cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIWAS: enabling technology for analysis of clinical data in XML documents

The information contained in large collections of clinical data can be used for many valuable purposes, such as epidemiological studies, evidence-based medicine, monitoring compliance with best clinical practices, and cost-benefit analyses. However, the emerging standards for the electronic representation of clinical data, such as the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) [4], are very complex and new tools are required to effectively extract and utilize the information contained in these documents.In this paper, we present HIWAS, a research prototype of a new tool that creates a structural summary of a collection of XML documents, thereby enabling users to find relevant information for a specific purpose within complex XML documents. A HIWAS user can create a target model that contains just the information they need, in a simplified representation that can be queried efficiently and is compatible with existing relational business intelligence technology. By making these complex XML documents digestible with conventional tools, HIWAS lowers a key barrier to meaningful use of aggregated clinical data.
NHDPlusHR: A National Geospatial Framework for Surface‐Water Information

The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a new geospatial hydrographic framework for the United States, called the National Hydrography Dataset Plus High Resolution (NHDPlusHR), that integrates a diversity of the best-available information, robustly supports ongoing dataset improvements, enables hydrographic generalization to derive alternate representations of the network while maintaining feature identity, and supports modern scientific computing and Internet accessibility needs. This framework is based on the High Resolution National Hydrography Dataset, the Watershed Boundaries Dataset, and elevation from the 3-D Elevation Program, and will provide an authoritative, high precision, and attribute-rich geospatial framework for surface-water information for the United States. Using this common geospatial framework will provide a consistent basis for indexing water information in the United States, eliminate redundancy, and harmonize access to, and exchange of water information.
A Rapid Method for Preparation of Urinary Bladder Epithelium for Flow Cytometric Analysis

AbstractA rapid and reliable method is described for preparation of urinary bladder epithelium for flow cytometric analysis. This method has proven useful for measurement of cell cycle kinetics in bladder epithelium from normal fetal, neonatal and adult mice as well as animals that have been exposed to urinary bladder toxicants. A modified Vindelov’s propidium iodide stain was instilled directly into the urinary bladder through the urethra, allowing the propidium iodide to lyse the epithelial cells and stain the DNA in the liberated nuclei. The stained epithelial cell nuclei were then removed from the lumen and analyzed by flow cytometry without centrifugation or filtration techniques. This method allows examination of epithelial cell nuclei without contamination from other tissue elements due to the fact that the propidium iodide did not act beyond the epithelial basement membrane under our experimental conditions.
Exchange Algorithms for Constructing Model-Robust Experimental Designs

Optimal experimental design procedures are useful for quantitative responses under nonstandard conditions. These methods, however, require prior knowledge of the form of the response function, which is often not available. This paper develops a model-robust technique, i.e., one which is efficient to a set of possible models, connected to multiresponse D-optimal design. The model-robust design is constructed using a generalization of the modified Federov exchange algorithm. The paper also compares designs robust for large sets of models with those robust for smaller sets, including pairs.
Arendt on the Acting, Thinking and Moral Self

Hannah Arendt develops a philosophical anthropology where humans are defined by their activities. If one could say that she proposes a distinctive ontology of the human at all, this ontology hinges on its contingency. For Arendt, what it means to be human is so profoundly influenced by one’s living conditions that human beings can lose abilities and properties which in other circumstances might be seen as the defining hallmarks of human existence. She is thus less concerned with establishing what human beings are than with the question what they could be, given the right environment. Outlining the enabling conditions for an authentic human existence, Arendt’s argumentative framework links political action to a profoundly normative claim: people are ‘truly’ human if they can take part in the political sphere, where they distinguish themselves as specific and unique individuals. Political action, which enables human beings to set something new and unexpected into motion, separates human beings from other animals. By acting in concert, they can experience a non-sovereign form of freedom, unique to the political sphere. Problematically, however, humans can also fail to actualise these possibilities.
El filtro como límite emocional: el modelo japonés como espacio de relaciones

