cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive categorization revisited: extending interval valued fuzzy sets as simulation tools for concept combination

In this paper a structure called evidence set is proposed. It is based on the extension of interval valued fuzzy sets by utilizing the theory of fuzzy measures, in particular, the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. These new structures allow us to build better simulations of human cognitive categorization and concept combination processes, since not only is the spectrum of uncertainty forms better represented, but also a certain form of context is included in the models. >
Pre-plan parameters predict post-implant D90 ≥ 140 Gy for (125)I permanent prostate implants.

Purpose: To find permanent prostate implant (PPI) pre-plan dosimetric parameters that predict post-implant D 90 ≥ 140 Gy. Material and methods: Pre-plans were evaluated for 504 patients undergoing PPI with 125 I seeds for low or intermediate risk prostate cancer. Baseline patient and disease factors, numbers of seeds, ratios of number of seeds to available positions (occupancy proportion), and distances between the 100% isodose line and edge of the prostate (margin) planned for the whole prostate (WP), superior (S), inferior (I), anterior (A), and posterior (P) halves, SA, SP, IA, and IP quarters, and superior (S T ), inferior (I T ), and middle (M T ) thirds, and anterior (A T ) and posterior (P T ) middle one-sixth segments were analyzed by post-implant D 90 subset (≥ 140 Gy vs. < 140 Gy). Results: 20% had post-implant D 90 < 140 Gy (mean: 128.0 Gy, range: 97.5-139.2) vs. ≥ 140 Gy (mean: 154.4 Gy, range: 140.0-193.5). The D 90 ≥ 140 Gy subset had larger A T and IA segment mean numbers of seeds (p = 0.01, 0.046), larger WP, S, A, SA, S T , A T , and M T segment mean margins (p = 0.01, 0.01, 0.001, 0.0001, 0.03, 0.005, 0.02), and lower P T segment occupancy proportion (p = 0.004). On multivariate analysis, independent predictors of post-implant D 90 ≥ 140 Gy were increased SA mean margin, no pre-implant 5-α-reductase inhibitor, higher pre-plan D 90 , decreased P occupancy proportion, no pre-implant hormone therapy, and decreased SP mean margin. Conclusions: Higher occupancy proportion and larger margins anteriorly and reduced occupancy proportion, and smaller margins posteriorly on PPI pre-plans predict post-implant D 90 ≥ 140 Gy. J Contemp Brachytherapy 2014; 6, 2: 143–153 DOI: 10.5114/jcb.2014.43248
Mechanism of Synergistic Effects of β-Lactam Antibiotic Combinations on Gram-Negative Bacilli

These studies were undertaken to elucidate further the mechanism of synergism of pairs of beta-lactam antibiotics on beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative bacilli. Three strains of gram-negative bacilli which elaborate beta-lactamase enzymes with widely differing properties were employed. The antibacterial effects of beta-lactam antibiotics, singly and in combination, on the three organisms investigated were exactly those which would have been predicted on the basis of the enzymological properties of the beta-lactamases elaborated by these organisms. The findings thus support the hypothesis that the synergistic antibacterial effects of combinations of beta-lactam antibiotics on these organisms were due to inhibition of the enzyme by one of the agents and killing of the organism by the other, which was protected from enzymatic hydrolysis, rather than the alternative possibility that the synergistic effects were due simply to the combined antibacterial actions of the two drugs.
Eosinophilic Heart Disease in Acute Myeloproliferative Disorder

A 34-year-old man with no past medical history presented to our emergency department with facial droop and dysarthria. He had a 1-day history of dyspnea and nonproductive cough, which he attributed to a viral illness. Examination was notable only for the neurological abnormalities in the chief complaint, which resolved during the emergency department evaluation. A 12-lead ECG showed sinus tachycardia, a prolonged corrected QT interval (530 ms), and T-wave inversion suggestive of ischemia (Figure 1). MRI of the brain was negative for acute stroke. Laboratory values were notable for a hemoglobin of 8.8 g/dL, white blood cell count of 75 400 cells/mL with absolute eosinophilia to 22 620 cells/mL, and a platelet count of 31 000/mL. Troponin T was elevated to 0.40 μg/mL (normal <0.03) with a normal creatine kinase of 22 U/L. An urgent transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated a …
Study of the temperature‐dependent conformational averaging of 1H NMR resonances in vinylcyclopropane through the use of ab initio methodology and Boltzmann statistics

