cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 431: Impact of Liver-Specific Transgenic Overexpression of Drosophila and Human MTP on Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Lipoprotein Secretion

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) is essential for the formation of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins. Previous results established that invertebrate forms of MTP (e.g., Drosophila ) are capable of phospholipid (PL) transfer, whereas vertebrate forms of MTP (e.g., human) engage in both PL and triglyceride (TG) transfer. To determine, in vivo, whether the PL and TG transfer activities of MTP play different roles in lipoprotein formation and protection from hepatic steatosis, we created B6D2F1 mice that express human MTP (hMTP) or Drosophila MTP (dMTP) under the control of the apoE 5’ proximal promoter and 3’ hepatic control region in the plasmid pLIV11. Immunoblot analysis confirmed that transgenic expression was limited to the liver and that expression of the transgenes did not impact the abundance of endogenous mouse MTP. To assess the ability of MTP to protect mice from hepatic steatosis, dMTP transgenic mice, hMTP transgenic, and wild type (WT) littermates were placed on a high fat (45% from lard) and cholesterol (0.2%) diet for eight weeks. Mice displayed no significant differences in plasma TG or total plasma cholesterol; however, hMTP mice displayed a trend toward reduced liver TG content, indicating that chronic MTP overexpression may protect the liver from hepatic lipid accumulation. Surprisingly, however, a 2-fold increase in liver TG was observed in two separate founder lines of dMTP transgenic mice. H&E staining confirmed an increase in neutral lipid accumulation in mice expressing the dMTP transgene, relative to both WT and hMTP mice. Quantitative PCR analysis did not reveal changes in expression of genes responsible for hepatic lipogenesis or lipid oxidation. These data complement earlier studies using adenovirus-mediated expression, indicating that acute hMTP and dMTP expression in liver-specific MTP knockout mice can reverse hepatic steatosis caused by MTP deficiency. In contrast, chronic hepatic overexpression of dMTP in a wild type background appears to interfere with endogenous lipoprotein formation and secretion. Understanding the basis for this phenotype may provide insights into how the specific lipid transfer and other activities of MTP contribute to apoB lipoprotein formation.
Assembling the Right Team—Organizational Structure in the ACA Era

The health care community is seeking ways to improve outcomes by formation of teams to leverage diverse expertise, skills, and training. The concept that diversity among team members improves performance is well accepted. Nevertheless, it is challenging to put the concept into action. Bringing people together across disciplines increases the pool of available knowledge but coordination becomes difficult as teams grow in size. In the setting of complex care, teams must gather information from multiple subspecialists, synthesize the information acquired, come to decisions, and execute a plan. Complex care often involves input from and coordination with other departments, so information must flow beyond team boundaries. Reporting relationships add complexity since team members may belong to distinct departments and many individuals belong to multiple teams. Given these potential constraints, it is no surprise that putting groups together and calling them a team does not ensure that the team will be effective. Effective teams require a common purpose, organizational support, and ties, which permit trust and foster mutual accountability among team members. So leaders must acknowledge and recognize the complexity of the system in which the team operates and helps to define and foster strategies to optimize team function.
Supplement Usage Status and Risk Information

Dietary supplements are a ubiquitous part of consumers’ healthy lifestyle (Wang, Keh, and Bolton 2010). Despite their popularity, there is mixed evidence that supplements improve health. Indeed, it is increasingly common for consumers to encounter risk information about the safety of supplement use. For example, a CNN report cites medical studies suggesting that taking supplements such as Vitamin E could harm users in the long term (Cohen 2009). Moreover, supplement users often discount scientific evidence about harmful side effects, which in turn can make them vulnerable to maladaptive behaviors such as self-medicating and overdosing on supplements (Blendon et al. 2001; Block and Peracchio 2006). Hence, from a health marketing as well as public policy perspective, it is imperative to better understand the underlying processes that might drive responses to risk information among different supplement user segments.
Effects of chrysolaminarin synthase knockdown in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana: Implications of reduced carbohydrate storage relative to green algae

Abstract In all organisms, the flux of carbon through the fundamental pathways of glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and the pyruvate hub is a core process related to growth and productivity. In unicellular microalgae, the complexity and intracellular location of specific steps of these pathways can vary substantially. In addition, the location and chemical nature of storage carbohydrate can be substantially different. The role of starch storage in green algae has been investigated, but thus far, only a minimal understanding of the role of carbohydrate storage in diatoms as the β-1,3-glucan chrysolaminarin has been achieved. In this report, we aimed to determine the effect of specifically reducing the ability of Thalassiosira pseudonana cells to accumulate chrysolaminarin by knocking down transcript levels of the chrysolaminarin synthase gene. We monitored changes in chrysolaminarin and triacylglycerol (TAG) levels during growth and silicon starvation. Transcript-level changes in genes encoding steps in chrysolaminarin metabolism, and cytoplasmic and chloroplast glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, were monitored during silicon limitation, highlighting the carbon flux processes involved. We demonstrate that knockdown lines accumulate less chrysolaminarin and have a transiently increased TAG level, with minimal detriment to growth. The results provide insight into the role of chrysolaminarin storage in diatoms, and further discussion highlights differences between diatoms and green algae in carbohydrate storage processes and the effect of reducing carbohydrate stores on growth and productivity.
Reactive path planning for emergency steering maneuvers on highway roads

