cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a perplexing and troubling problem for health care professionals and the community. This article discusses the epidemiology of SIDS and nursing interventions to meet the needs of families affected by SIDS.
Identification of secreted and membrane-bound bat immunoglobulin using a Microchiropteran-specific mouse monoclonal antibody.

Bat immunity has received increasing attention because some bat species are being decimated by the fungal disease, White Nose Syndrome, while other species are potential reservoirs of zoonotic viruses. Identifying specific immune processes requires new specific tools and reagents. In this study, we describe a new mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) reactive with Eptesicus fuscus immunoglobulins. The epitope recognized by mAb BT1-4F10 was localized to immunoglobulin light (lambda) chains; hence, the mAb recognized serum immunoglobulins and B lymphocytes. The BT1-4F10 epitope appeared to be restricted to Microchiropteran immunoglobulins and absent from Megachiropteran immunoglobulins. Analyses of sera and other E. fuscus fluids showed that most, if not all, secreted immunoglobulins utilized lambda light chains. Finally, mAb BT1-4F10 permitted the identification of B cell follicles in splenic white pulp. This Microchiropteran-specific mAb has potential utility in seroassays; hence, this reagent may have both basic and practical applications for studying immune process.
Acid-Base Interactions in Polymer Adhesion

Abstract Most polymers and inorganic materials have acidic or basic sites (or both) which can interact to enhance wettability, adsorption, charge-transfer, and adhesion. These interactions, termed “polar” in the past, are independent of dipole moments and occur only when one material has acid groups which can interact with basic groups of the other material. the presence of a third component (solvent, plasticizer, penetrant, etc.) can interfere with adsorption, charge-transfer, or adhesion if the third component has strong enough acid-base interactions with either or both components. Water, a weak acid and a weak base, tends to weaken adhesion of polymers to inorganic materials but not when these have strong acid-base interactions. A quantitative approach to predicting the enthalpy ΔHab of acid-base interactions between polymers and inorganic surfaces is presented based on determining the E and C constants of Drago's correlation for polymers and inorganic surfaces. Preliminary E and C constants are presented for polymethylmethacrylate, for chlorinated polyvinylchloride, for silica surfaces and for iron oxide surfaces.
A temporal analysis of opioid use, patient satisfaction, and pain scores in colorectal surgery patients

Abstract Background Recent health care policy changes promote objective measurements of patient satisfaction with care provided during hospitalization. Acute postsurgical pain is a significant medical problem and strongly impacts patient experience and patient satisfaction. Multimodal analgesic pathways are used for acute pain management, but opioid medications remain a mainstay of treatment. Opioid use is increasing in the outpatient setting, but opioid use trends in the inpatient postsurgical setting are not well known. We hypothesized that use of opioid medications has increased over time along with decrease in postoperative pain scores and increase in pain-related patient satisfaction. Methods In this single-center study, we studied the trends and correlation in the average daily pain scores, opioid consumption, and patient satisfaction scores as measured by pain-related patient satisfaction questions in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System survey. Pain scores and opioid use data were obtained from electronic health records, vital signs monitoring, and medication databases. Adult patients who had nonemergent colorectal surgeries between January 2009 and December 2012 were included. Results We found no significant trend in opioid use or pain-related patient satisfaction scores. There was an average annual increase of 0.3 (98.3% confidence interval, 0.2-0.4; P Conclusion In this retrospective cohort study, opioid use and pain-related patient satisfaction scores were stable over time. Pain-related patient satisfaction scores were negatively associated with both pain score and opioid dose. The associations we report should not be considered evidence of a causal relationship.
Long-term outdoor air pollution and DNA methylation in circulating monocytes: results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

DNA methylation may mediate effects of air pollution on cardiovascular disease. The association between long-term air pollution exposure and DNA methylation in monocytes, which are central to atherosclerosis, has not been studied. We investigated the association between long-term ambient air pollution exposure and DNA methylation (candidate sites and global) in monocytes of adults (aged ≥55). One-year average ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) concentrations were predicted at participants’ (n = 1,207) addresses using spatiotemporal models. We assessed DNA methylation in circulating monocytes at 1) 2,713 CpG sites associated with mRNA expression of nearby genes and 2) probes mapping to Alu and LINE-1 repetitive elements (surrogates for global DNA methylation) using Illumina’s Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. We used linear regression models adjusted for demographics, smoking, physical activity, socioeconomic status, methyl-nutrients, and technical variables. For significant air pollution-associated methylation sites, we also assessed the association between expression of gene transcripts previously associated with these CpG sites and air pollution. At a false discovery rate of 0.05, five candidate CpGs (cg20455854, cg07855639, cg07598385, cg17360854, and cg23599683) had methylation significantly associated with PM2.5 and none were associated with NOX. Cg20455854 had the smallest p-value for the association with PM2.5 (p = 2.77 × 10−5). mRNA expression profiles of genes near three of the PM2.5-associated CpGs (ANKHD1, LGALS2, and ANKRD11) were also significantly associated with PM2.5 exposure. Alu and LINE-1 methylation were not associated with long-term air pollution exposure. We observed novel associations between long-term ambient air pollution exposure and site-specific DNA methylation, but not global DNA methylation, in purified monocytes of a multi-ethnic adult population. Epigenetic markers may provide insights into mechanisms underlying environmental factors in complex diseases like atherosclerosis.
The Environment of Space Exploration

