cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Cooling on the Mechanism of Insulin Action

Discussion and Conclusion1. The results on the hypothermic action of insulin are in line with the observations of Dworkin and Finney,1 who found that when a woodchuck was given enough insulin to produce hypoglycemia, it lost its temperature control and could readily be put into a state of “artificial hibernation.” We also confirm their observation that the administration of glucose to cooled hypoglycemic animals resulted in the rise of their body temperature.The results reported here give support to a thesis that available glucose is essential for the maintenance of normal body temperature.2. Insulin hypoglycemia is prolonged by cooling the animal. Whether this is due to a reduction in the rate of gluconeogenesis (as a result of cooling), or due to a prolongation of insulin action cannot be definitely established at this time.3. The survival period of rabbits receiving lethal doses of insulin is prolonged by cooling to temperatures below 30° C. It has been established that cooling to temperatures below 30...
An Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in Academia

Objectives. To create an advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) that would encourage students to consider a career in academia. Design. A 6-week, 6-credit elective APPE was created that offered students the opportunity to observe and participate in activities consistent with a full-time faculty appointment. Assessment. A 9-question survey instrument was administered to 27 students who completed the APPE between 2000 and 2004 to determine the impact of the APPE on the student's career choice. Sixteen (59%) of the 27 students returned the completed survey instrument. Ten of the 16 respondents noted that the APPE had influenced their pursuit of a position with a teaching component. Conclusion. Offering APPEs in academia may encourage students to incorporate teaching and scholarship into their career plans.
The emerging role of transcranial magnetic resonance imaging–guided focused ultrasound in functional neurosurgery

To review the emerging role of transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound as a treatment and research modality for functional neurological disorders, we summarize recent clinical and preclinical studies. Clinical trials have investigated the safety and efficacy of thermal lesions created by transcranial, high-intensity focused ultrasound. Preclinical work has additionally investigated the ability to disrupt the blood-brain barrier and to produce reversible neuromodulation with focused ultrasound utilizing lower intensities. We discuss ongoing trials and future avenues of investigation. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
EFFECT OF SHOT BLASTING ON OXIDATION BEHAVIOR OF Fe-Cr ALLOY IN WATER VAPOR

Fe-Cr alloys with two different Cr content,9% Cr and 19% Cr,were shot blasted and then oxidized at 600℃～770℃ in water vapor.The results show that shot blasting can decrease the oxidation rate and improve the oxidation resistantce.For the 9% Cr alloy,shot blasting can not change the oxide scale structure,which is oxide scale of iron.For the 19% Cr alloy,shot blasting promotes the outer diffusion of Cr,and changes the oxide scale from iron oxide to chromium oxide.
Spinal Cord Cellular Therapeutics Delivery: Device Design Considerations

Cell-based therapeutics are being increasingly trialed in both preclinical and clinical contexts for the treatment of multiple forms of intrinsic spinal cord pathology with either neuroprotective or neurorestorative intent. This therapeutic paradigm is being explored for the treatment of neurodegenerative (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)) and traumatic (e.g., spinal cord injury) indications. Cell-based therapies may also be considered for alternative indications such as multiple sclerosis and intramedullary neoplasms. Multiple delivery approaches may be considered to deliver a cellular therapy to the spinal cord. Preclinical and clinical studies have explored intravascular, intrathecal (e.g., subarachnoid), and intraparenchymal delivery approaches. In this chapter, we briefly describe the different cell delivery approaches and will primarily focus on the technical considerations encountered in the development of an intraparenchymal microinjection approach. An emphasis will be placed on areas of interest that continue to be investigated. The chapter concludes with an introduction of technologies that may augment next generation cell delivery approaches.
Trap placement and attractant choice affect capture and create sex and parity biases in collections of the biting midge, Culicoides sonorensis.

Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is the primary North American vector of bluetongue virus (BTV), which can cause high morbidity and mortality in ruminant livestock or wildlife. Worldwide, most Culicoides surveillance relies on light (usually UV) traps typically placed near animals or larval development sites. However, the trapping method can cause sex, species and parity biases in collections. We collected C. sonorensis from three dairies in California using suction traps baited with CO2 , UV light or CO2 + UV placed near animals, wastewater ponds, or in fields. Higher numbers of parous females were collected using CO2 + UV traps, although this difference was only significant on one dairy. UV traps were poor at collecting nulliparous females, but the addition of UV to a trap increased the abundance of males in a collection. Traps set in open fields collected significantly higher numbers of males and females than in either of the other two locations. In some cases, there was a significant interaction between the trap type and site. We discuss the limitations of traditional trapping methodologies for C. sonorensis and make suggestions for vector surveillance.
Involvement of neurogenic inflammation in antigen-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs.

