cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Motives for drinking alcohol and eating palatable foods: An evaluation of shared mechanisms and associations with drinking and binge eating.

Abstract Background Young adulthood is a high-risk period for heavy drinking and binge eating, both of which can impact weight and lead to obesity. Examining motives for drinking alcohol and eating palatable foods may facilitate a more integrated understanding of these behaviors during the college years. The current study tested whether shared or distinct (i.e., behavior-specific) motivational mechanisms may explain the occurrence of reward-driven drinking and eating in young adults. Methods A sample of college freshmen (N = 103) stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, and heavy drinking status were selected to participate. Participants completed questionnaires measuring alcohol use, eating behavior, and motives assessed by the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised and Palatable Eating Motives Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested whether drinking and eating motives were better represented as single latent motives, or two behavior-specific motives. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the association between motivational factors and behaviors. Results Behavior-specific CFA models demonstrated stronger model fit and higher factor loadings than single motive models. SEM models indicated that eating to cope with negative emotions, to enhance positive experiences, to obtain social reinforcement, and to conform with peers were significantly associated with binge eating (p values Conclusions While motives for drinking alcohol and eating palatable foods may satisfy common goals, findings suggest motivational mechanisms may be behavior-specific. Enhancement and social motives may be important factors to target in prevention programs for both drinking and binge eating.
Hendrik P. Scholte: His Legacy in the Netherlands and in America

Review of: "Hendrik P. Scholte: His Legacy in the Netherlands and in America", by Eugene P. Heideman.
Underwater Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Classification Using a Matched Subspace Classifier With Adaptive Dictionaries

This paper is concerned with the development of a system for the discrimination of military munitions and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in shallow underwater environments. Acoustic color features corresponding to calibrated target strength as a function of frequency and look angle are generated from the raw sonar returns for munition characterization. A matched subspace classifier (MSC) is designed to discriminate between different classes of detected contacts based upon the spectral content of the sonar backscatter. The system is exclusively trained using model-generated sonar data and then tested using the measured Target and Reverberation Experiment 2013 (TREX13) data sets collected from a synthetic aperture sonar system in a relatively low-clutter environment. A new in situ supervised learning method is also developed to incrementally train the MSC using a limited number of labeled samples drawn from the TREX13 data sets. The classification results of the MSC are presented using standard performance metrics, such as receiver operating characteristic curve and confusion matrices.
The current role of exercise testing in the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiac dysrhythmias

The utility of exercise stress testing, both for the evocation and management of cardiac arrhythmias has emerged in the past decade and complements ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Exercise provokes arrhythmia in the normal individual primarily through sympathetic neural and endogenous catecholamine release. Among patients with structural heart disease, particularly ischemic heart disease, changes in cellular automaticity may occur as a function of increasing ischemia, changes in ventricular wall contractility, and metabolic, specifically potassium abnormalities. Precipitation of sustained supraventricular arrhythmias are uncommon (1%) with reentrant supraventricular tachycardia being the most common sustained arrhythmia provoked. The prevalance of ventricular ectopic activity is a function of the population being studied. Thus, while 2-4% of patients free of structural heart disease will exhibit repetitive forms during exercise testing, approximately 75% of individuals undergoing exercise testing for management of malignant ventricular arrhythmia will have such forms of ectopic depolarizations. The utility of exercise testing in the management of patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmia is as an adjunct to ambulatory ECG monitoring. Importantly this procedure defines either drug inefficacy or a ‘pro-arrhythmic’ effect seen only during exercise, underscoring the need for exercise studies in patients being treated with antiarrhythmic drugs.
Characterizing Interactions and Relationships between People.

This paper presents a set of dimensions to characterize the association between two people. We distinguish between interactions (when somebody refers to somebody in a conversation) and relationships (a sequence of interactions). We work with dialogue scripts from the TV show Friends, and do not impose any restrictions on the interactions and relationships. We introduce and analyze a new corpus, and present experimental results showing that the task can be automated.
Use of a Web-Based Shared Decision-Making Program: Impact on Ongoing Treatment Engagement and Antipsychotic Adherence.

Objective:The authors examined the impact of a Web-based shared decision-making application, MyCHOIS–CommonGround, on ongoing outpatient mental health treatment engagement (all users) and antipsych...
STEM Teacher Education Textbook Review

STEM Teacher Education Textbook Review: Facilitating Understanding of How to Teach Science in K-12 Doing What Scientists and Engineers Do: How to Create an Elementary Science Classroom Where Students Are Successful At Doing Science And Engineering by William J. Sumrall
Limits of Adaptive Quantum Processing

Adaptive Quantum Information Processing, patent number US9838141 B2, can minimize the error rate of a communication protocol by calculating the quantum representation that corresponds to maximum capacity. We prove that for an arbitrary unital channel the most the error rate can be reduced by is half its initial value in QKD, an example of which is gravitational noise in Earth to satellite communication.
An Introduction to Communication

