP. Riboswitches for ppGpp are predicted to regulate genes involved in branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis and transport, as well as other gene classes that previously had not been implicated to be part of its signaling network. This newfound riboswitch–alarmone partnership supports the hypothesis that prominent RNA World signaling pathways have been retained by modern cells to control key biological processes.
Evaluation of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) cultivars grown in Texas and levels of various phytonutrients.

BACKGROUND In the USA, Momordica charantia is relatively unknown and is usually found in specialty markets. In the present study, cultivation of five bitter melon cultivars grown under field conditions in College Station (TX, USA), was evaluated. Additionally, ascorbic acid, amino acids and phenolic compounds were quantified from various cultivars grown in different years. RESULTS The yield of the first year of evaluation was comparable to other bitter melon growing regions, ranging from 9371.5 kg ha-1 for the Japanese Spindle cultivar to 20 839.1 kg ha-1 for the Hong Kong Green cultivar. Multivariate analysis suggests a strong correlation between yield and growth degree days, water use efficiency and organic matter, as well as an inverse correlation with the amount or precipitation during the growing season. The highest levels of total ascorbic acid were shown in the Japanese Spindle cultivar (162.97 mg 100 g-1 fresh fruit), whereas the lowest levels were expressed in the Hong Kong Green cultivar (42.69 mg 100 g-1 fresh fruit). The highest levels of total phenolics were consistently found the Indian White cultivar, in the range 10.6-12.5 mg g-1 catechin equivalents. Seven phenolics and organic acids were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Additionally, the highest levels of total amino acids were found in the Large Top cultivar. CONCLUSION The current 3-year field study demonstrates that it is feasible to grow bitter melon commercially in Texas with proper climatic and agronomic conditions. Bitter melon is a rich source for ascorbic acid, amino acids and phenolic compounds, which makes it a valuable food source with respect to improving human health. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
Oxidant sensor cation channel TRPM2 regulates neutrophil extracellular trap formation and protects against pneumoseptic bacterial infection

Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation constitutes an important extracellular antimicrobial function of neutrophils that plays a protective role in bacterial pneumonia. Formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as highly diffusible hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a hallmark of oxidative stress during inflammatory lung conditions including pneumonia. However, the impact of exogenous ROS on NET formation and the signaling pathway involved in the process is not completely understood. Here we demonstrate that the ROS-sensing, nonselective, calcium-permeable channel transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) is required for NET formation in response to exogenous H2O2. This TRPM2-dependent H2O2-mediated NET formation involved components of autophagy and activation of AMPK and p38 MAPK, but not PI3K and AKT. Primary neutrophils from Trpm2-/- mice fail to activate this pathway with a block in NET release and a concomitant decrease in their antimicrobial capacity. Consequently, Trpm2-/- mice were highly susceptible to pneumonic infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae owing to an impaired NET formation and high bacterial burden despite increased neutrophil infiltration in their lungs. These results identify a key role of TRPM2 in regulating NET formation by exogenous ROS via AMPK/p38 activation and autophagy machinery, as well as a protective antimicrobial role of TRPM2 in pneumonic bacterial infection.-Tripathi, J. K., Sharma, A., Sukumaran, P., Sun, Y., Mishra, B. B., Singh, B. B., Sharma, J. Oxidant sensor cation channel TRPM2 regulates neutrophil extracellular trap formation and protects against pneumoseptic bacterial infection.
Flexible Ureteroscopy: Wireless and Sheathless

No-touch ureteroscopy, also termed “wireless and sheathless” ureteroscopy, is an advanced ureteroscopic technique that minimizes incidental trauma from a wire or dilators. Direct access to the upper urinary tract with a flexible ureteroscope allows pristine inspection of the upper ureter and renal calyceal system. Improvements in the mechanics of flexible ureteroscopes, including smaller tip diameter, exaggerated tip deflection, and a larger deflecting radius allowed for the intubation of the ureteral orifice and the complete upper urinary tract inspection to be performed solely with a flexible endoscope, commonly without the assistance of a potentially traumatic guide wire. With the safety and efficacy of this technique in diagnostic applications, the indications for no-touch ureteroscopy have expanded to include a variety of therapeutic indications including tumor therapy and endoscopic lithotripsy. Herein, a review of the current techniques and results associated with wireless and sheathless flexible ureteroscopy will be presented.
California Dreaming: The Economics, Politics, and Mechanics of Meeting California's Carbon Mandate