A path planning algorithm is proposed for emergency steering maneuvers on highway roads. A geometric approach is used to generate a graph which is searched to find an optimal path based on a customized cost function. We ensure that the resulted path will be within road boundaries, collision-free and feasible with respect to all kinematic and dynamic constraints of the host vehicle and the surrounding environment. The proposed algorithm is computationally fast and is reactive to all changes on the highway roads. Real-time simulation results in the Hardware-In-the-Loop platform shows the effectiveness of the algorithm in avoiding collision with stationary and moving obstacles on the road.
New understandings of communities and ourselves: community-based participatory research with Alaska Native and Lower 48 youth

AbstractIn the summer of 2014, students from universities in the contiguous United States (Lower 48) and Inupiat youth from Alaska carried out a pilot project as participants/co-researchers in a process called Intergenerational Dialog, Exchange, and Action (IDEA). This action-oriented, community-based, and participatory research method was first developed in 2008, as a platform for structuring dialog between adults, Elders and youth within a community, and for extending resonant ideas emerging from these discussions through Photovoice and digital storytelling amongst youth participants. This pilot study was designed to investigate the feasibility and potential of university students from the Lower 48 and Indigenous youth from Alaska to carry out the IDEA process together as co-researchers. The results of the pilot suggest that it is both possible and meaningful for IDEA to be conducted by a team of youth co-researchers. We found that participation in IDEA expanded the perspectives of youth co-researchers ...
Scaling properties of saturated hydraulic conductivity in soil

Abstract Variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity, k sat , increases when sample size decreases implying that saturated water flow might be a scaling process. The moments of scaling distributions observed at different resolutions can be related by a power-law function, with the exponent being a single value (simple scaling) or a function (mutiscaling). Our objective was to investigate scaling characteristics of k sat using the method of the moments applied to measurements obtained with different sample sizes. We analyzed three data sets of k sat measured in: (1) cores with small diameter and increasing length spanning a single soil horizon, (2) columns with increasing cross sectional area and constant length, and (3) columns with increasing cross sectional area and length, the longest column spanning three soil horizons. Visible porosity (macroporosity) was traced on acetate transparency sheets prior to measurement of k sat in situation (2). Six moments were calculated assuming that observations followed normal ( k sat , macroporosity) and/or log-normal ( k sat ) distributions. Scaling of k sat was observed in all three data sets. Simple scaling was only found when flux occurred in small cross sectional areas of a simple soil horizon (data set (1)). Multiscaling of k sat distributions was found when larger soil volumes were involved in the flux process (data sets (2) and (3)). Moments of macroporosity distributions showed multiscaling characteristics, with exponents similar to those from ln k sat distributions. The scaling characteristics of k sat reported in this paper agree with similar results found at larger scales using semivariograms. Scaling exponents from the semivariogram and the moment techniques could be complemented, as demonstrated by the agreement between macroporosity scaling exponents found with both techniques.
Sleep and Internalizing Symptoms in Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Ethnicity and Subjective Social Status

We examined relations between objectively and subjectively assessed sleep and self-reported psychological distress from internalizing symptoms. Consistent with a health disparities perspective, eth...
Predictors of Unplanned Reoperation After Operative Treatment of Pelvic Ring Injuries.

Objectives:To evaluate the incidence of unplanned reoperations after pelvic ring injuries and to develop a risk prediction model.Design:Retrospective review.Setting:Level I Trauma Center.Patients:The medical records of 913 patients (644 male and 269 female patients; mean age, 39 years; age range, 16
Automated end-to-end blood testing at the point-of-care: Integration of robotic phlebotomy with downstream sample processing

Diagnostic blood testing is the most commonly performed clinical procedure in the world, and influences the majority of medical decisions made in hospital and laboratory settings. However, manual blood draw success rates are dependent on clinician skill and patient physiology, and results are generated almost exclusively in centralized labs from large-volume samples using labor-intensive analytical techniques. This paper presents a medical device that enables end-to-end blood testing by performing blood draws and providing diagnostic results in a fully automated fashion at the point-of-care. The system couples an image-guided venipuncture robot, developed to address the challenges of routine venous access, with a centrifuge-based blood analyzer to obtain quantitative measurements of hematology. We first demonstrate a white blood cell assay on the analyzer, using a blood mimicking fluid spiked with fluorescent microbeads, where the area of the packed bead layer is correlated with the bead concentration. Next we perform experiments to evaluate the pumping efficiency of the sample handling module. Finally, studies are conducted on the integrated device - from blood draw to analysis - using blood vessel phantoms to assess the accuracy and repeatability of the resulting white blood cell assay.
Any-Com Multi-robot Path-Planning with Dynamic Teams: Multi-robot Coordination under Communication Constraints