The role of tachykinins released from sensory nerves in bronchoconstriction induced by antigen was studied in sensitized guinea pigs anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium and pretreated with atrop...
Book Review: Telepractice in Audiology

This article presents a review of the book Telepractice in Audiology, authored by Emma Rushbrooke MPhil(AUD), BA, DipAud., MAudSA., LSLS. Cert. AVT, RNC, and K. Todd Houston, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, and 13 contributing authors. This is the first book entirely devoted to tele-audiology. It provides practical information for working with clients across the lifespan and for multiple practice settings. Reviewer Dr. Barbara Vento endorses this work as a comprehensive resource on the topic of teleaudiology for both students and aspiring teleaudiologists.
Nitrogen retention in rats fed on diets enriched with arginine and glycine. 2. Effect of diethyl ether anaesthesia on N retention.

1. Adult rats were subjected to a brief period of diethyl ether anaesthesia and were given diets with 200 or 100 g casein/kg with or without arginine plus glycine supplementation in the post-anaesthesia period. Nitrogen retention was measured as well as liver protein content and liver and muscle transaminase activities (l-aspartate aminotransferase (GOT), ( EC 2.6.1.1), and l-alanine aminotransferase (GPT) ( EC 2.6.1.2)). 2. Results demonstrated that anaesthesia-stressed rats consuming the high-protein diet with supplemental arginine and glycine retained twice as much N as did rats given the diet with 200 g casein/kg alone, for the first 5 d post-anaesthesia. 3. Anaesthesia-stressed animals consuming the diets with 100 g casein/kg with or without arginine plus glycine supplementation did not differ from each other in N retention. 4. Liver protein content increased after anaesthesia in rats given the high-protein diets; liver transaminase activity increased, whereas muscle transaminase activity decreased, in animals consuming the high protein diets. 5. Possible mechanisms to account for these results are discussed.
Vitamin D Insufficiency is Common and Underdiagnosed in African American Female Patients

Traditionally African American women have been considered to be at a low risk for developing osteoporosis, as they tend to attain higher peak bone mass and have slower bone turnover when compared to Caucasian women. As a result, at the age of 50, Caucasian women greatly outnumber African American women in the osteoporotic population (1). African American women, due to the increased amount of melanin in their skin, convert less 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3 in the epidermis when exposed to the same amount of solar radiation (2,3) leading to lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels in their circulation when compared to Caucasian women (4). 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [l,25(OH)2D], the active form of vitamin D which is formed in the kidneys from 25(OH)D, is essential for efficient calcium uptake from the intestine. Lower 25(OH)D levels and the generally low calcium intake in this population places African American women at a high risk for developing osteoporosis. In fact, at the age of 80, the number of African Americans with osteoporosis begins to approach the number of Caucasian women with osteoporosis (5).
Development of data analysis algorithms for interpretation of ground-penetrating radar data

According to a 1999 Federal Highway Administration statistic, the U.S. has around 8.2 million lane-miles of roadways that need to be maintained and rehabilitated periodically. Therefore, in order to reduce rehabilitation costs, pavement engineers need to optimize the rehabilitation procedure, which is achieved by accurately knowing the existing pavement layer thicknesses and localization of subsurface defects. Currently, the majority of departments of transportation (DOTs) rely on coring as a means to estimate pavement thicknesses, instead of using other nondestructive techniques, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The use of GPR as a nondestructive pavement assessment tool is limited mainly due to the difficulty of GPR data interpretation, which requires experienced operators. Therefore, GPR results are usually subjective and inaccurate. Moreover, GPR data interpretation is very time-consuming because of the huge amount of data collected during a survey and the lack of reliable GPR data-interpretation software. This research effort attempts to overcome these problems by developing new GPR data analysis techniques that allow thickness estimation and subsurface defect detection from GPR data without operator intervention. The data analysis techniques are based on an accurate modeling of the propagation of the GPR electromagnetic waves through the pavement dielectric materials while traveling from the GPR transmitter to the receiver. Image-processing techniques are also applied to detect layer boundaries and subsurface defects. The developed data analysis techniques were validated utilizing data collected from an experimental pavement system: the Virginia Smart Road. The layer thickness error achieved by the developed system was around 3%. The conditions needed to achieve reliable and accurate results from GPR testing were also established.
Poverty and the Controversial Work of Nonprofits

There has been a significant shift among antipoverty nonprofits toward what we call “relational work,”which involves working with clients over time on life changes. Some scholars discuss this, often in negative terms, as part of a broader neoliberal trend. We argue that relational work is an important and unavoidable part of ongoing efforts against poverty and homelessness. We also discuss the broader theoretical context that make scholars suspicious of this kind of antipoverty work, and argue for a multifaceted approach topoverty that includes attention to relational work and the agency of clients.
Ni-Coated Carbon Fiber as an Alternative Cathode Electrode Material to Improve Cost Efficiency of Microbial Fuel Cells