This chapter outlines the challenges facing California in general and Southern California Edison Company (SCE) in particular and describes the policy approaches that the company believes will produce the best results. In 2006, the California legislature passed a landmark greenhouse gas emission reduction law. In doing so, it has set a standard for other states to follow. SCE is the state's largest electric utility and as such is committing considerable resources to aid in the implementation of this law in a manner that minimizes the economic burden to its customers. SCE currently serves retail load at an emissions rate that is lower than both the California and the national averages. The basic economic concept of increasing marginal costs indicates that the marginal cost of emissions abatement increases as the total quantity of abatement increases. SCE's approach recognizes the economic burden of a cap-and-trade but avoids the economic windfalls that occurred in the European Union Emissions Trading System.
A new forage genetic resource Orychophragmus violaceus (L.) O.E. Schulz

O. violaceus is a species of Brassicaceae, which is mainly found in China. Its shoots are rich in protein, iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. Hence it is a valuable forage. Its shoot yield is high, about 36,400 kg/ha, when cultivated in Chengdu. This plant species is adaptable to grassland, barren hills, roadsides, gardens, etc. Its protein content is higher than most other forage plants. Therefore, O. violaceus is a new forage genetic resource.
The Transnational Kingdom Migration, Economic Development and Social Change in Morocco

One out of ten Moroccans live beyond the Kingdom’s borders,and the money they send home to their families each year represents over 10 percent of the nation’s GDP,Morocco’s largest source of income by far.The government of Morocco has elaborated a series of policies to tie Moroccan emigrants into the national economy and political culture, some of which are strikingly innovative.These policies are the focus of my paper,with special attention directed to policies that build a link between migration and local economic development. In my paper, I engage in a kind of institutional archeology : I reconstruct the largely undocumented history of these policies over the last forty years in an effort to bring to the fore the processes – both institutional and political – through which they were elaborated. I argue that while the Moroccan government has always been mindful the economic importance of remittances, the primary function of its policies toward emigrants was to deal with the Kingdom’s domestic political challenges, namely the establishment of a new state after independence and the destruction of threats to the crown’s legitimacy.The Moroccan state extended to emigrant communities the logic and style of governance it adopted internally, and the policies that emerged were the product of the government’s attempt to acquire – and often wrest – the consent of emigrants to this form of transnational government, despite their often serious resistance. These policies ultimately shaped both the economic impact of migrant remittances and the political ramifications of emigrant mobilization,however it did so in ways that were unanticipated by the crown and often contrary to its interests. To illustrate my thesis, I will discuss Morocco’s three main policy instruments in this area : the Ministry for Moroccan Living Abroad, the Hassan 2 Foundation for Moroccans Living Abroad, and La Banque Populaire.
Abstract WP61: Automated Large Artery Occlusion Detection IN Stroke Imaging - ALADIN Study

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treatment relies on prompt clinical suspicion, neuroimaging findings and stroke neurologists’ referrals, especially for Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) patien...
10 – ANTIMONOPOLY LAW

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the causes of monopoly power, concepts of antimonopoly laws, the economic incentive to monopolize markets, ways to monopolize markets, horizontal mergers, joint operating agreements, and cartel agreements. To an economist, the distinction between monopoly and pure competition is the differing ways in which market transactions occur and resources are allocated under the two. A monopolist (or oligopolist) is able to influence the market price. Consequently, firm output decisions are made keeping in mind their potential effect on price. Conversely, a pure competitor cannot affect the market price; as a result, in the abstract, he seeks to maximize profits by producing until marginal cost equals price. When there exists great inequality in bargaining power, a contract, even if freely arrived at, can have major ill effects on others who are not parties to it. It can be argued that then government intervention is needed to champion resource-allocation and even social efficiency.
The Association of Racial and Ethnic Social Networks with Mental Health Service Utilization Across Minority Groups in the USA