Prioritizing brevity and clarity, this textbook introduces the study of communication through examples and applications of communication in a variety of contexts. With a unique focus on diversity and the impact of culture, each chapter opens with a case study that identifies a communication challenge, which the chapter addresses throughout, and concludes with questions that respond to that challenge. A consistent, organized structure with numerous features including fundamental issues, questions for understanding and analysis, theoretical insight (examining a particular relevant theory), and a skill set section, easily guides you through the foundations of the study of communication. Cross-referencing between chapters demonstrates the multidimensional nature of communication and the everyday talk sections demonstrate how each topic relates to technology, the workplace, or health issues. Offering a wealth of diverse examples from students' personal, professional, and online lives, this book teaches skills allowing students from all academic backgrounds to understand communication.
Higher Peripheral Inflammatory Signaling Associated With Lower Resting-State Functional Brain Connectivity in Emotion Regulation and Central Executive Networks.

Abstract Background Researchers document bidirectional pathways linking peripheral inflammation and neural circuitries subserving emotion processing and regulation. To extend this work, we present results from two independent studies examining the relationship between inflammation and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC), as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Methods Study 1 involved 90 rural African American young adults, 25 years of age (52% female), and study 2 involved 82 urban African American youths, 13 to 14 years of age (66% female). Both studies measured circulating inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, interleukin 10, tumor necrosis factor alpha), and the measures were averaged to form a composite. Study 2 also enumerated classical monocytes, a key leukocyte subpopulation involved in immune-to-brain signaling. All participants completed a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Results Consistent with our prediction, higher scores on the inflammatory composite were associated with lower rsFC within an emotion regulation network in study 1, controlling for sex. Study 2 replicated study 1, showing that higher scores on the inflammatory composite were associated with lower rsFC within the emotion regulation network, controlling for sex, age, and pubertal status, and found a similar pattern for rsFC within a central executive network. Study 2 also found that higher numbers of classical monocytes were associated with lower rsFC within both the emotion regulation and central executive networks. There was no relationship between rsFC in the anterior salience or default mode networks with inflammation in either study. Conclusions With these findings, we document relationships between peripheral inflammation and rsFC within an emotion regulation and central executive network and replicate these associations with the emotion regulation network across two independent samples.
Abstract 2632: Increased recurrence and clinical grade in renal cell carcinomas associated with novel EGFR splice variants

Background: It is well established that alterations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are associated with the development and progression of epithelial tumors across several cancer types. Alternative splicing and alterations of EGFR splice sites can cause translational changes and EGFR alterations have historically demonstrated associations with clinical and therapeutic outcomes in lung cancer. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of recently identified novel ΔEGFR-TKF splice variant in 102 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumors Methods: The majority of the RCC samples were RNA sequenced through the Orien AVATAR™ pipeline, and 7 additional cases were analyzed through Moffitt STAR™. Moffitt STAR™ and AVATAR™ are next generation targeted sequencing assay that include both DNA and RNA analyses. Frequency tables were generated using the data collected. The Grehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon test was used to compare recurrence free survival (RFS) due to the higher weight given to survival difference at earlier time points. The rationale being that the majority of recurrence events occurred earlier than 25 months in EGFR ≥5% cases and 50 months in the EGFR Results: We identified a EGFR gene splice variant, predominantly c.2470-188_c.2470-2, between exons 20 and 21 in RCCs subjected to the sequencing assay. Of 1075 solid tumors analyzed, the presence of the EGFR gene splice variant was observed, in any amount, within 74 of 102 RCC cases (72.5%), with the only exceptions being one multiple myeloma and sarcoma case. Using an EGFR slice variant cutoff of ≥5%, 33 of 102 (32.4%) RCC were chosen to be further investigated. Upon further analysis, 32 EGFR slice variant tumors were clear cell RCC, while 1 was papillary type II RCC. Thirty cases involving ≥5% slice variants were clinically staged revealed 6 T1, 8 T2, and 16 T3/4 cases compared to tumors with Conclusion: EGFR splice variants in RCC are a relatively frequent and specific molecular alteration. This novel splice variant may prove to be significant as a druggable target or as part of a kidney cancer screening protocol. Citation Format: George A. Coba, Saif Zaman, Jamie K. Teer, Timothy Robinson, Roger Li, Jingsong Zhang, Todd C. Knepper, Philippe E. Spiess, Wade Sexton, Matthew A. Smith, Mayer N. Fishman, Julio M. Pow-Sang, Michael A. Poch, Scott M. Gilbert, Anthony M. Magliocco, Theresa A. Boyle, Brandon J. Manley. Increased recurrence and clinical grade in renal cell carcinomas associated with novel EGFR splice variants [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2632.
Controlled Feeding of an 8-d, High-Dairy Cheese Diet Prevents Sodium-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction in the Cutaneous Microcirculation of Healthy, Older Adults through Reductions in Superoxide.