Abstract Electrode material is a key component in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and exploring cost-effective electrode materials will greatly help with MFC development, especially the scaling up. In this study, a commercially available material – nickel-coated carbon fiber (Ni-CF) has been investigated as an alternative cathode electrode material to carbon cloth (CC). Both three-electrode cell and MFC tests are carried to examine electrochemical performance and actual electricity generation of the prepared cathode electrodes. It is found that Ni-CF exhibited higher current generation in linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and lower resistance in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests than those of CC and CF. When being coated with AC, Ni-CF has the highest actual loading amount among the tested materials. As a result, AC/Ni-CF leads to lower charge transfer resistance (95.1 Ω) and higher current density (8.07 mA m−2) than AC/CC (115.3 Ω and 3.40 mA m−2). In the MFC test, the cathode using AC/Ni-CF results in the maximum power density of 6.50 W m−3, higher than AC/CC at 4.29 W m−3. This high power output gives cost efficiency of AC/Ni-CF at 299.0 mW $−1, nearly twice that of AC/CC (151.7 mW $−1). The initial AC coating amount of 4 g is found to be the optimal amount to achieve optimally actual AC loading amount on the cathode electrode with balanced catalytic ability and (possible) oxygen transfer. Those results encourage further investigation of Ni-CF for MFC applications towards improved performance and cost efficiency.
Air Pollution Exposure during School Commutes

Background Understanding of how school location impacts children’s air pollution exposure and the ability of children to walk and bike to school has been a policy issue of interest in recent years. Smart growth advocates encourage districts to locate schools in “walkable” locations, often near high-volume roadways while health professionals emphasize the importance of minimizing near-roadway exposure and support decisions to distance school locations from major roadways. As states implement laws to site schools away from high-volume roadways, such policies often lead to school locations that are disconnected from neighborhoods and accessible only by motorized transport modes. This study analyzes children’s air pollution exposure during school travel and during the school day and assesses exposure for children walking to a nearby school in a heavy diesel/heavy traffic area compared to their exposure if they were required to be bussed or driven to a remote school located in a low diesel/low traffic environment. Methods Researchers selected two neighborhoods with different air quality environments – heavy-diesel/heavy-traffic and low-diesel/low-traffic – with a synthetic sample of students. Home-to-school commuting routes were created for three modes: walk, automobile, and school bus. Air pollution exposure along each route was estimated using models developed from the Near-Road Exposures and Effects of Urban Air Pollutants (NEXUS) study, which are calibrated to capture conditions in 2010 during typical school travel periods for the Detroit metropolitan area. Daily average exposures for pollutant NOx were estimated by breaking the average school day into 5 phases (AM Commute, Unload, School Day, Load, PM Commute). Results Commuting exposure to NOx for all modes was lower for children at the low-diesel/low-traffic school than those at the high-diesel school. When children were driven or bussed outside of their neighborhood to the more distant, low-diesel school, time-weighted daily average cumulative NOx exposure was the greatest at ~340 μg/m3 if bussed and ~175 μg/m3 if driven (compared to 190 and 152 respectively if they had taken these modes to their local high-diesel neighborhood school). Conclusions Local school environments still largely drive the daily cumulative exposures to air pollutants among children; however, the exposures during school commutes are not negligible. In particular, our simulated implementation of policies that use buses to transport children to better air quality environments found no association with net reductions in daily exposure.
In vivo biodistribution and toxicity of intravesical administration of quantum dots for optical molecular imaging of bladder cancer

Optical molecular imaging holds the potential to improve cancer diagnosis. Fluorescent nanoparticles such as quantum dots (QD) offer superior optical characteristics compared to organic dyes, but their in vivo application is limited by potential toxicity from systemic administration. Topical administration provides an attractive route for targeted nanoparticles with the possibility of minimizing exposure and reduced dose. Previously, we demonstrated successful ex vivo endoscopic imaging of human bladder cancer by topical (i.e. intravesical) administration of QD-conjugated anti-CD47. Herein we investigate in vivo biodistribution and toxicity of intravesically instilled free QD and anti-CD47-QD in mice. In vivo biodistribution of anti-CD47-QD was assessed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Local and systemic toxicity was assessed using blood tests, organ weights, and histology. On average, there was no significant accumulation of QD outside of the bladder, although in some mice we detected extravesical biodistribution of QD suggesting a route for systemic exposure under some conditions. There were no indications of acute toxicity up to 7 days after instillation. Intravesical administration of targeted nanoparticles can reduce systemic exposure, but for clinical use, nanoparticles with established biosafety profiles should be used to decrease long-term toxicity in cases where systemic exposure occurs.
Fuzzy Pattern Recognition in Vibration-Based Structural Health Monitoring

