cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual immunofluorescence staining of proteoglycans in human temporal bones.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Immunofluorescence staining methods have been developed to study the distribution of macromolecules in archival formalin-fixed celloidin-embedded human temporal bone tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of utilizing this approach to evaluate the codistribution of more than one molecule of interest in a single tissue section. Study Design: Retrospective study of proteoglycan codistribution in archival human temporal bone tissues. Methods: The chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate proteoglycans were selected for evaluating this methodology. Human tissues with known proteoglycan staining patterns were studied as controls. Thirty-one formalin-fixed celloidin-embedded archival human temporal bones were evaluated, and the observations in 11 specimens are described. A dual immunofluorescence staining method was developed using primary antibodies of differing isotypes and secondary antibodies labeled with fluorophores having nonoverlapping emission characteristics. Results: The specificity of the dual immunofluorescence technique for chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate proteoglycans was demonstrated in control tissues and confirmed through inhibition studies. The normal human tectorial membrane exhibited intense chondroitin sulfate staining. Cochlear and vestibular hair cells exhibited predominantly keratan sulfate staining. Keratan sulfate staining predominated in spiral ganglion cell bodies and fibers. Alterations in the normal distribution pattern of proteoglycans were observed in cases of presbycusis and otosclerosis. Conclusions: The dual immunofluorescence staining methodology can be used to study archival formalin-fixed celloidinembedded human temporal bone tissues. This technique may be applied to the evaluation of other molecules in archival human temporal bone tissues and lead to improvement in our understanding of the function of these molecules and their role in disease processes.
siRNA knockdown of GPR18 receptors in BV-2 microglia attenuates N -arachidonoyl glycine-induced cell migration

Background Neurons are known to employ the endogenous cannabinoid system to communicate with other cells of the CNS. Endocannabioid signaling recruits microglia toward neurons by engaging cannabinoid CB2 and abnormal cannabidiol (Abn-CBD) receptors. The Abn-CBD receptor is a prominent atypical cannabinoid receptor that had been discriminated by means of various pharmacological and genetic tools but remained to be identified at the molecular level. We recently introduced N-arachidonoyl glycine (NAGly) signaling via GPR18 receptors as an important novel signaling mechanism in microglial-neuronal communication. NAGly is an endogenous, enzymatically oxygenated metabolite of the endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyl ethanolamide (AEA). Our recent studies support strongly two hypotheses; first that NAGly initiates directed microglial migration in the CNS through activation of GPR18, and second that GPR18 is the Abn-CBD receptor. Here we present siRNA knockdown data in further support of these hypotheses.
How Culture Influences Leadership Styles

In 1994, for the first time in the history of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), an individual, Dr. Alexander J. Walt, who was not born in the United States (US) and had not trained in the US, was elected President. In 2013, another foreign medical graduate (FMG), Carlos A. Pellegrini, gave his Presidential address in front of the ACS as the 94th President. Even though Dr. Walt and Dr. Pellegrini are examples that are difficult to follow, their stories have a lot in common and show that foreign born individuals do serve in leadership roles in surgery. This chapter discusses how the culture from which an individual is from effects leadership styles, and how surgical leadership may be different among different cultures. This chapter also describes the career path of two general surgeons, both FMG, but from different continents, and how their culture has influenced their own leadership styles.
'Neural-gas' network for vector quantization and its application to time-series prediction

A neural network algorithm based on a soft-max adaptation rule is presented. This algorithm exhibits good performance in reaching the optimum minimization of a cost function for vector quantization data compression. The soft-max rule employed is an extension of the standard K-means clustering procedure and takes into account a neighborhood ranking of the reference (weight) vectors. It is shown that the dynamics of the reference (weight) vectors during the input-driven adaptation procedure are determined by the gradient of an energy function whose shape can be modulated through a neighborhood determining parameter and resemble the dynamics of Brownian particles moving in a potential determined by the data point density. The network is used to represent the attractor of the Mackey-Glass equation and to predict the Mackey-Glass time series, with additional local linear mappings for generating output values. The results obtained for the time-series prediction compare favorably with the results achieved by backpropagation and radial basis function networks. >
Outcomes after simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation and the discriminative ability of the C-peptide measurement pretransplant among type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Background Earlier studies reporting outcomes after pancreas transplantation have included a combination of C-peptide cutoffs and clinical criteria to classify type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, because the kidney is the major site for C-peptide catabolism, C-peptide is unreliable to discriminate the type of diabetes in patients with kidney disease. Methods To improve the discriminative power and better classify the type of diabetes, we used a composite definition to identify T2DM: presence of C-peptide, negative glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody, absence of diabetic ketoacidosis, and use of oral hypoglycemics. Additionally among T2DM patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), body mass index of 2 and use of Results Our study cohort consisted of 80 patients, 10 of whom were assigned as T2DM based on our study criteria. Approximately 15% of patients with T1DM had detectable C-peptide. Cox regression survival analyses found no significant differences in allograft (pancreas and kidney) or patient survival between the 2 groups. The mean creatinine clearance at 1 year estimated by the modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation was not significantly different between the 2 groups. Among those with 1 year of follow-up, all patients with T2DM had glycosylate hemoglobin of Conclusion SPKT should be considered in the therapeutic armamentarium for renal replacement in selected patients with T2DM and ESRD. Use of C-peptide measurements for ESRD patients can be misleading as the sole criterion to determine the type of diabetes.
Computational ontology of network operations

