cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Different Models of Dialysis Care on Patient-Important Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract Ongoing payment reform in dialysis necessitates better patient outcomes and lower costs. Suggested improvements to processes of care for maintenance dialysis patients are abundant; however, their impact on patient-important outcomes is unclear. This systematic review included comparative randomized controlled trials or observational studies with no restriction on language, published from 2000 to 2014, involving at least 5 adult dialysis patients who received a minimum of 6 months of follow-up. The effect size was pooled and stratified by intervention strategy (multidisciplinary care [MDC], home dialysis, alternate dialysis settings, and electronic health record implementation). Heterogeneity (I2) was used to assess the variability in study effects related to study differences rather than chance. Of the 1988 articles screened, 25 international studies with 74,833 maintenance dialysis patients were included. Interventions with MDC or home dialysis were associated with a lower mortality (hazard rati...
Mistakes in Clinical Trials

This chapter describes some of the mistakes that we have made and remedies that we have tried in the design, implementation, conduct, and analysis of over 60 clinical trials and observational studies. The topics to be covered include: (1) Overestimating patient intake; (2) Planning too complex a clinical trial; (3) Trying to collect too much data; (4) Not anticipating problems in following patients; (5) Making errors in the randomization scheme; (6) Making errors in programming the statistical analysis; and (7) Drawing conclusions that are not supported by the data. These mistakes were often jointly made by committees of very smart and experienced physicians and biostatisticians who planned and conducted these studies, and often the remedies were sufficient to make the studies productive in spite of the errors made.
Sounding the Tricolore: France and the United States during World War ii

During World War ii, French music found itself in a unique position in the United States. As the sonic embodiment of an Allied nation, it was nonetheless subjected to musical identity politics that drew on stereotypes of France as an elegant, cosmopolitan, and even effeminate culture whose products needed the transformation of US reception to toughen themselves up for the global war, fought both on the battlefield and through propaganda. I focus on three aspects of this complex story of cultural mediation: the reception and adaptation of Claude Debussy’s music, especially Pelleas et Melisande; American cultural artifacts representing France, such as the 1943 motion picture Casablanca; and the role of French composers and performers in the United States during the war.
Asking Children to “Be Helpers” Can Backfire After Setbacks

Describing behaviors as reflecting categories (e.g., asking children to "be helpers") has been found to increase pro-social behavior. The present studies (N = 139, ages 4-5) tested whether such effects backfire if children experience setbacks while performing category-relevant actions. In Study 1, children were asked either to "be helpers" or "to help," and then pretended to complete a series of successful scenarios (e.g., pouring milk) and unsuccessful scenarios (e.g., spilling milk while trying to pour). After the unsuccessful trials, children asked to "be helpers" had more negative attitudes. In Study 2, asking children to "be helpers" impeded children's helping behavior after they experienced difficulties while trying to help. Implications for how category labels shape beliefs and behavior are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Recent applications of N-sulfonyloxaziridines (Davis oxaziridines) in organic synthesis

Abstract N-Sulfonyloxaziridines are the most commonly used oxaziridines in organic synthesis. Most applications of these stable, commercially available reagents involve the stereo- and regioselective oxidation of nucleophiles which have found many applications in the synthesis of architecturally complex molecules. In addition, these oxaziridines have been used in cycloaddition reactions (oxyamination), epoxidation of alkenes, silyl enol ethers and enamines, as well as C-H oxidation and amination reactions. The object of this review is to highlight recent applications of N-sulfonyloxaziridines in organic synthesis.
Application of optimal control method in buckling analysis of constrained elastica problems

Abstract Main concern of the paper is to illustrate the generic application of the optimal control method in the analysis of a constrained buckling problem and its simple and elegant formulation when compared to other techniques. Thus, an optimal control methodology is adopted to investigate the buckling behavior of thin elastic structures under the presence of unilateral constraints. We particularly explore the post-buckling response of a constant or variable length elastica constrained by rigid walls. The equivalence between the calculus of variations and the optimal control is first demonstrated, with a main focus on the post-buckling behavior of a constant length elastica which is constrained by horizontal walls. The gradual construction of the constrained buckling problem as an optimal control problem from its equivalent Lagrangian form clearly shows its advantage when compared to the calculus of variations. The necessary optimality conditions, which constitute the Pontryagin’s minimum or maximum principle, are also derived by considering a direct adjoining approach. The solution of the optimal control problem is then performed by applying a direct method. Validation of the methodology is first achieved by reproducing examples available in the literature. Then the effects of factors, such as the geometry of the walls and the variability in the bending stiffness of the elastica, on its buckling response are analyzed. These constrained buckling problems are investigated for the first time, while through them it is also readily shown that the presence of geometric or material nonlinearity does not introduce any essential complexity in the buckling analysis when the optimal control methodology is adopted.
The Rockefeller University Clinical Scholars (KL2) Program 2006-2016.