espanolLos filtros funcionan como barreras permeables o como elementos de relacion entre un exterior que enlaza con lo real, lo objetivo, lo inmediato y un interior que nos conduce a la evocacion, lo subjetivo y lo pausado. Es en los filtros donde dicha ruptura o encuentro deviene en un espacio propio, un espacio de transicion. Un filtro establece por tanto un lugar nuevo de relaciones con un espesor variable que puede oscilar desde un fino plano translucido de entidad fisica casi inestimable hasta un elemento de corporeidad mucho mas categorica y definitiva. La construccion de una perforacion o entramado de esta condicion supone la creacion de una envolvente que facilita una actitud reflexiva con la que se estimula la propia conciencia en el medio construido por medio de los sentidos. Como tener espacio o lugar de interseccion, es el lugar donde se produce la transformacion de lo real y, por tanto, la posibilidad. El concepto del ma y el espacio engawa en Japon aglutinan este potencial arquitectonico. EnglishFilters work as permeable barriers or relational elements between an exterior that is related to the real, the objective and the immediate; combined with an interior that leads to evocation, subjection and pause. It is in these filters that such ruptures and encounters become space in itself, of transition. Therefore, a filter establishes a new relational place with a changing thickness that may go from a thin, translucent plane, with barely any physical entity, to a much more corporeal element, displaying a categorical and definite presence. The construction of this perforated or mesh-like condition presupposes the creation of an enclosure that facilitates a reflexive stimulation of the senses within tha constructed environment. As a third space or space or space of intersection, it is the place where the transformation of the real, and therefore, the possible, takes place. The concept of ma and the space engawa in Japan gather to create this architectural potential.
Trash to Treasure: Waste Eggshells as Chemical Reactors for the Synthesis of Amorphous Co(OH)2 Nanorod Arrays on Various Substrates for Applications in Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries and Electrocatalysis.

Bioinspired synthesis has been attracting much attention. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to directly use waste eggshells as a reactor system for controlled synthesis of nanostructures formed on different substrates. This approach can recycle and transform the “trash” of waste eggshells into “treasure” of unique reactor systems for nanofabrication. The eggshell reactor system can provide unique conditions for the formation of nanostructures on various substrates. Using Co(OH)2 as a model, amorphous Co(OH)2 nanorod arrays, which cannot be synthesized conventionally by direct mixing of precursors, have been successfully formed on various substrates, including Ni foam, metal foil, and glass. To illustrate their potential applications, we use the as-fabricated amorphous Co(OH)2 nanorod arrays on Ni foam as (1) binder-free electrodes for rechargeable alkaline batteries, demonstrating impressively good electrochemical performances, and (2) electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction, demonstrating impro...
Sigma Receptors and Substance Use Disorders

Thanks to advances in neuroscience, addiction is now recognized as a chronic brain disease with genetic, developmental, and cultural components. Drugs of abuse, including alcohol, are able to produce significant neuroplastic changes responsible for the profound disturbances shown by drug addicted individuals. The current lack of efficacious pharmacological treatments for substance use disorders has encouraged the search for novel and more effective pharmacotherapies. Growing evidence strongly suggests that Sigma Receptors are involved in the addictive and neurotoxic properties of abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, and alcohol. The present chapter will review the current scientific knowledge on the role of the Sigma Receptor system in the effects of drugs and alcohol, and proposes that this receptor system may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of substance use disorders and associated neurotoxicity.
Enabling Bluetooth Low Energy auditing through synchronized tracking of multiple connections