The temperature dependence of the 1 H NMR resonance of the C-4 olefinic proton in vinylcyclopropane was investigated through a combination of ab initio calculations and Boltzmann statistics. A torsional energy profile as a function of the 〈ϕ〉 dihedral angle was obtained using HF methodology with a 6–311G** basis set, while the corresponding 1 H chemical shift profiles for the C-4 proton were computed using the GIAO approach and either HF, DFT (B3LYP) or MP2 methods at the 6–311G** level of theory. Chemical shifts at different temperatures calculated as canonical ensemble averages in which the different ab initio1 H chemical shift profiles and a Boltzmann factor defined by the HF/ 6–311G** energy function are employed reproduce remarkably well the temperature dependence observed experimentally. Attempts to perform a similar study using only the GIAO-MP2 1 H chemical shift profile and 〈ϕ〉 dihedral angle trajectories obtained from molecular dynamics simulations at different temperatures failed to reproduce the experimental trends. This shortcoming was attributed to the inability of the force fields employed, Tripos 6.0 and MMFF94, to reproduce properly the three-well torsional potential of vinylcyclopropane. The application of both methodologies to the calculation of population-dependent chemical shifts in other systems is discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bioimpedance assessment of body composition in cobia Rachycentron canadum (L. 1766)

Abstract Sixty juvenile cobia ( Rachycentron canadum ; 28.3 ± 0.13 g wet wt) were randomly distributed into each of 12 tanks in a recirculation unit ( n = 5 tank − 1 ). Fish were fed one of two diets (47:8 or 47:20 protein:lipid) at 6–8% body wt d − 1 for 6 weeks. Each week, the composition of fish ( n = 5) from each dietary treatment was calculated by measuring the impedance (resistance and reactance) of a current ( x μA AC and kHz) passed through a live animal. Electrodes were positioned at morphologically discrete points on the dorsal left hand side of the animal. After bioimpedance (BIA) assessment, the identical fish were sacrificed and their body composition determined using traditional, chemical methods. Results generated by chemical analyses were regressed against BIA data. Linear regression analysis was performed utilizing compositional analysis (protein, lipid and ash) as the observed values and BIA assessment for the predicted. Regressions for each body composition parameter produced high correlations in all relationships: resistance (in parallel) and protein (adj. R 2 = 0.9569), resistance (in parallel) and total body water (adj. R 2 = 0.9894), reactance (in parallel) and total body ash (adj. R 2 = 0.8547), reactance (in series) and dry matter (adj. R 2 = 0.9272) and reactance (in series) and fat-free mass (adj. R 2 = 0.9916). The F value tests ( P
General pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic concepts of mood stabilizers in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Abstract Introduction: Mood stabilizers are the recommended treatment for patients who receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Because of the necessity of mood stabilizer treatment in patients wit...
Risk factors for progression to new sites of radiographically defined osteoarthritis in women

Objective. To describe the association between hormonally related risk factors and the progression to new sites of radiographically defined full body (generalized) osteoarthritis (OA) in a cohort of older women. Methods. A retrospective cohort design was used to study former radium dial painters over the age of 40 years who had minimal radium exposure. At study entry and at varying followup times, clinical examinations were conducted and full body radiographs were taken. Two followup groups were defined : women with a followup radiograph 1-9 years after baseline (n = 75) and 10-19 years after baseline (n = 53). Fifty-five joints (10 joint groups) were independently graded at baseline and followup for OA by the method of Kellgren and Lawrence, and provided the basis for summary full body OA progression scores. Progression was defined as an increase in the number of sites with OA and in separate analyses as an increase in the number of joint groups with OA. Results. Increasing length of followup and lower baseline OA score were associated with greater OA progression, while age at baseline examination showed no clear relation to progression. Beyond these variables, increasing height and having ever smoked were inversely associated with OA progression, while body mass index (BMI) showed a weak positive association. In multivariable modeling for followup 1-9 years, only lower baseline OA score predicted greater OA progression to new sites (partial r 2 = 0.13, p = 0.0009). In followup 10-19 years, baseline OA score (partial r 2 = 0.12, p = 0.0011), height (partial r 2 = 0.057, p = 0.033), and smoking status (partial r 2 = 0.09, p = 0.035) were independent predictors of OA progression to new sites, while greater BMI was a positive, weak, and nonsignificant predictor (partial r 2 = 0.031, p = 0.29). History of prior cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, dilation and curetage, number of pregnancies, and change in BMI were not significantly related to progression of OA to new sites. Similar results were found for predictors of OA progression to new joint groups. Conclusion. Lower baseline level of OA is associated with greater OA progression to new sites or joint groups independent of age, suggesting a burnout phenomenon. In addition, shorter height and having never smoked appear to be independent risk factors that predict the progression of radiographic OA to new sites or joint groups.
Development and initial testing of a tailored telephone intervention delivered by peers to prevent recurring opioid-overdoses (TTIP-PRO)