In this article we outline an ontology of secure operations in cyberspace, describing its primary characteristics through some basic modeling examples. We make the case for adopting a rigorous semantic model of cyber security to overcome the current limits of the state of the art, namely lack of comprehensive knowledge representation and effective automatic reasoning functionalities.
Water vapor changes under global warming and the linkage to present-day interannual variabilities in CMIP5 models

The fractional water vapor changes under global warming across 14 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 simulations are analyzed. We show that the mean fractional water vapor changes under global warming in the tropical upper troposphere between 300 and 100 hPa range from 12.4 to 28.0 %/K across all models while the fractional water vapor changes are about 5–8 %/K in other regions and at lower altitudes. The “upper-tropospheric amplification” of the water vapor change is primarily driven by a larger temperature increase in the upper troposphere than in the lower troposphere per degree of surface warming. The relative contributions of atmospheric temperature and relative humidity changes to the water vapor change in each model vary between 71.5 to 131.8 % and 24.8 to −20.1 %, respectively. The inter-model differences in the water vapor change is primarily caused by differences in temperature change, except over the inter-tropical convergence zone within 10°S–10°N where the model differences due to the relative humidity change are significant. Furthermore, we find that there is generally a positive correlation between the rates of water vapor change for long-tem surface warming and those on the interannual time scales. However, the rates of water vapor change under long-term warming have a systematic offset from those on the inter-annual time scales and the dominant contributor to the differences also differs for the two time scales, suggesting caution needs to be taken when inferring long-term water vapor changes from the observed interannual variations.
Considerations for design of insecticide resistance monitoring programs

Monitoring is critical to resistance management, but there has been very little discussion in the literature about the statistical design of monitoring programs. Some general considerations show that the LD50, a standard measure for resistance monitoring, is very inefficient compared with diagnostic tests that accurately distinguish between resistant and susceptible individuals. Even with diagnostic doses, sample sizes at any given location must often be very large (on the order of hundreds of individuals per population) to reliably detect resistance when it is present at frequencies of <10%. For those species where it is difficult to collect large numbers of individuals, resistance detection may not be a practical component of resistance management.
Degree of Agreement in Plasma Fibrinogen Among Two Functional and One Immunonephelometric Assays

The purpose of this study was to assess the interchangeability of the nephelometric (immunoassay), von Clauss, and optical (derived) fibrinogen assays. When the nephelometric assay was compared with either of the two functional assays (199 samples) and when the von Clauss and optical methods were compared (879 samples), Pearson and intraclass correlations were .96 to .97. However, there were statistically significant biases (P < .001); the mean ratios of nephelometric to functional assay values were 1.05 to 1.07, and the mean optical to von Clauss assay ratio was 1.05 (data analyzed as logs and expressed as antilogs). The 95% limits of agreement demonstrated that 5% of the ratios for the von Clauss and optical methods were outside the 0.83 to 1.32 range. Analyses restricted to cases with a fibrinogen value of less than 2.0 g/L resulted in somewhat greater biases and higher upper limits of agreement. Laboratorians need more than correlations to make informed judgments regarding the interchangeability of these methods.
Disaster communication ecology and community resilience perceptions following the 2013 central Illinois tornadoes

On November 17, 2013, a series of tornadoes struck several communities in central Illinois. Approximately four months following these tornadoes we surveyed residents in Washington and Pekin, Illinois to examine the relationships between disaster communication (i.e., tornado media use, tornado social media use, tornado talk, and tornado mental health talk) and community resilience perceptions. RESULTS indicate disaster communication positively influences perceptions of communities as caring and capable of learning how to improve from a disaster. Our results advance the theorization of disaster communication ecologies and provide practical implications for public health and emergency management officials working to foster resilience at the community level. Language: en
Design and Implementation of Dynamic Incremental Migration Based on Xen

The existing migration mechanism calls for a shared storage service between the source host and the destination host,which is a necessary condition for dynamic migration. This paper proposes a dynamic incremental migration including external memory based on Xen virtual Machine,by analyzing the principles and limitations of the existing migration mechanisms. This approach makes the migration between physical hosts do not rely on shared storage any more,and widens the scope of migration technology. Performance analysis and experiment results show that the approach is feasible.
Testing and Adjusting for Departures from Nominal Dispersion in Generalized Linear Models