Understanding the nature of the space environment is as important for physicians, astronauts, life scientists, and aeronautical engineers, as it is for planetary and physical scientists. Designing spacecraft, safe crew living quarters, personal protective systems, work procedures, and exploration systems has and will continue to benefit from robotic exploratory missions. Robotic missions inform aerospace engineers as to the function, design and performance of crewed systems for future exploration missions. The complexity of planetary human space missions will continue to increase in the future as we venture farther and for longer periods of time into our Solar System. Practitioners of space medicine must be prepared to use the knowledge gathered from robotic missions to identify challenges and hazards to address the health risks for future human expeditions and potential settlements beyond the confines of the biosphere. Future crews’ exposure to space hazards, notably radiation, and possibly to new ecosystems, require special and careful planning. The future of human space exploration is coupled with scientific curiosity based on robotic missions and also by the direction provided by the U.S. President’s space policy. Commercial aspirations for exploring and prospecting for resources of our Solar System are poorly defined and will require international agreements to be addressed by the United Nations. Astrobiology, planetary protection, and ethical considerations are also discussed. This chapter provides a short review of our Solar System, and discusses prospective destinations, intended to inform physicians, biomedical engineers, and mission planners interested in space medicine. Some of the mentioned destinations are in the planning stages by different space agencies, and by commercial entities. The fields of planetary sciences and space physics continue to make newer discoveries, which might not have been captured in this chapter. For a more in-depth scientific and technical review of our Solar System and the Universe, interested readers should consult appropriate scientific publications.
A new look at the thermal and gas dynamic characteristics of a plasma jet

There is increasing evidence that reproducibility of the plasma spray process depends to a large degree on the reproducibility of the plasma jet which is utilised for spraying. Recent research using a broad range of diagnostic techniques, including, LDA, electric and acoustic probing, spectroscopy, and enthalpy probes, has greatly enhanced our present understanding of the thermal and fluid dynamic characteristics of plasma jets. Experimental results strongly imply that the entrainment mechanism in turbulent plasma jets is more of an engulfment type process as opposed to simple diffusion. Turbulence measurements indicate that the velocity fluctuations are non–isotropic, contrary to what has been assumed in most numerical work. Measurements of electric, acoustic, and light fluctuations demonstrate that there are correlations between some of these fluctuations and that turbulence in the plasma jet may be strongly affected by fluctuations in the torch nozzle. Temperature measurements using spectrometric and enthalpy probes indicate strong discrepancies, particularly in the jet fringes.
Multiresolution Feature Encodings

Multiresolution data structures require that information be summarized or encoded as the resolution decreases. Pyramids and quadtrees provide convenient structures for representing this process, especially for intensity information in images. Encodings are also possible for other image features, such as lines and curves, and objects that are compact or elongated. Methods are described for representing such features at successively lower resolutions, and for using the resulting structures to find objects or regions with particular properties. Advantages of the techniques include (1) their processing speed, if suitable parallel hardware is available; (2) the fact that they provide approximate representations of the features at a wide range of scales; (3) the fact that they condense global information about features into local labels, which can then interact with other such information, and can also provide feedback to influence the condensation processes themselves.
Brain–Machine Interfaces

A brain–machine interface (BMI) creates a direct pathway between the brain and an artificial actuator. A BMI is comprised of four parts: a recording device to capture brain signals, a decoding algorithm transforming these signals into commands to be executed, an artificial actuator to be controlled, and a feedback delivery system. BMIs are meant to play a major role in restoring sensorimotor functions for disabled patients, as well as providing new experimental schemes to study the brain.
Argon treatment provides short and long-term neuroprotection in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (S23.001)