Individuals with opioid use disorder experiencing a non-fatal opioid-overdose (OOD) are at heightened risk for future OODs; there are no interventions to facilitate treatment enrollment for these patients. Our goal was to develop and initially test the 'tailored telephone intervention delivered by peers to prevent recurring opioid-overdoses' (TTIP-PRO), a computer-facilitated, peer-delivered, individually tailored secondary prevention intervention designed to: (i) encourage patients to initiate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and (ii) increase OOD knowledge. A pre-post-study assessed TTIP-PRO-content acceptability and software performance. Two Peer Interventionists, who were abstinent from illicit opioids, enrolled in MAT and had experience with OOD, were recruited from a MAT clinic. Recruitment letters were sent to patients treated for OOD in a hospital emergency department within the prior 8 months. Eight patients received TTIP-PRO and completed pre-/post-assessment. Peer Interventionists completed training within 4 h and reported high satisfaction with TTIP-PRO. There were no performance issues with the software. All participants rated TTIP-PRO as 'very helpful'. Participants' OOD knowledge increased significantly, with 69.9% correct responses pre-TTIP-PRO and 93.6% post-TTIP-PRO. Interest in receiving MAT, measured on a 10-point scale, increased from 8.1 to 9.5, but this change was not statistically significant. Further development and testing of TTIP-PRO appears warranted.
Therapeutic Opportunities through the Modulation of Endocannabinoid Transport

The endocannabinoid system is comprised of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), a group of endogenous neuromodulatory lipids (endocannabinoids), and the machinery for their biosynthesis, metabolism, and transit that are involved in a variety of physiological processes including pain, appetite, memory, inflammatory and immune responses. In the brain, endocannabinoids are primarily involved in retrograde signaling, being synthesized and released from postsynaptic neurons to stimulate CB1 receptors located on the presynaptic neurons. Here, we provide an overview of the current research on the transport of endocannabinoids across plasma membranes and their intracellular trafficking with an emphasis on various potential targets for developing therapeutic drugs.
The Occurrence of Protoporphyrin in the Reticulocytes

SummaryThe protoporphyrin which Van den Bergh and Hyman discovered in the red blood cells, has been found to reside chiefly, if not solely, in the reticulocytes. Brilliant cresyl blue and protoporphyrin are mutually precipitable; whether this reaction is responsible for the supravital staining of reticulocytes remains to be determined.
Mammalogy and the American Society of Mammalogists, 1919–1969

The year 1919 opened a new era after the tragedy and misery of World War I in western Europe. American servicemen came home, shed their uniforms, and plunged vigorously into civilian activities. Biologists renewed their interests in a variety of fields. Students of insects, fishes, and birds already had scientific organizations and periodicals devoted to their special interests but there was none for mammals.
A general inversion scheme for source, site, and propagation characteristics using multiply recorded sets of moderate-sized earthquakes

Abstract We derive an inversion scheme that fits the logarithms of seismic body-wave spectra to ω 2 source shapes conditioned by anelastic attenuation with a frequency-independent Q . The residuals from this fit are then projected onto the set of sources and sites, with the source terms damped, to estimate residual source spectra and site response spectra. This two-part inversion process is iterated until the square of the residuals, summed over frequency for all recordings, is minimized. The absolute amplitudes of the source and site spectra are determined by fitting the site response spectra to estimates of the site amplification derived from geotechnical data. We apply this inversion process to three sets of recordings of Loma Prieta aftershocks. The first data set contains S waves recorded both in the Marina District and at nearby hard-rock stations. We constrain the site response using the S -wave velocity measured in a nearby borehole. The absolute site amplifications for the Marina stations are 15 to 20 at 1 Hz and 10 at 2.5 Hz. The other two data sets comprise the P - and S -wave recordings from 28 aftershocks ranging in size from M D = 2.1 to 4.6, obtained at accelerograph sites near the epicentral area. The P - and S -wave attenuations determined from the inversions are Q = 414 and 380, while the average near-site attenuations are t * = 0.012 and 0.026 sec, respectively. The average ratio of the S - to P -wave seismic moments is 1.1 ± 0.1, the ratio of the P - to S -wave corner frequencies is 1.24 ± 0.11, and the ratio of S - to P -wave radiated energy is 13.9 ± 3.2. The Brune stress drops for these aftershocks range from 8 to 800 bars. The largest earthquakes exhibit the largest stress drops, but there is no apparent dependence of stress drop on seismic moment for earthquakes with 10 19 M 0 21 dyne-cm.
Pathways for Disordered Eating Behaviors in Minority Girls: The Role of Adiposity, Peer Weight-Related Teasing, and Desire to Be Thinner

This study investigated the direct and indirect effects of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors in predicting disordered eating behaviors in girls with overweight/obesity. A total of 135 Hispanic and African American girls (X¯age = 11.13 ± 1.54 years) completed surveys assessing the desire to be thinner, peer weight-related teasing, disordered eating behaviors, and demographic characteristics. Percent body fat was assessed. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the influence of the desire to be thinner and peer weight-related teasing on percent body fat and disordered eating behaviors. Results indicated that percent body fat was directly related to the desire to be thinner (p < .01) and peer weight-related teasing (p < .01), and was indirectly related to disordered eating through its relationship with peer teasing (p < .05). These findings may be useful in guiding the design of interventions preventing the development of disordered eating behaviors in minority girls.
Fractures of the carpus, excluding the scaphoid.

