cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract W P300: Factors Affecting Functional Assessment Measures (FAM) Self-Completion Among Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH) Patients

Background: The Barthel Index (BI) and Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) are established functional assessments measuring (FAM) performance in daily living activities and overall quality of health and life in stroke patients, respectively. Purpose: To determine factors affecting FAM self-completion among intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients at 3 months post-stroke. Methods: Sample size consisted of 84 patients enrolled in an ICH clinical trial. Three categories were created to account for FAM completion: 1) Patient (P), 2) Family/Surrogate (F), 3) Missing/Not Required (M), which also included expired patients. To compare the differences between groups, analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis test or extended Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate, were performed. Results: BI was performed at baseline [n(%): P = 29 (34.5%), F = 55 (65.5%), M = 0 (0%)] and 3 months post-stroke [P = 45 (53.6%), F = 11 (13.1%), M = 28 (33.3%)]. SIS was performed at 3 months post-stroke [P = 43 (51.2%), F = 12 (14.3%), M = 29 (34.5%)]. Several baseline factors were scrutinized for their effect on FAM self-completion at 3 months. BI was significantly affected by: Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Modified Ranking Scale (mRS) and Hyperlipidemia. SIS was significantly affected by: NIHSS, GCS and aphasia. Larger baseline hematoma volumes (≥ 20.1cc), although not significant, also appeared to affect the study outcome. Conclusion: Patients presenting at baseline with NIHSS score ≥ 16, larger hematoma volumes, lower GCS, aphasia and hyperlipidemia were less likely to complete their own functional assessments by 3 months. Further study is necessary to explore additional FAM for severe ICH patients.
Investigation of contrast-enhanced in-vivo animal imaging with micro-CT

Rapid progress in molecular biology, much sparked by the human Genome Project, is opening a new era in medicine and biology. The development of in-vivo micro-imaging technology for small animals (mice and rats) has generated unprecedented opportunities for studying the structural and physiologic properties exhibited by different genes in a cost-effective and low-risk means. This knowledge, in turn, will help guide the study in human genetic system. Micro-computed tomograph (microCT) with resolution on the scale of micrometer is a new technique for obtaining the 3D images of the internal structure of small objects [1,2]. Its biological and medical applications include noninvasively screening animals for genetic mutations and identification as well as monitoring of structural and physiology properties that are linked with specific genes. This paper reports on our preliminary investigation on two aspects of this new imaging technique: (1) an initial experience of instrumentation capability and limitation, and (2) the contrast enhancement strategy necessary for organ-specific anatomic and physiologic studies.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
The Future of the Voting Rights Act (edited book)

This is the most comprehensive book on the Voting Rights Act published in the last 20 years. The 15 chapters include empirical and historical studies of how the Act has worked since first adopted in 1965; chapters on applying the Act to emerging new issues, such as those involving Hispanic and Native American voters; policy analyses of how Congress and the courts might best adapt the Act in the coming years; and legal analyses about whether parts of the Act are at risk of being held unconstitutional today. Congress recently renewed parts of the Act; already, litigation has been brought asserting that the renewed Act is unconstitutional. This book directly addresses the issues that will determine whether the Supreme Court is likely to find the renewed Act constitutional and what the future of voting rights legislation ought to be. Contributors include leading academic experts on the Act from political science and law, along with others experienced in working with the Act.
Life Expectancy With and Without Pain in the U.S. Elderly Population

Background This study contributes to dialogue on quality versus quantity of life by examining years older persons can expect to live in various states of pain. Methods Data from seven waves of the Health and Retirement Study; N = 26,896; age 55+. Estimations using the Interpolative Markov Chain approach apply probability transitions to multistate life table functions. Two estimates are interpreted: (i) population-based, which provide population averages aggregated across baseline states and (ii) status-based, which provide independent estimates by baseline state. Age- and sex-specific years with no pain, milder nonlimiting, and severe or limiting pain are reported as is percent of life in states of pain. Results Females have higher life expectancy than males but similar expectations of pain-free life. Total life expectancy varies only slightly by baseline pain states but pain-free life expectancy varies greatly. For example, an 85-year-old female pain-free at baseline expects 7.04 more years, 5.28 being pain-free. An 85-year-old female with severe pain at baseline expects 6.42 years with only 2.66 pain-free. Percent of life with pain decreases by age for those pain-free at baseline and increases for those with pain at baseline. Conclusion Pain is moderately associated with quantity of or total life but substantially and importantly associated with quality of or pain-free life.
Reduction in Effectiveness of Laboratory-Reared Trichogramma

Field cage studies using cotton plants were conducted to test the hypothesis that laboratory-reared Trichogramma deteriorate in their effectiveness as biological control agents. The results of these studies presented evidence that a deuterotokous Trichogramma stock deteriorated. No reduction in effectiveness could be demonstrated for arrhenotokous stocks. These studies also showed that Trichogramma rapidly lose their effectiveness in field cages and that parasitization of hosts occurs during the day rather than at night.
Meiotic chromosome counts for 12 species of texas compositae