SUMMARY In this paper we describe a score test of the hypothesis of no departure from nominal dispersion in a generalized linear model. We also give a method for adjusting the nominal variance-covariance matrix of the estimated regression coefficients when overdispersion is suspected. This procedure is an alternative to the traditional method of adjusting each element of the variance-covariance matrix by the same factor. We illustrate our method for the one-parameter exponential family of distributions in a logistic analysis of a factorial experiment and a Poisson regression analysis of bioassay data.
Physics of High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Applications to Brain Tumor Imaging

Magnetic resonance is a powerful phenomenon that has offered the medical field an imaging technique, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that has revolutionized medicine for the past 3 decades. The magnetic field of MRI scanners plays a central role in the quality of images and as such there has been a relentless drive toward higher magnetic fields. The higher fields, however, present formidable challenges such as high magnetic susceptibility, radio frequency inhomogeneities, and patient safety. As of this writing, the magnetic field strength of the majority of clinical scanners is 1.5 T. Today, 3-T whole-body scanners are appearing in hospitals at a rapid rate, and more than 20 academic institutions and research laboratories around the world operate 7-T whole-body scanners. This has changed the classification of MRI scanners as low field, high field, or ultrahigh field. This chapter reviews the theory and physics of ultrahigh field MRI scanning.
Reduction, reclaim and reuse of sulfuric acid in piranha cleans

In semiconductor manufacturing, sulfuric acid is used in piranha solution (Sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide mixture, SPM). SPM is typically dispensed on silicon wafer substrate for removal of organic residue. In this work, we describe and discuss ways to a) reduce sulfuric acid consumption b) reclaim sulfuric acid and c) optimize cleaning process to control sulfuric acid concentration in the sulfuric collection system so it can be reused by other industries.
Migration und Familie

In Bezug auf die deutschsprachige Forschungslandschaft untersucht der Beitrag das Verhaltnis von historischer und aktueller Migrationsforschung unter der Fragestellung, wie dort jeweils Familie thematisiert wird. Dabei werden Problempunkte herausgearbeitet, die jene auf dem Schnittfeld von Migration und Familie angesiedelten Forschungsbereiche sowie ihre Zusammenarbeit kennzeichnen. Denn trotz vereinzelter Annaherungen bewegen sich Familienforschung und Forschungen zu Migrant_innenfamilien – aktuell wie historisch – noch immer auf weitgehend getrennten Wegen. Der Beitrag versucht diesem Umstand sowie moglichen Grunden auf die Spur zu kommen.
Arthroscopic primary repair of the anterior cruciate ligament: what the radiologist needs to know

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in primary repair of proximal anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in preoperative patient selection and in postoperative ligament assessment. Knowledge of the imaging factors that make patients candidates for primary ACL repair, namely proximal tear location and good tissue quality, can help radiologists provide information that is meaningful for surgical decision making. Furthermore, an understanding of the surgical techniques can prevent misinterpretation of the postoperative MRI. This article reviews preoperative MRI characterization of ACL injuries, techniques of arthroscopic primary ACL repair surgery and examples of postoperative MRI findings.
Calcium-Induced Differentiation of Human Colon Adenomas in Colonoid Culture: Calcium Alone versus Calcium with Additional Trace Elements

Previous murine studies have demonstrated that dietary Aquamin, a calcium-rich, multi-mineral natural product, suppressed colon polyp formation and transition to invasive tumors more effectively than calcium alone when provided over the lifespan of the animals. In the current study, we compared calcium alone to Aquamin for modulation of growth and differentiation in human colon adenomas in colonoid culture. Colonoids established from normal colonic tissue were examined in parallel. Both calcium alone at 1.5 mmol/L and Aquamin (provided at 1.5 mmol/L calcium) fostered differentiation in the adenoma colonoid cultures as compared with control (calcium at 0.15 mmol/L). When Aquamin was provided at an amount delivering 0.15 mmol/L calcium, adenoma differentiation also occurred, but was not as complete. Characteristic of colonoids undergoing differentiation was a reduction in the number of small, highly proliferative buds and their replacement by fewer but larger buds with smoother surface. Proliferation marker (Ki67) expression was reduced and markers of differentiation (CK20 and occludin) were increased along with E-cadherin translocalization to the cell surface. Additional proteins associated with differentiation/growth control [including histone-1 family members, certain keratins, NF2 (merlin), olfactomedin-4 and metallothioneins] were altered as assessed by proteomics. Immunohistologic expression of NF2 was higher with Aquamin as compared with calcium at either concentration. These findings support the conclusions that (i) calcium (1.5 mmol/L) has the capacity to modulate growth and differentiation in large human colon adenomas and (ii) Aquamin delivering 0.15 mmol/L calcium has effects on proliferation and differentiation not observed when calcium is used alone at this concentration. Cancer Prev Res; 11(7); 413-28. ©2018 AACR.
Presentation of a Knot Group