BACKGROUND While excess dietary sodium impairs vascular function by increasing oxidative stress, the dietary incorporation of dairy foods improves vascular health. We demonstrated that single-meal cheese consumption ameliorates acute, sodium-induced endothelial dysfunction. However, controlled feeding studies examining the inclusion of cheese, a dairy product that contains both bioactive constituents and sodium, are lacking. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that microcirculatory endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD) would be impaired by a high-sodium diet, but a sodium-matched diet high in dairy cheese would preserve EDD through oxidant stress mechanisms. METHODS We gave 11 adults without salt-sensitive blood pressure (<10 mmHg Δ mean arterial pressure; 64 ± 2 y) 4 separate 8-d controlled dietary interventions in a randomized, crossover design: a low-sodium, no-dairy intervention (LNa; 1500 mg/d sodium); a low-sodium, high-cheese intervention (LNaC; 1500 mg/d sodium, 170 g/d cheese); a high-sodium, no-dairy intervention (HNa; 5500 mg/d sodium); and a high-sodium, high-cheese intervention (HNaC; 5500 mg/d sodium, 170 g/d cheese). On Day 8 of each diet, EDD was assessed through a localized infusion (intradermal microdialysis) of acetylcholine (ACh), both alone and during coinfusion of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NO synthase inhibitor), L-ascorbate (nonspecific antioxidant), apocynin [NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor], or tempol (superoxide scavenger). RESULTS Compared with LNa, microvascular responsiveness to ACh was attenuated during HNa (LNa: -4.82 ± 0.20 versus HNa: -3.21 ± 0.55 M logEC50; P = 0.03) but not LNaC (-5.44 ± 0.20 M logEC50) or HNaC (-4.46 ± 0.50 M logEC50). Further, ascorbate, apocynin, and tempol administration each increased ACh-induced vasodilation during HNa only (Ringer's: 38.9 ± 2.4; ascorbate: 48.0 ± 2.5; tempol: 45.3 ± 2.7; apocynin: 48.5 ± 2.6% maximum cutaneous vascular conductance; all P values < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that incorporating dairy cheese into a high-sodium diet preserves EDD by decreasing the concentration of superoxide radicals. Consuming sodium in cheese, rather than in nondairy sources of sodium, may be an effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in salt-insensitive, older adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03376555.
A Note on Initial Fill Rate.

AbstractA common measure of customer service is initial fill rate, the percentage of demand satisfied without delay from stock on hand. An exact expression for initial fill rate when demand is compound Poisson has previously been developed. This note presents an approximation which is simple to program and relatively quick to run. Its accuracy is distribution dependent. For negative binomial distribution of demand, its accuracy is evaluated and found to be good. A common alternative approach to calculate initial fill is shown to work very badly for one class of items.
Population simulations of COVID-19 outbreaks provide tools for risk assessment and continuity planning

Abstract Objectives We developed COVID-19 Outbreak Simulator (https://ictr.github.io/covid19-outbreak-simulator/) to quantitatively estimate the effectiveness of preventative and interventive measures to prevent and battle COVID-19 outbreaks for specific populations. Materials and Methods Our simulator simulates the entire course of infection and transmission of virus among individuals in heterogeneous populations, subject to operations and influences such as quarantine, testing, social distancing, and community infection. It provides command-line and Jupyter notebook interfaces and a plugin system for user-defined operations. Results The simulator provides quantitative estimates for COVID-19 outbreaks in a variety of scenarios and assists the development of public health policies, risk-reduction operations, and emergency response plans. Discussion Our simulator is powerful, flexible, and customizable, although successful applications require realistic estimation and robustness analysis of population-specific parameters. Conclusion Risk assessment and continuity planning for COVID-19 outbreaks are crucial for the continued operation of many organizations. Our simulator will be continuously expanded to meet this need.
Fuzzy clustering approach for accurate embedding dimension identification in chaotic time series

The dynamics of many physically complex systems cannot be represented by a set of differential equations. Measured sensor signals in the form of time-series can be used to investigate complexities and chaotic behavior in such systems. In order to characterize the chaotic behavior of a time series, a state space is constructed from the observed time series which requires the selection of its embedding dimension. In this article, first three existing methods for determining the embedding dimension are investigated using three different examples with available analytical equations where the exact value of the optimum embedding dimension is known. They are the fill-factor method, the average integral local deformation method, and the false nearest neighbors method. Next, a fuzzy c-means clustering approach is proposed for finding the optimum embedding dimension accurately. The time lag index obtained from the average mutual information method is used as the number of clusters. The reconstructed state space vectors are clustered using the fuzzy c-means clustering approach. It is shown that the proposed approach yields the exact answer in all three examples. The proposed approach does not require the arbitrary or trial-and-error selection of parameters and is computationally efficient. It can be used effectively for chaos analysis of complex real-life time series such as electroencephalographs, cardiological arrhythmias, weather patterns, and traffic congestions where the underlying physical phenomenon cannot be described analytically.
A Monte Carlo-based analytic model of neutron dose equivalent for a mevion gantry-mounted passively scattered proton system for craniospinal irradiation.

