cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonstoichiometry, Structure, and Properties of BiFeO3 Films

We explore the effect of growth conditions on the cation and anion chemistry, electrical leakage, conduction mechanisms, and ferroelectric and dielectric behavior of BiFeO3. Although it is possible to produce single-phase, coherently strained films in all cases, small variations in the pulsed-laser deposition growth process, specifically the laser repetition rate and target composition, result in films with chemistries ranging from 10% Bi-deficiency to 4% Bi-excess and films possessing Bi gradients as large a 6% across the film thickness. Corresponding variations and gradients in the O chemistry are also observed. As a result of the varying film chemistry, marked differences in surface and domain morphology are observed wherein Bi-deficiency stabilizes atomically smooth surfaces and ordered stripe domains. Subsequent investigation of the current–voltage response reveals large differences in leakage current density arising from changes in both the overall stoichiometry and gradients. In turn, the film stoi...
Surface Electromagnetic Waves on Structured Perfectly Conducting Surfaces

A planar perfectly conducting surface does not support a surface electromagnetic wave. A periodically structured perfectly conducting surface does. This effect makes possible the binding of surface electromagnetic waves to structured metal surfaces in the gigahertz and terahertz frequency regions, where metals are well described by perfect conductors. Theoretical and experimental studies of the propagation and guiding of surface electromagnetic waves on one- and two-dimensional periodically structured perfectly conducting surfaces are discussed in this chapter, together with applications of such low frequency surface waves.
The Biology of Pituitary Stem Cells

The pituitary gland is an organ with a low rate of cell turnover. While differentiated hormone-producing cells can re-enter the cell cycle, most of these cells are not dividing. In the last 7 years, evidence has rapidly accumulated that defines the characteristics of pituitary stem cells or progenitor cells present in rodent embryos, early postnatal pups, and adult pituitaries. In some cases the findings have already been reproduced in humans. Here, we will discuss different approaches used from diverse groups in order to study the pituitary stem cell population. These discoveries are providing a mechanistic understanding of normal organ development and disease pathophysiology. In the future, we expect that understanding the roles of pituitary stem cells will help find alternative therapies for pituitary hormone deficiencies and tumors. Many questions remain unsolved, and some enormous challenges will need to be overcome in order to translate this exciting basic knowledge into therapeutic value. It will be important to further define the steps in the regulation of multi-potent progenitors and understand the mechanisms for guidance to specific cell fates. Some of these aspects will be discussed in this review.
Design issues and physics for power scaling of quantum-cascade lasers

The quantum-cascade laser (QCL) emitting in the mid-infrared region of 4 to 8 m has been refined to the point that its internal quantum efficiency is approaching fundamental limits. QCLs designed for power typically contain 30-40 cascades, are less than two wavelengths in width, and laser ridge lengths are typically between 3 and 6 mm. Even with state-of-the-art efficiency and thermal management, room temperature operation of such lasers is fundamentally limited to several watts. This paper describes a path to power scaling that is not fundamentally limited. Power requires volume and thermal conductance. We propose that this combination is best achieved using fewer than 15 cascades combined with broad areas. We demonstrate the first room temperature continuous-wave emission of broad-area QCLs and discuss how this scaling concept can deliver MIR emission of 10's of watts at room temperature with beam quality required for high brilliance.
Is Tachycardia at Discharge From the Pediatric Emergency Department a Cause for Concern? A Nonconcurrent Cohort Study

Study objective We evaluate the association between discharge tachycardia and (1) emergency department (ED) and urgent care revisit and (2) receipt of clinically important intervention at the revisit. Methods The study included a nonconcurrent cohort of children aged 0 to younger than 19 years, discharged from 2 pediatric EDs and 4 pediatric urgent care centers in 2013. The primary exposure was discharge tachycardia (last recorded pulse rate ≥99th percentile for age). The main outcome was ED or urgent care revisit within 72 hours of discharge. Additional outcomes included interventions received and disposition at the revisit, prevalence of discharge tachycardia at the index visit, and associations of pain, fever, and medications with discharge tachycardia. Multivariable logistic regression determined relative risk ratios for revisit and receipt of clinically important intervention at the revisit. Results Of eligible visits, 126,774 were included, of which 10,470 patients (8.3%) had discharge tachycardia. Discharge tachycardia was associated with an increased risk of revisit (adjusted RR 1.3; 95% confidence interval 1.2 to 1.5), increased risk of tachycardia at the revisit (relative risk 3.1; 95% confidence interval 2.6 to 3.7), and of the receipt of certain clinically important interventions (supplemental oxygen, respiratory medications and admission, antibiotics and admission, and peripheral intravenous line placement and admission). However, there was no increased risk for the composite outcome of receipt of any clinically important intervention or admission on revisit. Conclusion Discharge tachycardia is associated with an increased risk of revisit. It is likely that tachycardia at discharge is not a critical factor associated with impending physiologic deterioration.
Le Lait Humain Est-Il Un Aliment Comme Les Autres? (Is Human Milk a Food?)