Introduction and methods The Rockefeller Clinical Scholars (KL2) Program began in 1976 and transitioned into a 3-year Master's degree program in 2006 when Rockefeller joined the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. The program consists of ~15 trainees supported by the CTSA KL2 award and University funds. It is designed to provide an optimal environment for junior translational investigators to develop team science and leadership skills by designing and performing a human subjects protocol under the supervision of a distinguished senior investigator mentor and a team of content expert educators. This is complemented by a tutorial focused on important translational skills. Results Since 2006, 40 Clinical Scholars have graduated from the programs and gone on to careers in academia (72%), government service (5%), industry (15%), and private medical practice (3%); two (5%) remain in training programs. 39/40 remain in translational research careers with 23 NIH awards totaling $23 million, foundation and philanthropic support of $20.3 million, and foreign government and foundation support of $6 million. They have made wide ranging scientific discoveries and have endeavored to translate those discoveries into improved human health. Conclusion The Rockefeller Clinical Scholars (KL2) program provides one model for translational science training.
Salicylic acid (SA) detection using bi-enzyme microfluidic electrochemical sensor

Salicylic Acid (SA) is a phyto-hormone involved in the regulation of induced plant defense mechanisms, primarily against biotic stresses. Various methods have been reported for detecting SA. The electrochemical methods offer economical, portable, and accurate concentration measurement of bio-chemicals like SA. Electrochemical biosensors often require modification of the working electrode (WE) with specific materials to functionalize it with bio-molecules, needed for target analyte recognition. The proposed biosensor provides a unique methodology of selectively coating the inter-digital electrodes (IDE) and further applying the method to develop a biosensor to detect SA. The electrodes are fabricated using a novel deposition process termed as, Capillary action assisted deposition (CAAD) which consists of IDEs fabricated in the form of small finger-like channels connected to a wider main channel. The drop-casted sample automatically flows from the main channel into the fine fingers under the effect of capillary action. The sensor includes a 3-electrode system arranged in a 3-D geometry, forming an integrated microfluidic channel for analyte solution flow. The WE is selectively coated with, first, Graphene oxide (GO) and next, the bi-enzyme Salicylate Hydroxylase (SH) and Tyrosinase (TYR) recipe using the proposed CAAD process. The bi-enzyme exhibits selectivity towards SA and the proposed sensor shows the detection range of 0.5 μ𝑀 to 64 μ𝑀. The electrochemical reactions are characterized by Chrono-amperometry (CA) and shows the sensitivity of 34.4 μA cm-2 per decade change in SA concentration (in μ𝑀). To the best of our knowledge, the proposed bi-enzyme system in a microfluidic device for SA sensing is the first of its kind.
Dual luminophor pressure sensitive paint. II. Lifetime based measurement of pressure and temperature

Abstract Two newly synthesized luminescent compounds provide a lifetime based dual pressure and temperature sensor when jointly dissolved in a polymer matrix. The temperature sensor is a tris(β-diketonate) phenanthroline europium complex, with a broad absorption peaked at 370 nm and a characteristic but relatively sharp 615 nm europium emission. The lifetime of this compound varies between 260 and 120 μs over the temperature range 5–45 °C for a derivative of −3.50 μs/°C. Our pressure sensor is a porphyrin compound called platinum tetra(pentafluorophenyl)porpholactone (PtTFPL) developed recently in our labs. This compound has a principal absorption band at 390 nm and a red-shifted phosphorescence at 730 μm. In silicone polycarbonate co-polymer, PtTFPL has a lifetime range of 42.7–6.6 μs in going from 0 to 1 atm at 1 atm. The two sensors have maximum absorption in the range 370–400 nm but non-overlapping emission spectra upon excitation with a broadband illumination at 400 nm. As a result, with appropriate band pass optical filters, the two emission lines can be detected separately. In addition to the high photostability of the dual system, our studies show that the luminescence properties of one sensor are independent of the presence of the other sensor. We note that measurement of decay rate is more robust than measuring intensity, since it is unaffected by changes in the light source, the index of refraction of the medium, optical geometry variations and fluctuations in film thickness and dye concentration. Hence the two compounds afford the possibility of a dual luminophor lifetime measurement of pressure and temperature.
Substance abuse disorders.