Purpose To calculate in- and out-of-field neutron spectra and dose equivalent, using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, for a Mevion gantry-mounted passively scattered proton system in craniospinal irradiation. An analytical model based on the MC calculations that estimates in- and out-of-field neutron dose equivalent from proton Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) was also developed. Methods The MCNPX MC code was used to simulate a Mevion S250 proton therapy system. The simulated proton depth doses and profiles for pristine and spread-out Bragg peaks were benchmarked against the measured data. Previous measurements using extended-range Bonner spheres were used to verify the calculated neutron spectra and dose equivalent. Using the benchmarked results as a reference condition, a correction-based analytical model was reconstructed by fitting the data to derive model parameters at 95% confidence interval. Sensitivity analysis of brass aperture opening, thickness of the Lucite (PMMA) range compensator, and modulation width was performed to obtain correction parameters for nonreference conditions. Results For the neutron dose equivalent per therapeutic proton dose, the MCNPX calculated dose equivalent matched the measured values to within 8%. The benchmarked neutron dose equivalent at the isocenter was 41.2 and 20.8 mSv/Gy, for cranial and spinal fields, respectively. For in- and out-of-field neutron dose calculations, the correction-based analytical model showed up to 17% discrepancy compared to the MC calculations. The correction factors may provide a conservative estimation of neutron dose, especially for depth ≤ 5 cm and regions underneath the brass aperture. Conclusion The proposed analytical model can be used to estimate the contribution of the neutron dose to the overall CSI treatment dose. Moreover, the model can be employed to estimate the neutron dose to the implantable cardiac electronic devices.
Survivors: Jewish Self-Help and Rescue in Nazi-Occupied Western Europe by Bob Moore

The academic study of Jewish survival during the Holocaust has, unsurprisingly, been an emotionally charged topic. Although the Holocaust’s death toll of six million is widely accepted, the vastly different mortality rates across Europe have long been a puzzle to historians. The fact that more than half of the Jews in Western Europe survived the War, while Eastern European Jewry was decimated, has traditionally been explained through single-country studies of who was killed. In an attempt to advocate for the agency of Jewish victims and establish the existence of Jewish resistance and self-help, more nuanced discussions of the how and why of Jewish survival have often been brushed aside. Bob Moore’s Survivors, however, seeks to shed light on who lived and why through a comparative study of nearly everymajorWestern European Jewish community. While emphasizing the importance of both escape and hiding, Moore’s book highlights the significance of interconnected Jewish self-help networks along with aid from nonJews, and uses a critical mass of painstaking national studies to argue that idiosyncratic national and local circumstances were key to determining chances of survival. In reviewing the circumstances and choices that Jews had in rescue and self-help in Western Europe during theWar,Moore looks at themes and questions that are familiar to students of the Holocaust. However, Survivors offers the depth and breadth necessary to do more than merely challenge the narrative of Jewish passivity. Moore identifies four major gaps in the history of Jewish rescue and self-help: the importance of chronological, geographical, and social contexts to acts of rescue by non-Jews, the relationship between individual acts of rescue and networks, the structure and organization of Jewish communities in Western Europe, and the interrelationship between rescue and self-help. By investigating these gaps, Moore presents a picture of Jewish self-help and rescue that is both more orderly and more chaotic than what historians have been taught to expect. Through an analysis of local and individual circumstances, Survivors shows that many Western European Jews had choices though these were limited by their nationality, language, location, finances, and community relations, among other factors. Hum Rights Rev (2013) 14:293–294 DOI 10.1007/s12142-013-0279-x
The impact of COVID-19 on kidney transplantation.

Management of kidney transplant recipients requires a sustainable infrastructure that can provide reliable medical care both before and after transplantation. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted transplant referral and listing processes, led to decreases in the numbers of transplant procedures and resulted in changes in practice for pre- and post-transplantation management and follow-up.
Radiosurgery Therapy for Pituitary Adenoma

The dramatic advances of the past two decades afford patients with pituitary adenomas unprecedented prospects of recognition, therapy, and “living happily ever after.”
Genetic Structure of Invasive Baby's Breath (Gypsophila paniculata L.) Populations in a Michigan Dune System.