Chromosome counts for 10 taxa of Texas Compositae are presented for the first time. These include first reports for the following genera:Chrysopsis (x = 5),Bahia (x = 12),Amblyolepis (x = 19) andTetragonotheca (x = 17). Meiotic chromosome counts from prophase material ofChrysopsis pilosa showed 3 bivalents and an apparent ring of 4. Meiosis in species of the remaining genera appeared completely normal. When appropriate, this chromosomal information has been related to taxonomic problems.
Special Diagnostic Tests for the Evaluation of Liver and Biliary Tract Disorders

The liver is a complex organ which may show its derangements as a biochemical change due to difficulties in the liver cells, as anatomic change, such as is seen with obstruction of the biliary system, or as changes in the intrahepatic anatomy, such as mass-occupying lesions.
O Museu é o Mundo: Intervenção na Cidade e Estranhamento do Cotidiano nos Fluxos Urbanos

Este trabalho parte de intervencao artistica na cidade. Problematiza a questao dos fixos e fluxos urbanos atraves do conceito de estranhamento. A nocao de estranhamento e deslocada da estetica, reteorizada pela psicanalise e pelo turismo. O dispositivo teorico-analitico e o da analise do discurso que contempla a ideia de sujeito estruturado na linguagem e interpelado pela ideologia na desigualdade da sociedade de classes. O que se coloca na cidade nao e o que e visto , mas como e visto , distanciando-se da ideia positivista que tenta fixar um significado para a linguagem/ obra. E antagonico a ideia de turismo de massa espetacularizado e consumista. As bases teoricas que sustentam estas politicas publicas propoem a articulacao, mesmo que tensas de experiencias locais e globais entre moradores e visitantes. Opoe-se a producao de entretenimento artificial, so para turistas, busca ampliar o conceito de hospitalidade via heterogeneidade e desconstrucao dos espacos urbanos.
Functional adaptations of the coronary microcirculation to anaemia in fetal sheep.

Key points In fetuses, chronic anaemia stimulates cardiac growth; simultaneously, blood flow to the heart muscle itself is increased, and reserve blood flow capacity of the coronary vascular bed is preserved. Here we examined functional adaptations of the capillaries and small blood vessels responsible for delivering oxygen to the anaemic fetal heart muscle using contrast-enhanced echocardiography. We demonstrate that coronary microvascular flux rate doubled in anaemic fetuses compared to control fetuses, both at rest and during maximal flow, suggesting reduced microvascular resistance consistent with capillary widening. Cardiac fractional microvascular blood volume was not greater in anaemic fetuses, suggesting that growth of new microvascular vessels does not contribute to the increased flow per volume of myocardium. These unusual changes in microvascular function during anaemia may indicate novel adaptive strategies in the fetal heart. Abstract Fetal anaemia causes cardiac adaptations that have immediate and life-long repercussions on heart function and health. It is known that resting and maximal coronary conductance both increase during chronic fetal anaemia, but the coronary microvascular changes responsible for the adaptive response are unknown. Until recently, technical limitations have prevented quantifying functional capillary-level adaptations in the in vivo fetal heart. Our objective was to characterise functional microvascular adaptations in chronically anaemic fetal sheep. Chronically instrumented fetuses were randomized to a control group (n = 11) or were made anaemic by isovolumetric haemorrhage (n = 12) for 1 week prior to myocardial contrast echocardiography at 85% of gestation. Anaemia augmented cardiac mass by 23% without changing body weight. In anaemic fetuses, microvascular blood flow per volume of myocardium was twice that of control fetuses at rest, during vasodilatory hyperaemia, and during hyperaemia plus increased aortic pressure. The elevated blood flow was attributable almost entirely to an increase in microvascular blood flux rate whereas microvascular blood volumes were not different between groups at baseline, during hyperaemia, or with hyperaemia plus increased aortic pressure. Increased coronary microvascular flux rate in response to chronic fetal anaemia is consistent with expected reductions in capillary resistance from capillary diameter widening detected in earlier histological studies.
Peripheral Blood Epstein-Barr Viral Nucleic Acid Surveillance as a Marker for Posttransplant Cancer Risk.

Several viruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus, are now known to be associated with several human cancers, but not all patients with these viral infections develop cancer. In transplantation, such viruses often have a prolonged time gap from infection to cancer development, and many are preceded by a period of circulating and detectable nucleic acids in the peripheral blood compartment. The interpretation of a viral load as a measure of post-transplant cancer development risk depends on the virus, the cancer, and associated pathogenic factors. This review describes the current state of knowledge regarding the utility and limitations of peripheral blood nucleic acid testing for Epstein-Barr virus in the surveillance and risk prediction for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
On active disturbance rejection for systems with input time-delays and unknown dynamics

This paper concerns with the typical problem of disturbance rejection in process control in the presence of time-delays and, possibly, the integrating or unstable dynamics. It is shown how unknown disturbance can be rejected actively in the absence of detailed mathematical model of the process. Disturbance rejection ability and stability are analyzed using the language of frequency response engineers are familiar with and, for the sake of simplicity, the discussion is limited to the first-order plus time delay (FOPTD) systems. The concept of delay margin is proposed to facilitate engineering design. A chemical reactor concentration control problem is used to provide the insight of this particular disturbance rejection strategy. Comparative simulation study shows a substantial improvement in the performance over a couple of existing methods seen recently in the literature.
Effect of B-Cell Depletion On Inhibitor Antibody Formation and Immune Tolerance Induction to Human Factor VIII in Hemophilia A Mice.