In 1996, the first “baby boomers” turned fifty years of age. During the next two decades as the baby boomers enter their 60s there will be an inexorable increase in the elderly population. The proportion of people 65 years of age and older in the general population is now approximately 13%. While the percentage of older persons will clearly increase, the effect of this historical phenomenon on alcohol and drug consumption among the older persons in future years remains to be seen. Up to now, the data show that alcohol drinking in general, and heavy alcohol use in particular, declines with aging (Adams, Garry, Rhyne, Hunt, & Goodwin, 1990; Fillmore, 1987; Fillmore et al., 1991; Glynn, Bouchard, LoCastro, & Laird, 1985). There are differences within the older age group; for the “young elderly,” those 60 to 74, there are modest changes, with some investigators reporting an increase in alcohol consumption during those years (Glynn et al., 1985; Gordon & Kannel, 1983). Beyond the age of 75, the drop in alcohol intake is considerable, and there are fewer drinkers and fewer heavy drinkers in the older years. It is believed that this decrease relates to increasing health problems and to the increased proportion of women in older population subgroups. As is true throughout the life span, older women drink less and abuse alcohol less than do older men (E. S. L. Gomberg, 1995b). There are also geographic differences: the prevalence of alcohol abuse ranges among older persons from 1.5 percent in North Carolina to 3.7 percent in Baltimore (Helzer, Burnham, & McEvoy, 1991).
Relational Social Work Practice with Hispanic Clients

This chapter addresses the application of relational-cultural therapy with Hispanics in the United States. It prepares clinical practitioners and graduate clinical social work students for the challenge of providing psychosocial care to Hispanics. The chapter applies core tenets of relational-cultural theory to a model of psychotherapeutic treatment that is consistent with the cultural expectations and value characteristics of most Hispanic populations residing in the United States. The chapter also demonstrates how relational theory is adaptable to a relational-cultural approach. It directs clinicians and clinical students to explore how issues related to diversity, powerlessness, and marginalization affect the psychosocial functioning and development of individuals and how clinical practice can effectively address these issues.
Bifurcation near Equilibrium

In this chapter, we discuss various types of dynamic behavior when a bifurcation arises from the existence of a simple eigenvalue. More specificially, we consider an equation $$ Cx + N(x,\mu ) = 0 $$ (1.1) in a Banach space X for μ in a Banach space E, N(0, 0) = 0, ∂N(0, 0)/∂x = 0 under the assumption that the linear operator C has zero as a simple eigen-value. The method of Liapunov—Schmidt gives a scalar bifurcation function G(a, μ) defined for (a, μ) in neighborhood of (0, 0) ∈ ℝ × E. Suppose Cx + N(x, μ)is the vector field for an evolutionary equation $$ \tfrac{{dx}}{{dt}} = Cx + N(x,\mu ) $$ (1.2) .
Low oxygen is optimal for luciferase synthesis in some bacteria. Ecological implications.

The synthesis of the bioluminescent systems in many strains of two species of the genus Photobacterium which were isolated as symbionts is greater at low oxygen concentrations, where aerobic growth is blocked. In strains of two other species, one Photobacterium of symbiotic orgin, and one (genus Beneckea) whose luminous members are not known to be involved in symbiotic associations, a different response is observed. At low oxygen concentrations, where there is an inhibition of growth, there is also a similar decrease in the synthesis, of the luminescent system. These species-specific differences may indicate important ecological differences along with distinctive differences in the molecular control mechanisms involved in the synthesis of luciferase.
Autonomic arousal elicited by subcallosal cingulate stimulation is explained by white matter connectivity.

Abstract Background Subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation (SCC DBS) is an experimental treatment for severe depression. Surgery is performed with awake patients and intraoperative stimulation produces acute behavioral responses in select contacts. While there have been reports on the relationship between acute intraoperative behaviors and their relation to the location of the contacts, there are no descriptions of the physiological changes that accompany them. Objective The present study sought to examine these physiological readouts, and their association with the anatomical substrates that generated them. Methods Nine patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression were tested intraoperatively. The stimulation protocol consisted of 12 three-minute, sham-controlled, double-blind trials. Changes in heart rate and skin conductance were recorded during each stimulation cycle. Probabilistic tractography between the stimulated contacts and predefined regions of the mood regulation network was performed. Results Acute intraoperative SCC stimulation produced increases in autonomic sympathetic response that correlated with the salience of the behavioral responses. The autonomic changes were observed within seconds of initiating acute stimulation and prior to verbalization of subjective experiences. The probabilistic tractography analysis suggested that structural connectivity between the stimulated area and the midcingulate cortex is the primary pathway that mediates autonomic responsivity to SCC DBS. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that acute SCC stimulation produces autonomic and behavioral changes in the operating room that are explained by the modulation of networks associated with long term antidepressant response. Intraoperative autonomic recordings paired with careful behavioral observations and precise anatomical mapping aid in the identification and classification of the intraoperative phenomena.
Immunotherapy in Hodgkin Lymphoma: The Road Ahead

An extensive infiltrate of intratumoral immune cells is a hallmark of classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) but these cells do result in an effective antitumor response. Immune checkpoint therapy, which activates 'exhausted' T cells, has been found to be highly effective in cHL, but responding patients commonly relapse. Combination approaches are currently being investigated but the assessment of benefit when adding immunotherapy is challenging. The pitfalls in designing combination studies derive from response endpoints that are difficult to measure, a lack of biomarkers that predict response, and a limited understanding of tumor biology. While progress in treating patients with cHL has been exceptional so far, further progress may require a review of clinical trial endpoints and a greater understanding of cHL biology.
No evidence for functional distinctions across fronto-temporal language regions in their temporal receptive windows