Coastal sand dunes are dynamic ecosystems with elevated levels of disturbance and are highly susceptible to plant invasions. One invasive plant that is of concern to the Great Lakes system is Gypsophila paniculata L. (perennial baby’s breath). The presence of G. paniculata negatively impacts native species and has the potential to alter ecosystem dynamics. Our research goals were to (1) estimate the genetic structure of invasive G. paniculata along the Michigan dune system and (2) identify landscape features that influence gene flow in this area. We analyzed 12 populations at 14 nuclear and two chloroplast microsatellite loci. We found strong genetic structure among populations (global FST = 0.228), and pairwise comparisons among all populations yielded significant FST values. Results from clustering analysis via STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) suggest two main genetic clusters that are separated by the Leelanau Peninsula, and this is supported by the distribution of chloroplast haplotypes. Land cover and topography better explained pairwise genetic distances than geographic distance alone, suggesting that these factors influence the genetic distribution of populations within the dunes system. Together, these data aid in our understanding of how invasive populations move through the dune landscape, providing valuable information for managing the spread of this species.
Abstract 16271: Resolution of Left Bundle Branch Block With Sacubitril/Valsartan in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction

Introduction: Sacubitril/valsartan is associated with structural and functional reverse remodeling. It is uncertain if a subset of patients with HFrEF and LBBB treated with sacubitril/valsartan hav...
A Behavioral Community Approach to Community Health and Development: Tools for Collaborative Action

Researchers, scientists, and practitioners continue to advance behavioral community approaches for addressing community health and development issues. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) offers an important perspective for examining socially important problems and goals across a range of issues. Throughout an evolutionary process of selection, behavioral community scientists continue to focus on the dimensions of ABA (e.g., applied, behavioral, analytic, conceptually systematic, generalizable, effective, technological, or reproducible). The importance of integrating a behavior-analytic perspective to support behavioral community approaches has been promoted in other disciplines, including community psychology, public health, and prevention science. This chapter examines the history and current efforts to advance behavioral community approaches, interventions, and technologies that support community health and development. Efforts facilitated by the Center for Community Health and Development with the Department of Applied Behavior Science at the University of Kansas are featured to demonstrate an evolution and scaling of behavioral community research and application. Additional resources, frameworks, and tools that have guided the implementation of behavioral community research and practice in community health and development are presented. Through the chapter, the influence of behavioral community science and research within ABA and other disciplines is examined to better understand the importance of an integrated behavioral community approach.
Pericytes in Myocardial Diseases

The adult mammalian heart contains a large number of pericytes that regulate blood flow, while supporting baseline microvascular structure and function. Considering their abundance, strategic peri-endothelial location, functional diversity and phenotypic plasticity, pericytes may be critically involved in a wide range of myocardial pathologic conditions. Following myocardial infarction, cardiac pericytes may regulate inflammatory, reparative, angiogenic and fibrogenic responses. Moreover, pericyte-mediated microvascular constriction may contribute to the pathogenesis of “no-reflow” in the ischemic and reperfused myocardium. Cell therapy with pericytes has been suggested to exert beneficial actions in experimental models of myocardial infarction. The underlying mechanisms of protection may involve modulation of inflammation, suppression of fibrosis and stimulation of angiogenesis. Pericytes may also be involved in the pathogenesis of heart failure by converting to myofibroblasts, by secreting fibrogenic and pro-inflammatory mediators, and my regulating microvascular blood flow. Unfortunately, limited information is currently available on the role of pericytes in myocardial diseases. There is an urgent need for systematic investigation of pericyte actions in the ischemic, infarcted and failing heart using experimental animal models and human studies.
Customized Parallel Reliability Testing Platform with Multifold Throughput Enhancement for Intel Stressing Tests

Using a typical Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer (SPA) for semiconductor reliability stress tests such as Time Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TDDB), bias temperature instability (BTI), Hot Carrier Injection (HCI), has limitations. The SPA tends to be inflexible in dealing with concurrent multiple failure modes, managing multiple touchdown requirements, and so on. These issues can be effectively mitigated through the usage of massively parallel reliability tests. This paper presents a new Parallel Reliability Test Platform (PRTP) that has been developed and integrated at Intel Corp. with the support of Intel's test partners. The PRTP was built innovatively by integrating customized and modularized electronic hardware, new parallel probing solutions and in-house developed automation systems. It enables the capability to conduct measurements on multiple devices and/or multiple dies and demonstrates a multifold increase in throughput. This significant enhancement of industrial reliability testing throughput facilitates the collection of large data sets and sample sizes in realistic timeframes and enables Intel to release new products to the market in shorter time while maintaining robust statistical confidence.
History of Hepatic Encephalopathy is Not a Contraindication to TIPS Placement for Refractory Ascites