Abstract Bluetooth Low Energy is a wireless communications protocol that is increasingly used in critical infrastructure applications, especially for inter-sensor communications in wireless sensor networks. Recent security research notes a trend in which developers and vendors have opted out of implementing Bluetooth Low Energy link security in many devices, enabling protocol attacks and attack frameworks. To help defend devices with no link security, researchers recommend the use of Bluetooth Low Energy traffic sniffers to generate auditable communications logs. Unfortunately, current sniffers can only follow a single connection at a time, and some are ineffective at capturing long-lived connections due to synchronization problems. These limitations make current sniffers impractical for use in wireless sensor networks. This paper presents Bluetooth Low Energy Multi (BLE-Multi), a firmware enhancement to the open-source Ubertooth One that enables the sniffing of multiple simultaneous long-lived connections. To increase the capture effectiveness for long-lived connections, a novel synchronization mechanism is proposed that uses transmissions of empty packets to infer information about connection timing. Multi-connection sniffing is achieved by opportunistically switching between connections as they move from the active to inactive state, which is an inherent function in Bluetooth Low Energy to help conserve energy. The experimental evaluations demonstrate that BLE-Multi simultaneously captures multiple active connections while outperforming Ubertooth One when it captures a single connection, paving the way for the development and implementation of automated defensive tools for Bluetooth Low Energy and wireless sensor networks.
O Papel Regulatório da Legislação no Estado Constitucional de Direito

Este articulo analiza la importancia que tradicionalmente atribuido al principio de legalidad, entendida en su origen, el modelo positivista, como el nucleo del imperio de la ley, y su perdida de vigor en el contexto actual del Estado Constitucional. El enfoque sera la perdida de importancia y funcion que afecta a este principio bajo el gobierno de un marco juridico y politico marcado por la presencia de una Constitucion fuertemente normativo que implica un cambio en la fuente principal de la normatividad legal, el legislador de la judicatura. Hay una perdida de generalidad y abstraccion bajo las leyes actuales.
Sensors in Transportation and Logistics Networks

Transportation engineering and logistics have been utilizing sensor networks for statistical analysis and data collection for years. In the last decades, due to the increased interest in sensor networks for optimization techniques, advancements have been made in attempts to provide on the fly algorithms that adapt to an ever-changing world. This chapter aims to give useful insight and present the latest developments in this growing branch of optimization and operations research.
Survey Sampling and Weighting

A sample survey is a method for collecting data from or about the members of a population so that inferences about the entire population can be obtained from a subset, or sample, of the population members. A properly conducted sample survey will support inference from the sample that is scientifically valid about the population. This article focuses on probability sampling and weighting to support such inference.
Rate of Neurologic Injury Following Lateralizing Calcaneal Osteotomy Performed Through a Medial Approach

Background:Calcaneal osteotomies are commonly used to correct varus hindfoot alignment in patients with symptomatic cavovarus deformity. Translational, closing wedge, and Malerba-type osteotomies h...
Structure and information in spatial segregation

Ethnoracial residential segregation is a complex, multiscalar phenomenon with immense moral and economic costs. Modeling the structure and dynamics of segregation is a pressing problem for sociology and urban planning, but existing methods have limitations. In this paper, we develop a suite of methods, grounded in information theory, for studying the spatial structure of segregation. We first advance existing profile and decomposition methods by posing two related regionalization methods, which allow for profile curves with nonconstant spatial scale and decomposition analysis with nonarbitrary areal units. We then formulate a measure of local spatial scale, which may be used for both detailed, within-city analysis and intercity comparisons. These methods highlight detailed insights in the structure and dynamics of urban segregation that would be otherwise easy to miss or difficult to quantify. They are computationally efficient, applicable to a broad range of study questions, and freely available in open source software.
Bone Loss in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Basic Mechanisms and Clinical Implications

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have historically developed progressive damage of articular bone and cartilage, which correlates with disability over time. In addition, these patients are prone to periarticular and systemic bone loss, carrying additional morbidity. In contrast to what is seen in many other rheumatic diseases, the impact of inflammation on bone in RA is uniquely destructive. Loss of articular bone (erosions) and periarticular bone (demineralization) is a result of excessive bone resorption and markedly limited bone formation. There has been tremendous progress in preventing net bone loss in RA with the advent of disease-modifying agents, including biologic agents and small molecules, that both limit inflammation and may have a direct impact on the prevention of cytokine- and antibody-driven osteoclastogenesis. However, repair of existing bone erosions, although feasible, is observed infrequently. Lack of repair is a consequence of suppression of osteoblast function and bone formation by some of the same mechanisms that promote osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. As new agents are introduced to control inflammation in RA, and novel mechanisms to target synovitis are identified, it may be possible in the future to fully repair damaged bone.
Improving the Reliability of Hinge Joint Oil Pumps