SUMMARY Carpal bone fractures comprise an important group of injuries that present difficulties in both diagnosis and treatment. These fractures may be missed for the following reasons: 1) physician's low index of suspicion, 2) the carpal bones’ irregular contours and degree of overlap on radiographs making the fractures difficult to visualize, and 3) the common occurrence of concomitant fractures of neighboring metacarpals, distal radius, or scaphoid, which misdirects the examiner. A high index of suspicion with careful clinical examination and elicitation of point tenderness is key to making the correct diagnosis (Fig. 14). Swelling, loss of motion, deformity, and crepitus are often minimal and are not reliable in distinguishing carpal fractures. Specific radiographic projections, tomograms, computerized tomographic scans, or bone scans are often required and should be considered in any wrist injury where the diagnosis is in question. A greater awareness of the fracture types, methods of diagnosis, and choices of treatment is essential for optimal management of these injuries.
EG&G and the Deep Media of Timing, Firing, and Exposing

This article considers the pre-history and history of EG&G, Inc., a key contractor in America's nuclear weapons programme in the Cold War. EG&G was co-founded by M.I.T.’s Harold Edgerton, Kenneth J. Germeshausen, and Herbert E. Grier after World War II in order to serve the nuclear weapons timing and firing needs of the U.S. Department of Defense and Atomic Energy Commission. The three men began their collaboration in the 1930s at M.I.T. with work on flash photography. Indeed, their partnership began in high-speed ‘stroboscopic’ photography in the 1930s, became focused on nuclear weapon timing and firing in 1945–50, and eventually re-focused on high-speed photography in the 1950s. Instead of emphasizing, as others have, the reproduction and circulation of photographic images of nuclear detonations, this article examines how the convergence of photographic and ballistic regimes was constructed around what we call the ‘deep media’ of timing, firing, and exposing.
CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A KV1.5 DELAYED RECTIFIER K+ CHANNEL FROM VASCULAR AND VISCERAL SMOOTH MUSCLES

We have cloned and characterized the expression of a Kv1.5 K+ channel (cKv1.5) from canine colonic smooth muscle. The amino acid sequence displayed a high level of identity to other K+ channels of the Kv1.5 class in the core region between transmembrane segments S1-S6; however, identity decreased to between 74 and 82% in the NH2 and COOH terminal segments, suggesting that cKv1.5 is a distinct isoform of the Kv1.5 class. Functional expression of cKv1.5 in oocytes demonstrated a channel highly selective for K+, which activates in a voltage-dependent manner on depolarization to membrane potentials positive to -40 mV. At room temperature the channel showed fast activation (time to half of peak current, 5.5 ms) and slow inactivation that was incomplete after 20-s depolarizations. Single channel analysis of the channel expressed in oocytes displayed a linear current-voltage curve and had a slope conductance of 9.8 +/- 1.1 pS. Northern blot analysis demonstrated differential expression of cKv1.5 in smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and abundant expression in several vascular smooth muscles. We propose that cKv1.5 represents a component of the delayed rectifier current in both vascular and visceral smooth muscles.
World Between Chaos and Homogeneity: a Review Discussion of The Clasp of Civilizations by Richard Hartz

Our world is increasingly torn between the cultural polarities of a homogenized neo-liberal globalization and a variety of exclusionary fundamentalisms. The text being discussed opens a third space of what it calls ‘convergent pluralism’ between these two, that promises to evolve a harmonious planetary future. The present article discusses the analyses and solutions offered by the book as well as the constructive attitudes and engagements needed to make this third space a reality.
Stroke Treatment With Intravenous Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator: More Proof That Time Is Brain.

Article, see p 128 In this edition of Circulation , Kim and colleagues1 present data from the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke (GWTG-S) registry, with a focus on correlating time to treatment with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA; alteplase) and hospital discharge outcomes. The take-home message is that the sooner a patient is treated with intravenous tPA, the better the odds of having a favorable outcome. This was especially true for the small minority of patients (1.3%) who received intravenous tPA within 60 minutes of stroke onset. Although intravenous tPA has a treatment window of 4.5 hours (from symptom onset or last known time well to initiation of therapy), only 1.3% of patients began therapy within 60 minutes of stroke onset.1 However, patients receiving therapy within 60 minutes of symptom onset had a 22% to 25% relative increase in being discharged home or being ambulatory at the time of hospital discharge compared with patients who received intravenous tPA beyond 60 minutes. Patient outcomes worsened as the onset-to-treatment time increased. This is not a novel finding; prior studies have found similar correlations.2 Some of this degradation in benefit from tPA followed a linear pattern, whereas at other times the pattern was nonlinear, with a steeper graded association between longer onset-to-treatment time and worse outcomes noted in the first 3 hours after symptom onset There are several other important findings from this study. Intravenous tPA for stroke has been a US Food and Drug Administration–approved medical therapy for ≈20 years, yet it remains grossly underused. In the Kim et al1 report, only 65 000 of ischemic stroke patients (6.1%) were treated with intravenous alteplase. Although some patients were likely excluded for valid medical reasons (anticoagulant use, exceedingly high blood pressures, recent surgery, or hemorrhage), it is likely that many were …
Laser immunotherapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer (Conference Presentation)