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure to argon gas would be neuroprotective in an in vivo model of closed traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the adult mouse. Background: Argon is an abundant noble gas with demonstrated neuroprotective properties after ischemic brain injury both in vitro and in vivo . However, its utilization in the setting of trauma is limited to in vitro experiments, involving a mechanical injury to organotypic hippocampal slices. Design/Methods: Adult C57BL/6J mice were subjected to a midline closed head TBI using a pneumatic impactor device and then randomized to closed Plexiglas chambers connected to a premixed gas cylinder containing 30% oxygen and either 70% argon or 70% nitrogen. The animals remained in the box for 22 hours, after which they were subjected to different outcome measures and sacrificed at different time points for analysis. Vestibulomotor recovery was tested using the rotarod while neurocognitive function was evaluated using the modified Neurological severity score (NSS). Neurodegeneration was assessed at 24 hours after injury in both the cortex and hippocampus using the marker Fluoro-Jade B (FJB). Results: Argon treatment improved outcome following TBI. Neurological severity scores were significantly (p Conclusions: These results show for the first time that argon significantly improves short-term and long-term neurological outcome and demonstrates a trend toward reducing neurodegeneration following TBI in an animal model. Given its affordability, availability and absence of adverse effects, argon may serve as an important neuroprotectant in the clinical application for brain trauma. Disclosure: Dr. Creed has nothing to disclose. Dr. Laskowitz has received compensation for serving as an officer of Cerenova, LLC. Dr. Hoffmann has nothing to disclose.
Research Gaps in Wilderness Medicine.

Introduction Wilderness medicine involves the treatment of individuals in remote, austere environments. Given the high potential for injuries as well as the unique treatment modalities required in wilderness medicine, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines are necessary to provide optimal care. In this study, we identify evidence gaps from low-quality recommendations in wilderness medicine clinical practice guidelines and identify new/ongoing research addressing them. Methods We included relevant clinical practice guidelines from the Wilderness Medical Society and obtained all 1C or 2C level recommendations. Patient/Problem/Population, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) questions were created to address each recommendation. Using 24 search strings, we extracted titles, clinical trial registry number, and recruitment status for 8899 articles. We categorized the articles by trial design to infer the effect they may have on future recommendations. Results Twelve clinical practice guidelines met inclusion criteria. From these we located 275 low-quality recommendations and used them to create 275 PICO questions. Thirty-three articles were relevant to the PICO questions. Heat-related illness had the highest number of relevant articles (n=9), but acute pain and altitude sickness had the most randomized clinical trials (n=6). Conclusion Overall, few studies were being conducted to address research gaps in wilderness medicine. Heat-related illness had the most new or ongoing research, whereas no studies were being conducted to address gaps in eye injuries, basic wound management, or spine immobilization. Animals, cadavers, and mannequin research are useful in cases in which human evidence is difficult to obtain. Establishing research priorities is recommended for addressing research gaps identified by guideline panels.
Into the Minds of Ancients: Advances in Maya Glyph Studies

A decade of Maya glyphic decipherment creates many opportunities for historical, linguistic, cultural, and archaeological interpretation. New evidence points to improvements in understanding decipherment as a discipline and social practice, the origins of Maya script, the use and meaning of glyphs in ancient society, and the language and sociolinguistic implications of Maya texts. The glyphs reveal information about Maya kingship and its relation to supernatural forces along with cues to a synthesis of history during the Classic period (A.D. 250–850). A test case from Piedras Negras, Guatemala, relates such discoveries to the ongoing excavation of a Classic city with abundant inscriptions.
Mechanistic insights on the immune and antioxidant response of functionalized cellulose nanocrystals: Does surface charge matter?

The interest in derivatives of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) for multiple biomedical application has been increasing in the recent years. CNCs is a versatile platform that shows variation in size and dispersion depending on the methods of extraction and preparations, which can impact their reactivity in biological systems. In addition, CNCs are suitable to functionalization with an array of polymers, generating chemically related nanomaterials with different morphologies, surface charges and reactivity. This diversity of physicochemical characteristics can lead to a various biological activities and potentially to undesirable effects, including a robust immune response. Previously, we reported that a cationic CNCs derivative, CNCs-poly(AEMA2), evoked substantial immunological response in mouse and human macrophages, by inducing the secretion of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β). This effect was partially associated with mitochondria-derived reactive species (ROS). In this study we sought to understand the mechanistic differences regarding immunological responses evoked by functionalized CNCs and whether surface charges is associated with this effect. We investigated the effect of a cationic, CNCs-poly(AMPA), and an anionic, CNCs-poly(NIPAAm) derivative on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, mitochondria-derived ROS and mitochondrial function and antioxidant response as well as on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in human and murine inflammatory cells. CNCs-poly(AMPA) evoked the greatest immunological response in LPS-stimulated murine cell line, while CNCs-poly(NIPAAm) showed a significant NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent and independent immunological response in non-stimulated human primary monocytes. In addition, CNCs-poly(NIPAAm) increased the generation of acidic vesicular organelles and mitochondrial-ROS as well as increases antioxidant enzymes in non-stimulated cells, while CNCs-poly(AMPA) affected mitochondrial function by decreasing the intracellular ATP. These differences on the mitochondrial function and ER stress response suggest a diverse mechanisms associated with their immune activity. Moreover, these effects may be related with the surface charges of the functionalized CNCs, and their likely interactions with biomolecules in the intra and extracellular milieu.
A Modified Cyclic Constitutive Model for Engineered Cementitious Composites