Though they have comparable prevalence of mental illness, American racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive mental health services than white Americans. Minorities are often part of racial and ethnic social networks, which may affect mental health service utilization in two ways. While these networks can encourage service utilization by working as a channel of knowledge spillover and social support, they can also discourage utilization by stigmatizing mental illness. This study examined the association of racial and ethnic social networks with mental health service utilization and depression diagnosis in the USA. Using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, a multilevel mixed-effect generalized linear model was adopted, controlling for predisposing, need, and enabling factors of mental health service utilization. The association of racial and ethnic social networks with mental health service utilization and depression diagnosis was significant and negative among African Americans. Despite having a comparable number of bad mental health days, the association was insignificant among Hispanic, Asian, and non-Hispanic white respondents. An African American living in a county where all residents were African American was less likely to utilize mental health services by 84.3-86.8% and less likely to be diagnosed with depression by 76.0-84.8% than an African American living in a county where no residents were African American. These results suggest racial and ethnic social networks can discourage mental health service utilization and should be engaged in efforts to improve mental health, particularly among African American communities in the USA.
Introduction of a Maritime Model for Cyber and Information Warfare

A model for cyber and information warfare, based on Corbett's maritime theory, is introduced in this paper. Similarities between cyber / information warfare and maritime warfare are identified and the value of using a maritime-inspired model for understanding cyber / information warfare is discussed. The paper also reviews the application of Corbett's maritime model to other domains of warfighting and discusses how this work builds upon and learns from these previous efforts.
Dealing with neonatal emergencies in low-resource settings

Abstract We describe the development and delivery of neonatal care including trends and impacts of major interventions on neonatal mortality particularly in low-resource settings. Low- and middle-income countries continue to be major contributors to neonatal mortality. Although there has been progress in reducing neonatal mortality, neonatal deaths are contributing an increasing percentage of childhood mortality. Several interventions targeting neonatal care such as neonatal resuscitation and essential newborn care have contributed to improved outcomes. However, there are still many neonatal deaths that are preventable with known effective interventions. This review addresses interventions proven effective in reducing neonatal mortality, challenges to implement them, and future directions of implementing these interventions in low- and middle-income countries.
General Music Today Music Ideas Series, Viewpoints in Secondary General Music, Article 3, Seeds of General Music in the Secondary Ensemble: Time to Branch Out!:

In the third segment of the series, we explore general music behaviors and techniques that may be incorporated into the secondary performing ensemble in order to provide enrichment and depth to per...
Ultralight Deployable Space Structure Prototype

We present a lab demonstration of the packaging and deployment of an ultralight space structure prototype composed of thin shell longerons and battens. The prototype is integrated with a thin polyimide membrane which serves as mass representative of multi-functional elements that could be integrated into this type of deployable, such as integrated power collection and wireless transmission tiles for space solar power. A deployment mechanism using actively controlled pressure to package and deploy this structure ensuring its integrity is described. The deployable structure and deployment mechanism designs are scalable to 60 m X 60 m structures. The structure's mass scaling to larger sizes is described.
Programmable assembly of 2D crystalline protein arrays into covalently stacked 3D bionanomaterials

Rational embellishment of self-assembling two-dimensional (2D) proteins make it possible to build 3D nanomaterials with novel catalytic, optoelectronic and mechanical properties. However, introducing multiple sites of embellishment into 2D protein arrays without affecting the self-assembly is challenging, limiting the ability to program in additional functionality and new 3D configurations. Here we introduce two orthogonal covalent linkages at multiple sites in a 2D crystalline-forming protein without affecting its self-assembly. We first engineered the surface-layer protein SbsB from Geobacillus stearothermophilus pV72/p2 to display isopeptide bond-forming protein conjugation pairs, SpyTag or SnoopTag, at four positions spaced 5.7-10.5 nm apart laterally and 3 nm axially. The C-terminal and two newly-identified locations within SbsB monomer accommodated the short SpyTag or SnoopTag peptide tags without affecting the 2D lattice structure. Introducing tags at distinct locations enabled orthogonal and covalent binding of SpyCatcher- or SnoopCatcher-protein fusions to micron-sized 2D nanosheets. By introducing different types of bifunctional cross-linkers, the dual-functionalized nanosheets were programmed to self-assemble into different 3D stacks, all of which retain their nanoscale order. Thus, our work creates a modular protein platform that is easy to program to create dual-functionalized 2D and lamellar 3D nanomaterials with new catalytic, optoelectronic, and mechanical properties.
Subcortical sources drive the relation between frequency-following responses (FFRs) and speech-in-noise perception