In this paper, fuzzy sets are established for different states of a reinforced concrete bridge based on finite element model of the bridge. This bridge has been monitored continuously using vibrational signals obtained from accelerometer and strain gauge sensors installed on girders of the bridge. A Finite element model of the bridge is calibrated based on real data gathered from the bridge to be a close representation of the real structure. The calibrated finite element models of the bridge are then constructed for healthy, medium damaged and severe damaged states of the bridge. Using fuzzy set principles, the healthy, medium and severe damage states of the bridge are constructed with fuzzy bell functions. Fuzzy pattern recognition using similarity between fuzzy sets is then utilized to identify any unknown states of the bridge that can give authorities an unbiased tool for efficient maintenance of the bridge.
Phenome-Wide Association Studies Uncover a Novel Association of Increased Atrial Fibrillation in Male Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective Phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) scan across billing codes in the electronic health record (EHR) and re-purpose clinical EHR data for research. In this study, we examined whether PheWAS could function as an EHR-based discovery tool for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and identified novel clinical associations in male versus female patients with SLE. Methods We used a de-identified version of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center EHR, which includes more than 2.8 million subjects. We performed EHR-based PheWAS to compare SLE patients with age-, sex-, and race-matched control subjects and to compare male SLE patients with female SLE patients, controlling for multiple testing using a false discovery rate (FDR) P value of 0.05. Results We identified 1,097 patients with SLE and 5,735 matched control subjects. In a comparison of patients with SLE and matched controls, SLE patients were shown to be more likely to have International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes related to the SLE disease criteria. In the PheWAS of male versus female SLE patients, with adjustment for age and race, male patients were shown to be more likely to have atrial fibrillation (odds ratio 4.50, false discovery rate P = 3.23 × 10-3 ). Chart review confirmed atrial fibrillation, with the majority of patients developing atrial fibrillation after the SLE diagnosis and having multiple risk factors for atrial fibrillation. After adjustment for age, sex, race, and coronary artery disease, SLE disease status was shown to be significantly associated with atrial fibrillation (P = 0.002). Conclusion Using PheWAS to compare male and female patients with SLE, we identified a novel association of an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation in male patients. SLE disease status was shown to be independently associated with atrial fibrillation, even after adjustment for age, sex, race, and coronary artery disease. These results demonstrate the utility of PheWAS as an EHR-based discovery tool for SLE.
A 10-bit 50-MS/s SAR ADC with 1 fJ/Conversion in 14 nm SOI FinFET CMOS

Abstract A 10-bit Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) was implemented in a 14 nm SOI FinFET CMOS technology, achieving 59.59 dB SNDR at 50 MS/s while consuming 41.3 µW power. Several techniques were used to increase the energy efficiency while ensuring the linearity. First, a segmented architecture with a 5-bit coarse ADC and an 11-bit fine ADC was used. The aligned Switching with Skip (ASS) method was used to generate the five MSBs of the fine ADC from the computed coarse ADC bits, saving 58% switching power compared with non-segmented architecture with merged capacitor switching (MCS) method. Second, VCM-based MCS scheme is used for SAR bit resolving, saving 85.72% switching power compared with traditional SAR switching. Third, the dual supply mode with analog at 0.8 V and digital at 0.4 V was used. This reduces the total digital logic power consumption by 23% comparing with that using the single supply at 0.8 V. The differential architecture was used to minimize the common mode non-idealities. The proposed ADC has been implemented in a 14 nm SOI FinFET technology and achieved a peak Figure of Merit (FoM) of 1.07 fJ/Conversion-step with simulation results.
Alcoholism from a Behavioristic Point of View

It is time to consider a behavioristic approach to the etiology and pathogenesis of alcoholism true to its roots. Our approach is based on elements of Watson, his comparative psychology and concern about infant development, Dewey and Lashley’s refusal to ignore complex problems and Lashley and Skinner’s understanding that the proximal causes and explanation of observable behavior requires reliance upon the principles of neuroscience.
Applied Recreation Geography

Recreation geography can be loosely defined as ‘…the systematic study of recreation patterns and processes in the landscape’ (Smith 1983, p. xiii). However, the subdiscipline investigates leisure-related phenomena in general, and recreation geographers have investigated the geographic aspects of such diverse phenomena as international travel and tourism (Boniface and Cooper 1987; Matley 1976), collegiate sports recruiting (Rooney 1980), urban recreation systems (Lovingood and Mitchell 1978), and recreational boating patterns (Heatwole and West 1982).
Gateway Entry Vector Library of Wolbachia pipientis Candidate Effectors from Strain wMel.