Abstract 2137 Poster Board II-114 B-cell depletion using anti-human CD20 monoclonal antibodies has been reported to be effective in autoimmunity and in temporarily eliminating inhibitory antibodies in hemophilia A patients. In the current study, we examined the effect of anti-murine CD20 (αCD20) depletion on the immune response to factor VIII (FVIII) and its influence on an immune tolerance induction (ITI) protocol. Previous studies have shown that IgG subclasses of anti-murine CD20 monoclonal antibody (αCD20) have differential effects on B-cell depletion in the mouse. Thus, IgG1 αCD20 selectively depletes follicular B cells, while sparing marginal zone (MZ) B cells. Combined with evidence that MZ B cells may be tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells, we tested the hypothesis that follicular B-cell depletion using αCD20 IgG1 might favor tolerance induction to human FVIII. Hemophilic (FVIII knockout) mice were primed with physiological doses of recombinant human FVIII by weekly IV injection, followed by αCD20 IgG1 or control IgG1 treatment. Ten days after the αCD20 treatment, the mice were treated with daily high dose (2μg) FVIII IV injections to model ITI in hemophilia A patients. After 4 weekly injections, 70% of the mice developed titers of anti-FVIII IgG as high as 1:12,800. Unlike whole B-cell depletion, subsequent follicular B-cell depletion did not significantly decrease the anti-FVIII IgG titer, compared with mice receiving control IgG1. Repeated high dose FVIII injections to mimic ITI significantly increased the anti-FVIII IgG titer in both groups. However, in the mice that received αCD20 IgG1 treatment, the increase of anti-FVIII IgG levels were significantly lower than that in control IgG1 treated mice. In conclusion, we found that follicular B-cell depletion by αCD20 IgG1 antibody in hemophilia A mice did not switch the immune response to tolerance, but it diminished the immunogenicity of human FVIII in vivo in hemophilic mice. (Supported by NIH R01 HL061883) Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Toward reliable modeling of S-nitrosothiol chemistry: Structure and properties of methyl thionitrite (CH3SNO), an S-nitrosocysteine model.

Methyl thionitrite CH3SNO is an important model of S-nitrosated cysteine aminoacid residue (CysNO), a ubiquitous biological S-nitrosothiol (RSNO) involved in numerous physiological processes. As such, CH3SNO can provide insights into the intrinsic properties of the -SNO group in CysNO, in particular, its weak and labile S-N bond. Here, we report an ab initio computational investigation of the structure and properties of CH3SNO using a composite Feller-Peterson-Dixon scheme based on the explicitly correlated coupled cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations calculations extrapolated to the complete basis set limit, CCSD(T)-F12/CBS, with a number of additive corrections for the effects of quadruple excitations, core-valence correlation, scalar-relativistic and spin-orbit effects, as well as harmonic zero-point vibrational energy with an anharmonicity correction. These calculations suggest that the S-N bond in CH3SNO is significantly elongated (1.814 A) and has low stretching frequency and dissociation energy values, νS-N = 387 cm-1 and D0 = 32.4 kcal/mol. At the same time, the S-N bond has a sizable rotation barrier, △E0≠ = 12.7 kcal/mol, so CH3SNO exists as a cis- or trans-conformer, the latter slightly higher in energy, △E0 = 1.2 kcal/mol. The S-N bond properties are consistent with the antagonistic nature of CH3SNO, whose resonance representation requires two chemically opposite (antagonistic) resonance structures, CH3-S+=N-O- and CH3-S-/NO+, which can be probed using external electric fields and quantified using the natural resonance theory approach (NRT). The calculated S-N bond properties slowly converge with the level of correlation treatment, with the recently developed distinguished cluster with single and double excitations approximation (DCSD-F12) performing significantly better than the coupled cluster with single and double excitations (CCSD-F12), although still inferior to the CCSD(T)-F12 method that includes perturbative triple excitations. Double-hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations with mPW2PLYPD/def2-TZVPPD reproduce well the geometry, vibrational frequencies, and the S-N bond rotational barrier in CH3SNO, while hybrid DFT calculations with PBE0/def2-TZVPPD give a better S-N bond dissociation energy.
Shame, Class, and Embodiment in the Catfish Universe