Improvements in the reliability of friction units by using polymer composite antifriction materials modified with various fillers, including nanoscale ones, are considered.
Model Validation and Specification Tests in Spatial Econometric Models

In philosophical discussions about the nature of progress in science it is often maintained that the development of theory cannot proceed without some form of reality—based validation. This leads to a continual process of interaction between theory formation and empirical assessment, motivated in part by the observation of phenomena which are not explained by existing theories, and by the failure of theoretical constructs to be reflected in experimental situations. Essential to this process is a set of clear standards or criteria of validity, and a uniform methodology to apply these to the theoretical constructs under scrutiny. Typically, this is based on a formal probabilistic framework.
Selecting Admixtures to Achieve Application-Required Rheology

SCC can encompass a wide range of concrete rheology. Previous research has shown the importance of specific rheological characteristics for application requirements such as reduced formwork pressure, increased static and dynamic segregation resistance, and increased pumpability. The required rheological characteristics for different applications are discussed in terms of yield stress, plastic viscosity, and thixotropy. Micromortar rheology measurements were conducted with four different high-range water reducers (HRWR) and two different water/cement ratios to demonstrate potential differences in rheology due to HRWR selection. The results indicated that HRWR selection can significantly impact micromortar rheology.
Non-Oxygen Negative Primary Ion Beams for Oxygen Isotopic Analysis in Insulators

The use of an O− primary ion beam to sputter insulators for secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is widespread. Negative ion sputtering delivers negative charge to the sample which can be carried away by secondary electrons. In contrast, positive ion bombardment leads to severe charging [1]. Analysis of negative secondary ions is particularly difficult with positive primary ions even using an electron gun, because the secondary electrons are accelerated away from the sample, adding to the charging problem. For oxygen analysis, the use of negative secondary ions is to be preferred, because positive sputtered ion yields for oxygen are low and the heavy isotopes of oxygen have very low abundance. However, the use of O− primary ions significantly impedes analysis of oxygen isotope ratios because the primary species dilutes the oxygen in the sample. Thus, it seemed useful to investigate ion-beam production from other eletronegative species for oxygen analyses.
Homotopy Continuation in Macaulay2

We describe the design and relationships of several Macaulay2 packages that use numerical polynomial homotopy continuation as their engine. Macaulay2 is a computer algebra system built around the classical symbolic computation tools such as Grobner bases. However, recent Macaulay2 versions include its own fast implementation of homotopy continuation, interfaces to external numerical algebraic geometry software (Bertini and PHCpack), and a unified data structures design that allows the use of the internal and external capabilities interchangeably. The resulting numerical and hybrid tools are of general interest to Macaulay2 users interested in computational experimentation.
Morphology of renormalization-group flow for the de Almeida-Thouless-Gardner universality class

A replica-symmetry-breaking phase transition is predicted in a host of disordered media. The criticality of the transition has, however, long been questioned below its upper critical dimension, six, due to the absence of a critical fixed point in the renormalization-group flows at one-loop order. A recent two-loop analysis revealed a possible strong-coupling fixed point, but given the uncontrolled nature of perturbative analysis in the strong-coupling regime, debate persists. Here we examine the nature of the transition as a function of spatial dimension and show that the strong-coupling fixed point can go through a Hopf bifurcation, resulting in a critical limit cycle and a concomitant discrete scale invariance. We further investigate a different renormalization scheme and argue that the basin of attraction of the strong-coupling fixed point (or limit cycle) may stay finite for all dimensions.
Labor Trafficking in Thailand’s Fishing Industry: Opposition betweenFormal and Informal Institutions Leads to Distorted Incentives for Each Other

There exists a robust literature on both formal and informal institutions. However, what is missing in the literature is an investigation into how their interactions affect and distort incentives for each other. Using labor trafficking in Thailand's fishing market as an empirical case study, this paper uses qualitative methods to evaluate the interplay between them. It has been found that when formal and informal institutions oppose each other, the weaker one of them is, the stronger the influence of the other will be. Furthermore, formal institutions must also exceed informal ones in strength, or else they risk failing to them.
The Characteristics and Cost of Le Fort Fractures: A Review of 519 Cases From a Nationwide Sample.