Background: The outcomes of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is controversial. We studied the relationship of pre-TIPS HE in patients undergoing TIPS for refractory ascites on all-cause mortality and development of post-TIPS HE. Methods: A single-center retrospective, comparison study was performed for patients undergoing TIPS for refractory ascites. Survival by history of pre-TIPS HE was demonstrated with Kaplan-Meier curves. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the predictors of post-TIPS clinical outcomes for patients with and without pre-TIPS HE. Findings: We identified 202 TIPS recipients (61% male, mean ±SD; age 59.1 ±10.2 years; mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score 17.3 ±6.9). Pre-TIPS HE did not predispose patients for increased all-cause mortality, increased risk of developing HE within 60 days, or increased risk of hospital admission for HE within 6 months. A multivariate analysis demonstrated that total bilirubin (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.04; p=0.007), and blood urea nitrogen (OR 1.16; p =0.001) were predictors for all-cause mortality within 6 months post-TIPS. Age ≥65 (OR 3.92; p=0.004), creatinine (OR, 2.22; p=0.014), and Child Pugh score (OR 1.53; p=0.006) were predictors for HE within 60 days post-TIPS. Predictors of intensive care admission for HE within 6 months post-TIPS included age ≥65 (OR 8.84; p=0.018), history of any admission for HE within 6 months pre-TIPS (OR 8.42; p=0.017), and creatinine (OR 2.22; p=0.015). Interpretation: Pre-TIPS HE does not adversely impact patient survival or clinical outcomes, such as development of HE within 60 days of TIPS or hospital admission for HE within 6 months. Patients may be able to undergo TIPS for refractory ascites despite a history of HE. Funding Statement: This study received support for data storage infrastructure from the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI Grant UL1TR001881). Declaration of Interests: All authors have no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The institutional review board approved this single-center retrospective study (IRB#10-000464)
Chapter 8 Preparative Size Dclusion Chromatography

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of preparative size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Preparative SEC is any application of SEC which specifically involves the chromatographic isolation of one or more components from a mixture for purposes of identification, purification, or use in other types of investigations. Preparative SEC techniques may be divided into four categories determined by the scale of the separation or fraction size—preparative–analytical, semi-preparative, standard-preparative, and large-scale preparative. Column size is the primary factor affecting the scale of preparative separations. As the internal diameter of a column is increased, the sample size, injection volume, and solvent flow rate may be increased. For preparative separations it is usually most desirable to operate the system at the highest sample loading and flow rate possible without undue loss of separation efficiency. Preparative SEC applications require large volumes of mobile phase solvents. This may create problems with respect to toxicity and fire. In addition, good solvents for certain materials are often recognized carcinogens and may form hazardous or explosive by-products. When considering an eluent, one is advised to be fully aware of the potential chemical reactions and interactions as well as of the physical properties and solubility characteristics of a solvent candidate.
SPRi-based adenovirus detection using a surrogate antibody method

Adenovirus infection, which is a waterborne viral disease, is one of the most prevelant causes of human morbidity in the world. Thus, methods for rapid detection of this infectious virus in the environment are urgently needed for public health protection. In this study, we developed a rapid, real-time, sensitive, and label-free SPRi-based biosensor for rapid, sensitive and highly selective detection of adenoviruses. The sensing protocol consists of mixing the sample containing adenovirus with a predetermined concentration of adenovirus antibody. The mixture was filtered to remove the free antibodies from the sample. A secondary antibody, which was specific to the adenovirus antibody, was immobilized onto the SPRi chip surface covalently and the filtrate was flowed over the sensor surface. When the free adenovirus antibodies bound to the surface-immobilized secondary antibodies, we observed this binding via changes in reflectivity. In this approach, a higher amount of adenoviruses resulted in fewer free adenovirus antibodies and thus smaller reflectivity changes. A dose-response curve was generated, and the linear detection range was determined to be from 10 PFU/mL to 5000 PFU/mL with an R(2) value greater than 0.9. The results also showed that the developed biosensing system had a high specificity towards adenovirus (less than 20% signal change when tested in a sample matrix containing rotavirus and lentivirus).
Zinc Germanium Phosphide (ZnGeP2)

Publisher Summary Zinc germanium phosphide (ZnGeP2) is a tetragonally bonded semiconductor with the chalcopyrite structure and an effective direct band gap of 2.34 eV at the room temperature. The II-IV-V2 chalcopyrite lattice is equivalent to the III-V semiconductor crystal structure, but with the ordering of the II and IV components and hence a doubling of the unit cell along the c-axis. The chalcopyrite lattice is typically compressed along the c-axis. It is observed that chalcopyrite semiconductors are also optically active because of varying degrees of tetragonal distortion. The ZnGeP2 crystal structure, in particular, is compressed 2.0% along the c-axis. ZnGeP2 is considered as the most promising material for optical parametric oscillation, where tunable, mid-infrared light is generated from a shorter-wavelength pump laser. This is because ZnGeP2 shows large nonlinear coefficient because of its covalent bonding. It can be phase-matched because of its birefringence, thus exhibiting a wide transparency and sustaining higher pumping powers because of its high thermal conductivity.
Treating stiff source terms in conservation laws by the space-time conservation element and solution element method