The frequency-following response (FFR) is a scalp-recorded potential reflecting a mixture of phase-locked neural activity generated from several nuclei along the auditory pathway. FFRs have been widely used as a neural barometer of complex listening skills especially performance on speech-in noise (SIN) tasks: across listeners with various hearing profiles and ages, more robust speech-evoked FFRs are associated with improved SIN perception. Applying individually optimized source reconstruction to speech-FFRs recorded via EEG (FFREEG), we assessed the relative contributions of subcortical [auditory nerve (AN), brainstem (BS)] and cortical [bilateral primary auditory cortex, PAC] generators to the scalp response with the aim of identifying which source(s) drives the brain-behavior relation between FFRs and perceptual SIN skills. We found FFR strength declined precipitously from AN to PAC, consistent with the roll-off of phase-locking at progressively higher stages of the auditory neuroaxis. FFRs at the speech fundamental frequency (F0) were resistant to moderate noise interference across all sources, but FFRs were largest in BS relative to all other sources (BS > AN >> PAC). Cortical PAC FFRs were only weakly observed above the noise floor in a restricted bandwidth around the low pitch of speech stimuli (F0~100 Hz). Brain-behavior regressions revealed (i) AN and BS FFRs were sufficient to describe listeners9 QuickSIN scores and (ii) contrary to neuromagnetic (MEG) FFRs, neither left nor right PAC FFREEG predicted SIN performance. Our findings suggest subcortical sources not only dominate the electrical FFR but also the link between speech-FFRs and SIN processing as observed in previous EEG studies.
Band Edge Tuning of Two-Dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskites by A Cation Size Revealed through Nanoplates

Current understanding of the effects of various A-site cations on the photophysical properties of halide perovskites (APbI3) is limited by the compositional tunability. Here we report the synthesis...
Citrus Nursery Production Guide, Chapter 4: Rootstock Selection

The large number of different rootstock varieties currently available for citrus production in Florida is unprecedented. This new 4-page article, chapter 4 of the forthcoming UF/IFAS Citrus Nursery Production Guide, provides information on rootstock uses in Florida, rootstock propagation, and the impact of tissue culture, as well as factors to consider when deciding which rootstock to plant. Written by Ute Albrecht, Manjul Dutt, and Jude Grosser and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1340
Principles of Breast Cancer Therapy

The treatment of breast cancer is largely determined by stage at diagnosis, hormone receptor status, HER-2/neu level of expression or amplification, patient preference, and comorbidity. Available treatments may be divided into those addressing local–regional disease and those primarily addressing systemic disease. Early breast cancer, generally stages 0, I, II, and III, is treated with curative intent, while metastatic or recurrent breast cancer is generally treated with palliative intent. The treatment of most breast cancers is multidisciplinary, incorporating surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic therapy. In this chapter, we review the prognostic and predictive factors for breast cancer, the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, and the treatment of metastatic disease.
Plasma Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Older Men and Women.

CONTEXT Lower dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) levels have been inconsistently associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and mortality. Data are limited for heart failure (HF) and association between DHEA-S change and events. OBJECTIVE Assess associations between low DHEA-S/DHEA-S change and incident HF hospitalization, CHD, and mortality in older adults. DESIGN DHEA-S was measured in stored plasma from visits 4 (1996-1998) and 5 (2011-2013) of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Follow-up for incident events: 18 years for DHEA-S level; 5.5 years for DHEA-S change. SETTING General community. PARTICIPANTS Individuals without prevalent cardiovascular disease (n = 8143, mean age 63 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Associations between DHEA-S and incident HF hospitalization, CHD, or mortality; associations between 15-year change in DHEA-S (n = 3706) and cardiovascular events. RESULTS DHEA-S below the 15th sex-specific percentile of the study population (men: 55.4 µg/dL; women: 27.4 µg/dL) was associated with increased HF hospitalization (men: hazard ratio [HR] 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.58; women: HR 1.42, 95% CI, 1.13-1.79); DHEA-S below the 25th sex-specific percentile (men: 70.0 µg/dL; women: 37.1 µg/dL) was associated with increased death (men: HR 1.12, 95% CI, 1.01-1.25; women: HR 1.19, 95% CI, 1.03-1.37). In men, but not women, greater percentage decrease in DHEA-S was associated with increased HF hospitalization (HR 1.94, 95% CI, 1.11-3.39). Low DHEA-S and change in DHEA-S were not associated with incident CHD. CONCLUSIONS Low DHEA-S is associated with increased risk for HF and mortality but not CHD. Further investigation is warranted to evaluate mechanisms underlying these associations.
Difference in lesion formation by male and female Pratylenchus penetrans.