Pancreatic cancer is an extremely malignant disease with high mortality rate. Currently there is no effective therapeutic strategy for highly metastatic pancreatic cancers. Laser immunotherapy (LIT) is a combination therapeutic approach of targeted phototherapy and immunotherapy, which could destroy treated primary tumors with elimination of untreated metastases. LIT affords a remarkable efficacy in suppressing tumor growth in pancreatic tumors in mice, and results in complete tumor regression in many cases. LIT could synergize targeted phototherapy and immunological effects of immunoadjuvant, which represent a promising treatment modality to induce systemic antitumor response through a local intervention, paving the way for the treatment of highly metastatic pancreatic cancers.
Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age: 2017 - Chapters 1 and 2

Rapid advances in digital and life sciences technology continue to spur the evolution of intellectual property law. As professors and practitioners in this field know all too well, Congress and the courts continue to develop intellectual property law and jurisprudence at a rapid pace. For that reason, we have significantly augmented and revised Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age. The 2017 Edition reflects the following principal developments: ● Trade Secrets: Congress passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, one of the most momentous changes in the history of trade secret protection. The new law opens up the federal courts to trade secret cases, provides for ex parte seizures of misappropriated trade secrets in “extraordinary circumstances,” and establishes immunity for whistleblowers. ● Patents: The past several years have witnessed some of the most significant developments in U.S. patent history — from the establishment of the new administrative review proceedings at the Patent Office to important shifts in patent-eligibility, claim indefiniteness, enhanced damages, and equitable remedies at the Supreme Court and means-plus-function claim interpretation and infringement doctrine at the Federal Circuit. We have restructured the patent chapter to illuminate these areas. We have also significantly expanded coverage of design patents in response to the growing importance of this form of protection. ● Copyrights: The Supreme Court issued important decisions addressing the useful article doctrine, public performance right and the first sale doctrine. The past few years also witnessed important developments in the Online Service Provider safe harbor, fair use, and state protection for pre-1972 sound recordings. We have also integrated the digital copyright materials into a unified treatment of copyright law and substantially revamped the fair use section to reflect the broadening landscape of this important doctrine. ● Trademarks: We have integrated important cases on federal registrability of disparaging marks, merchandising rights, likelihood of confusion on the Internet, and remedies. ● Other State Protections: We have updated material on the right of publicity, an active and growing area. We have also reorganized the chapter and focused it on IP regimes.
The Clinical, Symptom, and Quality-of-Life Characterization of a Well-Defined Group of Patients with Posttreatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

Background: The increased incidence and geographic expansion of Lyme disease has made it the most common vector-borne infection in North America. Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) represents a subset of patients who remain ill following standard antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. The spectrum of symptoms and their impact on quality of life remain largely unexplored among patients with well-documented PTLDS. Objective: To characterize a case series of patients with well-documented PTLDS compared to a sample of healthy controls. Methods: Sixty-one participants met the proposed case definition for PTLDS. Twenty-six healthy controls had neither a clinical history of Lyme disease nor current antibodies to B. burgdorferi. Participants with PTLDS and controls were evaluated by physical exam, clinical laboratory testing, standardized questionnaires, and a 36-item current symptom list. Results: Compared to controls, participants with PTLDS reported significantly greater fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and depression (Fatigue Severity Scale: 50.0+/-10.6 vs.19.9+/-8.6; Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire: 13.8+/-8.3 vs. 0.8+/-1.9; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: 10.1+/-4.7 vs. 4.1+/-2.1; Beck Depression Inventory-II: 15.1+/-7.7 vs. 2.2+/-3.2; p<0.001 for each), and significantly lower quality of life (SF-36 Physical Component Score: 33.9+/-9.7 vs. 55.1+/-6.2; Mental Component Score: 42.9+/-10.1 vs. 54.2+/-5.4; p<0.001 for each). Nineteen non-PTLDS-defining symptoms were found to be significantly more severe among participants with PTLDS than controls, including sleep difficultly and visual complaints. Initial delayed or misdiagnosis was characterized in 59.0% of participants with PTLDS, and 32.2% had abnormal vibratory sense. Conclusions: Although physical exam and clinical laboratory tests showed few objective abnormalities, standardized symptom questionnaires revealed that patients with PTLDS are highly and clinically significantly symptomatic, with poor health-related quality of life. PTLDS patients exhibited levels of fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, and depression which were both clinically relevant and statistically significantly higher than controls. Our study shows that PTLDS can be successfully identified using a systematic approach to diagnosis and symptom measurement. As the prevalence of PTLDS continues to rise, there will be an increased need for physician education to more effectively identify and manage PTLDS as part of integrated patient care.
Twitter Data Mining and Predictive Modeling in R