French Abstract: Le lait humain, notre nourriture premiere, et la seule qui soit produite par les etres humains pour les etres humains. Pourtant, alors que le lait de vache s’achete a tous les coins de rue, se procurer du lait humain demeure une affaire delicate. Les banques de lait, connues sous le nom de « lactariums » en France, reservent leurs stocks aux grands prematures et aux bebes malades, ce qui a contribue au developpement d’une economie informelle pour ceux qui souhaitent obtenir du lait humain pour alimenter leurs enfants en dehors de ces indications cliniques ou pour en faire une consommation adulte. Ceux-ci se tournent vers des reseaux sociaux et des sites internet les mettant en relation directe avec des femmes desireuses de donner ou vendre leur lait. Face a cette intensification des transactions portant le lait humain, il convient de s’interroger sur la facon dont on concoit ce fluide : est-il un aliment ? un medicament ? un produit du corps humain ? une forme de communication ? Apporter un element de reponse a ces questions est d’autant plus crucial que les regles de droit ayant vocation a s’appliquer au lait humain dependent en partie de son ontologie. Ce chapitre vise donc a montrer comment differentes societes, la France et les Etats-Unis, s’efforcent de repondre a la question de savoir si le lait est un aliment comme les autres. English Abstract: Human milk is humans’ primary food. It is also the only food produced by humans specifically for other humans. Yet, while cow’s milk can be found on every corner, procuring human milk can be tricky business for those not lactating. Both in France and the United States, milk banks reserve their supply for premature or sick babies, leaving those seeking human milk for children who do not meet these clinical indications or for adult consumption with the only option of turning to informal markets. These markets typically rely on social media and online platforms to match women wishing to sell or donate their milk to potential buyers/recipients. They are theoretically illegal in France as human milk transactions outside of the milk bank channel are prohibited and wholly unregulated in the United States. In light of the growing public interest in human milk and its contrasted legal regime on the two sides of the Atlantic, this Article explores the way in which human milk is and has been conceived historically, socially, and culturally. Is human milk a food? A medicine? A human tissue? A form of social, symbolic, or even literal communication? This investigation is all the more critical that the social construction of milk informs its legal regulation. Based on a comparison between France and the United States, the Article argues that while the law tends to downplay the food dimension of human milk, this is precisely the aspect reclaimed by those who engage in informal milk transactions.
An Elephant in the Consulting Room: Making Space for a Patient's Secret

ABSTRACTDeveloping a private self is required for healthy development to proceed during childhood. However, when secrecy becomes a way of life, development becomes derailed. Secretiveness crowds out privacy during this critical phase of development for many reasons and the result is a secret self. This articles examines secrecy as an adaptive way to avoid shame, manage isolation, and hold onto the threads of identity, allowing for the preservation of a self. It also examines the ways in which secrecy creates emotional distance and prevents intimacy. To illustrate these ideas, I present my work with a patient who developed a secret self and came to treatment with a secret he has yet to reveal. Known between the therapist and patient as “the elephant in the room,” the secret became and remained central to the work and the therapeutic relationship.
3.04 – Biomarkers

In recent years as the number of potential therapeutic targets has expanded and the sophistication of drug discovery has increased, there has been increasing need for reliable and informative biological endpoints that can be measured to provide insight into biological functions of targets and pharmacological activity of candidate therapeutics. Such endpoints are referred to as biological markers, also known as biomarkers. The application of biomarkers is not new in concept but has broadened by the wide-ranging technological advances made in the fields of molecular and cellular biology and biomedical engineering in recent decades. This chapter provides some brief historic context followed by a focus on the technologies and approaches that are highly relevant to biomarker applications in all phases of drug discovery and development but are herein described primarily in relation to target characterization. Emphasis is placed upon protein detection methodologies, especially antibody-based approaches, as this has been a prime driver of many molecular biomarker studies. The importance of discovery of novel biomarkers is discussed along with the large influence that developments in the genomics, proteomics, and other ‘omics’ technologies has had on biomarker discovery capabilities. A brief overview of the importance of imaging approaches is included, as are examples of the role that biomarkers and biomarker discovery can play in the characterization of potential drug toxicities. The last section describes the bridging of biomarkers from preclinical laboratory studies into the clinical realm, and the necessary considerations in terms of technical validation of biomarker endpoints, the role of biomarkers as surrogate endpoints and in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, and how biomarkers may be viewed in a regulatory context. The requirements for biomarkers in the discovery of new therapeutics is likely to continue expanding as the number of both targets and drug candidates continues to increase.
Coordination and Insertion: Competitive Channels for Borylene Reactions.