Purpose The aims were to report the characteristics of Le Fort fractures and to quantify the associated hospital costs. Materials and Methods From October 2015 to December 2016, the National Inpatient Sample was searched for patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of a Le Fort fracture. Predictor variables were drawn from demographic, admission, and injury characteristics. The outcome variable was hospital cost. Summary statistics were calculated and compared among Le Fort patterns. Univariate comparisons and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to determine predictors associated with cost. Results A total of 519 patients were identified in this cohort. Associated injuries included skull fractures (28%), intracranial hemorrhage (13%), cervical spine injury (9.8%), and concussion (9.1%). Seventy-three percent of patients received open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for their facial fractures during their admission, 13% received a tracheostomy, and 10% were mechanically ventilated for at least 1 day. The ventilation (P Conclusions The prevalence of head injuries and the need for respiratory support substantially increased with Le Fort complexity. Hospital costs were not markedly influenced by the diagnosis and management of associated injuries. Instead, costs were predominantly driven by fracture complexity and the need for necessary procedures, such as ORIF, tracheostomy, and mechanical ventilation.
The motion of rigid particles in the Poiseuille flow of pseudoplastic fluids through straight rectangular microchannels

There has been in the past decade a significantly growing interest in the use of flow-induced lift forces for a passive control of particle motion in microchannels. This nonlinear microfluidic technique can be implemented in both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. The motions of rigid particles in confined flows of viscoelastic fluids with and without shear-thinning effects have each been well studied in the literature. However, a comprehensive understanding of particle motion in inelastic shear-thinning fluids is still lacking. We present herein a systematic experimental study of the motion of rigid particles in the Poiseuille flow of pseudoplastic xanthan gum (XG) solutions through straight rectangular microchannels. We find that the number and location of particle equilibrium positions are both a strong function of channel dimension, particle size and XG concentration. We attempt to explain the experimental observations using the competition of inertial and elastic lift forces acting on particles. Our experimental results imply a potentially high throughput separation of rigid particles by size in XG solutions.
The New Data of Student Debt

Where you go to college and what you choose to study has always been important, but, with the help of data science, it may now determine whether you get a student loan. Silicon Valley is increasingly setting its sights on student lending. Financial technology (“fintech”) firms such as SoFi, CommonBond, and Upstart are ever-expanding their online lending activities to help students finance or refinance educational expenses. These online companies are using a wide array of alternative, education-based data points—ranging from applicants’ chosen majors, assessment scores, the college or university they attend, job history, and cohort default rates—to determine creditworthiness. Fintech firms argue that through their low overhead and innovative approaches to lending they are able to widen access to credit for underserved Americans. Indeed, there is much to recommend regarding the use of different kinds of information about young consumers in order assess their financial ability. Student borrowers are notoriously disadvantaged by the extant scoring system that heavily favors having a past credit history. Yet there are also downsides to the use of education-based, alternative data by private lenders. This Article critiques the use of this education-based information, arguing that while it can have a positive effect in promoting social mobility, it could also have significant downsides. Chief among these are reifying existing credit barriers along lines of wealth and class and further contributing to discriminatory lending practices that harm women, black and Latino Americans, and other minority groups. The discrimination issue is particularly salient because of the novel and opaque underwriting algorithms that facilitate these online loans. This Article concludes by proposing three-pillared regulatory guidance for private student lenders to use in designing, implementing, and monitoring their education-based data lending programs.
Global Disparities in Access to Pain Relief