The "core language network" consists of left temporal and frontal regions that are selectively engaged in linguistic processing. Whereas the functional differences across these regions have long been debated, many accounts propose distinctions in terms of representational grain-size--e.g., words vs. sentences--or processing time-scale, i.e., operating on local linguistic features vs. larger spans of input. Indeed, the topography of language regions appears to overlap with a cortical hierarchy reported by Lerner et al. (2011) wherein mid-posterior temporal regions are sensitive to low-level features of speech, surrounding areas--to word-level information, and inferior frontal areas--to sentence-level information and beyond. However, the correspondence between the language network and this hierarchy of "temporal receptive windows" (TRWs) is difficult to establish because the precise anatomical locations of language regions vary across individuals. To directly test this correspondence, we first identified language regions in each participant with a task-based localizer, which confers high functional resolution to the study of TRWs (traditionally based on stereotactic coordinates); then, we characterized regional TRWs on with the naturalistic story listening paradigm of Lerner et al. (2011), which augments task-based characterizations of the language network by more closely resembling comprehension "in the wild". We find no region-by-TRW interactions across temporal and inferior frontal regions, which are all sensitive to both word-level and sentence-level information. Therefore, the language network as a whole constitutes a unique stage of information integration within a broader cortical hierarchy.nnHighlightsO_LILanguage regions are identified with task-based, participant-specific localization.nC_LIO_LIA progressively scrambled naturalistic story probes regional processing timescales.nC_LIO_LIWidespread sensitivity to scrambling at the timescales of both words and sentences.nC_LIO_LINo processing timescale distinctions across temporal and inferior-frontal regions.nC_LIO_LIThese regions all occupy a common, unique stage in a broader processing hierarchy.nC_LI
A Chemical Genetic Analysis of Platelet Activation.

Abstract 4009 Poster Board III-945 Platelets are anucleate cells that are not amenable to traditional forward genetic analysis. In collaboration with the Broad Institute Probe Development Center, we have performed a chemical genetic analysis of platelet activation. Chemical genetics involves exposure of cells to a library of small molecules, identification of compounds that produce a phenotype of interest, and determination of the target of these small molecules. We have used an assay designed both to identify allosteric inhibitors of Protease Activated Receptor-1 (PAR1) and to find inhibitors that selectively target granule release. This assay monitors dense granule secretion mediated by SFLLRN, a PAR1-specific agonist, using a luciferase-based assay system to detect ADP/ATP release. For primary screening, over 300,000 compounds were assayed in duplicate using freshly outdated platelet-rich plasma supplied by several blood banks across the United States. Computational analyses of the primary data demonstrated that approximately 0.2% of compounds showed ≥50% inhibition relative to maximally inhibitory concentrations of the known antiplatelet agent, cilostazol. Secondary screening using 8-point dose response curves were performed on the 629 inhibitory compounds, 742 compounds with inconclusive activity (e.g., ambiguous duplicates in primary screening), and 213 structural analogs of active compounds. These assays identified 367 active compounds with IC 50 s ≤10 micromolar. Counter screening to exclude luciferase inhibitors demonstrated 137 small molecules that inhibited PAR1-mediated ATP/ADP release without significant inhibition of luciferase. Database mining using PubChem and CAS search engines was performed to assess the selectivity of active compounds. Twenty eight compounds were selected for further testing based on their IC 50 s in confirmatory assays, lack of activity in unrelated bioassays, and chemical structure. Known platelet inhibitors were excluded. Of the 28 compounds, 16 compounds potently inhibited SFLLRN-induced alpha-granule release from washed platelets, as monitored by P-selectin expression. IC 50 s for these compounds ranged from 14 C-serotonin release at 10 micromolar. Ongoing studies are directed at selecting best candidates from among the 16 confirmed inhibitory compounds to develop as biological probes that target either PAR1 activation or distal steps in granule secretion. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A consistent quadratic curvature-tilt theory for fluid lipid membranes.