Pratylenchus penetrans induce necrotic lesions, the hallmark symptom for the genus, soon after infection. The objective of our study was to characterize and quantify gender differences in lesion development. Independent experiments were conducted in vitro for three hosts; pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Early Alaskan), dill (Anethum graveolens cv. Long Island Mammoth), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa cv. Vernal). Each experimental unit was an excised radical placed on water agar in a Petri dish and inoculated with either 40 adult males or 40 fourth-stage juvenile females. Length, size, and number of lesions were recorded during the experiment and the radicals were harvested 14 days after introducing nematodes. Lesions were first observed on pea after two days for female-inoculated roots, and 24 hr after introducing both genders to dill and alfalfa. Lesions expanded either by multiple lesions coalescing or individual lesions expanding over time. Males made fewer, smaller lesions with less discoloration for all three hosts. There was no difference among genders for the total number of nematodes recovered per Petri dish or the number of endoparasitic nematodes after 14 days. The survival rate of males and females at harvest was not different, indicating that the difference in lesion formation was not related to nematode population densities. This study verified and quantified the observation that lesions induced by males are less extensive and in smaller numbers than lesions by females.
Uncovering the Gene Regulatory Networks Underlying Macrophage Polarization Through Comparative Analysis of Bulk and Single-Cell Data

Summary Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) provide a powerful framework for studying cellular differentiation. However, it is less clear how GRNs encode cellular responses to everyday microenvironmental cues. Macrophages can be polarized and potentially repolarized based on environmental signaling. In order to identify the GRNs that drive macrophage polarization and the heterogeneous single-cell subpopulations that are present in the process, we used a high-resolution time course of bulk and single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq assays of HL-60-derived macrophages polarized towards M1 or M2 over 24 hours. We identified transient M1 and M2 markers, including the main transcription factors that underlie polarization, and subpopulations of naive, transitional, and terminally polarized macrophages. We built bulk and single-cell polarization GRNs to compare the recovered interactions and found that each technology recovered only a subset of known interactions. Our data provide a resource to study the GRN of cellular maturation in response to microenvironmental stimuli in a variety of contexts in homeostasis and disease.
A survey of child neurologists about reproductive healthcare for adolescent women with epilepsy.

Abstract Objective To evaluate child neurologists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care for adolescent and young adult women with epilepsy (WWE). Methods Child neurologists (including attending physicians, residents, fellows, and advanced practitioners) completed an online survey distributed through subspecialty listservs. We analyzed results using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression. Results Two hundred eight child neurologists completed the survey. Most believed that child neurologists should counsel young WWE on: teratogenesis (99%, n = 206/207), contraception-antiseizure medication interactions (96%, n = 194/202), pregnancy (95%, n = 198/206), contraception (89%, n = 184/206) and folic acid supplementation (70%, n = 144/205). Fewer respondents felt confident with such counseling (teratogenesis: 90%, n = 188/208, drug interactions: 65%, n = 133/208, pregnancy 75%, n = 156/208, contraception: 47–64%, n = 96–134/208, p Conclusions Findings reveal gaps in SRH care by child neurologists for adolescent and young adult WWE, especially those with mild intellectual disability. Provider-identified barriers and solutions may serve as targets to improve SRH care for this population.
Reconstructing weighted voting schemes from partial information about their power indices