In this chapter we return to knot theory. The major objective here is the description and verification of a procedure for deriving from any polygonal knot K in regular position two presentations of the group of K, which are called respectively the over and under presentations. The classical Wirtinger presentation is obtained as a special case of the over presentation. In a later section we calculate over presentations of the groups of four separate knots explicitly, and the final section contains a proof of the existence of nontrivial knots, in that it is shown that the clover-leaf knot can not be untied. The fact that our basic description in this chapter is concerned with a pair of group presentations represents a concession to later theory. It is of no significance at this stage. One presentation is plenty, and, for this reason, Section 4 is limited to examples of over presentations. The existence of a pair of over and under presentations is the basis for a duality theory which will be exploited in Chapter IX to prove one of the important theorems.
Police shooting and criminal homicide: The temporal relationship

This study examines the temporal relationship between the incidence of police shooting and the incidence of criminal homicide for New York City between 1971 and 1975. The research finds that there is no temporal relation between the incidence of police shooting and the incidence of criminal homicide and concludes that the very strong and widely supported cross-sectional correlation between police shooting and criminal homicide is spurious, not causal.
On the Non-Uniqueness of the Parallel-Flow Approximation

The assumptions and approximations of classical linear stability theory are re-examined to unravel an apparent paradox: the conservative and nonconservative formulations of the linearized disturbance equations can lead to significantly different results when subject to the parallel-flow approximation. We examine closely one such pathological case: boundary-layer flow along a sharp cone.
Do Plasma Concentrations of Acetaminophen and its Conjugated Metabolites Reflect Concentrations in Various Tissues

The mild analgesic drug acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, APAP) is hepatotoxic in large doses (1). The major pathways for elimination of APAP are by conjugation to glucuronic acid and sulfate. A smaller fraction of the drug is converted in the liver via cytochrome P-450(s) to a reactive, potentially toxic metabolite (1). This metabolite is detoxified by conjugation to glutathione, (α-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine) in liver cells (2). When the glutathione concentration in the liver is low, increased amounts of the reactive metabolite(s) of APAP bind covalently to cellular macromolecules and this apparently leads to hepatic necrosis. The glutathione conjugate of acetaminophen (A-GSH) formed in the liver is excreted primarily in the bile (3). This conjugate is then converted to the cysteine (A-Cys) and mercapturic acid (A-Mercap) conjugates of APAP and these substances are excreted in urine. The sites in the body for the catabolism of A-GSH to form A-Cys and the conversion of A-Cys to A-Mercap have not been entirely identified.
Patient experience with patient-reported outcome measures in neurologic practice.

Objective To quantify the neurologic patient experience with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and identify factors associated with a positive PROMs experience. Methods This retrospective study included all patients seen in 6 neurologic clinics who completed patient experience questions at least once between October 2015 and September 2016. Questions assessed overall satisfaction with PROMs, as well as 4 facets of the PROM experience: usefulness of questions, ease of understanding, effect on communication with provider, and effect on control of their own care. Clinic and patient characteristics were summarized across questions and predictors of response were identified using multivariable proportional odds models. Results A total of 16,157 patients answered generic and condition-specific PROMs, as well as questions on their experience with completing PROMs. The majority of patients agreed/strongly agreed questions were easy to understand (96%), useful (83%), and improved communication (78%) and control (71%). After adjustment for other factors, being younger, black, or depressed, or having lower household income, were independent predictors of high satisfaction with PROMs. Patients who indicated the system improved communication and control of care were more often male, black, and lower income. Variability in responses was shown by clinic. Conclusion Given the growing importance of patient satisfaction in health care, the patient experience with PROMs is a critical component of their successful implementation and utilization. Findings from this study support the feasibility of collecting PROMs in neurologic practice and the potential as a tool to optimize patient-centered neurologic care.
Unexpected radiation resistance of core/shell ceramic oxide nanoparticles

Abstract This report presents HfOx/SiOx core/shell nanoparticles that withstand extensive bombardment from both high energy heavy ions and low energy light ions. In addition, these core/shell nanoparticles are stable to thermal annealing up to 800 °C. These results suggest that the core/shell structures may enhance nanoparticle radiation stability.
Observational study of long-term persistent elevation of neurodegeneration markers after cardiac surgery.