This article examines the film Catfish and the corresponding television program Catfish: The TV Show to articulate how genres of the real create entertainment paradigms built on shame and derision ...
Enhancing Oxygen Storage Capability and Catalytic Activity of Lanthanum Oxysulfide (La2O2S) Nanocatalysts by Sodium- and Iron/Sodium- Doping

We report enhanced oxygen storage capability (OSC) and activity of lanthanum oxysulfide (La2O2S) nanocatalysts, derived from the introduction of oxygen vacancies via sodium (Na) doping. Additionally, iron/sodium (Fe/Na) co-doping further increased OSC by three times, with additional 15-20% increase in CO conversion for water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction, compared to the best CO conversion rate among Na-doped La2O2S catalysts. The significant enhancement in OSC and activity after Fe/Na co-doping may be attributed to the presence of Fe2+↔Fe3+ redox couple. Finally, the Fe/Na co-doped nanocatalyst alleviated the high temperature requirement of La2O2S catalysts without compromising stability.
The canonical syzygy conjecture for ribbons

Green’s canonical syzygy conjecture asserts a simple relationship between the Clifford index of a smooth projective curve and the shape of the minimal free resolution of its homogeneous ideal in the canonical embedding. We prove the analogue of this conjecture formulated by Bayer and Eisenbud for a class of non-reduced curves called ribbons. Our proof uses the results of Voisin and Hirschowitz–Ramanan on Green’s conjecture for general smooth curves.
Abraham Lilienfeld Award address: 2017 Annual Meeting of the American College of Epidemiology.

The address was delivered by Roberta B. Ness, MD MPH at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Epidemiology in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 26, 2017. Dr. Ness is James W. Rockwell Professor of Public Health and Vice-President for Innovation at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Recognized nationally and internationally for her expertise in women's health research, Dr. Ness pioneered the area of “gender-based biology”. In more recent years, she developed an innovative program at the UT School of Public Health aimed at cultivating “outside the box” thinking among training scientists. Dr. Ness has authored a range of books on her work, including Health and Disease among Women (1999), Innovation Generation (2012), Genius Unmasked (2013) and The Creativity Crisis: Reinventing Science to Unleash Possibility (2014). Dr. Ness is Past-President of both the American College of Epidemiology and American Epidemiological Society, an honorary society of epidemiologists. She is also former Dean of UTHealth School of Public Health and former Interim Dean at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Ness is a frequent advisor to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and US Department of Defense (DOD). She has an MD from Cornell University and MPH from Columbia University. Dr. Ness is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), and Delta Omega honorary society.
Direct Numerical Simulation of Cellular-Scale Blood Flow in 3D Microvascular Networks

Abstract We present, to our knowledge, the first direct numerical simulation of 3D cellular-scale blood flow in physiologically realistic microvascular networks. The vascular networks are designed following in vivo images and data, and are comprised of bifurcating, merging, and winding vessels. Our model resolves the large deformation and dynamics of each individual red blood cell flowing through the networks with high fidelity, while simultaneously retaining the highly complex geometric details of the vascular architecture. To our knowledge, our simulations predict several novel and unexpected phenomena. We show that heterogeneity in hemodynamic quantities, which is a hallmark of microvascular blood flow, appears both in space and time, and that the temporal heterogeneity is more severe than its spatial counterpart. The cells are observed to frequently jam at vascular bifurcations resulting in reductions in hematocrit and flow rate in the daughter and mother vessels. We find that red blood cell jamming at vascular bifurcations results in several orders-of-magnitude increase in hemodynamic resistance, and thus provides an additional mechanism of increased in vivo blood viscosity as compared to that determined in vitro. A striking result from our simulations is negative pressure-flow correlations observed in several vessels, implying a significant deviation from Poiseuille's law. Furthermore, negative correlations between vascular resistance and hematocrit are observed in various vessels, also defying a major principle of particulate suspension flow. To our knowledge, these novel findings are absent in blood flow in straight tubes, and they underscore the importance of considering realistic physiological geometry and resolved cellular interactions in modeling microvascular hemodynamics.
Mathematical Problems of Nuclear Reactor Theory

The unanswered mathematical questions of reactor theory can be divided roughly into two classes. The first class concerns the mathematical theory of the basic transport equations and of the approximations thereto. Thus, the multiplication and criticality equations are characteristic value equations but their operators do not belong to the class for which the characteristic value theory is well established: they are not normal. Much progress was made recently concerning the character and properties of the highest characteristic value and the corresponding characteristic vector but the properties of the lower characteristic values and vectors are not known. In particular, the extent of a continuous spectrum and the completeness of the whole set of characteristic vectors are not established in general. A simple example is given in which the transport operator has a continuous spectrum which has not been recognized to date. The need for a generalization of the characteristic value problem is pointed out and such a generalization is proposed.
Clinical predictors of arterial extravasation, rebleeding and mortality following angiographic interventions in gastrointestinal bleeding.