Abstract Residual strain is a key parameter reflecting the damage condition of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) structural components after experiencing cyclic loads. A new cyclic constitutive model is proposed for ECC materials to accurately capture their hysteretic responses and residual strains for numerically simulating the seismic response of structural systems. Companion to the modeling, experiments were conducted on different versions of ECC with various mechanical properties, and on reinforced ECC specimens. The experimental data are used to calibrate and validate the proposed model. The discrepancies between the predicted and measured unloading residual deformations are found to be generally less than 6%.
GeoSim 2018 workshop report the 1st ACM SIGSPATIAL international workshop on geospatial simulation

Space has long been acknowledged by researchers as a fundamental constraint which shapes our world. As technological changes have transformed the very concept of distance, the relative location and connectivity of geospatial phenomena have remained stubbornly significant in how systems function. At the same time, however, technology has allowed us to begin to bring tools like simulation to bear on our understanding of how such systems work. While previous generations of scientists and practitioners were unable to gather spatial data or to incorporate it into models at any meaningful scale, new methodologies and data sources are becoming increasingly available to researchers, developers, users, and practitioners. This flowering of different approaches is occurring simultaneously across many fields, and at every point in the research process.
Spontaneous mutations in maize pollen are frequent in some lines and arise mainly from retrotranspositions and deletions

While studying spontaneous mutations at the maize bronze (bz) locus, we made the unexpected discovery that specific low-copy number retrotransposons are mobile in the pollen of some maize lines, but not of others. We conducted large-scale genetic experiments to isolate new bz mutations from several Bz stocks and recovered spontaneous stable mutations only in the pollen parent in reciprocal crosses. Most of the new stable bz mutations resulted from either insertions of low-copy number long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons or deletions, the same two classes of mutations that predominated in a collection of spontaneous wx mutations [Wessler S (1997) The Mutants of Maize, pp 385-386]. Similar mutations were recovered at the closely linked sh locus. These events occurred with a frequency of 2-4 × 10-5 in two lines derived from W22 and in 4Co63, but not at all in B73 or Mo17, two inbreds widely represented in Corn Belt hybrids. Surprisingly, the mutagenic LTR retrotransposons differed in the active lines, suggesting differences in the autonomous element make-up of the lines studied. Some active retrotransposons, like Hopscotch, Magellan, and Bs2, a Bs1 variant, were described previously; others, like Foto and Focou in 4Co63, were not. By high-throughput sequencing of retrotransposon junctions, we established that retrotranposition of Hopscotch, Magellan, and Bs2 occurs genome-wide in the pollen of active lines, but not in the female germline or in somatic tissues. We discuss here the implications of these results, which shed light on the source, frequency, and nature of spontaneous mutations in maize.
Pearls & Oy-sters: CAA-related inflammation presents as subacute cognitive decline in a patient with Parkinson disease.

Progressive, subacute cognitive decline can be seen in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAARI).
Falling real interest rates, rising debt: A free lunch?

Abstract Deep systemic financial crises tend to be infrequent events, as they leave deep lasting scars on the psyche of consumers, investors, politicians and regulators. Normally, especially given strengthened regulation and, one would not expect another systemic event for many decades. But the situation today is anything but normal. Record high global public and private debt combined with political paralysis and extraordinarily weak leadership outside central banks make today’s uncharacteristically fragile at this point in the debt supercycle.
Unpacking the Mathematics of Modeling Origami Folding Transformations with Quaternions

This paper seeks to bring mathematical clarity to the modelling of rigid motion origami involving quaternions and dual quaternions. We illustrate with an analysis of a single vertex Muria-ori pattern utilizing quaternions and an analysis of a multi-vertex Muria-ori pattern utilizing dual quaternions. We construct a complete lists of formulas that determine the edge vectors, normal vectors and fold angles throughout the folding transformations. In addition we provide explicit functional representations of the resulting folding transformations .
Empowering Youth to Build BRIDGES: Youth Leadership in Suicide Prevention

Suicide is a prevalent health issue for youth and understanding youth experiences is critical for the development of effective prevention strategies. Although youth perceptions regarding suicide are relatively well studied, there is a paucity of youth voices in the planning, design, facilitation, and implementation of suicide prevention research. This study examines youth perceptions of suicide prevention through a community-academic partnership with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP). Working together as co-researchers, the YCSP conducted a modified Group Level Assessment with over 200 youth to understand youth perspectives on suicide prevention. The findings were used by the council to inform outreach and prevention activities that directly affect YCSP members and their peers.
Unknown Roads (poem)

Solidarity researcher and artist Ninette Rothmuller is a visiting scholar from Germany at Smith College, Massachusetts. With a background in Cultural Studies, Social Work and Interdisciplinary Arts, her practice-led and theoretical work is concerned with who humans are to, and with, each other under various circumstances, such as severe crisis. Her autobiographical documentary poetry reflects experiences of forced immobility and displacement across borders and languages.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2: Presentations to a pediatric emergency department in Michigan.

The SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus of the coronavirus family responsible for a global pandemic since December 2019. More than 35 million people have been affected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with more than one million deaths worldwide. Michigan was one of the top three states in the United States that was severely affected by the SAR-CoV-2 pandemic with more than 7000 deaths in adults and greater than 145,000 confirmed infections. However, compared to adults, the majority of children until recently were either asymptomatic or had a mild illness with SARS-CoV-2. Recently, a rare but potentially serious presentation associated with SARS-CoV-2 called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been recently reported and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a case definition for the same. We report the clinical and laboratory presentations and outcomes of 34 children with MIS-C who were evaluated within a 12 week period at a pediatric emergency department (PED) of single institution in Michigan. These cases presented approximately three weeks after the peak of adult SAR-CoV-2 related deaths occurred in the state. While many children presented with clinical characteristics similar to incomplete Kawasaki disease (KD), they also exhibited certain unique features which differentiated MIS-C from KD. The information presented below will aid clinicians with early recognition, evaluation and management of MIS-C in the emergency department.
The Politics of Storytelling: Variations on a Theme by Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt famously argued that politics are best understood as a power relationship between private and public realms. And storytelling, she argued, creates a vital bridge between these realms, a place where individual passions and shared perspectives can be contested and interwoven. In "The Politics of Storytelling", anthropologist Michael Jackson explores and expands on Arendt's notions, bringing stories from all around the world into impressive cross-cultural analysis. Jackson retells stories from the Kuranko in Sierre Leone, the Australian Aboriginals, and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission -- by refugees, renegades, and war veterans. Focusing on the violent and volatile conditions under which stories are told -- or silenced -- he explores the power of narrative to remake reality, enabling people to symbolically alter their relations and help reclaim an existential viability. Above all, he shows how Arendt's writings on narrative deepen our understanding of the critical, therapeutic, and politic role of storytelling, that it is one of the crucial ways by which we understand one another.
Long-term outcomes of truncus arteriosus repair: A modulated renewal competing risks analysis

Abstract Objective In this study, we sought to identify independent risk factors for mortality and reintervention after early surgical correction of truncus arteriosus using a novel statistical method. Methods Patients undergoing neonatal/infant truncus arteriosus repair between January 1984 and December 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. An innovative statistical strategy was applied integrating competing risks analysis with modulated renewal for time-to-event modeling. Results A total of 204 patients were included in the study. Mortality occurred in 32 patients (15%). Smaller right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit size and truncal valve insufficiency at birth were significantly associated with overall mortality (right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit size: hazard ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.66, P = .008; truncal valve insufficiency: hazard ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-5.53, P = .024). truncal valve insufficiency at birth, truncal valve intervention at index repair, and number of cusps (4 vs 3) were associated with truncal valve reoperations (truncal valve insufficiency: hazard ratio, 2.38; 95%, confidence interval, 1.13-5.01, P = .02; cusp number: hazard ratio, 6.62; 95% confidence interval, 2.54-17.3, P Conclusions Smaller right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit size and truncal valve insufficiency at birth were associated with overall mortality after truncus arteriosus repair. Quadricuspid truncal valve, the presence of truncal valve insufficiency at the time of diagnosis, and truncal valve intervention at index repair were associated with an increased risk of reoperation. The size of the right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit at index surgery is the single most important factor for early reoperation and catheter-based reintervention on the conduit.
A systematic approach to improving data locality across Fourier transforms and linear algebra operations

The performance of most scientific applications depends on efficient mathematical libraries. For example, scientific applications like the plane wave based Density Functional Theory approach for electronic structure calculations uses highly optimized libraries for Fourier transforms, dense linear algebra (orthogonalization) and sparse linear algebra (non-local projectors in real space). Although vendor-tuned libraries offer efficient implementations for each standalone mathematical kernel, the partitioning of those calls into sequentially invoked kernels inhibits cross-kernel optimizations that could improve data locality across memory bound operations. In this work we show that, by expressing these kernels as an operation on high dimensional tensors, cross-kernel dataflow optimizations that span FFT, dense and sparse linear algebra, can be readily exposed and exploited. We outline a systematic way of merging the Fourier transforms with the linear algebra computations, improving data locality and reducing data movement to main memory. We show that compared to conventional implementations, this streaming/dataflow approach offers 2x speedup on GPUs and 8x/12x speedup on CPUs compared to a baseline code that uses vendor-optimized libraries. Although we use Density Functional Theory to demonstrate the value of our approach, our methodology is broadly applicable to other applications that use Fourier transforms and linear algebra operations as building blocks.
Advances in the solution of geotechnical boundary-value problems