Surgery and anesthesia induce inflammatory changes in the central nervous system, which ultimately lead to neuronal damage concomitant with an increase in the level of neurodegeneration markers. Despite some experimental data showing prolonged activation of the immune system post-surgery, no study has determined the extent of long-term elevation of neurodegeneration markers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the serum levels of tau protein, ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), neurofilament light (NF-L), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) after elective cardiac surgery with the implementation of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The serum levels of these markers from 30 patients were compared longitudinally to the baseline (pre-surgery or t0), at 24 hours (t+24), at 7 days (t+7d), and at 3 months (t+3m). The secondary outcome was the production of macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in vitro by isolated monocytes in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as the measure of immune system activation. The tertiary outcome was the serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid P (SAP), and α-2-macroglobulin (A2M). Serum levels of tau protein increased 24 hours after surgery (p = 0.0015) and remained elevated at 7 days (p = 0.0017) and three months (p = 0.036). Serum levels of UCH-L1 peaked at 24 hours (p = 0.00055) and normalized at 3 months. In vitro secretion of M-CSF by LPS-stimulated peripheral monocytes, but not TNFα, correlated highly (r = 0.58; p = 0.04) with persistent elevation of serum tau levels at 3 months. The serum CRP and SAP increases correlated with tau post-CPB levels significantly at 3 months. We demonstrated that elevation of serum tau levels at 24 hours, 7 days, and 3 months after heart surgery is concomitant with some traits of inflammation after CPB. The elevation of tau several weeks into recovery is significantly longer than expected.
Guided-KNOWLA: The Use of Guided Unscrambling to Enhance Active Online Learning

Test-yourself questions are effective examples of formative assessment, and have been shown to promote learners' active interaction with materials and knowledge mastery through frequent practice. However, the cost of developing and implementing engaging test-yourself activities can be problematic in large-scale web-based learning environments; a lack of built-in scaffolding to guide learners is also a challenge. We introduce Guided-KNOWLA, an improvement of KNOWLA -- a learning tool has learners assemble a given set of mixed-size scrambled fragments into a logical order using a web-based interface, accompanied by motivational step-by-step hint/guidance as enhancements. We conducted an exploratory study with graduate learners to examine their attitudes toward Guided-KNOWLA activities, measured by perceived usefulness and comparative formats for formative assessment. Preliminary results suggest that using the Guided-KNOWLA were useful in helping learners master online materials and were a preferred format of "test-yourself" practice to multiple-choice questions.
Exploration of cytochrome P450 inhibition mediated drug-drug interaction potential of kratom alkaloids

In vitro cytochrome P450 inhibition of major kratom alkaloids: mitragynine (MTG), speciogynine (SPG), speciocilliatine (SPC), corynantheidine (COR), 7-hydroxymitragynine (7HMG) and paynantheine (PAY) was evaluated using human liver microsomes (HLMs) to understand their drug-drug interaction potential. CYP450 isoform-specific substrates of CYP1A2, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4/5 were incubated in HLMs with or without alkaloids. Preliminary CYP450 inhibition (IC50) data were generated for each of these isoforms. In addition, the type of inhibition and estimation of the inhibition constants (Ki) of MTG and COR were determined. Among the tested alkaloids, MTG and COR were potent inhibitors of CYP2D6 (IC50, 2.2 and 4.2 μM, respectively). Both MTG and COR exhibited competitive inhibition of CYP2D6 activity and the Ki were found to be 1.1 and 2.8 μM, respectively. SPG and PAY showed moderate inhibition of CYP2D6 activity. Additionally, moderate inhibitory effects by SPC, MTG, and SPG were observed on CYP2C19 activity. Interestingly, inhibition of only midazolam hydroxylase CYP3A4/5 activity by COR, PAY, and MTG was observed while no inhibitory effect was observed when testosterone was used as a probe substrate. In conclusion, MTG and COR may lead to clinically significant adverse drug interactions upon coadministration of drugs that are substantially metabolized by CYP2D6.
Whiteness is not contained

The emergence of COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, has sparked a wave of anti-Asian attacks around the world. The cultural logic that does not distinguish among Asian cultural and ethnic groups, as wel...
Set it and forget it: utility-based scheduling for public displays

The pervasiveness of public displays is prompting an increased need for “fresh” content to be shown, that is highly engaging and useful to passerbys. As such, live or time-sensitive content is often shown in conjunction with “traditional” static content, which creates scheduling challenges. In this work, we propose a utility-based framework that can be used to represent the usefulness of a content item over time. We develop a novel scheduling algorithm for handling live and non-live content on public displays using our utility-based framework. We experimentally evaluate our proposed algorithm against a number of alternatives under a variety of workloads; the results show that our algorithm performs well on the proposed metrics. Additional experimental evaluation shows that our utility-based framework can handle changes in priorities and deadlines of content items, without requiring any involvement by the display owner beyond the initial setup.
Anthropological study on Chagas Disease: Sociocultural construction of illness and embodiment of health barriers in Bolivian migrants in Rome, Italy.