Background & Aims: The aim of this study was to identify clinical and imaging predictors of arterial extravasation, post embolization rebleeding and 30-day mortality in gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Method: This retrospective study included 114 patients who underwent angiography for upper or lower GI bleeding. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify clinical and imaging predictors. Results: Angiography demonstrated arterial extravasation in 22 patients (19%) and embolization was performed in 48 (42%) patients including prophylactic embolization in 26 (56%). Fall in hemoglobin level from baseline was an independent predictor of arterial extravasation with 65% increased odds for every unit drop (OR 1.65, 95%CI 1.13-2.40, p=0.01). Age <60 years was a negative predictor of rebleed within 30-days (OR 0.94, 95%CI 0.89-1.00, p=0.04). Patients with a history of malignancy were more likely to rebleed (OR 4.4, 95%CI 1.06-18.36, p=0.04). Hemodynamic instability prior to angiography (OR 13.22, 95%CI 1.65-106.07, p=0.02), history of malignancy (OR 1.36, 95%CI 1.49-10.49, p=0.01), number of units of platelets transfused (OR 1.42, 95%CI 1.02-1.97, p=0.04) and rebleed after angiography (OR 46.8, 95%CI 4.80-456.14, p<0.01) were predictors of 30-day mortality. Prophylactic embolization was not a predictor of rebleed or 30-day mortality. Conclusions: This paper identified important clinical predictors of arterial extravasation, rebleed and 30-day mortality in GI bleedings, which will assist in patient selection and help to improve the overall angiographic management of GI bleeding.
Adding enzyme replacement therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation results in increased metabolic correction in MPS VI

Following allogenic bone marrow transplantation with predominance of donor engraftment, patients with Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (MPS VI) demonstrate several indications of metabolic correction, such as reduction in liver size, and achieve near-normal levels of urine glycosaminoglycan (GAG). Thus it was somewhat surprising that, a single infusion of galsulfase after 20 years of full donor engraftment resulted in a further decline of GAG into the normal range (Whitley and Jarnes-Utz, Mol Genet Metab 101(4): 346-348, 2010). Urine GAG declined from slightly high pre-treatment levels (7.63 mg GAG/mmol creatinine range 7.0-8.5, N=3) progressively declining below the age-specific normal range (
Searches and clicks in Peninsular Spanish

Abstract The current study analyzes the use of click sounds in Peninsular Spanish with a focus on those that occur when speakers are searching for what to say and signaling a particular stance. The data corpus consists of interviews with 18 speakers from Spain who produce a total of 281 clicks. We consider clicks to be a non-lexical discourse marker that conveys information to the listener regarding how an utterance should be interpreted. By applying a discourse-pragmatic approach from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, we examine contextual and co-textual factors that co-occur with the click and contribute to a multimodal display consisting of pauses, fillers, repetitions, prolongations, gestures and object of search. The quantitative results indicate some statistically significant differences with regard to how clicks interact with the linguistic and extralinguistic environments. Qualitatively, we show evidence supporting the idea that clicks are part of a larger multimodal communicative activity.
Preadolescence to Maturity

The juvenile era is “marked” by a need for peers, for playmates rather like oneself. Preadolescence is ushered in around the age of eight and one-half or nine and one-half by the appearance of a new type of interest in a particular person of the same sex who becomes a close friend or “chum.” It seems very simple—simple to understand as a conception marking a given era of development and simple to achieve as a pattern of interpersonal relations. In the former case, the reader can easily grasp the distinction. As for the pattern of interpersonal relations the word chum signifies, it has often been ignored by psychologists and psychiatrists known to us. Of course, clever writers can still earn a fortune by writing popular books on love—or better still, love and sex. In past years, when Mullahy lectured on Sullivanian psychiatry to undergraduates, he discovered that they (especially females) confused preadolescent and adolescent intimacy with romantic love.
Opinion Network Modeling and Experiment

We present a model describing the temporal evolution of opinions due to interactions among a network of individuals. This Accept-Shift-Constrict (ASC) model is formulated in terms of coupled nonlinear differential equations for opinions and uncertainties. The ASC model dynamics allows for the emergence and persistence of majority positions so that the mean opinion can shift even for a symmetric network. The model also formulates a distinction between opinion and rhetoric in accordance with a recently proposed theory of the group polarization effect. This enables the modeling of discussion-induced shifts toward the extreme without the typical modeling assumption of greater resistance to persuasion among extremists. An experiment is described in which triads engaged in online discussion. Simulations show that the ASC model is in qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental data.
Does Clerkship Rotation Sequence Affect Performance on National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Clinical Subject Examinations and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) Examination