Abstract Seminal work done at the University of Newcastle on constitutive model integration, limit analysis, finite element analysis, and large deformation analyses have been instrumental in the development of strategies for the solution of the boundary-value problems of geomechanics. In this study, we present the results of analyses performed to demonstrate the usefulness of these contributions. In the first set of analyses, the accuracy and efficiency of time integration schemes is evaluated by simulating the response of Toyoura sand to undrained simple shear loading. In the second set of analyses, finite element limit analysis results are used to validate solutions obtained for certain boundary-value problems using the material point method (MPM). In the third set of analyses, a coupled MPM formulation is used to predict the bearing capacity of a strip footing under dynamic loads. The MPM results are compared against the results obtained using a coupled arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach. In the final set of analyses, the MPM is used to simulate penetration of a flat-tip and a conical-tip penetrometer into Ottawa 20–30 sand. The simulations, which closely match the experimental results, show that the flat-tip penetrometer mobilizes higher resistances than the conical-tip penetrometer throughout the penetration process.
Impact of the Medicare Shared Savings Program on utilization of mental health and substance use services by eligibility and race/ethnicity

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs on mental health and substance use services utilization and racial/ethnic disparities in care for these conditions. DATA SOURCES Five percent random sample of Medicare claims from 2009 to 2016. STUDY DESIGN We compared Medicare beneficiaries in MSSP ACOs to non-MSSP beneficiaries, stratifying analyses by Medicare eligibility (disability vs age 65+). We estimated difference-in-difference models of MSSP ACOs on mental health and substance use visits (outpatient and inpatient), medication fills, and adequate care for depression adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, region, and chronic medical and behavioral health conditions. To examine the differential impact of MSSP on our outcomes by race/ethnicity, we used a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) design. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Not applicable. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS MSSP ACOs were associated with small reductions in outpatient mental health (Coeff: -0.012, P < .001) and substance use (Coeff: -0.001, P < .01) visits in the disability population, and in adequate care for depression for both the disability- and age-eligible populations (Coeff: -0.028, P < .001; Coeff: -0.012, P < .001, respectively). MSSP ACO's were also associated with increases in psychotropic medications (Coeff: 0.007 and Coeff: 0.0213, for disability- and age-eligible populations, respectively, both P < .001) and reductions in inpatient mental health stays (Coeff:-0.004, P < .001, and Coeff:-0.0002, P < .01 for disability- and age-eligible populations, respectively) and substance use-related stays for disability-eligible populations (Coeff:-0.0005, P<.05). The MSSP effect on disparities varied depending on type of service. CONCLUSIONS We found small reductions in outpatient and inpatient stays and in rates of adequate care for depression associated with MSSP ACOs. As MSSP ACOs are placed at more financial risk for population-based treatment, it will be important to include more robust behavioral health quality measures in their contracts and to monitor disparities in care.
Newer and older perspectives on the therapeutic effects of animals and nature

Publisher Summary Before the twentieth century, human medicine treated diseases with a pharmacopoeia pieced together from personal experience, professionally accumulated lore, and custom. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a volunteer activity that has marginal acceptance based on the almost universal fondness for cute animals and a general belief that animals and nature are among life's good things. The first requirement for establishing animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as an evidence-based therapeutic modality is having the evidence. Evidence-based medicine rests on firm pillars of epidemiological evidence and controlled studies testing the interventions suggested by the epidemiological investigation. It is absolutely dependent upon random assignment therapeutic trials for its factual base. AAT is the direct use of an animal as a therapeutic tool in a patient encounter. These interactions are relatively brief in duration, the therapist guides them, and the client does not take permanent possession or responsibility for the animal. The focus of this chapter and most of the writings in the field on animals and nature as therapy misses the most salient questions in history, culture, and social organization. Those questions revolve around the effects of subtracting nature and contact with animals from experience as children and adults in industrialized societies.
Development of an Optically Pumped Polarized Deuterium Target

The development of a polarized deuterium target for internal use at an electron storage ring is of great interest for fundamental studies in nuclear physics.[1] In order to achieve the maximum allowable target thickness, 1014 nuclei/cm2, consistent with various constraints imposed by the storage ring environment, a flux of 4 × 1017 polarized atom/s must be provided. This flux exceeds the capability of conventional atomic beam sources by an order of magnitude.[2] We have been developing an alternative source based upon the spin-exchange optical pumping method in which the flux is limited only by laser power.
MORPHOLOGY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS

The composite structure consisting of extremely thin crystal lamellae or blocks imbedded in a pseudo-amorphous matrix is the main factor determining the mechanical properties of the crystalline polymer solid, much more important than the crystal perfection. In the spherulitic (slowly cooled) or microspherulitic (quenched) structure of the unoriented material the stacks of parallel lamellae interconnected by a few tie molecules are the basic structural element. The stacks themselves are not particularly strong. As a consequence of rejected impurity concentration on the boundaries between adjacent stacks and between spherulites which are bridged by very few tie molecules they can be easily sheared, rotated and by lamella destruction transformed into the fibrous structure. The highly oriented fibrous material has as the basic element the extremely long and narrow microfibril consisting of alternating crystal blocks and amorphous layers bridged by a great many rather taut tie molecules. Hence the microfibril acts in the fibrous structure as a very strong axial connection. The frictional forces on the extremely large surface transmit the load efficiently over long distances. The material connection in the axial direction by tie molecules is interrupted at the ends of microfibrils which act as point defects of the microfibrillar lattice. Upon loading they open as microcracks which by radial or axial coalescence, or both, grow to critical size leading to catastrophic crack propagation and sample failure.
Survey of the incidence and effect of major life events on graduate medical education trainees

Purpose : This study aims to assess the incidence of major life events during graduate medical education (GME) training and to establish any associations with modifiable activities and career planning. Methods : The authors surveyed graduating GME trainees from their parent institution in June 2013. Demographic information (clinical department, gender, training duration) and major life events (marriage, children, death/illness, home purchase, legal troubles, property loss) were surveyed. Respondents were queried about the relationship between life events and career planning. A multivariable logistic regression model tested for associations. Results : A total of 53.2% (166/312) of graduates responded to the survey. 50% (83/166) of respondents were female. Major life events occurred in 96.4% (160/166) of respondents. Male trainees were more likely (56.1% [46/82] vs. 30.1% [25/83]) to have a child during training ( p =0.01). A total of 41.6% (69/166) of responders consciously engaged or avoided activities during GME training, while 31.9% (53/166) of responders reported that life events influenced their career plans. Trainees in lifestyle residencies ( p =0.02), those who experienced the death or illness of a close associate ( p =0.01), and those with legal troubles ( p =0.04) were significantly more likely to consciously control life events. Conclusion : Major life events are very common and changed career plans in nearly a third of GME trainees. Furthermore, many trainees consciously avoided activities due to their responsibilities during training. GME training programs should closely assess the institutional support systems available to trainees during this difficult time. Keywords: life events; graduate medical education; support systems; demographics; training; career decision making; institutional infrastructure (Published: 11 June 2015) Citation: Med Educ Online 2015, 20: 27597 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/meo.v20.27597
Thorium-Based Fuels in Fast Breeder Reactors

A number of thorium-based fuels for fast breeder reactors using either sodium or helium coolant are considered. Thorium-plutonium mixed-oxide fuels have similar or slightly better material properties than those for mixed uranium-plutonium oxides. Their thermal performance is also very similar to that of the UO/sub 2/--PuO/sub 2/ mixed-oxide fuel. Their nuclear performance shows a substantially lower breeding gain, but a much lower positive sodium void coefficient than those for the UO/sub 2/--PuO/sub 2/ system. The material properties of Th-U-Pu and Th-U metal alloys are more suitable for reactor application than those of the uranium metal alloy. The Th-U-Pu metal alloy system has higher breeding gain, much lower positive sodium void coefficient, and a possibly higher negative Doppler coefficient of reactivity than the magnitude of those parameters for the UO/sub 2/--PuO/sub 2/ system. The Th-/sup 233/U metal alloy system has a slightly lower breeding gain than the UO/sub 2/--PuO/sub 2/ system, but it has a negative reactivity coefficient for sodium voiding from the core. Equilibrium fuel cycle calculations reveal that all of the thorium metal alloy systems have a longer cycle length than the UO/sub 2/--PuO/sub 2/ system for the same burnup constraint. Thermal-hydraulic calculations show that sodium-bonded thorium metal alloymore » fuel elements may be able to operate up to an approximate 82 kW/m (25 kW/ft) peak power rating in sodium coolant.« less
Signalling by Tyrosine Kinases