Introduction Chagas Disease (CD) is endemic in many Latin-American countries, Bolivia in particular. It is now spreading in Italy as a host country for transcontinental migrants and becoming an emerging health problem. This anthropological action-research, as part of a wider medical project on Neglected Tropical Diseases, has the purpose of analyzing the sociocultural construction of CD and its representation in Bolivian people living in Rome as well as barriers, such as the stigma about the illness, to access the National Health Service for those potentially affected. Methods The ethnographic study was carried out from 2016 to 2018 by a medical anthropologist at the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) on 72 Bolivian migrants (47 women and 25 men) living in Rome. The study was carried out through: a territorial mapping of Bolivian networks and communities aimed at recruiting people, participant observation, and application of semi-structured and unstructured interviews. The interviews were hold in Spanish and proposed to all participants before or during medical examination, or during events organized by the Bolivian community in Rome. The interview consisted of 16 items and covered four macro areas: personal and migration history, health status, access to the Italian National Health Service and knowledge about CD; plus 5 items for those who received a diagnosis of Chagas Disease in Italy. Results The sociocultural construction and the deep stigma about the illness built by participants and their families could hinder both diagnosis and treatment. Institutional barriers also contributed to reduce adherence to screening tests: often, opening hours of the outpatient clinic were incompatible with participants' precarious employments. To guarantee participant's access to public health services and their adherence to the diagnostic protocol, we implemented a profound revision of our cultural and institutional approach to them. Conclusions The analysis evidenced the limitations of the conventional approach applied by the Italian National Health Service to this migrant community, such as the absence of socio-cultural and linguistics competences that can help understanding patients' perception and representation of the illness. The multidisciplinary approach instead-with clinicians using the ethnographic results to adjust their work to the participants' needs-was a successful attempt to ensure therapeutic alliance.
Leveraging a Spanish Literacy Intervention to Support Outcomes of English Learners

Over 11 million students enter school speaking a language other than English. Due to their emerging English proficiency, many English Learners (ELs) struggle with English literacy, which impacts th...
QoS and Handover-Aware Resource Allocation for Flexible Gateway Diversity

The paper relates to flexible gateway diversity and dynamic resource allocation for high throughput multi-spot beam satellite systems, including a plurality of cooperative gateways; a software-defined networking (SDN) terrestrial infrastructure connecting through a plurality of SDN switches; a SDN controller in charge of dynamically setting up different routing paths for different traffic priority classes through flexible gateways and sending the forwarding rules to the SDN switches; and a cluster of autonomous gateway agents endowed with situational awareness measurements, predictive traffic estimates and resource allocation techniques. In clear sky conditions, the design and implementation of an adaptive architecture with a feedback control loop judiciously allocates gateway resources shared by the said queues such that the network-side discontent; e.g., unmet throughput per traffic class, is minimized. In contrast with ad-hoc approaches that often rely on laborious tuning and design iterations, the use of coordination and control supported by local gateway agents is further investigated to systematically design feedback-based gateway switching mechanisms with proven performance guarantees when subject to degradation of one or more feeder links in potential outage events. Properties of the gateway switching as proposed herein include robust relative handover guarantees and resource utilization efficiency.
Method of Moments Based Coronagraph Pupil Design for Exoplanet Exploration

Telescope coronagraph is an instrument to observe faint exoplanets located at very close proximities to their star by shielding the direct starlight. In this paper, the coronagraph pupil-mask system is described through a series of Fourier transforms, which leads to an eigenvalue system described by an integral equation. The method of moments (MoM) is applied to solve such an eigenvalue problem to obtain the eigen modes that represent an optimal set of refractive index distributions on the pupil. Due to the application of the MoM, the shape of coronagraph pupil can be arbitrary. A numerical example considering a circular pupil is given to demonstrate capability of the proposed method. The accuracy of the MoM solution is validate by comparing the numerical solutions with the analytical solutions given by the generalized prolate spheroidal wave functions.
Turbulent Flow of Non-Newtonian Suspensions in Pipes

A physical model of the turbulent now of purely viscous, non-Newtonian fluids in smooth pipes has been postulated. According to this model the chaotic motions of particles increase the opportunity for particle interaction which consequently increases the contribution of viscous stresses to total stresses. As a result of this phenomenon (viscous interaction) the viscous stresses in the turbulent field are much higher than laminar rheological relationships yield and the viscous interaction in turn, imposes a restriction on free movement of particles and reduces the turbulent stresses. Therefore in a turbulent field, the effect of viscous stresses as compared to Reynolds stresses cannot be ignored as is customary. Based on this model starting with Navier-Stokes equations two relationships are derived which permit one, a priori, to evaluate velocity profiles and head losses in a smooth pipe from the knowledge of pipe diameters, mean velocities and properties of the suspensions.
What are the Effects of Public Debt on Innovation and Employment Growth

The study here analyzes, across European countries, the relationship between labour and drivers of technological innovation, also considering the interaction of these variables with the structural indicator of the public debt. The main findings are: the fruitful effect of total public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP and R&D intensity on employment rate, whereas an increase of general government consolidated gross debt has a negative effect for employment rate as well as for technology proxies. Empirical evidence provides some elements to discuss main economic policy implications from relationships between observed facts.
c-Ki-ras mutations in dysplastic fields and cancers in ulcerative colitis