In the context of the space-time conservation element and solution element method, a simple numerical procedure for solving hyperbolic conservation laws with stiff source terms is described. The accuracy of this non-upwinding procedure is verified using a problem involving ZND detonation waves.
Template‐Independent DNA Polymerases

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), is a template-independent DNA polymerase that catalyzes the incorporation of deoxynucleotides at the 3'-hydroxyl terminus of DNA, accompanied by the release of inorganic phosphate. TdT does not require a template and will not copy one. Reaction conditions and some applications are described in this unit, including cloning DNA fragments, labeling the 3' terminus of DNA with (32)P or nonradioactive tags, synthesizing model polydeoxynucleotide homopolymers, and detecting DNA damage and apoptotic cells.
Social, Ethical, and Health Policy Issues in the Care of Children with Major Craniofacial Conditions

Craniofacial surgery and neonatal intensive care have made it possible for children with serious craniofacial conditions to live and often to experience effective habilitation. These therapeutic interventions also raise important social, policy, and ethical issues. This chapter reviews the dilemmas which relate to the gatekeeper role for physicians, the impact of prenatal diagnosis, and the allocation of scarce fiscal and health resources to craniofacial care. The high degree of cost, the intense investment of medical resources, and the uncertain outcomes in the care of children with major craniofacial conditions must be considered in the distribution of resources within a health system. The rationing of health resources may be a future determinant of how care for major craniofacial conditions is delivered.
Congenital Microgastria and Limb Reduction Defects

In 1842 Robert1 reported the case of a girl with microgastria; hypoplastic left forearm, hand, and wrist; and asplenia. Since that time, six additional patients with a similar pattern of malformation have been described.2-7 The purposes of this report are to describe three additional cases of the microgastria-limb reduction complex which illustrate the clinical variability of this condition, to discuss overlap of this disorder with other malformation syndromes and associations, and to present evidence that suggests that the microgastria-limb reduction complex represents a developmental field defect. CLINICAL REPORTS Patient 1 Patient 1 was evaluated at age 1 month for bilateral absent thumbs.
Proving nonmembership in certain families of context free languages

Abstract In this chapter, we consider the problem of proving certain that sets do not belong to given subfamilies of the context free languages. Our attention is focused mostly on subfamilies of the deterministic context free languages. We lay out in detail, a collection of techniques for proving theorems of this type.
The Paradoxes of Art: A Phenomenological Investigation

Introduction 1. The reality of fictional beings 2. Things in our world 3. Why and how others matter 4. Why and how a painting matters 5. For and against interpretation.
The Flood: Political Economy and Disaster

As summer faded to fall in 2005, a hurricane hit New Orleans, a city so unique in its history that it has more history than many American cities. It was nonetheless an American city in these telling parameters: a city of luxury alongside squalor, two-thirds Black, one-fourth poor, with the gap between its rich and poor growing at a gallop as the waters of lake and river lapped gently along aging, grass-covered levees. Freeze the frame before the waters rise, and what do you see? A devastated public school system, where Black children are labeled “failing,” along with their schools. An outdated infrastructure of public works, decried by planners as a disaster waiting to happen. Profligate
Neurotransmitter Control of Secretion

It is very well established that the principal control of salivary secretion is derived from autonomic innervation. Transmission of a neural signal to a salivary gland acinar cell occurs chemically via neurotransmitters, the first messengers of a secretory response. Neurotransmitters bind to specific cell surface receptor proteins, an event which activates precise transduction mechanisms which then transfer the neural signal to the inside of the cell. There are two major transduction mechanisms operative in salivary gland acinar cells. One involves the generation of cAMP, the other involves the breakdown of plasma membrane polyphosphoinositides. For both mechanisms, the appropriate stimulated receptor activates a second plasma membrane protein, termed an N (or G) protein. The N protein requires GTP to activate an enzyme (adenylate cyclase or phospholipase C), which then catalyzes the formation of a second messenger (cAMP and inositol trisphosphate/diacylglycerol, respectively). This action provides the intracellular signal for secretory events (protein, fluid, electrolyte secretion) to begin.
Conservation of hydrogenase and polyferredoxin structures in the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Methanothermus fervidus.