A number of recent works [Goldberg 2006; O'Donnell and Servedio 2011; De, Diakonikolas, and Servedio 2017; De, Diakonikolas, Feldman, and Servedio 2014] have considered the problem of approximately reconstructing an unknown weighted voting scheme given information about various sorts of ``power indices'' that characterize the level of control that individual voters have over the final outcome. In the language of theoretical computer science, this is the problem of approximating an unknown linear threshold function (LTF) over ${-1,1}^n$ given some numerical measure (such as the function's n ``Chow parameters,'' a.k.a. its degree-1 Fourier coefficients, or the vector of its n Shapley indices) of how much each of the n individual input variables affects the outcome of the function. In this paper we consider the problem of reconstructing an LTF given only partial information about its Chow parameters or Shapley indices; i.e. we are given only the Chow parameters or the Shapley indices corresponding to a subset $S\subseteq [n]$ of the n input variables. A natural goal in this partial information setting is to find an LTF whose Chow parameters or Shapley indices corresponding to indices in S accurately match the given Chow parameters or Shapley indices of the unknown LTF. We refer to this as the Partial Inverse Power Index Problem. Our main results are a polynomial time algorithm for the (e-approximate) Chow Parameters Partial Inverse Power Index Problem and a quasi-polynomial time algorithm for the (e-approximate) Shapley Indices Partial Inverse Power Index Problem.
Thirteen Years On: Lessons (Re)Learned From 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Government Effort

JURIST Guest Columnist Kevin Govern of Ave Maria School of Law discusses how past should – and should not – be prologue regarding US disaster assistance.
Impact of Early Potato Desiccation Method on Crop Growth, Skinning Injury, and Storage Quality Maintenance

Identifying potato canopy defoliation methods that enhance tuber shelf-life is critical, particularly with increased quality losses in early potato production. Studies combining the evaluation of herbicides’ efficacy as desiccants and the comparison to mechanical vine kill can guide producers to strategically manage canopy desiccation. Five desiccation programs were tested during the Spring of 2017 and 2018 in Hastings, FL to (i) evaluate the efficacy of harvest-aid herbicides and mechanical defoliation on ‘Red LaSoda’ canopy desiccation rate, tuber yield, internal quality, and postharvest quality maintenance; and (ii) quantify the contribution of these desiccation methods to tuber skinning injury and peel resistance to excoriation. Slow and fast acting harvest-aid herbicides promoted similar desiccation rates 14 days after herbicide application. Vine killing methods led to similar influence on tuber physiology, with no differences in yield and tuber size distribution. The incidence of skinning injury was greatly reduced when desiccation programs were utilized, regardless of the type. Findings suggest that adoption of desiccation methods, both chemical and mechanical, were comparably effective at decreasing skinning injury and increasing tuber storage quality.
Issues in the Definition and Conceptualization of Politeness

This paper deals with the definition and conceptualization of politeness by focusing mainly on the Brown and Levinson (1987) framework of politeness. It addresses the interrelationship between politeness as a strategic device and as a form of social indexing, and overviews the notion of face as a universal underlying motivation behind politeness. The paper discusses the lack of a uniform definition of politeness due to the constant tension between its universality and language specificity, and argues that some of the theoretical debate could be resolved if the distinction between politeness as a commonsense notion and politeness as a theoretical construct were clearly addressed and acknowledged in the research.
Finite quotients of rings and applications to subgroup separability of linear groups

In this paper we apply results from algebraic number theory to subgroup separability of linear groups. We then state applications to subgroup separability of free products with amalgamation of hyperbolic 3-manifold groups.
Building Trust in Cloud: Service Certification Challenges and Approaches

Cloud computing is a promising technology and its adoption is increasing rapidly. Still, many potential cloud customers are concerned about the security, privacy, and availability of their data in the cloud as they have less control over it. Cloud certification authorities can perform rigorous and thorough testing based on the well-known security standards procedures and make the audit reports public. Cloud customers can gain confidence by viewing those reports. However, the certification process for cloud services is more difficult than that of traditional IT services. In this paper, we have addressed the importance and challenges of the cloud service certification process and made a comparison among the cloud certification authorities which will enable potential cloud customers to evaluate the certification authorities.
Preparation and Reaction Chemistry of Novel Silicon-Substituted 1,3-Dienes

2-Silicon-substituted 1,3-dienes containing non transferrable groups known to promote transmetallation were prepared by Grignard chemistry and enyne metathesis. These dienes participated in one pot metathesis/Diels-Alder reactions in regio- and diastereoselective fashions. Electron-rich alkenes showed the fastest rates in metathesis reactions, and ethylene, a commonly used metathesis promoter slowed enyne metathesis. 2-Pyridyldimethylsilyl and 2-thienyldimethylsilyl substituted Diels-Alder cycloadducts participated in cross-coupling chemistry and the 2-thienyldimethylsilyl substituted cycloadducts underwent cross-coupling under very mild reaction conditions.
Influence of dietary fibers on fermentation in the human large intestine.