Abstract A sensitive restriction fragment length polymorphism assay and DNA sequencing were used to detect c-Ki- ras mutations in 56 specimens of colonic epithelium from 18 patients with chronic ulcerative colitis. Mutations were not detected in biopsy specimens that were negative or indefinite for dysplasia. In 4 of 8 patients with high-grade dysplasia, a c-Ki- ras codon 12 or 13 mutation was detected. In three colectomy specimens, a wide area of dysplastic cells (>10 cm 2 ) contained a specific ras mutation. In two of these specimens, an invasive cancer contained a c-Ki- ras mutation identical to that found in adjacent dysplastic epithelium. These studies indicate that mutations of c-Ki- ras may be an excellent molecular genetic marker to map dysplastic fields and invasive cancer in ulcerative colitis.
Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants of Gondwana. Royal Ontario Museum Traveling Exhibit

Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants of Gondwana, a new exhibit developed by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), is the first major exhibit in North America to focus on Gondwanan dinosaurs. The exhibit's design ...
Steps in a Scholarly Revolution

Elizabeth P. Benson and Griffin G. Gillett. eds. Maya Iconography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1988. xvi. 379 pp., illustrations. $80.00 (cloth).
Interactions of eye and eyelid movements

Eyelid movements introduce a profound and transient modification in the positions of the eyes. This chapter describes the types of eye position perturbations and highlights the neural signature within the oculomotor neuraxis that may mediate them. Such results also imply that neural commands considered to encode a coordinated movement of the eyes and the head may, in fact, also integrate movements of the eyelid musculature as well as other skeletomotor effectors. This review also considers the use of blinks as a tool to evaluate the time-course of motor preparation of saccades and to probe whether a premotor signal is present during cognitive processes requiring executive control.
Genome Homology of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus and Defective T Particles and Evidence for the Sequential Transcription of the Virion Ribonucleic Acid

The small defective T particle of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-111) has no detectable enzyme activity when assayed at 31 C, although qualitatively it possesses all the virion proteins found in complete VSV-1 virions. With VSV-1 transcription product ribonucleic acid (RNA), it is shown that the VSV-111 RNA is identical to part of the VSV-1 genome. Evidence is also presented to support the idea that in vitro VSV-1 transcription is sequential.
Permanent Alterations of the L-Forms of Proteus and Salmonella Under Various Conditions

L-forms obtained from three strains of Proteus and from one strain of Salmonella have been kept for 15 to 20 years by weekly or monthly transfers on agar plates containing penicillin. The morphology and growth requirements of these strains have changed. They now grow abundantly on the surface of agar and in broth. The cultures consist of large bodies, small granules, and transitional forms. These organisms are more resistant to distortion and stain more deeply than organisms of the usual L-forms. In broth and to a lesser extent on agar, branching filaments develop, on the ends of which both the large, round organisms and small organisms are produced. The filaments are a transitional stage in the development of the cultures. Usual bacillary forms were not present in the culture and did not appear in successive transfers in the absence of penicillin. Bacilli reappeared on exposure of the L cultures to the influence of a spore-bearing bacillus. A similar transformation of L-forms has also been observed developing within a short time in recently isolated A and B type L cultures of one Proteus strain during the process of reversion to the bacterial form. The altered cultures are fixed in a stage of transition between the B type L-form and the regular bacteria.
IRLSim: a general purpose packet level network simulator

Simulation is the main tool for studying networking protocols before deploying them in a wide scale, or for understanding how they are expected to behave under various conditions. IRLSim is a new packet level network simulator that we developed in the hope to study several Internet protocols. From its modest inception as a simulator for the RSVP signaling protocol, IRLSim has evolved into a more general purpose, easy to use, scalable simulator that can be used as a guide for studying existing network protocols as well as a research tool for developing new protocols. This paper describes the architecture of IRLSim in detail, presents its use in the study of a few specific networking problems and argues about its usefuless amongst the variety of other simulators.
Morphological and ecological characteristics of Spirochaeta plicatilis.