To investigate whether starting the clerkship year in family medicine (FM), internal medicine (IM), pediatrics, or surgery influences NBME shelf and USMLE Step 2 CK examination performance. USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK, and shelf examination scores for FM, IM, pediatrics, and surgery were collected. Sequences were selected on the following assignment criteria: rotation 1 (either FM or IM), rotation 5 (pediatrics), rotation 8 (surgery), rotation 1 (either pediatrics or surgery), and rotation 8 (IM). Multivariate analysis of covariance, with Step 1 as the covariate, was used to investigate rotation sequence on examination performance. Wilks’s statistic found no statistically significant effect of rotation sequence (starting the clerkship year in FM or IM) on the pediatrics, surgery, and Step 2 CK examinations (Λ = .95, F[3,51] = .93, p ≤ .432). Wilk’s statistic for the covariate (Step 1) was statistically significant (Λ = .488, F[3,51] = 17.827, p ≤ .001), indicating the two groups differ on Step 1 performance. Wilk’s statistic found no statistically significant effect of rotation sequence (starting the clerkship year in pediatrics or surgery) on the IM and Step 2 CK results (Λ = .925, F[2,75] = 3.036, p ≤ .054). Wilk’s statistic for the covariate (Step 1) was statistically significant (Λ = .309, F[2,75] = 83.915, p ≤ .001) indicating that the two groups differ on Step 1 performance. Starting the clerkship year in FM, IM, pediatrics, or surgery does not influence subsequent performance on shelf examinations or on Step 2 CK.
Modified Commutation Relationships from the Berry-Keating Program

This work is a study of the introduction of gravity to quantum theory. The presence of the Riemann zeta function in string theoretic arguments suggests a connection between the zeta function and quantum theory. Current approaches to quantum gravity suggest there should be a modi???cation of the standard quantum mechanical commutator, [x,p] = i~. Typical modi???cations are phenomenological and designed to result in a minimal length scale. As a motivating principle for the modi???cation of the position and momentum commutator, we assume the validity of a version of the Bender-Brody-Mu??ller variant of the Berry-Keating approach to the Riemann hypothesis. Through our research we arrive at a family of modi???ed position and momentum operators, and their associated modi???ed commutator, which leads to a minimal length scale. Additionally, this larger family generalizes the Bender-Brody-Mu??ller approach to the Riemann hypothesis.
Sub-Chronic Microcystin-LR Liver Toxicity in Preexisting Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Rats

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is a hepatotoxic cyanotoxin reported to cause a phenotype similar to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is a common progressive liver disease that advances in severity due to exogenous stressors such as poor diet and toxicant exposure. Our objective was to determine how sub-chronic MCLR toxicity affects preexisting diet-induced NASH. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of three diets for 10 weeks: control, methionine and choline deficient (MCD), or high fat/high cholesterol (HFHC). After six weeks of diet, animals received vehicle, 10 µg/kg, or 30 µg/kg MCLR via intraperitoneal injection every other day for the final 4 weeks. Incidence and severity scoring of histopathology endpoints suggested that MCLR toxicity drove NASH to a less fatty and more fibrotic state. In general, expression of genes involved in de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid esterification were altered in favor of decreased steatosis. The higher MCLR dose increased expression of genes involved in fibrosis and inflammation in the control and HFHC groups. These data suggest MCLR toxicity in the context of preexisting NASH may drive the liver to a more severe phenotype that resembles burnt-out NASH.
RefBot: intelligent software refactoring bot

The adoption of refactoring techniques for continuous integration received much less attention from the research community comparing to root-canal refactoring to fix the quality issues in the whole system. Several recent empirical studies show that developers, in practice, are applying refactoring incrementally when they are fixing bugs or adding new features. There is an urgent need for refactoring tools that can support continuous integration and some recent development processes such as DevOps that are based on rapid releases. Furthermore, several studies show that manual refactoring is expensive and existing automated refactoring tools are challenging to configure and integrate into the development pipelines with significant disruption cost. In this paper, we propose, for the first time, an intelligent software refactoring bot, called RefBot. Integrated into the version control system (e.g. GitHub), our bot continuously monitors the software repository, and it is triggered by any "open" or "merge" action on pull requests. The bot analyzes the files changed during that pull request to identify refactoring opportunities using a set of quality attributes then it will find the best sequence of refactorings to fix the quality issues if any. The bot recommends all these refactorings through an automatically generated pull-request. The developer can review the recommendations and their impacts in a detailed report and select the code changes that he wants to keep or ignore. After this review, the developer can close and approve the merge of the bot's pull request. We quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated the performance and effectiveness of RefBot by a survey conducted with experienced developers who used the bot on both open source and industry projects
Racial Disparities in Functional Outcomes after Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background Previous studies have shown racial disparities in access to treatment and outcomes in ischemic stroke patients. We set out to describe racial disparities in functional outcomes among ischemic stroke patients receiving mechanical thrombectomy. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients in our institution's prospectively collected stroke patient registry from 08/2015 to 08/2019 at 3 comprehensive stroke centers. We reviewed patients aged 18 and older who received mechanical thrombectomy including only patients with race/ethnicity data belonging to the 3 largest race/ethnic groups: Non-Hispanic White (NHW), Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Hispanic (HIS). We compared baseline characteristics and evaluated differences in 90-day modified Rankin score (mRS) as the primary outcome. Results We identified 793 patients who received mechanical thrombectomy. Among 685 eligible patients, 49% were NHW, 31% were NHB, and 20% were HIS. NHB and HIS patients were younger than NHW (average age NHB 62; HIS 64; and NHW 70; p Conclusion Despite differences in risk factor profile and in ED to Groin Puncture time, we did not find any race/ethnic disparities in functional outcomes in NHB and HIS patients. However, the data shows difference in treatment metrics, LOS, and a trend toward worse outcomes in the HIS population which necessitate further study.
Actions Taken by Women in Response to Intimate Partner Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Status at 1-Year Follow-Up.