We are interested in finding solutions to the multi-robot path-planning problem that have guarantees on completeness, are robust to communication failure, and incorporate varying team size. In this paper we present an algorithm that addresses the complete multi-robot path-planning problem from two different angles. First, dynamic teams are used to minimize computational complexity per robot and maximize communication bandwidth between team-members. Second, each team is formed into a distributed computer that utilizes surplus communication bandwidth to help achieve better solution quality and to speed-up consensus time. The proposed algorithm is evaluated in three real-world experiments that promote dynamic team formation. In the first experiment, a five mobile robot team plans a set of compatible paths through an office environment while communication quality is disrupted using a tin-can Faraday cage. Results show that the distributed framework of the proposed algorithm drastically speeds-up computation, even when packet loss is as high as 97%. In the second and third experiments, four robots are deployed in a network of three building wings connected by a common room. Results of the latter experiments emphasize a need for dynamic team algorithms that can judiciously choose which subset of the original problem a particular dynamic team should solve.
Pivot-Operationen, Vektorräume, Matrizen und ihre Inversen

Wir wollen die Untersuchung des § 4-2 uber Eigenschaften, die durch Pivot-Operationen erhalten bleiben, und uber diese Operationen selbst nun verallgemeinern. Die erste der funf wichtigen Eigenschaften betrifft Redundanz und Inkonsistenz.
The Future of the Public’s Health from the Perspective of Public Health Experts

In this chapter, reputable academicians and practitioners of public health, who have been teaching and practicing for an average of 20 years in local and state government and public and private academic institutions, offer their view about public health education and practice today. Specifically, these professionals offer their insight into the greatest challenges they encounter in preparing the future public health workforce, recommendations for assuring competence in public health knowledge and skills, key lessons they think those who have chosen a public health career could benefit from knowing, as well as where limited public health resources should be directed. These key stakeholders completed a questionnaire which was comprised of 13 questions that took 15–30 min to complete. The questionnaire was approved by the University of New Hampshire’s Institutional Review Board. The participants’ responses to selected questions are summarized in an aggregate manner herein.
Cellular Entry of Polyomaviruses

Polyomaviruses (Pys) are nonenveloped DNA tumor viruses that include the murine polyomavirus (mPy), simian virus 40 (SV40), and the human BK, JC, KI, WU, and Merkel Cell viruses. To cause infection, Pys must enter host cells and navigate through various intracellular compartments, where they undergo sequential conformational changes enabling them to uncoat and deliver the DNA genome into the nucleus. The ensuing transcription and replication of the genome leads to lytic infection or cell transformation. In recent years, a more coherent understanding of how Pys are transported from the plasma membrane to the nucleus is starting to emerge. This review will focus on the decisive steps of Py entry, including engagement of the host cell receptor, targeting to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), penetration across the ER membrane, nuclear entry, and genome release. Strikingly, a number of these steps resemble the intoxication pathway of the AB5 bacterial toxins. Thus, as Pys and bacterial toxins hijack similar cellular machineries during infection, a general principle appears to guide their entry into host cells.
Approximation by Polynomials

The classical Weierstrass approximation theorem states that for every continuous function f on [0, 1] and for any n ≥ 0, there is a real-valued polynomial function φ n such that |f(x) - φ n (x){ ≤ 2-n for all x ∈ [0, 1], In this chapter we investigate the polynomial-time version of the Weierstrass approximation theorem: Is the sequence |φ n } polynomial-time computable, if f is known to be polynomial-time computable? Pour-El and Caldwell [1975] proved that the recursive version of the Weierstrass approximation theorem holds. Shepherd-son [1976] has pointed out the importance of this recursive version of the Weierstrass approximation theorem: It provides a straight-line type finite program for function f. Also, some numerical operations on f, such as integration, can be computed by performing the operation on the approximation polynomials φ n . We show that the weak form of the polynomial-time version of the Weierstrass approximation theorem does hold and so a polynomial-time evaluable straight-line program for φ n can be found in polynomial time if f is itself polynomial-time computable. However, the strong form of the theorem that requires the output of the coefficients of φ n fails. Thus, the integrals of φ n may still be hard to compute.
Homage to Prof. Dr. Abraham Shulman: Tinnitus-A Life with Tinnitology.