R, an open source statistical programming language, can be used to gather information from the social media platform Twitter, from which tweets are collected from various news sources, celebrities, political figures, and some official colleges accounts. Other information such as screen names, number of tweets, number of followers, list of friends, and locations can be collected using the twitteR package in combination with the Twitter application programming interface (Twitter API). After collecting this data, one can perform text mining by counting the word frequency in news sources' tweets, creating data visualizations to represent frequency of words, and conduct a sentiment analysis to understand and measure the impact of certain topics and opinions expressed in this social media venue. Spatial visualizations are also created in the form of interactive maps using the location data collected from different Twitter accounts. This project explores the various ways that Twitter can be used to gather information on certain topics and how this data could be used to help predict some of the behaviors and characteristics on how people communicate through this social media source, as well as how different topics are perceived by society.
Semiotics of Parenthood in Legal Perspective: Using Semiotic Tools to Deconstruct Legal Determinations of Who Holds Parenthood Obligations and Privileges

The chapter provides a brief explanation and illustration of the phenomenon of semiotics. It describes the conceptual tools of semiotics and how lawyers can use semiotics in law to create compelling arguments. Last, the paper applies the tools of semiotics to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court case Ferguson v. McKiernan, 2008, to reveal the shift in social context that made the lines of legal reasoning behind the outcome appear “self-evident.”
Impact of Edible Cricket Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Healthy Adults, a Double-blind, Randomized Crossover Trial

Edible insects are often considered a nutritious, protein-rich, environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional livestock with growing popularity among North American consumers. While the nutrient composition of several insects is characterized, all potential health impacts have not been evaluated. In addition to high protein levels, crickets contain chitin and other fibers that may influence gut health. In this study, we evaluated the effects of consuming 25 grams/day whole cricket powder on gut microbiota composition, while assessing safety and tolerability. Twenty healthy adults participated in this six-week, double-blind, crossover dietary intervention. Participants were randomized into two study arms and consumed either cricket-containing or control breakfast foods for 14 days, followed by a washout period and assignment to the opposite treatment. Blood and stool samples were collected at baseline and after each treatment period to assess liver function and microbiota changes. Results demonstrate cricket consumption is tolerable and non-toxic at the studied dose. Cricket powder supported growth of the probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium animalis, which increased 5.7-fold. Cricket consumption was also associated with reduced plasma TNF-α. These data suggest that eating crickets may improve gut health and reduce systemic inflammation; however, more research is needed to understand these effects and underlying mechanisms.
An alternative formulation of the Substructure Deletion Method for the seismic analysis of embedded foundations

Abstract This study presents an alternative formulation of the Substructure Deletion Method for the dynamic analysis of three-dimensional rigid foundations embedded in an homogeneous viscoelastic half-space and subjected to applied external forces and to incoming plane waves. This new approach is characterized by a boundary integral equation approach for the analysis of the removed soil inclusion, using Green's functions for an infinite viscoelastic medium, while half-space Green's functions have been applied in the analysis of the flat half-space. Such a method has been used in computing the impedance matrix and the foundation input motion for square embedded foundations.
The Solon Sable Tribute, Hunters of Inner Asia and Dynastic Elites at the Imperial Centre

This article discusses the political and cultural importance of the Qing sable tribute for the expression and maintenance of imperial authority by focusing on the Solon, the largest sable-hunting group of the Qing dynasty in Heilongjiang. The political use of fur tribute items at the Qing centre reveals how the privilege of wearing fur defined the boundaries of the ruling hierarchy and, therefore, why sable tribute throughout the dynasty was a mechanism for maintaining relations between the Manchu court and the hunting population. The high demand for sable and other furs by the Qing emperor and other members of the political elite explains why the Qing empire needed the hunting population and their native places in the borderlands.
The effect of 3,3’-diindolylmethane (DIM) on plasma cytokine levels in healthy human subjects

504 3,3’-Diindolylmethane (DIM), a spontaneously-formed dimer of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), is the major circulating product following oral administration of I3C to humans. I3C is produced by cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. Both I3C and DIM have been shown to have chemopreventive effects in a number of different animal models and to promote apoptosis in human tumor cells, supporting investigations of these compounds as potential chemopreventive supplements. Recent studies reported by Xue et al. have shown that DIM stimulates function in isolated murine immune cells and also induces cytokine production in mice in vivo, but the effect of DIM on immune function in humans has not yet been reported. As such, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of DIM on plasma cytokine levels in humans. The study agent was nutritional-grade, absorption-enhanced 3, 3’-diindolylmethane,a product of BioResponse, LLC (Boulder, CO). Groups of 4 healthy human subjects, randomized to 3 active DIM and 1 placebo, were orally administered single doses of DIM (50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 mg) after which plasma was collected 12 and 24 hr later (in addition to a baseline plasma sample). The 300 mg dose was repeated in a second group of subjects. Profiling of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators was then performed by multiplex suspension bead array. VEGF, IL-10, IL-13, FGFβ, and GM-CSF levels were largely undetectable at all time points and doses tested. DIM administration had little effect upon TNFα, IL-1β, IL-2, MCP-1, MIP-1β, IL-17, IL-12 (p70), IL-7, IL-5, IL-4, IFNγ, G-CSF, and eotaxin levels, irrespective of dose and/or time points measured. While increased IL-6 levels (2 - 12 pg/ml) were detected 12 hr after DIM administration in nearly half of the subjects who received moderate to high doses (100 - 300 mg), the increases in IL-6 did not correlate with DIM dose or resulting plasma levels. The elevated IL-6 levels detected in the aforementioned individuals also correlated with increased IL-8 plasma levels. Collectively, these data suggest that most cytokines/chemokines are not affected by acute DIM treatment, as measured at 12 and 24 hr after administration, but further studies are needed to fully characterize the overall effects of DIM on cytokine production in humans. Supported by NCI Contract N01-CN-35008.
#IU: Considering the Context of Online Threats