The tilt of a lipid molecule describes the deviation of its orientation away from the local normal of its embedding membrane. Tilt is the subleading degree of freedom after a membrane’s geometry, and it becomes relevant at scales comparable to lipid bilayer thickness. Building on earlier work by Hamm and Kozlov [Eur. Phys. J. E 3, 323 (2000)], who envisioned lipid membranes as thin prestressed fluid elastic films, and Terzi and Deserno [J. Chem. Phys. 147, 084702 (2017)], who discovered a new coupling term between splay and tilt divergence, we construct a theory of membrane elasticity that is quadratic in geometry and tilt and complete at order 1/length2. We show that a general and consistent treatment of both lateral and transverse depth-dependent shear stresses creates several contributions to the elastic energy density, of which only a subset had previously been identified. Apart from the well-known penalty of lipid twist (the curl of tilt), these terms generate no qualitatively new phenomenology, but they quantitatively revise the connections between the moduli of a tilt-curvature theory and its underlying microscopic foundation. In particular, we argue that the monolayer Gaussian curvature modulus κ¯m, widely believed to be equal to the second moment of the transmonolayer stress profile, acquires a second contribution from lipid twist, which is always negative. This could resolve the long-standing conundrum that many measured values of κ¯m appeared to have a sign that violates basic stability considerations. We also show that the previously discovered novel coupling between splay and tilt divergence is not simply proportional to κ¯m but acquires its own splay-tilt coupling modulus, κst,m. We explore the predictions of our theory for various elastic moduli and their mutual interrelations and use an extensive set of existing atomistic molecular dynamics simulations for 12 different lipid types to collectively reason about such predictions. We find that bending rigidities are captured fairly well by existing theories, while reliable predictions for local moduli, especially the splay-tilt coupling modulus, remain challenging.
A Holistic and Multifaceted Model for Ill-Structured Experiential Problem-Based Learning: Enhancing Student Critical Thinking and Communication Skills.

Educators have observed that our college graduates are not equipped with the complex problem-solving skills to contribute to the many challenges of industry and other professional contexts. This paper describes an experiential problem-based multifaceted instructional design and teaching model at the New York University School of Professional Studies, developed by instructional design and technological experts. The model combines traditional instructional design, evidence-based strategies, and learning theories for development of student critical thinkers who can transfer their new knowledge and capabilities to industry and various other professional contexts. This model includes unique faculty and student orientations and guides, students as active contributors, instructors as facilitators, and collaborative projects. Student surveys of four cohorts (68 students) over four academic quarters indicated strong positive results. Students practiced through experiential problem-based learning and thereby learned critical and creative thinking that increased their communication skills. The program, to continue through New York University, can also be adapted for professionally-oriented education degrees, certifications, and lifelong learning courses.
Development of cGAMP-Luc, a sensitive and precise coupled enzyme assay to measure cGAMP in complex biological samples

2′,5′/3′,5′-cGMP-AMP (cGAMP) is a second messenger produced in response to cytosolic dsDNA that activates the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. We recently discovered that cGAMP is exported by cancer cells and that this extracellular signal is an immunotransmitter key to tumor detection and elimination by the innate immune system. The enhancement of extracellular cGAMP levels therefore holds great promise for managing cancer. However, there is still much more to understand about the basic biology of cGAMP before its full therapeutic potential can be realized. To answer these questions, we must be able to detect and quantitate cGAMP with an assay that is high-throughput, sensitive, and precise. Existing assays fall short of these needs. Here, we describe the development of cGAMP-Luc, a coupled enzyme assay that relies on the degradation of cGAMP to AMP by ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) and an optimized assay for the detection of AMP by luciferase. We also developed STING-CAP, a STING-mediated method to concentrate and purify cGAMP from any type of biological sample. We conclude that cGAMP-Luc is an economical high-throughput assay that matches the accuracy of and surpasses the detection limit of MS, the current gold standard of cGAMP quantitation. We propose that cGAMP-Luc is a powerful tool that may enable discoveries that advance insights into extracellular cGAMP levels in healthy and diseased tissues, such as cancer.
Changing Design Education for the 21st Century

Abstract Designers are entrusted with increasingly complex and impactful challenges. However, the current system of design education does not always prepare students for these challenges. When we examine what and how our system teaches young designers, we discover that the most valuable elements of the designer’s perspective and process are seldom taught. Instead, some designers grow beyond their education through their experience working in industry, essentially learning by accident. Many design programs still maintain an insular perspective and an inefficient mechanism of tacit knowledge transfer. Meanwhile, skills for developing creative solutions to complex problems are increasingly essential. Organizations are starting to recognize that designers bring something special to this type of work, a rational belief based upon numerous studies that link commercial success to a design-driven approach. So, what are we to do? Other learned professions such as medicine, law, and business provide excellent advice and guidance embedded within their own histories of professionalization. In this article, we borrow from their experiences to recommend a course of action for design. It will not be easy: it will require a study group to make recommendations for a roster of design and educational practices that schools can use to build a curriculum that matches their goals and abilities. And then it will require a conscious effort to bootstrap the design profession toward both a robust practitioner community and an effective professoriate, capable together of fully realizing the value of design in the 21st century. In this article, we lay out that path.
Fluid-Guided CVD Growth for Large-Scale Monolayer Two-Dimensional Materials.

Atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) has been used extensively for synthesizing two-dimensional (2D) materials because of its low cost and promise for high-quality monolayer cryst...
Double-endoscope assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection for treating tumors in rectum and distal colon by expert endoscopists: a feasibility study.

Colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective but challenging procedure. To facilitate ESD, several methods that apply traction are available; however, the optimal one remains to be established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the double-endoscope assisted ESD (DEA-ESD) by improving traction to treat complex colorectal lesions. Naive or previously treated lesions in the rectum and sigmoid colon were included. A grasping forceps advanced through a small-caliber endoscope (GIF-XP190N, Olympus Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan, 5.4 mm outer diameter) was used to apply traction to the mucosal flap. Lesions were deemed complex when they exceeded a total of nine points on the SMSA scoring system (size, morphology, site, and access) and recurrent when they were previously treated with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). Outcome measures included procedural success, total procedure time, complications, and recurrence rate at 3-month follow-up. Nine patients (mean age 62.3 ± 14.5 years) were included; five had rectal and four had tumors in the sigmoid colon. The median SMSA score was 14 (SMSA Level IV—complex polyp), while three patients were pre-treated with EMR. DEA-ESD was technically feasible in all cases. En bloc resection and R0 resection rates were 100%, respectively, with a mean procedure time of 128.4 ± 54.1 min. No immediate or delayed complications occurred. DEA-ESD is a feasible and safe method for treating complex or recurrent tumors in the rectum and distal colon.
The Power of Ideas: Some Remarks about Two Recent Books on the History of Medieval Political Thought

This essay discusses the historiography of Western medieval political thought, as reflected in "Il pensiero politico medievale" by Gianluca Briguglia and "Il potere al plurale: un profilo di storia del pensiero politico medievale" by Roberto Lambertini and Mario Conetti. These two volumes propose vastly different approaches to the topic both in terms of chronology and focus, the first focusing mainly on texts, the other primarily on practices and institutions. Read in conjunction with one another, these books testify to the complexities involved in conceptualizing the emergence and development of political ideas in Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire in the West and the era of the Renaissance and the Reformation.
High availability in cheap distributed key value storage

Memory-based storage currently offers the highest-performance distributed storage, keeping the primary copy of all data in DRAM. Recent advances in non-volatile main memory (NVMM) technologies promise latency similar to DRAM at reduced cost and energy, but will make providing high availability more challenging. Previous approaches to failure recovery involve maintaining multiple identical replicas or relying on fast offline restoration of data from backup replicas stored on SSD. Unfortunately, NVMM's combination of lower write throughput and increased storage density means that offline restoration can no longer provide sufficiently fast recovery, and maintaining multiple identical replicas is generally cost prohibitive.CANDStore is a strongly consistent, distributed, replicated key-value store that uses a new fast crash recovery protocol. As a result, CANDStore can use NVMM and NVMe SSD technology to provide low-latency distributed storage that is cheaper and higher-availability than existing main memory-based distributed storage. Our evaluation shows that CANDStore's recovery protocol enables the system to restore performance and meet SLOs after the failure of a primary node 4.5--10.5x faster than offline recovery.
Visualization of Retinal Ischemia using Multimodal Photoacoustic Microscopy and Optical Coherence Tomography in a Rabbit Model

This report describes a novel multimodal photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging setup for evaluation of the degree of retinal ischemia in living rabbits.
Standardized Semistructured Psychosocial Evaluation Before Stem Cell Transplantation Predicts Delirium After Transplant.

Background Delirium affects many patients undergoing stem cell transplantation (SCT). Delirium is treatable, but prevention is a better goal, making it desirable to identify patients at heightened risk for delirium. A standardized pretransplant psychosocial assessment rating scale, the Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT), has been demonstrated to predict outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients and nonadherence in patients with SCT. Objectives In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association of SIPAT score and post-SCT incident delirium. Methods We retrospectively reviewed records of SCT recipients who had SIPAT evaluations before SCT, for indications of delirium in the 6 months after transplant. We tested the association between SIPAT score and delirium by logistic regression, controlling for relevant covariates such as transplant type (allogeneic vs autologous). Results Of 85 patients (median age of 49 years, range 18–74), 56 (66%) were men, and 43 (50.5%) were autologous SCT recipients. The median pretransplant SIPAT score was 8, range 0–40. There were 15 cases (17.6%) of delirium in the 6 months following transplant. In univariate analyses, transplant type was significantly associated with incident delirium. In multivariate analyses, SIPAT score was significantly associated with incident delirium (odds ratio, 1.090; P = 0.021). Conclusions Psychosocial risk as quantified by the SIPAT is associated with development of delirium in SCT recipients. This scale can therefore be integrated into medical risk models to anticipate which patients are at higher risk for delirium in their hospital course, enabling preventative measures tailored to the needs of the individual patient.
J M Keynes’s 1931 Comment, “…I Yield to Ramsey, I Think He Is Right” Refers to Ramsey’s Work on Precise Probability and Degrees of Belief, Not to Imprecise Probability and Degrees of Rational Belief: 20th and 21st Century Philosophers and Economists Simply Are Ignorant About Keynes’s Imprecise Theory of Probability Contained in Part II of the A Treatise on Probability