There is an enormous disparity in access to care and medicines that alleviate pain from disease and terminal conditions. Those suffering live predominantly in low to middle income countries. We have identified several of the main causes that explain this disparity, as well as steps necessary to correct the lack of access to what should be considered an essential human right.
Incidence and Risk Factors Associated with Multi-Drug–Resistant Pathogens in a Critically Ill Trauma Population: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Multi-drug resistance is considered a serious health threat particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Studies evaluating multi-drug–resistant (MDR) pathogens in critically ...
Optimizing the geographic deployment of hot spot patrols with license plate readers

To determine optimal methods of patrol with license plate readers (LPRs) for maximizing detection and apprehension. Data from two randomized experiments were jointly analyzed. In the first, a four-officer squad conducted short daily operations to detect stolen and other vehicles of interest at randomly selected road segments (averaging 0.6 miles) at varying times of day for 2 weeks per location. Based on random assignment, the unit operated with LPRs on some routes and conducted extensive manual checks of license plates on others. In the second experiment, the squad conducted similar operations focused on larger hot spot areas (averaging 1 mile2) using the same research design. The first experiment emphasized longer surveillance on primary hot routes, while the second emphasized shorter visits to the main hot routes and more roving surveillance around these routes. Officer log data were used to examine the likelihood that the patrols resulted in detection of wanted vehicles, arrests, or recoveries of stolen vehicles. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine LPR performance across experiments. LPRs increased the likelihood of all outcomes (which were generally rare) in both experiments, though only the effects on detections were statistically significant. Differences across the experiments were not statistically significant, but LPR performance was generally better during the second experiment, particularly with regard to how much LPR use improved performance over manual plate checks. Results suggest LPR patrols emphasizing roaming operations within larger hot spot areas may be most optimal, but the effects of LPR patrols may not be substantial without large-scale deployment.
FQStat: a parallel architecture for very high-speed assessment of sequencing quality metrics.

High throughput DNA/RNA sequencing has revolutionized biological and clinical research. Sequencing is widely used, and generates very large amounts of data, mainly due to reduced cost and advanced technologies. Quickly assessing the quality of giga-to-tera base levels of sequencing data has become a routine but important task. Identification and elimination of low-quality sequence data is crucial for reliability of downstream analysis results. There is a need for a high-speed tool that uses optimized parallel programming for batch processing and simply gauges the quality of sequencing data from multiple datasets independent of any other processing steps. FQStat is a stand-alone, platform-independent software tool that assesses the quality of FASTQ files using parallel programming. Based on the machine architecture and input data, FQStat automatically determines the number of cores and the amount of memory to be allocated per file for optimum performance. Our results indicate that in a core-limited case, core assignment overhead exceeds the benefit of additional cores. In a core-unlimited case, there is a saturation point reached in performance by increasingly assigning additional cores per file. We also show that memory allocation per file has a lower priority in performance when compared to the allocation of cores. FQStat’s output is summarized in HTML web page, tab-delimited text file, and high-resolution image formats. FQStat calculates and plots read count, read length, quality score, and high-quality base statistics. FQStat identifies and marks low-quality sequencing data to suggest removal from downstream analysis. We applied FQStat on real sequencing data to optimize performance and to demonstrate its capabilities. We also compared FQStat’s performance to similar quality control (QC) tools that utilize parallel programming and attained improvements in run time. FQStat is a user-friendly tool with a graphical interface that employs a parallel programming architecture and automatically optimizes its performance to generate quality control statistics for sequencing data. Unlike existing tools, these statistics are calculated for multiple datasets and separately at the “lane,” “sample,” and “experiment” level to identify subsets of the samples with low quality, thereby preventing the loss of complete samples when reliable data can still be obtained.
Structure and Dynamics of the Lithium Ion Solvation Shell in Ureas

Lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous to modern life because of their use in the energy storage needs of our daily lives. In past several decades, much effort has been put into studying the ...
Ultrasound-Guided Access in a Malrotated Kidney: Optimally Safe and Effective.

Background: Management of renal calculi in a patient with kidney malrotation can be difficult because of complexity and alteration of collecting system anatomy. Pyelolithotomy, whether open, laparo...
An Examination of Racial Disparities in Inpatient Consultations.