Monovalent boron, free borylene species of the form B–R are notoriously unstable. Consequently, there are substantial gaps in the literature concerning the potential utility of those species in organic and inorganic synthesis either as ligands or as critical intermediates in reactions. We show that the relative stability of borylene complexes varies widely, depending on the electron donating ability of the R group. We find that borylenes can form, in the gas phase, weak sigma hole type interactions to saturated carbon centers and stronger dative bonds to tetravalent silicon and germanium. An insertion reaction of the form FH3M + BR → FH2MBHR competes against dative bonding, however, and the reaction is barrierless in several cases when M = Si and in a few cases when M = Ge. For M = C, the barriers are high enough to stabilize monovalent boron complexes. In each case, the barrier heights to M–H bond activation and BR insertion are very sensitive to the nucleophilicity of BR. We confirm, at the MP2(full) an...
What Does it Mean to Trust a Robot?: Steps Toward a Multidimensional Measure of Trust

Research on trust in human-human interaction has typically focused on notions of vulnerability, integrity, and exploitation whereas research on trust in human-machine interaction has typically focused on competence and reliability. In this initial study, we explore whether these different aspects of trust can be considered parts of a multidimensional conception and measure of trust. We gathered 62 words from dictionaries and trust literatures and asked participants to evaluate the words as belonging to a "personal" meaning or a "capacity" meaning. Through an iterative process using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and item analysis, we derived four components that capture the multidimensional space occupied by the concept of trust. The resulting four components yield four subscales of trust with five items each and alpha reliabilities as follows: Capable = .88, Ethical = .87, Sincere = .84, and Reliable = .72.
Non-oxidative catalytic conversion of methane with continuous hydrogen removal

Simulations predict maximum C 2 -C 10 yields of 14% for both homogeneous and surfaceinitiated CH 4 pyrolysis at 1038 K. Yields are limited by thermodynamics, kinetic inhibition by H 2 , and carbon formation. Continuous H 2 removal from the system can overcome these constraints and increase maximum predicted yields to 88%. CH 4 pyrolysis experiments at 950 K on 4 wt% Mo/H-ZSM5 achieves near-equilibrium conversions (10-12%) with >90% C 2 -C 10 selectivity by catalyzing both C 2 H 4 formation from CH 4 (on MoO x C y ) and C 2 H 4 aromatization (on H + ), while restricting chain growth to benzene and naphthalene. An H-transport membrane reactor of dense SrZr 0.95 Y 0.05 O 3 thin (10-100 μm) films can be used to overcome these thermodynamic constraints. Self-supporting, thick (1000 μm) disks were prepared via combustion synthesis methods, which form denser membranes than powders formed via co-precipitation. Membrane reactor experiments using thick SrZr 0.95 Y 0.05 O 3 disks had H-transport rates insufficient to affect CH 4 pyrolysis reactions.
Demand, Technology, and the Theory of the Firm

One of our goals is to understand the forces that influence firm behavior. The principal constraints derive from consumers (demand), nature (technology), and competitors. Demand derives from consumers who strive to maximize their utility or satisfaction within their budget and other constraints. When tastes are under the full control of consumers, firms take market demand as given. That is, demand is exogenously determined. This is the basis of consumer sovereignty—consumer preferences determine what firms produce.
Effect of menthol on nicotine intake and relapse vulnerability in a rat model of concurrent intravenous menthol/nicotine self-administration

Epidemiological data suggest that menthol may increase vulnerability to cigarette/nicotine use and relapse. While menthol’s sensory properties are often attributed as the underlying cause of the enhanced vulnerability, an alternative possibility is that they are mediated via pharmacological interactions with nicotine. This study addressed the possibility that menthol enhances nicotine intake and relapse vulnerability via pharmacological interactions with nicotine using a concurrent intravenous menthol/nicotine self-administration procedure. Following acquisition, adolescent rats were given 23-h/day access to nicotine (0.01 mg/kg/infusion), nicotine plus menthol (0.16, 0.32, or 0.64 mg/kg/infusion), or menthol alone (0.16, 0.32, 0.64 mg/kg/infusion) for a total of 10 days. Nicotine-seeking was assessed using an extinction/cue-induced reinstatement procedure following 10 days of forced abstinence. We also assessed the effect of menthol (0.32 mg/kg/infusion) on progressive ratio responding for nicotine (0.01 mg/kg/infusion). Menthol decreased PR responding for nicotine but did not affect self-administration under extended access conditions. The low dose of menthol tended to decrease subsequent extinction responding, and was not different from menthol alone, whereas the high dose decreased reinstatement responding. Although not significant, the highest levels of extinction responding were observed in a minority of rats in the moderate and high menthol–nicotine groups; rats in these groups also took longer to extinguish. Taken together, these results demonstrate that pharmacological interactions of menthol with nicotine reduce, rather than increase, nicotine’s reinforcing effects and some measures of relapse vulnerability. Importantly, however, moderate and high menthol doses may increase some aspects of relapse vulnerability in a minority of individuals.
Family Caregiving Situations and Engagement in Advance Care Planning.