Abstract Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health issue with significant physical and mental health sequelae. A longer duration and greater severity of abuse are associated with adverse health outcomes and increased risk of revictimization. Current research has identified a variety of strategies used by women in response to abuse, but has not established whether the use of these strategies is associated with decreased IPV over time. For this study, we analyzed the associations between the use of specific actions in response to abuse—placating, resistance, informal or formal network help-seeking, safety planning, and substance use—and IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up. Methods Ninety-five women with past-year IPV at baseline participated in a 1-year follow-up survey measuring their use of specific actions in response to IPV and subsequent IPV status. IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up was analyzed as a function of types of actions taken and sociodemographic variables. Results Among women with past-year IPV at baseline (N = 95), 53% reported no further IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up. In bivariate analysis, social support was associated with decreased risk of IPV victimization (odds ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18–0.99). In multivariable analyses, high use of placating (adjusted odds ratio, 9.40; 95% CI, 2.53–34.9), formal network help-seeking (adjusted odds ratio, 7.26; 95% CI, 1.97–26.74), and safety planning (adjusted odds ratio, 2.98; 95% CI, 1.02–8.69) strategies were associated with an increased risk of IPV victimization at the 1-year follow-up. Conclusions Our data demonstrate that IPV exposure can change over time and that the use of specific actions in response to IPV can be indicators of risk of subsequent victimization. Abuse severity is an important potential confounder of action efficacy.
Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysm

Retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM) was first published in a report by Loring in 1880 in which he described a bulging ectasia of the inferotemporal retinal artery in an asymptomatic healthy 25-year-old man (Loring 1880). Fernandez made the first association of retinal artery macroaneurysm with systemic hypertension in 1920 (Fernandez 1920). Robertson was the first to define retinal artery macroaneurysm as a distinct clinical entity and its natural history in 1973 (Robertson 1973). RAM most commonly affects women in their 60s and 70s and is associated with hypertension and atherosclerotic vessel disease. RAM is usually unilateral but may be bilateral in 10% of cases (Rabb et al. 1988). They are usually single but may be multiple in 20% of cases (Rabb et al. 1988).
Comparison of aneuploidy rates between conventional in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection split insemination cycles.

Objective To evaluate the influence of insemination methods on outcomes of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) by assessing PGT-A results in embryos that derived from conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) versus intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in sibling oocytes. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Single academic IVF center. Patient(s) A total of 118 couples who underwent 131 split insemination cycles from July 2016–July 2019. Intervention(s) In all cycles, sibling oocytes were allocated randomly to conventional IVF or ICSI prior to stripping. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy was performed via trophectoderm biopsy and next-generation sequencing with 24-chromosome screening. Main Outcome Measure(s) Rates of euploid, aneuploid, and mosaic embryos per biopsy. Result(s) A total of 2,129 oocytes were randomized to conventional IVF (n = 1,026) and ICSI (n = 1,103). No difference was observed in the aneuploidy rates (50.3% vs. 45.2%) and percentages of mosaic embryos (1.7% vs. 2.4%) per biopsy between conventional IVF and ICSI sibling oocytes. Percentages of different aneuploidy types and aneuploidies that involved sex chromosome abnormalities (6.2% vs. 7.2%) were similar between the two groups. In the end, the overall chance to have an euploid embryo per allocated oocyte in the two groups was similar (13.2% vs. 15.5%). Conclusion(s) Blastocysts created with conventional IVF and ICSI using sibling oocytes had similar rates of aneuploidy and mosaicism as examined using 24-chromosome screening. It is unlikely that conventional IVF caused significant contamination during PGT-A. We recommend conventional IVF as the preferred insemination method in PGT-A cycles, and ICSI should be indicated only in cases of male-factor infertility.
Keystone taxa indispensable for microbiome recovery.