Fiber sources were fed to 24 men to evaluate the effect of fiber on large intestinal microflora. The diets were low fiber basal or the basal diet supplemented with coarse bran, fine bran, cabbage, or cellulose (Solka floc). Twelve subjects (Group 1) were fed all fiber sources using a latin square design with 2-week experimental periods followed by a 3-week period on the basal diet. Group 2 made one diet change after the first experimental period, then remained on that diet throughout the experiment; during the last period their fiber intake was double (to approximately 26 g/day). A microbial culture system was utilized with fecal microflora to measure cell wall indigestibility and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. Volatile fatty acids were also measured in fresh feces. The in vitro substrates were alfalfa, coarse bran, cabbage, or cellulose. In this system, dietary fiber had a significant (P less than .05) effect on resultant cell wall indigestibility and VFA level. Previous diet in group 1 subjects significantly (P less than .05) affected in vitro VFA. In groups 2 significant (P less than .05) period and subject effect were present for the in vitro VFA data. The VFA concentrations in feces of humans were significantly affected by the fiber consumed.
The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Health over the Life-Course

Using data from the PSID, across the life course SES impacts future health outcomes, although the primary influence is education and not an individuals financial resources in whatever form they are received. That conclusion appears to be robust whether the financial resources are income or wealth or whether the financial resources represent new information such as the largely unanticipated wealth that was a consequence of the recent stock market boom. Finally, this conclusion is robust across new health outcomes that take place across the short and intermediate time frames of up to 15 years in the future.
Neuropathic pain in patients with sickle cell disease

Background Despite the suggestion of a neuropathic component to sickle cell disease (SCD) pain, there are minimal data on the systematic assessment of neuropathic pain in patients with SCD. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain primarily initiated by dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system.
Protecting network coded packets in coalition networks

Network coding was found to be useful for ad hoc wireless multicast in disruptive channel and connectivity conditions. In heterogeneous networks, comprising teams with different technical preparedness, it is possible that only the radios of the most advanced teams have sufficient resources to network encode/decode. In this case, an interesting solution is partial (hybrid) network coding - only a fraction of the nodes encodes, the balance simply forwarding the packets. Partial coding poses interesting problems and opportunities that require novel solutions. The first contribution of this paper is the control of redundant transmissions. Network coding detects duplicates using the “innovative packet” check; it drops non-innovative packets. Likewise, we require a new duplicate detection scheme for non-network coding (non-NC) nodes using encoding vectors since packet ID may be obliterated during packet mixing. The second contribution is the study of performance loss caused by partial coding. Through the analysis of representative topologies and scenarios, we identify densities and distributions (of non-coding nodes) that render network coding inefficient. The results are of practical importance because they help determine when one should switch from network coding to other forms of protection (e.g., erasure codes or fountain codes). The third contribution is in the protection from malicious packet corruption, i.e., pollution. There is the risk that nodes belonging to an untrusted team (a likely situation in tactical coalitions) can inject polluted packets into the network. Pollution is critical in network coding. If it goes unchecked, pollution makes it easy for an attacker to spoil an entire generation. An opportunity offered by hybrid network coding is to force the untrusted nodes to perform simple forwarding, without coding. We show that their behavior can be more easily and efficiently checked (with hash signatures instead of homomorphic hashes) while still profiting from their forwarding.
Nucleoside 2-Deoxyribosyltransferase PRE-STEADY-STATE KINETIC ANALYSIS OF NATIVE ENZYME AND MUTANT ENZYME WITH AN ALANYL RESIDUE REPLACING Glu-98