Background: Family members are involved in the decision-making process of advance care planning (ACP). However, there is limited evidence about how family caregiving situations affect engagement in...
Old friends and friendly fire: Pregnancy, hookworm infection, and anemia among tropical horticulturalists.

Objectives Despite public health concerns about hookworm infection in pregnancy, little is known about immune profiles associated with hookworm (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale) infection during pregnancy. Fetal tolerance requirements may constrain maternal immune response to hookworm, thereby increasing susceptibility to new infections or increasing hemoglobin loss. To explore this possibility, we study systemic immune response and hemoglobin levels in a natural fertility population with endemic helminthic infection. Methods We used Bayesian multilevel models to analyze mixed longitudinal data on hemoglobin, hookworm infection, reproductive state, eosinophils, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) to examine the effects of pregnancy and hookworm infection on nonspecific inflammation, cellular parasite response, and hemoglobin among 612 Tsimane women aged 15-45 (1016 observations). Results Pregnancy is associated with lower eosinophil counts and lower eosinophil response to hookworm, particularly during the second and third trimesters. Both hookworm and pregnancy are associated with higher ESR, with evidence for an interaction between the two causing further increases in the first trimester. Pregnancy is moderately associated with higher odds of hookworm infection (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.83 to 1.83). Pregnancy and hookworm both decrease hemoglobin and may interact to accentuate this effect in the first-trimester of pregnancy (Interaction: β: -0.30 g/dL; CI: -0.870 to 0.24). Conclusions Our findings are consistent with a possible trade-off between hookworm immunity and successful pregnancy, and with the suggestion that hookworm and pregnancy may have synergistic effects, particularly in the first trimester.
Compact Microstrip Patch Antenna Utilizing Low Cost Solution Cast Nanomagnetic Thin Film

A compact integrated microstrip patch antenna with low cost magnetic nanoparticle thin film loaded in the air substrate has been designed, fabricated and characterized. First, a microstrip patch antenna patterned on a thin Liquid Crystal Polymer was mounted on a partially 3D printed air substrate through a lego-like process to have the measured resonance at 8.3 GHz and 6.5 dBi of realized gain. To achieve the compactness, MnFe 2 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles were deposited within the air substrate to have a magnetic film thickness of 30 µm, which shifted the measured resonant frequency down to 7.8 GHz while the realized gain was increased to 7.0 dBi. Detailed comparison of the simulation and measurement results are provided. This work demonstrates a low cost and compact microstrip patch antenna utilizing the magnetic nanoparticle film which could find many applications in the RF and microwave circuits and devices.
Incorporating patient‐reported outcomes in dose‐finding clinical trials

Oncology dose-finding clinical trials determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) based on toxicity outcomes captured by clinicians. With the availability of more rigorous instruments for measuring toxicity directly from patients, there is a growing interest to incorporate patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in clinical trials to inform patient tolerability. This is particularly important for dose-finding trials to ensure the identification of a well-tolerated dose. In this paper, we propose three extensions of the continual reassessment method (CRM), termed PRO-CRMs, that incorporate both clinician and patient outcomes. The first method is a marginal modeling approach whereby clinician and patient toxicity outcomes are modeled separately. The other two methods impose a constraint using a joint outcome defined based on both clinician and patient toxicities and model them either jointly or marginally. Simulation studies show that while all three PRO-CRMs select well-tolerated doses based on clinician's and patient's perspectives, the methods using a joint outcome perform better and have similar performance. We also show that the proposed PRO-CRMs are consistent under robust model assumptions.
The treatment of premature luteinizing hormone rise in the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol —3 cases report

Objective To determine whether emergency oocyte retrieval strategy (rush in the harves)is effective when a premature rise in the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) in gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists (GnRH-A) protocolin vitrofertilization (IVF) cycles. Methods Three cases were undertaken GnRH-A protocol for ovarian stimulation protocol, during the the process of ovarian stimulation, the development of follicles and the changes of blood hormone levels were monitored closely, when premature LH rising during the follicular phase and estrogen levels decreasing were found in the next day of hCG injection, emergency oocyte retrieval strategy was carried out. Result Mature eggs and high-quality embryos were obtained from 3 patients. Conclusion Premature LH rise is also present in GnRH-A protocol, when the premature LH peak is monitored, "rush in the harvest" can increase the oocytes retrieved rate of IVF-embryo transfer (ET), so it is an effective treatment measure. Key words: Premature luteinizing hormone (LH) rise; Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-A) protocol; Emergency oocyte retrieval
The continued citation of retracted publications in dentistry.