Two types of large spirochetes, differing in size, and in coiling and motility patterns, were observed in sulfide-containing mud collected from a brackish marsh. The spirochetes measured 50–250 μm in length and 0.5–0.75 μm in diameter. One type was identified as Spirochaeta plicatilis Ehrenberg, inasmuch as its general characteristics corresponded to those described for this species by other authors. The second type of large spirochete was designated “large spirochete type B”. Both types possessed ultrastructural features typical of spirochetes, e.g. outer sheath, axial fibrils and protoplasmic cylinder. The axial fibrils were arranged in a bundle and, in type B spirochetes, were inserted in a row near each end of the cell. The outermost layer of type B cells, interpreted to be the outer sheath or a main component of it, appeared to consist of an array of fibril-like elements which transversely circumscribed the cell. Transverse septa were observed in S. plicatilis, but not in type B spirochetes. In the mud samples both types of spirochetes were present near the mud-water interface within mats of sulfur-containing Beggiatoa trichomes, together with a variety of other microorganisms. A striking increase in the number of large spirochetes consistently occurred during lysis of the Beggiatoa trichomes, at low levels of H2S. The large spirochetes were attracted to the lysing trichomes and grouped about them. Under strictly anaerobic conditions S. plicatilis remained motile for 8 days, and type B for 25 days. Experiments involving the use of chemical and biological indicators showed that S. plicatilis is either an anaerobe which can tolerate low O2 tensions, or a microaerophile able to metabolize and possibly grow in the absence of O2. Type B spirochetes behaved as strict anaerobes.
Social networks, marital status, and well-being

Recent research demonstrates both the role social networks play in well-being through the provision of social support and the connection between marital status and well-being. Research has also demonstrated that networks serve as resources through the provision of instrumental aid. In this paper, we build upon these literatures by asking whether the form and composition of social networks affect well-being and whether these effects vary contextually by marital status. Using multiple indicators of life satisfaction and anomia, we find that social networks do affect both aspects of well-being, and that the effects of network structure on life satisfaction differ across marital status. The pattern of these effects suggests that different structural positions (e.g. marital statuses) produce a need for different types of resources. We find no contextual effects on the relationship between network structure and anomia, however.
Direct cAMP Binding and PKA Phosphorylation Share a Common Gating Mechanism in HCN4 Channels

Sympathetic regulation of HCN4 channels can occur via two cAMP-dependent pathways: either direct binding of cAMP to a cyclic nucleotide binding domain, or PKA phosphorylation of the distal C terminus. Here, we have investigated the energetic interactions between these two modulatory mechanisms. cDNA encoding wildtype or mutant mouse HCN4 channels was expressed in HEK293 cells, and the voltage-dependence of channel activation was determined in whole cell voltage clamp experiments. Intracellular dialysis of either PKA (20 U/ml) or cAMP (1 mM) shifted the activation midpoint (V1/2) of wild type HCN4 channels by ∼10 mV to more depolarized voltages. No additional shift was produced when both cAMP and PKA were introduced together, suggesting that the two modulators share a common final pathway in channel activation. To characterize further the independent effects of each modulator, we used PKA-insensitive (HCN4-Cx4) and cAMP-insensitive (HCN4-R669Q) mutant HCN4 channels. In PKA-insensitive HCN4-Cx4 channels, cAMP significantly shifted the voltage-dependence to more positive potentials, similar to its effect in wildtype HCN4 channels. This result demonstrates that cAMP modulation of HCN4 does not require PKA phosphorylation of the distal C-terminus. In contrast, PKA had no effect on the voltage-dependence of activation in the cAMP-insensitive HCN4-R669Q channels. Taken together, the data are consistent with a model in which direct binding of cAMP and PKA phosphorylation share a final common gating mechanism, however PKA modulation of HCN4 requires an unmodified cAMP binding domain.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and innate immune responses to bacterial infections

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), an essential component of the antimicrobial innate immune system, is present in neutrophils and multiple other tissues. It prevents iron acquisition by microorganisms by sequestering iron-loaded bacterial siderophores. NGAL also modulates neutrophil functions. Its production is inducible following Toll-like receptor 4 activation and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. NGAL is employed clinically in the diagnosis of acute kidney injury and may be useful in general in the differential diagnosis of a bacterial-mediated infectious process. Elevated levels of NGAL have been detected in the blood of patients with bacterial urinary tract infection, community-acquired pneumonia, sepsis, as well as in the cerebrospinal fluid and peritoneal fluid of patients with bacterial meningitis and peritonitis. Some bacteria have developed resistance to NGAL-mediated iron sequestration by production of modified siderophores that are not recognized by NGAL.
The hierarchy of consistency: A review and model of longitudinal findings on adult individual differences in intelligence, personality and self-opinion

Abstract When viewed in the aggregate, studies of the longitudinal consistency of intelligence, personality traits and self-opinion (self-esteem, life satisfaction etc.) show a hierarchy of consistency. Uncorrected retest coefficients over periods of 6 months to 50 yr are analyzed as the product of period-free reliability ( R ) and the true stability of the construct ( s n , where s is the coefficient of annual stability and n the number of years of the retest interval). The annual stabilities of intelligence, personality traits and self-opinions are estimated as 0.99, 0.98 and 0.94, respectively. While intelligence and personality may be regarded as relatively stable characteristics over the length of the adult lifespan, self-opinion has little stability over periods of more than 10 yr. The hierarchy of consistency should be taken into account in causal models of human development. Although self-opinion is not a longitudinally-stable characteristics, it may still be predicted over long periods of time by higher-order constructs such as personality traits and intelligence.