Few molecules have been more closely linked to cancerthan the protein-tyrosine kinases. Tyrosine phosphorylationand the tyrosine kinase enzymes, which create phosphoty-rosine residues in their substrate proteins, were discoveredduring studies of the oncogenic factors in tumour viruses.The identiﬁcation of v-src as the transforming factor of theRous sarcoma virus and the recognition of its activity as aprotein-tyrosine kinase conceptualized the oncogene theoryof tumourigenesis, creating a model, which has dominatedmuch of cancer research over the past two decades. Theimportance of the work on viral oncogenes in the earlyresearchon tyrosine phosphorylation is shown by an account-ing of landmark events in this area (Table 1) (Hunter, 1998).The discovery of a cellular counterpart (c-src) of the viralsrc (v-src) tyrosine kinase indicated a much broader role forthese enzymes and suggested a major role for c-src and tyro-sine phosphorylation in mediating normal cell behaviours.For example, c-src has been implicated in such diverse cellfunctions as platelet aggregation, cell cycle control, andcell motility. The diversity of cellular functions of tyrosinekinases was further indicated by early observations that boththe epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, important inepithelial cell growth, and the insulin receptor, a key com-ponent in metabolic regulation, are tyrosine kinases. Anothertyrosine kinase receptor, called
A new method to study glutathione adduct formation in periportal and pericentral regions of the liver lobule by micro-reflectance spectrophotometry.

A method was developed to measure the formation of glutathione adducts of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and 2,4-dichloro-1-nitrobenzene (DCNB) in periportal and pericentral regions of the liver lobule in the isolated perfused rat liver by surface reflectance spectrophotometry. Conjugates of DCNB and CDNB are released from livers of normal and phenobarbital-treated rats during perfusion in either the anterograde or the retrograde direction at maximal rates around 13-15 mumol/g/hr. The formation of S-(1-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-glutathione and S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-glutathione by the liver decreased the amount of 366-nm light reflected from the liver surface detected with a large-tipped (2 mm) fiberoptic light guide. Initial rates of decrease in reflected light correlated highly with maximal rates of conjugate formation by the liver. Subsequently, micro-light guides were placed on periportal and pericentral regions of the liver lobule. Rates of glutathione adduct formation were calculated from the proportion of the total change in rate of reflected 366-nm light which occurred in each region and the overall rate of product formation by the liver. Changes in the reflectance signal require reduced glutathione (GSH) and were shown to originate from intracellular conjugate formation and not from adducts in the bile canaliculus. Livers from normal rats produced conjugated products from DCNB (100 microM) at maximal rates of 14 and 15 mumol/g/hr in periportal and pericentral regions of the liver lobule, respectively. With CDNB as substrate, changes in reflected light at 366 nm were detected nearly exclusively in periportal regions of the lobule in livers from normal rats. In sharp contrast, CDNB and DCNB were conjugated exclusively in periportal regions of the lobule at rates of 21-22 mumol/g/hr in livers from phenobarbital-treated rats (i.e., the reflectance signal was not altered by these substrates in pericentral areas). When CDNB and DCNB were infused into livers from phenobarbital-treated rats perfused in the retrograde direction, decreases in reflected light at 366 nm were detected initially in pericentral areas followed in about 12 min by changes in periportal regions. Maximal rates of adduct formation in both regions reached 25 mumol/g/hr during perfusion in the retrograde direction. Thus, pericentral regions indeed possess the capacity to conjugate both CDNB and DCNB. When glutathione synthesis was inhibited with L-buthionine sulfoximine treatment (6 mmol/kg), which partially depletes GSH, CDNB was conjugated in both periportal and pericentral regions of the liver lobule in livers from phenobarbital-treated rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Medication Adherence Based on Part D Claims for Patients With Heart Failure After Hospitalization (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study).

Medication nonadherence is a common precipitant of heart failure (HF) hospitalization and is associated with poor outcomes. Recent analyses of national data focus on long-term medication adherence. Little is known about adherence of patients with HF immediately after hospitalization. Hospitalized patients with HF were identified from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities data were linked to Medicare inpatient and part D claims from 2006 to 2009. Inclusion criteria were a chart-adjudicated diagnosis of acute decompensated or chronic HF; documentation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB), β blocker (BB), or diuretic prescription at discharge; and Medicare part D coverage. Proportion of ambulatory days covered was calculated for up to twelve 30-day periods after discharge. Adherence was defined as ≥80% proportion of ambulatory days covered. We identified 402 participants with Medicare part D: mean age 75, 30% men, and 41% black. Adherence at 1, 3, and 12 months was 70%, 61%, and 53% for ACEI/ARB; 76%, 66%, and 62% for BB; and 75%, 68%, and 59% for diuretic. Adherence to any single drug class was positively correlated with being adherent to other classes. Adherence varied by geographic site/race for ACEI/ARB and BB but not diuretics. In conclusion, despite having part D coverage, medication adherence after discharge for all 3 medication classes decreases over 2 to 4 months after discharge, followed by a plateau over the subsequent year. Interventions should focus on early and sustained adherence.