ABSTRACT Wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular symbiont that modifies host biology using a type IV secretion system to inject bacterial effectors into the host cytoplasm. We utilized a bioinformatics approach to predict Wolbachia effectors and cloned the candidates into an entry vector, which can be utilized for subsequent analyses.
Pulmonary trauma: Emergency department evaluation and management

Pulmonary trauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. It is imperative for the emergency physician to identify promptly patients who require immediate therapy. In patients who have limited injuries, literature shows that often conservative management provides improved outcome. As the exposure to automobiles and firearms continues to increase in the setting of improved prehospital management, the emergency physician will encounter an increasing amount of pulmonary trauma. This rise in respiratory injuries will require a more aggressive approach of patients with minimal morbidity and mortality. A systematic approach to respiratory injuries is crucial to improving patient outcomes.
Triple point shear layers in hypervelocity flow

Thermochemical processes such as dissociation and vibrational excitation can have a substantial impact on the gas dynamics of planetary entry. A critical question that confronts vehicle designers is the role of such molecular effects on transition and turbulence. In high stagnation enthalpy flows, thermochemical processes have been observed to affect transition to turbulence in boundary layers through modifications to the mean flow profile as well as to flow stability [1-3].
Carbohydrate Metabolism A: Glycolysis and Gluconeogenesis

Glycolysis is defined as the anerobic conversion of glucose to pyruvic acid. The glycolytic pathway, which is ubiquitous in nature, is also known as the Meyerhoff, Embden, Parnas pathway, named after the three biochemists who made major contributions to its formulation. The physiological role played by glycolysis in the cell far exceeds just the biosynthesis of pyruvate, e.g., it provides the cell with ATP under anerobic conditions and it also supplies precursors for the biosynthesis of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides.
Comparison of PCR/FISH testing and next generation sequencing (NGS) in molecular diagnosis of advanced-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

262Background: As the number of clinically actionable genetic markers for lung adenocarcinoma has increased, the need for accurate and timely identification of these markers has become paramount. I...
The role of microRNAs in chronic pseudomonas lung infection in Cystic fibrosis.

Abstract Background Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common life limiting genetic disorder, characterized by chronic respiratory failure secondary to inflammation and chronic bacterial lung infection. Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection is associated with more severe lung disease and rapid progression of respiratory failure when compared to Staphylococcus aureus infection. We hypothesized that a specific signature of epigenetic factors targeting specific gene transcripts contributes to the increased morbidity seen in CF patients with chronic Pseudomonas infection. Methods We collected exhaled breath condensate (EBC) from 27 subjects and evaluated miRNA signatures in these samples using commercial PCR array. We identified predicted mRNA targets and associated signaling pathways using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Results We found 11 differentially expressed miRNAs in EBC of patients infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to EBC from CF patients who were not chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p Conclusion Our study identified 6 miRNAs as epigenetic factors specifically associated with chronic Pseudomonas infection in patients with CF.
SpO2 /FIO2 on Presentation as a Predictor for Early Hemodynamic Deterioration in Intermediate Risk Acute Pulmonary Embolism.

BACKGROUND: Patients with intermediate-risk acute pulmonary embolism are at risk of hemodynamic deterioration, and identification of risk factors for decompensation could guide the administration of thrombolytics. We aimed to assess whether SpO2/FIO2 on presentation is associated with early hemodynamic deterioration in this population. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of subjects admitted between 2006 and 2018 with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (hemodynamically stable with right ventricle to left ventricle ratio > 0.9 or tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion RESULTS: A total of 178 subjects were included. Early hemodynamic deterioration occurred in 13% of the subjects and was associated with a median (interquartile range) lower SpO2/FIO2 on presentation in univariate analysis (243 [123–275] versus 438 [335–457], P CONCLUSIONS: In intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism, SpO2/FIO2 on presentation can help predict the risk of early hemodynamic deterioration.
Iliotibial band autograft: what size is the graft? A mathematical and cadaveric model : ITB single and double strand size.

The iliotibial band (ITB) is used in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in skeletally immature patients as well as several other orthopedic reconstructions. The purpose of this study is to determine the size of the ITB as an autograft option in ACL reconstruction surgery or other orthopedic soft tissue reconstructions. Five adult cadavers resulting in nine ITB were used. Thickness and width of the ITB were determined. Using ITB width of 15–60 mm, single and doubled graft sizes were determined using standard surgical graft size technique. Geometric calculations based on average graft thickness were used to mathematically confirm the graft size of the ITB. The ITB is less than 1 mm in thickness in males and females. Cadaveric measurements were less than 1 mm larger than mathematical measurements, in majority of measurements. ITB autograft can be harvested to a maximum 9 mm single-stranded graft or > 12 mm doubled graft. A minimum of 50 mm of ITB width is required to make a 8 mm graft. ITB is a versatile graft that can be used for a graft size up to 9 mm single strand and over 12 mm double strand. A minimum of 50 mm width of ITB is required to obtain a 8 mm-diameter autograft. To ensure appropriate graft size, surgeons should consider harvesting the maximum amount of ITB when performing ACL reconstructions in skeletally immature patients. Surgeons have a quick reference for the width of ITB they should harvest based on the size of graft they require for a successful surgery.
Would a Financial Transaction Tax Affect Financial Market Activity? Insights from Future Markets