This issue of the International Tinnitus Journal is dedicated in part to the Proceedings of the PreCongress of the Twenty-Fifth Ordinary Scientific Congress of the Neurootological and Equilibriometric Society (NES). The pre-Congress, entitled Tinnitus, was an homage to Prof. Abraham Shulman, M.D. From its inception, this journal was envisioned as a first source of information for both clinical specialists and general practitioners who deal with tinnitus patients. The overall goals of the International Tinnitus Journal that were stated simply in volume I, issue 1, June 1995, by the coeditors, were and remain as follows: To publish peer-reviewed manuscripts that are recognized to be informative, innovative, and original, specifically on the subject of tinnitus. To publish articles from professionals that are of interest to all who evaluate and attempt to treat tinnitus, regardless of clinical specialty.
Infectious complications in multiple myeloma (MM) patients receiving autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AutoHCT) in the contemporary era.

e20003Background: The spectrum of infectious complications in autoHCT recipients with MM has not been well described in the recent era where patients receive novel agents for induction and transpla...
Parental infections disrupt clustered genes encoding related functions required for nervous system development in newborns

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of infection in the origin of chromosomal anomalies linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. In children with disorders in the development of their nervous systems, chromosome anomalies known to cause these disorders were compared to viruses and bacteria including known teratogens. Results support the explanation that parental infections disrupt elaborate multi-system gene coordination needed for neurodevelopment. Genes essential for neurons, lymphatic drainage, immunity, circulation, angiogenesis, cell barriers, structure, and chromatin activity were all found close together in polyfunctional clusters that were deleted in neurodevelopmental disorders. These deletions account for immune, circulatory, and structural deficits that accompany neurologic deficits. In deleted gene clusters, specific and repetitive human DNA matched infections and passed rigorous artifact tests. In some patients, epigenetic driver mutations were found and may be functionally equivalent to deleting a cluster or changing topologic chromatin interactions because they change access to large chromosome segments. In three families, deleted DNA sequences were associated with intellectual deficits and were not included in any database of genomic variants. These sequences were thousands of bp and unequivocally matched foreign DNAs. Analogous homologies were also found in chromosome anomalies of a recurrent neurodevelopmental disorder. Viral and bacterial DNAs that match repetitive or specific human DNA segments are thus proposed to interfere with highly active break repair during meiosis; sometimes delete polyfunctional clusters, and disable epigenetic drivers. Mis-repaired gametes produce zygotes containing rare chromosome anomalies which cause neurologic disorders and accompanying non-neurologic signs. Neurodevelopmental disorders may be examples of assault on the human genome by foreign DNA with some infections more likely tolerated because they resemble human DNA segments. Further tests of this model await new technology.
Lentiviral-mediated knock-down of GD3 synthase protects against MPTP-induced motor deficits and neurodegeneration

Abstract Converging evidence demonstrates an important role for gangliosides in brain function and neurodegenerative diseases. Exogenous GM1 is broadly neuroprotective, including in rodent, feline, and primate models of Parkinson’s disease, and has shown positive effects in clinical trials. We and others have shown that inhibition of the ganglioside biosynthetic enzyme GD3 synthase (GD3S) increases endogenous levels GM1 ganglioside. We recently reported that targeted deletion of St8sia1, the gene that codes for GD3S, prevents motor impairments and significantly attenuates neurodegeneration induced by 1-methy-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). The current study investigated the effects of GD3S inhibition on the neurotoxicity and parkinsonism induced by MPTP. Mice were injected intrastriatally with a lentiviral-vector-mediated shRNA construct targeting GD3S (shGD3S) or a scrambled-sequence control (scrRNA). An MPTP regimen of 18 mg/kg x 5 days reduced tyrosine-hydroxylase-positive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of scrRNA-treated mice by nearly two-thirds. In mice treated with shGD3S the MPTP-induced lesion was approximately half that size. MPTP induced bradykinesia and deficits in fine motor skills in mice treated with scrRNA. These deficits were absent in shGD3S-treated mice. These results suggest that inhibition of GD3S protects against the nigrostriatal damage, bradykinesia, and fine-motor-skill deficits associated with MPTP administration.
The Hard Task of Soft Skills: Project Management for the Materials Review Process

This article summarizes a presentation given by Kurt Blythe and Jennifer Solomon at the 28th annual North Carolina Serials Conference in 2019. Blythe and Solomon were brought on to lead a project t...
U.S. News and World Report hospital ranking and surgical outcomes among patients undergoing surgery for cancer