Objective: Publications are retracted for many reasons, but the continued use and citation of retracted publications presents a problem for future research. This study investigated retractions in the dental literature to understand the characteristics of retracted publications, the reasons for their retractions, and the nature and context of their citations after retraction. Methods: In September 2018, the authors identified retracted dentistry publications using the Retraction Watch database. Citations to those publications were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science. Characteristics of retracted publications and their citations were collected, including study design, reasons for retraction, and nature of citation (positive, negative, or neutral). We used chi-square tests to determine if there were notable differences between retracted publications that were cited following retraction and those that were not, and if there were relationships between the nature of the citation, the study design of the original publication, and its reason for retraction. Results: Of the 136 retracted publications, 84 were cited after retraction. When restricted to English language, 81 retracted publications received citations from 685 publications. Only 5.4% of the citations noted the retracted status of the original publication, while 25.3% of citations were neutral and 69.3% were positive. Animal studies were more likely to be uncited after retraction, while in vitro studies and randomized controlled trials were more likely to be cited. Retracted publications that were cited negatively were more likely to have been retracted due to scientific distortion than those that were cited positively or neutrally. Retracted publications that were cited negatively were also more likely to be observational studies than those cited positively or neutrally. Conclusion: Retracted publications in dentistry are continually cited positively following their retraction, regardless of their study designs or reasons for retraction. This indicates that the continued citation of retracted publications in this field cannot be isolated to certain research methods or misconduct but is, instead, a more widespread issue.
PAM (PIK3/AKT/mTOR) signaling in glia: potential contributions to brain tumors in aging

Despite a growing proportion of aged individuals at risk for developing cancer in the brain, the prognosis for these conditions remains abnormally poor due to limited knowledge of underlying mechanisms and minimal treatment options. While cancer metabolism in other organs is commonly associated with upregulated glycolysis (i.e. Warburg effect) and hyperactivation of PIK3/AKT/mTOR (PAM) pathways, the unique bioenergetic demands of the central nervous system may interact with these oncogenic processes to promote tumor progression in aging. Specifically, constitutive glycolysis and PIK3/AKT/mTOR signaling in glia may be dysregulated by age-dependent alterations in neurometabolic demands, ultimately contributing to pathological processes otherwise associated with PIK3/AKT/mTOR induction (e.g. cell cycle entry, impaired autophagy, dysregulated inflammation). Although several limitations to this theoretical model exist, the consideration of aberrant PIK3/AKT/mTOR signaling in glia during aging elucidates several therapeutic opportunities for brain tumors, including non-pharmacological interventions.
A historical cohort study of glycemic control in patients with concurrent type 2 diabetes and substance use disorder treated in a primary care setting.

BACKGROUND Substance use disorder (SUD) is a known barrier to patient-self-management, which can hinder efforts to achieve treatment goals in type 2 diabetes (T2D) when the conditions coexist. OBJECTIVE Identify the association between SUD and glycemic control in patients with T2D treated in a primary care setting. METHODS This retrospective cohort study included patients with T2D treated by providers at family medicine clinics at an academic medical center and its affiliated regional sites from January 2014 to October 2019. Study index date was the first A1c recorded when T2D and SUD diagnoses had both been documented in the medical record. Glycemic control, measured by hemoglobin A1c (A1c), was identified at baseline and over a 12-month follow-up period and was compared between SUD and non-SUD patients. RESULTS Of 9568 included patients with T2D, 468 (4.9%) had a SUD diagnosis. In 237 SUD and 4334 non-SUD patients with A1c data, mean (SD) baseline A1c was 8.2% (2.5) and 7.9% (2.1), respectively (P = 0.043). A1c reduction was statistically greater in SUD patients than non-SUD patients (-0.31% versus -0.06%, respectively; P = 0.015), although the clinical significance is modest. In a multivariable linear regression analysis, follow-up A1c was lower in the SUD versus non-SUD patients (coefficient -0.184, 95% CI -0.358, -0.010; P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS Patients with T2D and SUD had higher baseline A1c but this difference was minimized over a 12-month follow-up period. Additional research is warranted to determine long-term glycemic control and barriers to attaining and maintaining glycemic control in patients with T2D and SUD.
Quality measures for end-of-life care for children with cancer: A modified Delphi approach.