In the wake of the recent financial crisis, several commentators have suggested a transaction tax on financial markets. The potential consequences of such a tax could be hazardous to the financial markets affected as well as to the economy. In this paper, we review the relevant theoretical and empirical literature and apply our findings to estimate the possible impact of a transaction tax on U.S. futures market activity as well as its utility as potential tax revenue. We find that the impact of a transaction tax on market activity (trading volume, bid-ask spread, and price volatility) will determine the potential of such a tax as a source of government revenue. We also find that the current estimated elasticity of trading volume with respect to a transaction tax in the U.S. futures markets is much higher than those reported in the extant literature and those used by the government in such computation. We show that a transaction tax on futures trading will not only fail to generate the expected tax revenue, it will likely drive business away from U.S. exchanges and toward untaxed foreign markets. A review of the literature and estimates contained here indicates that there is an inverse relationship between transaction cost (bid-ask spread) and trading volume; to the extent that a transaction tax increases costs, trading volumes will likely fall. There is also a positive relationship between transaction cost and price volatility, suggesting that the imposition of a transaction tax could actually increase financial market fragility, increasing the likelihood of a financial crisis rather than reducing it. Perversely, the imposition of a financial transaction tax could have results that are exactly the opposite of those hoped for by its proponents.
The glutamine debate in surgery and critical care.

Purpose of reviewGlutamine (GLN) is a versatile amino acid, long believed to have important implications in ICU and surgical patients. An extensive body of data examining GLN supplementation of TPN demonstrated a consistent signal of improved outcomes. However, recently signals of risk have come fro
Integration of Currently Available and Emerging Intracorporeal Imaging Technologies in Medicine

Background: Current intracorporeal imaging technologies are not sufficient. Many research studies have developed ways to integrate alternate technologies into existing procedures. To understand the...
Optimal Remote Entanglement Distribution

Distributing entanglement between distant nodes is an essential task in quantum networks. To achieve this task, quantum repeaters have been introduced to perform entanglement swapping. This paper offers a design of remote entanglement distribution (RED) protocols that maximize the entanglement distribution rate (EDR). We introduce the concept of enodes , representing the entangled quantum bit (qubit) pairs in the network. This concept enables us to design the optimal RED protocols based on the solutions of some linear programming problems. Moreover, we investigate RED in a homogeneous repeater chain, which is a building block for many quantum networks. In particular, we determine the maximum EDR for homogeneous repeater chains in a closed form. Our results enable the distribution of long-distance entanglement with noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) technologies and provide insights into the design and implementation of general quantum networks.
Diamond Nanofluids: Microstructural Analysis and Heat Transfer Study

AbstractNanofluids are suspensions of ultra-fine nanoparticles or tubes resulting in the nanofluids having thermal conductivities significantly higher than those of the conventional base fluid alon...
Family Values Means Covering Families: Parents Need to Focus on Parenting, Not Access to Care.

Child health depends on family health. In this issue of Pediatrics , Johnston et al1 clearly illustrate challenges facing low-income mothers in gaining access to health insurance during the first year after childbirth. Although highlighting the positive impact of Medicaid expansion through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (in some states), the number of mothers who are uninsured before, during, and after pregnancy in the United States is alarming. Of 185 World Health Organization member states with a population >100 000, the United States and the Dominican Republic were the only countries where maternal mortality increased between 2000 and 2017.2 Women with preexisting chronic conditions, living in poverty, and belonging to a racial and/or ethnic minority are disproportionately affected.3 Studies of women who have delivered a child have found that one-quarter were uninsured in the month before pregnancy, and more than half of the mothers had <12 years of education.4 Johnston et al1 draw attention to this critical issue while elucidating a partial solution: expanding access to health insurance through the Medicaid program. Not surprisingly, they found that … Address correspondence to Tina L. Cheng, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, 1800 Orleans St, #8491, Baltimore, MD 21287. E-mail: tcheng2{at}jhmi.edu
The impact of story grammar instruction and text difficulty on students’ skill in summarizing narratives

Abstract Previous research on teaching summarizing skill has focused on summarizing strategies that are appropriate for expository texts rather than narrative text. Findings of these studies showed an advantage for older over younger students but did not control for text difficulty, so age effects may have been confounded by text difficulty. The present study tested an intervention designed to improve summarizing of narrative texts, taking into account the factor of text difficulty. Thirty fourth-grade participants (mean age = 9.7 years) were pretested for reading and summarizing skill. Participants receiving the summarizing treatment (N = 15) were taught to write summaries of narrative texts based on story grammar components. Participants receiving the writing control treatment (N = 15) were taught to write about connections between their lives and the text. Results showed that the story grammar intervention improved the quality of narrative summaries and that better summaries came from easier text than harder text. The present study reveals a shortcoming of previous summarizing studies that attributed superior performance to age without considering text difficulty. Findings show the effectiveness of teaching fourth graders to apply story grammar components to improve their skill in summarizing narrative text.
Court Interpreters and the Political Economy of Bail in Three Arraignment Courts