A major error ,committed by all philosophers and economists in the 20th and 21st century who have written on the 1931 comment of Keynes on Ramsey about “…I yield to Ramsey, I think he is right”, is their failure to recognize that Keynes’s logical theory of probability is an imprecise theory of non additive probability based on intervals and dealing with rational degrees of belief, whereas Ramsey’s theory is a precise theory of additive probability that deals with degrees of belief only. The two theories merge only in the every special case where Keynes’s weight of the argument, V(a/h) =w,0≤w≤1, has a value of w=1 and all probability preferences are linear. Nowhere in any of Ramsey’s publications during his life is there ANY recognition on his part that the two theories are diametrically opposed except in the special case where w=1 and probability preferences are linear. It should have been obvious to Ramsey, if he had indeed read the book that he claimed he had read, that Keynes’s probabilities MUST be non additive if, as Ramsey also failed to recognized, only a partial order can be defined on the probability space.
HRP2 and HRP3 cross-reactivity and implications for HRP2-based RDT use in regions with Plasmodium falciparum hrp2 gene deletions.

The Plasmodium falciparum antigen histidine rich protein 2 (HRP2) is a preferred target for malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) because of its abundant production by the parasite and thermal stability. As a result, a majority of RDTs procured globally target this antigen. However, previous reports from South America and recent reports from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia indicate that certain P. falciparum parasites have deletions of the gene coding for HRP2. The HRP2 antigen is paralogous to another P. falciparum antigen HRP3 and some antibodies to HRP2 cross-react with HRP3. Multiple parasites have been described with deletions of one or both hrp2 and hrp3 genes. It is unclear how the various combinations of hrp2 and hrp3 deletion genotypes affect clinical sensitivity of HRP2-based RDTs. Cross-reactivity between HRP2 and HRP3 was tested on malaria RDTs using culture-adapted P. falciparum parasites with both hrp2 and hrp3 intact or with one or both genes deleted. Ten-fold serial dilutions of four culture-adapted P. falciparum parasites [3D7 (hrp2+/hrp3+), Dd2 (hrp2−/hrp3+), HB3 (hrp2+/hrp3−) and 3BD5 (hrp2−/hrp3−)] ranging from 100,000 to 0.01 parasites/µL were prepared. HRP2, Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) and aldolase concentrations were determined for the diluted samples using a multiplex bead assay. The samples were subsequently tested on three RDT products designed to detect P. falciparum by HRP2 alone or in combination with pLDH. At parasite densities of approximately 1000 parasites/µL, parasites that expressed either hrp2 or hrp3 were detected by all three RDTs. Multiplex based antigen measurement using HRP2- conjugated beads demonstrated higher antigen concentration when both hrp2 and hrp3 genes were intact (3D7 parasites, 47.9 ng/ml) compared to HB3 (3.02 ng/mL) and Dd2 (0.20 ng/mL) strains that had one gene deleted. 3D7 at 10 parasites/µL (0.45 ng/mL) was reactive on all three RDT products whereas none of the other parasites were reactive at that density. Above a certain antigen threshold, HRP3 cross-reactivity on HRP2-based RDTs is sufficient to mask the effects of deletions of hrp2 only. Studies of hrp2 deletion and its effects on HRP2-based RDTs must be studied alongside hrp3 deletions and include clinical sample reactivity on HRP2-based tests.
Data vignettes for the application of response surface models in drug combination analysis.

Abstract This data set contains the data used in Twarog et al. (2021) to examine the robustness and utility of response surface models in drug combination analysis. It includes simulated experimental data for the evaluation of traditional index methods, as well as a processed library of interaction metrics evaluated on the Merck OncoPolyPharmacology Screen (O'Neil et al., 2016), the scripts used to implement those metrics on all tested combinations in that screen, and scripts to evaluate the performance of those metrics in comparison with real-world mechanistic classifications. Finally, the data set includes data from several published and unpublished drug combination experiments, and scripts which allow the analyses of those experiments to be replicated and applied to new data.
Holistic review of BSN to DNP applicants: A step-by-step approach to implementation.