Background The quality of adult end-of-life (EOL) cancer care has benefited from quality measures, but corresponding pediatric measures are lacking. Therefore, the authors used a validated expert panel method to recommend EOL quality measures for pediatric oncology. Methods The authors used the modified Delphi method to assess potential quality measures. Panelists were selected on the basis of professional organization nominations and expert qualifications. Pediatric and adult oncology, pediatric palliative care, social work, nursing, and hospice were represented. The authors provided the panel with a literature review on 20 proposed measures derived from adult measures and bereaved family interviews. The panel first scored the importance of each measure on a 9-point scale and then discussed the measures via a conference call. The panel then rescored the measures. According to a priori standards, measures with median scores ≥ 7 with at least 7 of 9 experts ranking it as ≥4 were endorsed. Results The 16 endorsed measures included measures related to avoidance of medically intense care (eg, intensive care unit death and intubation in the last 14 days of life), death location (eg, death in the preferred location), hospital policies/programs (eg, the removal of visitor restrictions at EOL and the presence of a bereavement program), and supportive care services (eg, pediatric palliative care involvement and sibling needs assessment). Unendorsed measures included avoidance of chemotherapy at EOL and home death. Conclusions Expert panel-endorsed quality measures have been developed for EOL care in pediatric oncology. The measures need validation with bereaved families and further refinement before they are ready for real-world application as a tool for standardizing EOL care in pediatric oncology. Lay summary Quality measures for end-of-life care for children with cancer lag behind adult quality measures. Therefore, the authors have conducted an expert panel to develop an endorsed list of quality measures for end-of-life care for children with cancer. The 16 endorsed measures include measures related to avoidance of medically intense care (eg, intensive care unit death and intubation in the last 14 days of life), location of death (eg, death in the preferred location), hospital policies/programs (eg, the removal of visitor restrictions at the end of life and the presence of a bereavement program), and supportive care services (eg, pediatric palliative care involvement and sibling needs assessment).
Short sleep, sleep apnoea-associated hypoxaemic burden and kidney function: more questions than answers.

One of the consequences of living in an increasingly 24-hour modern society, in which we have access to artificial indoor lighting and smartphones, is the increased risk of sleep loss. Indeed, over the last few decades, sleep curtailment has become highly prevalent. The number of American adults reporting sleeping habitually less than 5 or 6 hours per night has increased to 12% and 23%, respectively. Given that sleep plays an important role in every aspect of biology, it is not surprising that accumulating laboratory and epidemiological evidence has shown an association between short sleep duration with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.1 Separately, the global burden of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has reached epidemic proportions, affecting nearly one billion people.2 Untreated OSA, which leads to intermittent hypoxaemia and arousals, has also been associated with worse cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes.3 More recently, the association between sleep duration and quality and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been gaining attention. In this issue of Thorax , Jackson and colleagues4 report their findings from a cross-sectional analysis examining the associations between multiple, objectively …
Improved survival among patients with malignant pleural mesotheliomas who develop immune-related adverse events on immunotherapy.

8556Background: While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are a standard option for patients with malignant pleural mesotheliomas (MPM), there is limited data on the rate of immune related adverse e...
An Open Letter to the NFL: 'Let the Play Continue' and Change the Standard of Review

The NFL rules have been the subject of much controversy over the past few years. To improve clarity and fairness, the NFL should make two additional rule changes to the current instant replay review process. First, the NFL should adopt an official policy that referees are encouraged to "let the play continue" on all ambiguous plays where there is the potential to cutoff further developments. Second, any time the referees do allow the play to continue, the standard of review on replay needs to change. Currently, referees can only reverse the ruling on the field when there is "clear and obvious error," the same standard of review that appellate courts use when reviewing factual issues. As a general rule, the "clear and obvious" standard is appropriate and should continue to be used. But not in the "let-the-play-continue" scenarios. In these situations, the referees are often not ruling what they believe to be correct to make sure that they do not stop a legitimate development (e.g., fumble return for touchdown). Stated differently, when referees allow the play to continue they are not making any ruling on the field, but instead allowing the play to continue to its natural end so they can "get it right" on review. In these situations, the NFL should change the standard of review to "de novo," the standard of review that appellate courts use when reviewing legal issues.
Effects of Geometry Change on Essential Features of Inelastic Behavior

Essential features include normality or lack of normality of the inelastic strain or displacement rates to a meaningful surface, convexity or concavity of this surface, stability, and uniqueness of the incremental response. The correlation between system features and those of its constituent elements is studied in the presence of significant geometric effects on equilibrium. The system is regarded as an assembly of a discrete number of constituents via finite element discretization; consequently, algebraic description is adopted. The carrying over of normality from the element to the system is proved by means of virtual work equations, and alternatively, by deriving a suitable matrix description of the system incremental laws. This description combined with some recent results in mathematical programming, leads to sufficient conditions for stability and for existence and uniqueness of the incremental response. These conditions are formulated for both individual elements and systems and can be used for actual calculations. Convexity does not in general carry over from element to system in the presence of significant geometry changes
Productivity and Technology in Construction