Criminal courts in the United States engage defendants with Limited English Proficiency on a regular basis. However, we know little about how court‐appointed interpreters shape case‐level routines and dispositions, nor how these interpreters navigate their immediate courtroom environment. We draw on observations of bail hearings (N = 647) conducted in 2015–16 in three arraignment courts in New York and New Jersey to map the practice and consequences of language interpretation. More specifically, we examine whether the use of an interpreter relates to indicators of judicial treatment and case disposition by bail type/amount, and explore more broadly how the presence of interpreters shapes the casework of other courtroom actors. Results from multivariate regression models indicate that cases with interpreters are associated with a more limited judicial review, a lower likelihood of unconditional release, and higher cash bonds. We discuss these findings in terms of evolving mechanisms of social control and the criminalization of disadvantaged populations.
MULTI-WAVELENGTH POLARIMETRY AND SPECTRAL STUDY OF THE M87 JET DURING 2002–2008*

We present a multi-wavelength polarimetric and spectral study of the M87 jet obtained at sub-arcsecond resolution between 2002 and 2008. The observations include multi-band archival VLA polarimetry data sets along with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging polarimetry. These observations have better angular resolution than previous work by factors of 2–3 and in addition, allow us to explore the time domain. These observations envelop the huge flare in HST-1 located 086 from the nucleus. The increased resolution enables us to view more structure in each knot, showing several resolved sub-components. We also see apparent helical structure in the polarization vectors in several knots, with polarization vectors turning either clockwise or counterclockwise near the flux maxima in various places as well as showing filamentary undulations. Some of these characteristics are correlated with flux and polarization maxima while others are not. We also examine the total flux and fractional polarization and look for changes in both radio and optical since the observations of Perlman et al. (1999) and test them against various models based on shocks and instabilities in the jet. Our results are broadly consistent with previous spine-sheath models and recollimation shock models; however, they require additional combinations of features to explain the observed complexity, e.g., shearing of magnetic field lines near the jet surface and compression of the toroidal component near shocks. In particular, in many regions we find apparently helical features both in total flux and polarization. We discuss the physical interpretation of these features.
A Just Work for Just Practice

Janet L. Finn is a professor of Social Work and Anthropology, whose work focuses on issues of social action, social justice, and social work. This work focuses a critical lens on how social work is...
Renal Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Study

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is an adjunctive treatment for patients with diabetic foot ulcers. The prolonged high oxygen level used in HBOT can produce oxidative stress, which may be harmful to the kidney. Animal experiments suggest HBOT does not harm renal function and may have an antiproteinuric effect, but little is known on the effect of HBOT in humans. We performed a retrospective chart review of 94 patients with diabetes mellitus who underwent HBOT at our institution over an eight-year period. Thirty-two patients had serum creatinine levels within 60 days of the start and the end of treatment. Creatinine levels were 1.41 ± 0.89 mg/dl before and 1.52 ± 1.17 mg/dl after hyperbaric treatments with no statistically significant difference (mean (postcreatinine + precreatinine/2) = 0.10 mg/dl, SE = 0.11, t = 0.89). Twenty-three patients had proteinuria measurements before and after HBOT mainly by urine dipstick analysis. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed less proteinuria after HBOT than before (N = 23, ). Proteinuria was absent in 7 of 23 patients (30%) before HBOT and 13 of 23 patients (57%) after HBOT, a reduction by almost 50%. This observation is remarkable because oxidative stress might be expected to increase rather than decrease proteinuria.
The 2021 update of the EPA's adverse outcome pathway database

The EPA developed the Adverse Outcome Pathway Database (AOP-DB) to better characterize adverse outcomes of toxicological interest that are relevant to human health and the environment. Here we present the most recent version of the EPA Adverse Outcome Pathway Database (AOP-DB), version 2. AOP-DB v.2 introduces several substantial updates, which include automated data pulls from the AOP-Wiki 2.0, the integration of tissue-gene network data, and human AOP-gene data by population, semantic mapping and SPARQL endpoint creation, in addition to the presentation of the first publicly available AOP-DB web user interface. Potential users of the data may investigate specific molecular targets of an AOP, the relation of those gene/protein targets to other AOPs, cross-species, pathway, or disease-AOP relationships, or frequencies of AOP-related functional variants in particular populations, for example. Version updates described herein help inform new testable hypotheses about the etiology and mechanisms underlying adverse outcomes of environmental and toxicological concern.
Bonding With Bot: User Feedback on a Chatbot for Social Isolation.