Abstract Nucleoside 2-deoxyribosyltransferase catalyzes cleavage of a 2′-deoxyribosylnucleoside (A) to a nucleobase (P) with deoxyribosylation of the enzyme. Substrates quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of native enzyme (E) and a catalytically inactive mutant enzyme (E98A enzyme). The time courses of these reactions were analyzed in terms of the following scheme where EX is the 2-deoxyribosyl ester of Glu-98. SCHEME A1The initial complexes between E and dAdo, dGuo, dIno, and dCyd or those between EX and the corresponding nucleobases were formed in a rapid equilibrium step. Native enzyme and E98A enzyme bound 2′-deoxyribosylnucleosides with similar affinities (k/k1). From a comparison of the time-dependent fluorescence changes associated with the reaction of native enzyme or E98A enzyme with these substrate, the kinetic step for 2-deoxyribosylation of Glu-98 was identified (k2 and k). dThd and dUrd quenched the fluorescence of native enzyme in a biphasic process. The late phase of this reaction was associated with 2-deoxyribosylation of Glu-98. The pre-steady-state kinetic constants calculated from fluorescence quenching data for dAdo and Cyt were consistent with the experimental values for the steady-state kinetic coefficients and the equilibrium constant of the reaction.
Static tests of jet fuel thermal and oxidative stability

Jet fuels and a jet fuel surrogate have been thermally stressed to simulate the time/temperature history of aircraft fuel handling systems. Surrogate fuels were used to develop quantitative measurement techniques to assess fuel stability in static tests and compare the results with flowing tests. A variety of experimental techniques including Fourier transform infrared (IR), gas chromatography with atom-sensitive atomic-emission detection and high-pressure liquid chromatography have been used to study stressed and unstressed fuels. Quantitative and qualitative measurements of the deposits and the fuels are presented. In general, the static tests described here indicate that there is good agreement between static and flowing tests concerning the quality of a fuel. However, to adequately assess fuel stability, the availability of oxygen must be limited. Arbitrarily increasing the oxygen availability is likely to yield results which are not applicable to oxygen-starved stressing processes. Furthermore, contrary to expectations, the rate at which a fuel oxidizes is shown to be inversely related to the rate of formation of insoluble products.
Étude Histophysiologique Sur Le Mécanisme de La Sécrétion Urinaire

(1921). Etude Histophysiologique Sur Le Mecanisme de La Secretion Urinaire. Archives Internationales de Physiologie: Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 332-342.
Linking population-level and host-level models of influenza A virus

Objectives: The aim of this study was to improve the simulation efficiency of a hybrid model that merges an agent-based populationscale model and an equation-based, compartmental host-level model of influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Methods: The population-scale model propagates viral phenotypes (infectivity, virulence, antiviral resistance) that are mapped to initial conditions and model parameters of the host-level model. Within the host, we use an ensemble model approach to generate parameter distributions that represent a calibration to experimental data of viral titers and symptoms measured in humans with human IAV infection. Systemic, upper respiratory and lower respiratory symptoms are mapped to model interferon levels and the extent of upper and lower respiratory cell damage. The ensemble is computed using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling in a parallel implementation. The host-level model outputs required by the population-level model are time to thresholds and time over thresholds of interferon levels and cell damage levels, as well as daily viral counts that determine infectivity. These are computed by response surface analysis (RSA), obviating the need for embedded numerical integration of host-level models within the populationlevel model. Results: We previously benchmarked “online” numerical integration of a host-level model within a population-level model of IAV infection [1]. We developed a compartmental model of the host response to IAV based on a previously published host-level model of IAV [1]. We designed and tuned a high-performance implementation of parallel tempering on a 24-node cluster to compute the model ensemble that showed very good calibration to experimental data, and to additional heuristic requirements on model variables. Input from the population-level models used in the RSA include viral load and 3 model parameters defining viral phenotypes (cell trophism, burst size, antiviral resistance), To date, we have developed a 2-dimensional RSA algorithm for a simplified model [2], where time to a damage threshold is expressed as an algebraic function of initial pathogen load and pathogen growth rate. Conclusions: We believe that the proposed methodology will provide a significant increase in computational efficiency of our hybrid model over “online” numerical integration while feeding more realistic distributional inputs to a population-level model of IAV. Grants: R01-GM83602 and U54-GM88491.