Efforts are concentrated on the identification, quantification, and characterization of the technology change that has occurred in the highway sector of the U.S. construction industry over the past 50 yr. Gains in both labor and capital productivity and efficiency in the sector have been substantial, resulting in certain offsetting of factor price increases. Increased mechanization and introduction of new types of equipment appear to constitute the primary means of accomplishment of such technology change before the 1950s; since then, it has been largely just improving the equipment and the effectiveness with which it is used. If trends of the past are indicative of the future and past means of accomplishing technology change are to continue as the primary means in the future, however, gains in efficiency can be expected to be less than those previously.
Identifying weekly cycles in meteorological variables: The importance of an appropriate statistical analysis

[1] Weekly cycles in several meteorological parameters have been previously reported. Yet the extent to which these cycles are caused by anthropogenic activity remains unclear. Some of the complications associated with establishing this link are discussed here. Specifically, we highlight and quantify some common errors that have been made in the application of statistical techniques to this problem. Some errors, including the inappropriate use of the Student ttest, have been significant enough to affect the conclusions of previous studies. A resampling technique that can properly account for both temporal and spatial correlation is evaluated and is shown to be accurate for determining the statistical significance of weekly cycles at the station level and for evaluating total field significance. We demonstrate that this resampling approach performs comparably to a Fourier analysis that evaluates the significance of the power at a seven-day period. Regardless of the analysis technique used, an understanding of the behavior of and uncertainties associated with the statistical analysis is critical to arriving at a justifiable conclusion regarding a human influence on weekly cycles and for putting results in context with other studies. We also discuss some general errors that can be made in weekly cycle analysis. These include selection of an analysis region after identifying where weekly cycles are significant, acceptance of a physical explanation for the hypothesized link that has not been properly tested given its large number of degrees of freedom, and ignoring the correlation among meteorological parameters.
Locked Deflection During Flexible Ureteroscopy: Incidence and Elucidation of the Mechanism of an Underreported Complication

Abstract Background and Purpose: Flexible ureteroscopy (URS) is widely implemented with a well-defined safety profile and low complication rates. Although rare, locked deflection of a flexible ureteroscope in the upper tract is a potentially serious complication with poorly understood etiology and is likely underreported. Materials and Methods: We attempted to capture all cases of locked deflection during URS by performing an anonymous, online computer survey targeting members of the Endourological Society. The Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database and published literature were queried to find additional cases. The indication for URS, method of ureteroscope removal, patient outcomes, incident reporting, and explanations provided by the manufacturer or third party repair service were obtained whenever possible. Results: In total, 10 cases of locked deflection during flexible URS were identified. Survey responses were obtained from 250/2424 (10.3%) endourologists polled. Locked d...
Intestinal Blautia Is Associated with Reduced Death from Graft-versus-Host Disease

Abstract The relationship between intestinal microbiota composition and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic blood/marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) is not well understood. Intestinal bacteria have long been thought to contribute to GVHD pathophysiology, but recent animal studies in nontransplant settings have found that anti-inflammatory effects are mediated by certain subpopulations of intestinal commensals. Hypothesizing that a more nuanced relationship may exist between the intestinal bacteria and GVHD, we evaluated the fecal bacterial composition of 64 patients 12 days after BMT. We found that increased bacterial diversity was associated with reduced GVHD-related mortality. Furthermore, harboring increased amounts of bacteria belonging to the genus Blautia was associated with reduced GVHD lethality in this cohort and was confirmed in another independent cohort of 51 patients from the same institution. Blautia abundance was also associated with improved overall survival. We evaluated the abundance of Blautia with respect to clinical factors and found that loss of Blautia was associated with treatment with antibiotics that inhibit anaerobic bacteria and receiving total parenteral nutrition for longer durations. We conclude that increased abundance of commensal bacteria belonging to the Blautia genus is associated with reduced lethal GVHD and improved overall survival.
Molecular Cloning of the Rat Intestinal Trefoil Factor Gene CHARACTERIZATION OF AN INTESTINAL GOBLET CELL-ASSOCIATED PROMOTER