BACKGROUND Despite the popularity of the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) hospital rankings among the general public, the relationship between hospital rankings and actual patient outcomes for major cancers remains poorly investigated. METHODS Medicare Inpatient Standard Analytic Files were queried from 2013-2015 to assess the relationship of postoperative outcomes and Medicare expenditures among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal, lung, esophageal, pancreatic, and liver cancer at hospitals ranked in the top-50 USNWR vs hospitals ranked below 50. RESULTS Among 94 599 patients, 13 217 vs 81 382 patients underwent surgery at a top-50 hospital versus a non-top 50 ranked hospital. Other than among patients who underwent colorectal surgery, the odds of postoperative complications were lower at top ranked vs non-top ranked hospitals (colorectal: OR, 1.46, 95% CI, 1.28-1.65; lung: OR, 0.73, 95% CI, 0.61-0.87; esophagus: OR, 0.70, 95% CI, 0.52-0.94; pancreas: OR, 0.81, 95% CI, 0.70-0.94; liver: OR, 0.85, 95% CI, 0.69-1.04). Moreover, the odds of 90-day mortality were lower at top ranked hospitals vs non-top ranked hospitals (colorectal: OR, 0.59, 95% CI, 0.48-74; lung: OR, 0.66, 95% CI, 0.53-0.82; esophagus: OR, 0.56, 95% CI, 0.40-0.80; pancreas: OR, 0.51, 95% CI, 0.40-0.65; liver: OR, 0.61, 95% CI, 0.44-0.84). Outcomes were comparable among hospitals within the top-50 rank. CONCLUSION Mortality rates were lower at hospitals in the top-50 USNWR versus non-top ranked, yet hospitals within the top-50 USNWR rankings had comparable outcomes.
Features, Outcomes, and Management Strategies of Male Breast Cancer: A Single Institution Comparison to Well-Matched Female Controls.

Objective The primary objective of this study was to delineate differences in management, overall and distant disease-free survival in males diagnosed with breast cancer and treated at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center as compared to comprehensively matched female subjects. Secondary objectives included assessment of clinical and histopathologic features and recurrence score, as measured by Oncotype DX and the modified Magee equation #2. Materials and methods This single institution retrospective study compared male and comprehensively matched female patients (1:2) with stage I-III breast cancer between 1994 and 2014. Recurrence risk was estimated using a modified Magee equation. Overall survival and distant disease-free survival were estimated and compared using Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank methods. Results Forty-five male breast cancer patients were included (stage I: 26.7%; stage II: 53.3%; stage III: 20.0%; hormone receptor positive: 97.8%; human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative: 84.4%) with a median age of 63.8 (43.0-79.4) years at diagnosis. Intermediate and low recurrence scores were most common in male and female patients respectively; mean score was similar between groups (20.3 vs. 19.8). The proportion of male breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and post-mastectomy radiation was lower compared to female patients (42.2% vs. 65.3%, p=0.013; 22.7% vs. 44.4%, p=0.030, respectively). Overall survival and distant disease-free survival between male and female patients were similar. Conclusion Male breast cancer patient outcomes were similar compared to well-matched female patients suggesting that breast cancer specific factors are more prognostic than gender.
Estimating lumber properties with acoustic-based technologies—Part 1: Modeling acoustic (stress) wave behavior in clear wood and lumber

This research article summarizes results from Part 1 of a study designed to examine using advanced signal processing techniques with acoustic-based lumber assessment technologies to evaluate the MOE, ultimate tension stress (UTS), and MOR of structural lumber. In Part 1 of this research article, a mathematical model of acoustic wave behavior in an idealized specimen is derived using fundamental mechanics. Published information on the physical and mechanical properties of clear, defect-free wood is input into the model to examine acoustic wave behavior. Wave behavior is then examined experimentally in a series of wood specimens. Observed wave behavior in the clear wood specimens, in both time and frequency domains, closely resembles idealized wave behavior. In Part 2 of this research article, predictions from the model are used to improve estimation of the UTS of wood specimens.
Understanding the Neurocomputational Mechanisms of Antidepressant Placebo Effects.