Abstract Background Now, more than ever, enhancement of diversity and inclusion is significant to the nursing profession. One way that nursing institutions can enrich diversity in the workforce is through enrollment of students from diverse backgrounds. Purpose The overarching goal of this innovative admissions revision project was to implement and assess the process of holistic admissions in a BSN to DNP family nurse practitioner track. Methods Using a step-by-step approach, the authors in this paper present five key steps to implementing a holistic review of doctoral nursing applicants. These five steps are: (1) assessing fit of admissions criteria, (2) utilizing shared governance, (3) measuring admissions criteria, (4) analyzing reliability, and (5) evaluating revision outcomes. Results and conclusion The step-by-step approach to holistic admissions discussed in this paper was feasible and cost effective. The scoring tool developed for applicant videos demonstrated very good to excellent reliability among raters in two different scoring scenarios. Diversity enhancement among enrolled students was noted in gender, race, and ethnicity after a holistic review was implemented. Implications Findings from this innovative admissions revision have implications for nursing education, advanced nursing practice, organizational policy, workforce diversity, and student/patient outcomes.
Critical Pedagogy and Social Change: Critical Analysis on the Language of Possibility

At its core, the main goal of critical pedagogy is deceptively simple—to construct schools and education as agents of change. While noble and ambitious, it is not always realistic in a climate of increased commodification, privatization of schooling, and canned curriculum. By assuming rather than articulating its own possibilities, critical pedagogy literature itself is often its own worst enemy in its call for transformation. With such challenges from both within and without, is the idea of liberatory pedagogy for social change out of reach or can critical educators really achieve the rather high call for social change? What alternative visions of schooling does critical pedagogy truly offer against the mainstream pedagogy? In short, what are the political projects of critical pedagogy? This powerful and accessible text breaks with tradition by teasing out mere assumptions, and provides a concrete illustration and critique of today’s critical pedagogy. Veteran teacher educator Seehwa Cho begins the book with an engaging overview of the history of critical pedagogy and a clear, concise breakdown of key concepts and terms. Not content to hide behind rhetoric, Cho forces herself and the reader to question the most basic assumptions of critical pedagogy, such as what a vision of social change really means. After a thoughtful and pithy analysis of the politics, possibilities and agendas of mainstream critical pedagogy, Cho takes the provocative step of arguing that these dominant discourses are ultimately what stifle the possibility for true social change. Without focusing on micro-level approaches to alternatives, Cho concludes by laying out some basic principles and future directions for critical pedagogy. Both accessible and provocative, Critical Pedagogy and Social Change is a significant contribution to the debates over critical pedagogy and a fresh, much-needed examination of teaching and learning for social justice in the classroom and community beyond.
Biofilms in the food environment.

Biofilms are structured microbial communities of cells differentiated to play specific roles in the maintenance of the community and its structure. In this chapter, the discussion of biofilm development is organized into three sections: initiation (reversible and irreversible attachment), structure development (maturation), and dispersal. Although there is a general process for how biofilms develop, mechanisms underlying the process differ among microorganisms. The chapter talks about the biofilm matrix, and biofilm ecosystem. Research on food processing biofilms has centered on the ability of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms to grow or survive in these environments, with emphasis on the influence of sanitation procedures. Researchers isolated two types of rough colony variants of Listeria monocytogenes from biofilms, distinguished by short-chain and long-chain cell morphologies. Both types of rough variants exhibited enhanced biofilm formation, with the variants exhibiting increased cell chain length (filamentous growth) when grown as biofilms. The predominant microflora of water system biofilms can be characterized as having low physiological activity and as being difficult to culture using conventional plating methods. Biofilms containing mainly commensal microorganisms can form on roots, leaves, and the internal vascular tissues of edible plants. Cells in biofilms are more difficult to inactivate by application of antimicrobial chemicals and physical stresses than their planktonic counterparts. The major contributor of biofilm microorganisms in our diet is most likely fresh produce, since biofilms form on these foods before harvest, postharvest growth is likely, and the products are consumed without heat treatment.
Learning and memory deficits in APP transgenic mouse models of amyloid deposition.

Several different transgenic APP mice develop learning and memory deficits. In some cases the mice have deficits very early in life, while in other instances the mice exhibit deficits only after they have aged and amyloid deposits have accumulated. In many cases, there is a correlation in individual mice of the same age and genotype between the extent of learning and memory deficits and the amounts of deposited amyloid found in the central nervous system. While superficially this might imply that the deposited material is somehow toxic to cognition, it is likely that deposited amyloid is also an index of the overall rate of amyloid production in each mouse. Rate of production would be expected to modify not only the amounts of deposited amyloid, but also other amyloid pools, including soluble, oligomeric, conjugated (e.g. ADDLs) and intracellular. Thus, the deposited material may be an integrated reflection of total As production, in addition to indicating the amounts in fibrillar forms. As such, it is conceivable that other As pools may be more directly linked to memory deficits. Thus far, the one manipulation found to mitigate the learning and memory deficits in APP transgenic mice is immunotherapy for As, either using active or passive immunization against the peptide. These data together with other findings are leading to a conclusion that the fibrillar As deposits are not directly linked to the memory deficits in mice, and that some other As pool, more readily diminished by immunotherapy, is more directly linked to the mechanisms leading to poor performance in learning and memory tasks.