The United States Supreme Court has failed to grapple with the unique interpretive difficulties presented by social media threats cases. Social media make hateful and threatening speech more common but also magnify the potential for a speaker’s innocent words to be misunderstood. People speak differently on different social media platforms, and architectural features of platforms, such as character limits, affect the meaning of speech. The same is true of other contextual clues unique to social media, such as gifs, hashtags, and emojis. Only by understanding social media contexts can legal decision-makers avoid overcriminalization of speech protected by the First Amendment. This Article therefore advocates creation of a procedural mechanism for raising a “context” defense to a threats prosecution prior to trial. Comparable privileges protect defamation defendants from having their opinions misconstrued as defamatory and allow them to have their liability resolved at an early stage of litigation, often avoiding the anxiety and expense of trial. This Article contends that criminal defendants in threats cases should have a similar defense that permits them to produce contextual evidence relevant to the interpretation of alleged threats for consideration by a judge at a pretrial hearing. In cases that cannot be resolved before trial, the context defense would entitle a defendant to produce contextual evidence at trial and have the jury instructed regarding the role of context in separating threats from protected speech. Although adoption of the context defense would be especially helpful in correctly resolving social media cases, its use in all threats cases would provide an important safeguard against erroneous convictions of speech protected by the First Amendment.
Detection of hexahydro-1,3-5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) with a microbial sensor

Explosives such as hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) are common contaminants found in soil and groundwater at military facilities worldwide, but large-scale monitoring of these contaminants at low concentrations is difficult. Biosensors that incorporate aptamers with high affinity and specificity for a target are a novel way of detecting these compounds. This work describes novel riboswitch-based biosensors for detecting RDX. The performance of the RDX riboswitch was characterized in Escherichia coli using a range of RDX concentrations from 0-44 μmol l-1. Fluorescence was induced at RDX concentrations as low as 0.44 μmol l-1. The presence of 4.4 μmol l-1 RDX induced an 8-fold increase in fluorescence and higher concentrations did not induce a statistically significant increase in response.
Evaluating the safety effectiveness of a weather-based variable speed limit for a rural mountainous freeway in Wyoming

This article investigates the safety effectiveness of weather-based variable speed limit (VSL) systems on a rural mountainous interstate in Wyoming using a before-after study with Empirical Bayes (...
VCAM-1+ macrophage subset as 'educators' in fetal liver for transition to definitive hematopoiesis.

Hematopoietic ontogeny has been well studied and are described in the literature as waves of activity (1). Intuitively, it is expected that early hematopoiesis will begin in the yolk sac since the early embryo will need support from blood cells, commonly termed the first wave (2). Consistent with the need for blood cells during the first wave, this period produces nucleated erythrocytes to ensure sufficient oxygenation. The second wave begins to generate a broader population of primitive hematopoiesis that can produce myeloid and lymphoid cells. This begins to prepare the nascent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to leave the embryonic niche of early development to the fetal liver. The HSCs that are permanent after birth and throughout the life of an individual are populated in the bone marrow during the third wave of embryonic hematopoiesis in the aorta gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region (3).
Drugs to Control Diabetes During Pregnancy

Diabetes is a common complication of pregnancy associated with both short- and long-term adverse maternal and offspring effects. All types of diabetes in pregnancy are increasing in prevalence. Treatment of diabetes in pregnancy, targeting glycemic control, improves both maternal and offspring outcomes, albeit imperfectly for many women. Pharmacologic treatment recommendations differ between pregestational and gestational diabetes. Improved treatment of diabetes in pregnancy will need to consider maternal disease heterogeneity and comorbidities as well as long-term offspring outcomes. In this review, the authors summarize recent clinical studies to highlight established pharmacologic treatments for diabetes in pregnancy and provide suggestions for further research.
Using the ‘journey metaphor’ to restructure philosophy of religion