Over the last two decades, neuroscientists have used antidepressant placebo probes to examine the biological mechanisms implicated in antidepressant placebo effects. However, findings from these studies have not yet elucidated a model-based theory that would explain the mechanism through which antidepressant expectancies evolve to induce persistent mood changes. Emerging evidence suggests that antidepressant placebo effects may be informed by models of reinforcement learning (RL). Such that an individual’s expectation of improvement is updated with the arrival of new sensory evidence, by incorporating a reward prediction error (RPE), which signals the mismatch between the expected (expected value) and perceived improvement. Consistent with this framework, neuroimaging studies of antidepressant placebo effects have demonstrated placebo-induced μ-opioid activation and increased blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses in regions tracking expected values (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)) and RPEs (e.g., ventral striatum (VS)). In this study, we will demonstrate the causal contribution of reward learning signals (expected values and RPEs) to antidepressant placebo effects by experimentally manipulating expected values using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting the vmPFC and μ-opioid striatal RPE signal using pharmacological approaches. We hypothesized that antidepressant placebo expectancies are represented in the vmPFC (expected value) and updated by means of μ-opioid-modulated striatal learning signal. In a 3 × 3 factorial double-blind design, we will randomize 120 antidepressant-free individuals with depressive symptoms to one of three between-subject opioid conditions: the μ-opioid agonist buprenorphine, the μ-opioid antagonist naltrexone, or an inert pill. Within each arm, individuals will be assigned to receive three within-subject counterbalanced forms of TMS targeting the vmPFC—intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) expected to potentiate the vmPFC, continuous TBS expected to de-potentiate the vmPFC, or sham TBS. These experimental manipulations will be used to modulate trial-by-trial reward learning signals and related brain activity during the Antidepressant Placebo functional MRI (fMRI) Task to address the following aims: (1) investigate the relationship between reward learning signals within the vmPFC-VS circuit and antidepressant placebo effects; (2) examine the causal contribution of vmPFC expected value computations to antidepressant placebo effects; and (3) investigate the causal contribution of μ-opioid-modulated striatal RPEs to antidepressant placebo effects. The proposed study will be the first to investigate the causal contribution of μ-opioid-modulated vmPFC-VS learning signals to antidepressant placebo responses, paving the way for developing novel treatments modulating learning processes and objective means of quantifying and potentially reducing placebo effects during drug development. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04276259.
Ichthyosis and Methotrexate: Reply to Words of Caution

The article by Drs. Jetton and Eby on ichthyosis and methotrexate therapy in the May issue of Pediatrics1 raised some issues which perhaps can be clarified. In treating our patient with nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (CIE)2 we embarked on a trial of methotrexate with trepidation, but did so because the little girl in question was a complete social outcast due to the severity of her disease. Despite higher than average intelligence, the local public school refused to accept her and no appropriate facility could be found for schooling.
Sutures for the wireless sensing of deep wounds.

Deep surgical wounds can be monitored via conductive multifilament surgical sutures incorporating ‘sensing pledgets’ bearing capacitive sensors operated via harmonic radiofrequency identification.
Designing high-temperature oxidation-resistant titanium matrix composites via directed energy deposition-based additive manufacturing

Abstract Composite material development via laser-based additive manufacturing offers many exciting advantages to manufacturers; however, a significant challenge exists in our understanding of process-property relationships for these novel materials. Herein we investigate the effect of input processing parameters towards designing an oxidation-resistant titanium matrix composite. By adjusting the linear input energy density, a composite feedstock of titanium-boron carbide-boron nitride (5wt% overall reinforcement) resulted in a highly reinforced microstructure composed of borides and carbides and nitrides, with variable properties depending on the overall input energy. Crack-free titanium-matrix composites with hardness as high as 700 ± 17 HV0.2/15 and 99.1% relative density were achieved, with as high as a 33% decrease in oxidation mass gain in the air relative to titanium at 700°C for 50h. Single-tracks and bulk samples were fabricated to understand the processing characteristics and in situ reactions during processing. Our results indicate that input processing parameters can play a significant role in the oxidation resistance of titanium matrix composites and can be exploited by manufacturers for improving component performance and high temperature designs.
The Influence of Immanuel Kant on Evidentiary Approaches in Eighteenth Century Bulgaria

In 2011, Chief Justice Roberts commented that if you "pick up a copy of any law review that you see," "the first article is likely to be, you know, the influence of Immanuel Kant on evidentiary approaches in 18th-century Bulgaria, or something, which I'm sure was of great interest to the academic that wrote it, but isn't of much help to the bar.” No such article exists, of course -- until now. This short essay explains why, in all likelihood, Kant’s influence on evidentiary approaches in 18th-century Bulgaria was none.
The Name Authority Co-Op (NACO) project at the Library of Congress: present and future

Over the past nine years, the Name Authority Co-op Project (NACO) has grown to become an important source of both authority and bibliographic records in the LC database. With the implementation of the Linked Systems Project in late 1985, the enriched LC authorities database is being made available on a more timely basis to a wider library public. This article describes the origin and growth of NACO, its operations, and prospects for future cooperation.
Fault Diagnosis in Mixed-Signal Low Testability System

This paper describes a new approach for fault diagnosis of analog multi-phenomenon systems with low testability. The developed algorithms include identification of ambiguity groups, fault diagnosis methodology and solving low testability equations. Our aim is to identify a minimum number of faulty parameters that satisfy the test equations called a minimum form solution. An algorithm to find a minimum form solution is presented, which is based on the solution invariant matrix and an identification of singular cofactors of this matrix. System simulation using a developed Cpp and Matlab programs was performed to test different faulty circuits. Test examples are discussed and simulation results are presented.
Theory of Strongly Turbulent Two-Dimensional Cross Field Convection of Current Carrying Space Plasmas