Intestinal trefoil factor (ITF) is a small peptide bearing the unique motif of intrachain disulfide bonds characteristic of the trefoil family. Previous work had localized expression of ITF primarily within goblet cells in the small and large bowel, making it a candidate gene for the study of the molecular basis of intestinal and goblet cell-specific gene expression. In order to study the regulation of ITF expression, we have cloned the rat ITF gene and sequenced 1.7 kilobases of the 5'-flanking region. RNase protection analysis demonstrated a single transcriptional start site. Various lengths of the 5'-flanking region were linked to the reporter gene luciferase and transfected into the colon cancer cell lines LS174T and Caco-2, representing, respectively, cells with and without goblet cell-like phenotype. Expression in the goblet cell-like LS174T colon cancer cell line was nearly 10-fold greater than expression in Caco-2 cells which exhibit columnar enterocyte-like phenotype. The pattern of goblet cell-associated selective transcription required only 153 base pairs of the rat ITF 5'-flanking sequence. Transfection of a construct of human growth hormone under the control of the rat ITF promoter in the N2 subclone of HT-29 cells demonstrated expression of the reporter gene only in those cells exhibiting a goblet cell phenotype as assessed by expression of immunoreactive mucin. These initial studies of the 5'-flanking region of the ITF gene demonstrate the presence of cis-regulatory elements capable of directing goblet cell specific expression.
Embedded materialized views: bridging physical and computational worlds for long-term collaboration

Long-term collaboration and lifelong learning in computer-augmented environments, as examples of non-traditional database applications, are characterized by the potential evolutionary change of systems. Computer-augmented environments provide easy and intuitive methods of manipulating computational media by using physical objects. Conventional technological frameworks for computer-augmented environments use static mapping tables for linking physical objects and computational media. However, static mapping tables are not flexible enough to support unpredictable change in long-term activities. Embedded materialized views are introduced to dynamically produce flexible mapping relations for long-term collaboration. View materialization makes derived mapping relations flexible, efficient and highly available. As a first step towards an evolvable computer-augmented environment, the issue of updating embedded materialized views is discussed.
Simultaneous Measurement Of Actin Sliding Velocities And Actin-myosin Dissociation Kinetics

Muscles contract through actin-myosin interactions modulated by the ATPase reaction. To determine how muscle shortening is generated by actin-myosin biochemistry and kinetics, we are developing an in vitro motility assay that allows us to simultaneously measure actin sliding velocities, V, and actin-myosin attachment times, Ton. To measure Ton during a motility assay, we monitor changes in actin filament dynamics near a myosin binding site using nanometer tracking of actin filaments labeled with single qdots. Actin-myosin binding damps actin dynamics, and Ton is estimated from the average duration of these binding events. With this approach, we observe that the duration of actin-myosin binding events decreases linearly with increasing ATP concentrations, resulting in an estimated ATP induced dissociation rate constant of ∼9 μM−1·s−1, consistent with previous kinetic measurements. This technique allows us to determine the mechanochemistry of a single myosin head functioning within the context of many myosin molecules interacting with a single actin filament.
Exhaustive methylation of glucosamine.

A reported synthesis of a glucosamine quaternary derivative was investigated by chemical and infrared spectra methods. Under the conditions reported the glucosamine was found to become degraded and tetramethylammonium iodide was formed.
Effects of quinoline and 8-hydroxyquinoline on mouse bone marrow erythrocytes as measured by the micronucleus assay

Both quinoline and 8-hydroxyquinoline (HOQ) were tested for their genotoxicity in CD1 male mice by using a bone marrow micronucleus assay. Mice were intraperitoneally treated in single injections with three dose levels (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) of each chemical with corn oil as solvent vehicle. Bone marrow was sampled at 24, 48, and 72 h postinjection. Quinoline resulted in a significant dose-related increase in the number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MPCE) at the 24 h sampling time for all doses tested. The high dose (100 mg/kg) and the medium dose (50 mg/kg) also induced statistically significant increases (P less than .05) in the number of MPCEs at 48 h interval. The ratios of polychromatic to normochromatic erythrocytes at the 24 h sampling time were lower for the treated than the control animals. Although HOQ resulted in some increases in the number of MPCEs over the control, this compound induced a statistically significant increase in the number of micronucleated normochromatic erythrocytes (MNCEs) at all three doses following 24 h treatment. Both low and medium doses also induced a higher incidence of MNCEs at the 48 and 72 h sampling times. No data were available for the high dose at these times. The cytotoxic effect of this compound was expressed as low PCE/NCE ratios with all doses at 24 h after injection and as a high mortality rate in animals treated with the high dose (100 mg/kg).
Physiological responses of black willow ( Salix nigra ) cuttings to a range of soil moisture regimes

We quantified the physiological responses of black willow to four soil moisture regimes: no flooding (control, C), continuous flooding (CF), periodic flooding (PF), and periodic drought (PD). Stomatal limitation was one of the factors that led to the reduced photosynthetic capacity in CF cuttings. Under PD, stomatal closure, decreased leaf chlorophyll content, and increased dark fluorescence yield contributed to photosynthetic decline. CF cuttings accumulated the lowest shoot biomass while the final height and root growth were most adversely affected by PD. PF cuttings tended to allocate more photoassimilates to root growth than to shoots.