Social isolation has affected people globally during the COVID-19 pandemic and had a major impact on older adult’s well-being. Chatbot interventions may be a way to provide support to address loneliness and social isolation in older adults. The aims of the current study were to (1) understand the distribution of a chatbot’s net promoter scores, (2) conduct a thematic analysis on qualitative elaborations to the net promoter scores, (3) understand the distribution of net promoter scores per theme, and (4) conduct a single word analysis to understand the frequency of words present in the qualitative feedback. A total of 7,099 adults and older adults consented to participate in a chatbot intervention on reducing social isolation and loneliness. The average net promoter score (NPS) was 8.67 out of 10. Qualitative feedback was provided by 766 (10.79%) participants which amounted to 898 total responses. Most themes were rated as positive (517), followed by neutral (311) and a minor portion as negative (70). The following five themes were found across the qualitative responses: positive outcome (277, 30.8%), user did not address question (262, 29.2%), bonding with the chatbot (240, 26.7%), negative technical aspects (70, 7.8%), and ambiguous outcome (49, 5.5%). Themes with a positive valence were found to be associated with a higher NPS. The word “help” and it’s variations were found to be the most frequently used words, which is consistent with the thematic analysis. These results show that a chatbot for social isolation and loneliness was perceived positively by most participants. More specifically, users were likely to personify the chatbot (e.g., “Cause I feel like I have a new friend!”) and perceive positive personality features such as being non-judgmental, caring, and open to listen. A minor portion of the users reported dissatisfaction with chatting with a machine. Implications will be discussed.
Clinical and pathologic evaluation of chorioretinal lesions in wild owl species.

Objective Investigate histopathology and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of wild owls with chorioretinitis and identify any potential correlation with an infectious etiology. Materials and methods Ophthalmic examination and retinal OCT imaging were performed on fifteen great horned (Strix varia) and barred (Bubo virginianus) owls (30 eyes) with chorioretinitis and five owls with normal eyes (10 eyes). Testing to investigate the presence of potential infectious diseases included a complete blood count, biochemistry, protein electrophoresis, West Nile virus (WNV) plaque reduction neutralization test, Toxoplasma gondii modified direct agglutination test, WNV RT-PCR, and Avian Influenza RT-PCR. A necropsy was performed on all owls, including ocular histopathology. Results Fundus lesions included retinal detachment (7/15 owls), depigmented lesions (12/15), pigment clumping (8/15), and retinal tear (4/15). All birds were negative for WNV and Avian Influenza on RT-PCR. Of the owls with chorioretinitis, 3/15 were seropositive for WNV and 7/15 for T. gondii. Optical coherence tomography of 25/30 affected eyes revealed outer retinal lesions (19/25 eyes), retinal detachment (16/25), and retinal tears (3/25). Histopathological examination revealed outer nuclear layer atrophy (19/30 eyes), retinal detachment (18/30), retinal tears (7/30), suprachoroidal hemorrhage (12/30), scleral rupture (3/30), and ossicle fracture (3/30). Conclusions Although 20% of birds were seropositive for WNV and 46.6% for T. gondii, histopathologic findings supported that the posterior segment lesions in the study group were likely due to blunt ocular trauma rather than an infectious etiology. The results of OCT imaging and histopathology documented retinal changes most consistent with blunt ocular trauma.
Event-Based Interaction Management for Composite E-Services in eFlow

The Web is rapidly becoming the platform through which many companies deliver e-services to businesses and individual customers. E-Services are typically delivered in their primitive forms, called basic services. However, today's business environment creates the opportunity for providing value-added, integrated services, delivered by composing existing e-services, possibly offered by different providers. In order to enable organizations to pursue this business opportunity we have developed eFlow, a model and architecture that support the specification, enactment, and management of composite e-services, modeled as processes that are enacted by a process engine. In this paper we focus on one of the most important and innovative aspects of eFlow: that of the integration between service composition and event management. In particular, we extend classic service composition model by allowing composite services to publish and receive events. This capability enables composite services to dynamically exchange data with other applications (in the form of event parameters), to synchronize service invocations with the occurrence of (external or internal) events, and to handle exceptions occurring during service execution. One of our main objectives has been that of defining a model that is easy to understand and easy to use. Indeed, all types of events are handled in the same fashion from the user perspective, and high-level constructs are provided to handle critical events such as those related to time management. Finally, we show how the proposed approach can be implemented by integrating existing technologies.
Circuit Analysis Computing by Waveform Relaxation

The sections in this article are 1 Structure of VLSI Circuits 2 Internal WR Algorithms 3 External Global WR Algorithms 4 Windowing and Other Efficiency Improvements 5 Parallel Waveform-Relaxation-Based Circuit Simulation 6 Summary and Conclusions