The “direct interaction approximation” of Kraichnan as modified by Kadomtsev is employed to develop a two-dimensional strong turbulence theory which predicts both nonlinear frequency broadening and a power law for the spectrum of a convecting plasma containing a gravitationally induced cross field current. These results are favorably compared with experimental observations, numerical simulations, and previous studies1 of turbulent cross field convection of current-carrying plasma.
Testimony, Responsibility and Recognition: A Ricoeurian Response to Crises of Sexual Abuse

A b s t r A c t How can we, as individuals and as members of religious, educational, and/ or social institutions, more adequately respond to the crises of sexual abuse that have come to light in recent years? This paper will address this question through the philosophical lens of Paul Ricoeur. The argument proposed here is that through Ricoeur’s hermeneutics of testimony, responsibility, and recognition, we can begin to approach, address, and evaluate the crises of sexual abuse we face by grounding our ethical reflections, and actions, within a more robust philosophical framework. Therefore, this paper will proceed as follows. The first three sections will investigate Ricoeur’s writings in order to glean from them three distinct hermeneutical approaches to three different sets of criteria at play in contemporary crises of sexual abuse: first, a hermeneutics of testimony, related to memory and history; second, a hermeneutics of responsibility, related to authority and justice; and, finally, a hermeneutics of recognition, related to forgiveness and forgetting. Insofar as each of these hermeneutical approaches offers us some insight into the problematics underlying crises of sexual abuse, the fourth section will offer an evaluation of these approaches by focusing on the specific case of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The final section will consider possible avenues for resolution of these crises through Ricoeur’s notion of exceptional “states of peace,” at the heart of which lies mutual recognition. My hope is that this contribution provides new avenues for conversation and deliberation, as well as new resources and frameworks for articulating and implementing responsible action in the face of sexual abuse. A b s t r A c t
Police staffing levels: disaggregating the variation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between community type classifications and police strength. Prior research has examined other correlates, but no attempts have been made previously to examine the relationship between community type (as outlined and defined by Chinni and Gimpel, 2010) and police staffing levels. Design/methodology/approach – Using a combination of NDLEA data on police strength, Uniform Crime Report data on crime, census data, and Chinni and Gimpel’s (2010) community classifications, this paper analyzes the relationship between a variety of correlates and police strength in 15,917 communities. Findings – The study found that police staffing does differ by community type as well as by a variety of other key community characteristics. Research limitations/implications – This implies that further research on appropriate tools to determine appropriate staffing levels is needed. Practical implications – This work indicates that traditional “peer benchmarking” approaches used to determine police strength should not be considered the best practice. Other approaches may be more appropriate and should be examined. Originality/value – This is the first study to incorporate classifications of community type in the analysis of police strength.
Multicenter randomized clinical trial of Goserelin versus surgical ovariectomy in premenopausal patients with receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer : An intergroup study

PURPOSETo compare failure-free survival (FFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GN-RH) agonist, goserelin versus surgical ovariectomy.PATIENTS AND METHODSBetween August 1, 1987 and July 15, 1995 138 (136 eligible) premenopausal patients with estrogen receptor (ER)- and/or progesterone receptor (PgR)-positive metastatic breast cancer were entered by the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG). Prior chemotherapy or hormone therapy for metastatic disease was not allowed. Patients were randomly assigned to goserelin (3.6 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks; (n = 69) versus surgical ovariectomy (n = 67). The study was initially designed as an equivalence trial with 80% power to rule out a 50% improvement in survival due to ovariectomy. However, accrual was slow and the study was terminated early, which resulted in a final power of 60% for the alte...
Electronic properties of YNi2B2C

Abstract Calculations of electronic structure and Fermi surface related quantities for YNi 2 B 2 C are reported and discussed in relation to transport data. The results are qualitatively similar to those obtained for other materials in this family, and are consistent with a picture of this material as a conventional strong coupling superconductor with nearly isotropic properties.
Evidence for Habitual and Goal-Directed Behavior Following Devaluation of Cocaine: A Multifaceted Interpretation of Relapse