Meta-analysis of four human cohort studies reveals specific keystone bacteria associated with gut microbiome recovery after antibiotic exposure.
Stream 1: Number Systems

Number theory (the study of numbers) was a starting point for many key ideas. For example, in Euclid’s geometrical constructions the Pythagorean theorem for real [a, b, c] was accepted as true, but the emphasis in the early analysis was on integer constructions, such as Euclid’s formula for Pythagorean triplets (Eq. 2.6.6).
AI‐Powered mental health chatbots: Examining users’ motivations, active communicative action and engagement after mass‐shooting disasters

Chatbots are gaining their popularity in society and have triggered heated discussions in academia as well. Currently, few studies explored the applications of AI‐powered mental health chatbots in a mass‐shooting disaster context. Via integrating literature from multi‐disciplines such as crisis management, mental health and digital communication, this quantitative study intends to contribute to close this gap and explore the associations between perceived gratifications and protection motivations of using mental health chatbot services, active communicative action, and online and offline engagement behaviours of solving mental health problems after disasters. This study surveyed 1,114 US participants who ever used chatbot services from top healthcare companies. Implications of the results enhance theoretical discussions on how artificial intelligence has shaped individuals’ motivations, communicative action and engagement behaviour to treat mental health problems. This study also benefits professionals who want to learn more about chatbots for mental healthcare, crisis management and customer engagement.
Five Irish women: the second republic 1960–2016: by Emer Nolan, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2019, 222 pp., £80.00 (hardback), ISBN 9781526136749

Irish feminist literary and cultural scholarship, has, at least since the publication of volumes of IV and V of the Field Day Anthology in 2003, been occupied with the recovery of forgotten female ...
SynGAP is expressed in the murine suprachiasmatic nucleus and regulates circadian-gated locomotor activity and light-entrainment capacity.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus functions as the master circadian clock. The phasing of the SCN oscillator is locked to the daily solar cycle, and an intracellular signaling cassette from the small GTPase Ras to the p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK) pathway is central to this entrainment process. Here, we analyzed the expression and function of SynGAP-a GTPase-activating protein that serves as a negative regulator of Ras signaling-within the murine SCN. Using a combination of immunohistochemical and Western blotting approaches, we show that SynGAP is broadly expressed throughout the SCN. In addition, temporal profiling assays revealed that SynGAP expression is regulated over the circadian cycle, with peak expression occurring during the circadian night. Further, time-of-day-gated expression of SynGAP was not observed in clock arrhythmic BMAL1 null mice, indicating that the daily oscillation in SynGAP is driven by the inherent circadian timing mechanism. We also show that SynGAP phosphorylation at serine 1138-an event that has been found to modulate its functional efficacy-is regulated by clock time and is responsive to photic input. Finally, circadian phenotypic analysis of Syngap1 heterozygous mice revealed enhanced locomotor activity, increased sensitivity to light-evoked clock entrainment, and elevated levels of light-evoked MAPK activity, which is consistent with the role of SynGAP as a negative regulator of MAPK signaling. These findings reveal that SynGAP functions as a modulator of SCN clock entrainment, an effect that may contribute to sleep and circadian abnormalities observed in patients with SYNGAP1 gene mutations.
Corona pandemic in the United States shapes new normal for young children and their families

The COVID-19 pandemic tremendously disrupted ECE in the U.S., closing many private programs and nearly all public preschool and primary classrooms. To understand this impact, we used multiple strat...
A scholarly concentration program to promote public health nursing for generalist Clinical Nurse Leader students

Abstract Background The number of public health nurses has decreased consistently and significantly since the 1920's. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the need for more public health nurses in the workforce. The number of novice nurses entering into public health roles is declining, demonstrating a clear need to mentor pre-licensure nursing students into the public health nursing workforce. Scholarly concentration (SC) programs are a method to explore specialty roles through in-depth scholarly activities, outside of core curriculum. However, SC programs have not been described in the nursing literature. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a SC program to engage pre-licensure Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students in scholarly activities related to public health nursing. Program overview This Public Health Nurse Scholars program was developed in 2014 with the goal of developing a cadre of generalist CNL students with experiences in public health nursing scholarly activities. The program aimed to increase awareness of career and scholarship opportunities through mentorship with public health nursing faculty. Students were encouraged to attend and present at professional conferences, participate in active scholarly projects and conduct quality improvement projects from a public health nursing perspective. The program was designed to foster students' public health nursing leadership and presentation skills and enhance their self-directed learning. Results To date, 46 pre-licensure nursing students were selected as Public Health Nurse Scholars. Sixty-seven percent (n = 31) have graduated as Public Health Nurse Scholars; 33% (n = 15) are current Public Health Nurse Scholars. Twelve public health nursing faculty have served as mentors. As a result of the program 15 scholars attended and 3 scholars presented respectively at community/public health nursing conferences, and several scholars had related professional development opportunities. A majority of Public Health Nurse Scholars have designed and implemented a capstone quality improvement project with a public health nursing perspective, 15 of which were completed at community-based sites. Conclusions In the face of our current global, public health crisis, there is a clear need to develop a cadre of novice nurses prepared to enter the public health nursing workforce. The Public Health Nurse Scholars program shows promise towards encouraging an interest in public health nursing scholarship. Schools of nursing may consider the implementation of similar SC programs as an approach to mentor pre-licensure nurses in other specialty areas such as gerontological and neonatal nursing.