Abstract A 3.3-kilobase-pair region of the Methanothermus fervidus genome encoding part of the small subunit and all of the large subunit of the methyl viologen-reducing hydrogenase and a polyferredoxin was cloned and sequenced. The sequence of this hyperthermophilic hydrogenase conforms to the consensus sequence established for procaryotic [NiFe] hydrogenases. Although the M. fervidus polyferredoxin is the same size as the Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum ferredoxin, containing six tandemly arranged bacterial ferredoxinlike domains, these two proteins are predicted to be only 64% identical in their primary sequences.
Modeling Time Lapse Seismic Monitoring of CO2 Sequestration in Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Including Compositional and Geochemical Effects

Abstract The sequestration of CO2 into geologic formations, specifically existing and depleted oil and gas reservoirs, is a promising solution for reducing environmental hazards from the release of greenhouse gases into the earth's atmosphere. A critical component of long-term sequestration will be our ability to adequately monitor the movement of CO2 fronts in the subsurface. In this article, we examine the viability of time-lapse seismic monitoring using an integrated modeling of fluid flow, including chemical reactions and seismic response. Modeling of CO2 injection is complicated by the various interactions between CO2, reservoir fluids, and the minerals in the formation. These interactions change fluid and bulk rock properties with time, which in turn impact the seismic signatures. We perform a comprehensive simulation of the gas injection process accounting for the phase behavior of CO2-reservoir fluids, the associated precipitation/dissolution reactions, and the accompanying changes in porosity and...
Use of centrifugal pumps for postcardiotomy ventricular failure: Technique and anticoagulation

Background. Centrifugal pumps have been employed most commonly for postcardiotomy mechanical support after intraaortic balloon pumping has failed. Despite their effectiveness in some patients, morbidity remains high. Methods. Our clinical experiences with centrifugal pumps were reviewed with particular attention to common morbidity such as bleeding, coagulopathy, and thromboembolism. Evolution of cannulation techniques and anticoagulation strategies were defined. Morbidity during early and more recent experience was compared. Results. Deranged coagulation and excessive mediastinal bleeding were commonly observed in patients undergoing centrifugal mechanical assist for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock. Evolved strategies to reduce blood loss included meticulous cannulation techniques, early use of blood components, and an aggressive policy of mediastinal reexploration. Thromboembolism occurred with centrifugal mechanical assist, was underestimated by clinical events, and dictated pursuit of improved anticoagulation strategies and device refinement. A clinically significant trend of decreasing morbidity from early to recent experience was observed. Conclusions. Increasing clinical experience with centrifugal mechanical assist appears to result in a clinically relevant decrease in morbidity.
Structural properties of nine silica polymorphs.

It is well known that silica exists in amorphous or glassy phases as well as in numerous crystalline polymorphs. We present a comprehensive overview of the structural and elastic properties of crystalline polymorphs of silica, including both fourfold- and higher-coordinated structures. With an ab initio approach, we have examined \ensuremath{\alpha}-quartz, stishovite and the ${\mathrm{CaCl}}_{2}$ structure, and the fluorite and the Pa3\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} structures. These are representative of fourfold, sixfold, and eightfold cation coordination, respectively. Using a pairwise interatomic force-field model, we have examined these forms and have extended the work to include other polymorphs like \ensuremath{\beta}-quartz, \ensuremath{\alpha}- and \ensuremath{\beta}-cristobalites, and \ensuremath{\beta}-tridymite. We have determined the variation of lattice parameters and internal coordinates as a function of pressure for all these polymorphs and presented the equations of state for all these structures. We have compared our predictions with available experimental data. Our calculations can be used to obtain information about pressure-induced transformations between various polymorphs. For our quantum-mechanical calculations, we have used ``soft'' pseudopotentials constructed within the local-density approximation. The classical calculations are based on a two-body potential that has been recently developed with the use of self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations.
Treatment of chronic post-traumatic dorsal subluxation of the distal ulna by hemiresection-interposition arthroplasty

Twenty-four patients were evaluated for complaints of pain in the area of the distal radioulnar joint, decreased forearm rotation, and weakness of grip. All patients had a history of trauma to the involved wrist an average of 40 months prior to presentation. Six patients had undergone previous surgery that was unsuccessful. Twenty-three patients were available for follow-up evaluation at an average of 36 months following hemiresection-interposition arthroplasty. At that time, results were excellent in 13 patients, good in 4 patients, fair in 3, and poor in 3. Two patients developed symptoms of styloidcarpal abutment (poor results), one of whom was upgraded to an excellent result after undergoing a shortening osteotomy of the ulna.
Heritable transposon silencing initiated by a naturally occurring transposon inverted duplication.

Heritable transposon silencing initiated by a naturally occurring transposon inverted duplication
Magnetohydrodynamic kinks in astrophysics

Three-dimensional magnetic kinks in nonresistive plasmas may be created and annihilated in pairs and conserve their homotopy properties during their lifetime. Such kinks could prove relevant to astrophysical, geophysical, or laboratory plasma problems. We describe magnetic kinks with one axis of rotational invariance analytically and graphically. As an example, we examine their relevance to the puzzle of the origin of galaxies.
Organizational story and storytelling: a critical review

The stories told in organizations offer researchers and organizational development practitioners a natural entry point to understanding and intervening in the culture(s) of an organization. Informed by perspectives of social constructivism, organizational symbolism, and critical theory, examines key studies of organizational story and storytelling, identifies multidisciplinary foundations, and presents challenges to the application of story work in organizations.