Background Cocaine addiction is characterized as a chronically relapsing disorder. It is believed that cues present during self-administration become learned and increase the probability that relapse will occur when they are confronted during abstinence. However, the way in which relapse-inducing cues are interpreted by the user has remained elusive. Recent theories of addiction posit that relapse-inducing cues cause relapse habitually or automatically, bypassing processing information related to the consequences of relapse. Alternatively, other theories hypothesize that relapse-inducing cues produce an expectation of the drug's consequences, designated as goal-directed relapse. Discrete discriminative stimuli signaling the availability of cocaine produce robust cue-induced responding after thirty days of abstinence. However, it is not known whether cue-induced responding is a goal-directed action or habit. Methodology/Principal Findings We tested whether cue-induced responding is a goal-directed action or habit by explicitly pairing or unpairing cocaine with LiCl-induced sickness (n = 7/group), thereby decreasing or not altering the value of cocaine, respectively. Following thirty days of abstinence, no difference in responding between groups was found when animals were reintroduced to the self-administration environment alone, indicating habitual behavior. However, upon discriminative stimulus presentations, cocaine-sickness paired animals exhibited decreased cue-induced responding relative to unpaired controls, indicating goal-directed behavior. In spite of the difference between groups revealed during abstinent testing, no differences were found between groups when animals were under the influence of cocaine. Conclusions/Significance Unexpectedly, both habitual and goal-directed responding occurred during abstinent testing. Furthermore, habitual or goal-directed responding may have been induced by cues that differed in their correlation with the cocaine infusion. Non-discriminative stimulus cues were weak correlates of the infusion, which failed to evoke a representation of the value of cocaine and led to habitual behavior. However, the discriminative stimulus–nearly perfectly correlated with the infusion–likely evoked a representation of the value of the infusion and led to goal-directed behavior. These data indicate that abstinent cue-induced responding is multifaceted, dynamically engendering habitual or goal-directed behavior. Moreover, since goal-directed behavior terminated habitual behavior during testing, therapeutic approaches aimed at reducing the perceived value of cocaine in addicted individuals may reduce the capacity of cues to induce relapse.
Bilingual Mastery as Effectual Medium of Instruction in General Education Courses

The medium of instruction used in the classroom has a vital role in the learning of the students. It is a big factor in accomplishing quality education upheld by any academic institution. In the Philippines where public education was introduced by the American colonizers in the early 1900s and augmented by books and instructional materials that were written in English, it is no longer surprising to see that until in contemporary time, most of the schools strictly promote the use of the English language more than Filipino (national language) in classroom lectures and discussions. This is regardless whether the course is major or general education (GE) such as Philippine History, Literature, Social Sciences, and Math. This research entitled “Bilingual mastery as effectual medium of instruction in General Education courses” aims to determine the preferences of students regarding medium of instruction in the teaching of GE courses, know the preferred medium of communication among college students and identify the effectuality of bilingual practices among GE teachers. The descriptive research design is used in the study. The researchers seek the cooperation of 60 student-respondents who are enrolled in GE courses in De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) in Batangas, Philippines. The respondents are asked to answer a survey questionnaire. Based on the results, DLSL college students prefer both English and Filipino as the media of instruction in GE classes. Most of the respondents claim that they can express and perceive learning in both languages. With this outcome, it can be recommended that academic institutions in the Philippines like DLSL review the policy on classroom-teaching language as well as allow the bilingual practices among teachers. Keywords - General Education, bilingual mastery, descriptive design, Philippines
The giant dipole resonance at moderate temperature and spin

Abstract The properties of the giant dipole resonance in heated nuclei at moderate spin and temperature are discussed, with emphasis on recent Seattle measurements and calculations. These new results emphasize the role of deformation fluctuations in determining the GDR shape.
Development of the micromilling process for high-aspect-ratio microstructures

At the macroscale, the milling process is very versatile and capable of creating three-dimensional features and structures. Adaptation of this process at the microscale could lead to the rapid and direct fabrication of micromolds and masks to aid in the development of microcomponents. This task has been undertaken, and results of the process indicate it can become an increasingly useful method. The micromilling process is characterized by milling tools that are currently in the range from 22-100 /spl mu/m in diameter and made by the focused-ion beam machining process. The tools are used in a specially designed, high-precision milling machine. Results are comparable to other processes currently used to fabricate mold and mask features. The micromilling process can create trench-like features with nearly vertical sidewalls and good smoothness. External corners are sharp and stepped features can be machined simply by programming those shapes. The process is direct, and therefore dimensional errors do not accumulate as can occur with serial fabrication processes.
Detection and quantification of ricin in beverages using isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry.

The toxic plant protein ricin has gained notoriety due to wide availability and potential use as a bioterrorism agent, with particular concern for food supply contamination. We have developed a sensitive and selective mass spectrometry-based method to detect ricin in tap water, 2% milk, apple juice, and orange juice. Ricin added to beverage matrices was extracted using antibody-bound magnetic beads and digested with trypsin. Absolute quantification was performed using isotope dilution mass spectrometry with a linear ion trap operating in product-ion-monitoring mode. The method allows for identification of ricin A chain and B chain and for distinction of ricin from ricin agglutinin within a single analytical run. Ricin-bound beads were also tested for deadenylase activity by incubation with a synthetic ssDNA oligomer. Depurination of the substrate by ricin was confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). This method was used successfully to extrac...