This essay forwards a new orientation and point of origin for philosophy of religion—an orientation that does not privilege theism, and a point of origin that does not begin with the attributes and proofs of God (and thereby privilege theism). To do so, it turns to the metaphor theory of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, specifically their analysis of the metaphor life is a journey. It draws on the internal structure of the journey metaphor to identify its core, constituent parts: journeys have a point of origin and destination, a route that is planned, obstacles and sights that are encountered along the way, and a traveler who is accompanied by and encounters other travelers. It then uses these core, constituent parts to generate five philosophical questions about the “journey” of the self and five philosophical questions about the “journey” of the cosmos: (1) Who am I (as traveler)?; (2) Where do I come from?; (3) Where am I going?; (4) How do I get there?; (5) What obstacles lie in my way?; (6) What is the cosmos?; (7) Where does the cosmos come from?; (8) Where is the cosmos going?; (9) How does the cosmos get there?; (10) What obstacles lie in the cosmos’ way? The majority of the essay then shows how each of these questions generates topics for global philosophy of religion and embraces content from a diversity of religious philosophies. Thus, this essay concludes that the journey metaphor is able to offer a new orientation and point of origin for philosophy of religion that is inclusive of a global diversity of religious traditions.
Trends and outcomes in contemporary management renal cell carcinoma and vena cava thrombus.

Abstract Introduction We sought to analyze the safety, efficacy, and national trends in the use of robotic radical nephrectomy (RN) and inferior vena cava thrombectomy in patients with renal cell carcinoma. Patients and Methods We analyzed 872 patients from the National Cancer Database dataset who underwent open (n = 838, 96.1%) or robotic (n = 34, 3.9%) radical nephrectomy with inferior vena cava thrombectomy for cT3b renal cell carcinoma between 2010 and 2014. Length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmissions and 30-day mortality were compared between the 2 groups. As internal validation, we performed a multi-institutional analysis of 20 patients (9 open [45%] vs. 11 robotic [55%]) undergoing RN with a level II thrombus. Patients were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, peri- and postoperative outcomes. Uni- and multivariable models were used adjusting for clinical and tumor characteristics. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups in both datasets. In the National Cancer Database, robotic approach was associated with 26% reduction in LOS (P 0.999). Conclusion In select cases and experienced hands, robotic approach offers a reasonable alternative to open surgery without an increased complication rate.
English voiceless stop production by speakers of Brazilian Portuguese

This study investigated whether global pronunciation proficiency in a foreign language is correlated with the learning of timing patterns (VOT) in production of voiceless stops in a target language. Fifty-three native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese were assessed in terms of global foreign accent and VOT measurements were taken. The results demonstrate that the speakers’ VOTs in English are significantly correlated with degree of foreign accent and that some speakers achieved native-like VOT production in English.
Laboratory Testing for Substance Use Disorders

Clinicians practicing in the field of substance use disorders should be familiar with the laboratory monitoring associated with this patient population. Laboratory monitoring may include objective tests designed to assess a medication’s toxicity, or a screening test to assess whether a patient has used a particular substance. There are nuances associated with interpreting these screening tests. A basic understanding of how various substances are metabolized, how long they are detected in the body, what medications or substances may interfere with proper identification, and how to identify an adulterated sample is necessary for proper interpretation. This chapter will guide the reader through these challenges by discussing the fundamentals of laboratory testing, and drug-specific information as it relates to opioids, alcohol, benzodiazepines, marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants, dissociatives, and hallucinogens.
Gefitinib modulates stress fibers and tubular-like structure formation and attenuates angiogenesis in an in vivo chicken model of chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis.

Abstract Gefitinib is an ATP-competitive inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases known to repress the progression of various types of cancers. Emerging evidence has shown that this molecule modulates endothelial cells to inhibit angiogenesis. However, the biological effects of gefitinib have not been comprehensively investigated in endothelial cells. In this study, gefitinib-mediated regulation of cell proliferation, migration, cell attachment, cytoskeletal actin filament reorganization, tubular-like structure formation and angiogenesis in vivo was examined along with the corresponding mechanisms. G1-phase cell cycle arrest was detected and led to a decrease in 3H-labeled thymidine incorporation under sublethal doses of gefitinib. Endothelial cell migration was blocked in both wound-healing and transwell assays. In addition, gefitinib simultaneously inhibited collagen- and fibronectin-dependent cell attachment. Importantly, we first observed that the gefitinib-induced phenotypes might be partially due to the abnormal retrograde flow of actin filaments. The results of this study revealed the antivasculogenic effects of gefitinib at sublethal doses and indicated that the treatment of cancer patients with this drug might impair angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment to reduce the cancer metastasis rate in addition to the direct therapeutic benefits of repressing epidermal growth factor receptor signaling in cancer cells.
Resurgence: Irony and Urban Indian Knowing in Tommy Orange’s There There

Tommy Orange’s novel _There There_ (2018) uses irony to immerse readers in a life-and-death confrontation of newly reciprocal time and space. Urban Indian ways of knowing unsettle national U.S. myths to reveal that Native epistemologies have been present all along, and are still here; the past is active in a circle of time that enfolds and confronts everyone who walks this land, and cities arise from and remain connected with the earth. As part of such knowing, irony is not just key to the mass shooting incident he depicts, it is also structural and national. Orange is an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes; his novel reveals that history is still in progress. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are targets of the epistemologies that urge respect, responsiveness, relationship. In such resurgence, tribal and non-tribal nations open to decolonial metamorphosis even in the face of ongoing violence.