Objective To determine whether racial disparities occurred among specialty and allied health inpatient consultations for patients admitted to adult hospital services at an academic hospital. Methods A retrospective data analysis of the first 2000 patients, ages 18 years or older, admitted to an academic hospital. Results No regression model demonstrated any statistically significant relation between race and type of inpatient consultation received. No statistically significant difference in the number of inpatient consultations was found. Conclusions Processes within the healthcare setting studied did not contribute to racial differences in consultation services. Our findings suggest that implicit racial bias may not be a factor when ordering consultations, but the findings are more likely affected by more appropriate factors such as the patient's age, length of stay, and complexity/severity of illness score.
Tutoring the King: Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda’s Victory over Bartolomé de las Casas

This article claims that four primary sources written by Juan Gines de Sepulveda demonstrate a strong link of influence between Sepulveda and Philip II: a letter from Sepulveda written to Prince Ph...
Adolescent cannabis and tobacco use are associated with opioid use in young adulthood-12-year longitudinal study in an urban cohort.

Background and aims Cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use are prevalent among youth in the United States and may be risk factors for opioid use. The current study aimed at investigating associations between developmental trajectories of cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use in adolescence and opioid use in young adulthood in an urban cohort over the span of 12 years. Design Cohort study of adolescents originally recruited for a randomized prevention trial with yearly assessments into young adulthood. Setting Nine urban elementary schools in Baltimore, MD in the United States. Participants Participants (n = 583, 86.8% African American, 54.7% male) were originally recruited as first grade students. Measurements Cannabis, tobacco and alcohol use were assessed annually from ages 14-18 years and opioid use from ages 19-26. Socio-demographics were assessed at age 6. Intervention status was also randomly assigned at age 6. Gender, race, free/reduced-priced lunch and intervention status were included as covariates in individual and sequential growth models. Findings There were significant positive associations between the cannabis use intercept at age 14 and the opioid use intercept at age 19 (beta = 1.43; P = 0.028), the tobacco use intercept at age 14 and the opioid use intercept at age 19 (beta = 0.82; P = 0.042). Specifically, more frequent use of cannabis or tobacco at age 14 was associated with more frequent use of opioids at age 19. Conclusions Cannabis and tobacco use in early adolescence may be risk factors for opioid use in young adulthood among African Americans living in urban areas.
Phone or Video? Patient Initial Decisions for Telepsychiatry Participation after the COVID-19 Michigan Stay-at-Home Order: A Telephone-Based Survey

Background: Telepsychiatry enables patients to establish or maintain psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the factors influencing patients’ initial decisions to participate in telepsychiatry in the midst of a public health crisis. Objective: This paper seeks to examine factors influencing patients’ initial decisions to accept or decline telepsychiatry immediately after the stay-at-home order in Michigan, their initial choice of virtual care modality (video or telephone), and their anticipated participation in telepsychiatry once clinics reopen for in-person visits. Methods: Between June and August 2020, we conducted a telephone-based survey using a questionnaire comprising 14 quantitative and two qualitative items as part of a quality improvement initiative. We targeted patients who had an in-person appointment date that fell in the first few weeks following the Michigan governor’s stay-at-home order, necessitating conversion to virtual visits or deferment of in-person care. We used descriptive statistics to report individual survey responses and assess the association between chosen visit type and patient characteristics and future participation in telepsychiatry using multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 244 patients whose original in-person appointments were scheduled within the first 3 weeks of the stay-at-home order in Michigan completed the telephone survey. The majority of the 244 respondents (n=202, 82.8%) initially chose to receive psychiatric care through video visits, while 13.5% (n=33) chose telephone visits and 1.2% (n=3) decided to postpone care until in-person visit availability. Patient age correlated with chosen visit type (P<.001; 95% CI 0.02-0.06). Patients aged ≥44 years were more likely than patients aged 0-44 years to opt for telephone visits (relative risk reduction [RRR] 1.2; 95% CI 1.06-1.35). Patient sex (P=.99), race (P=.06), type of insurance (P=.08), and number of previous visits to the clinic (P=.63) were not statistically relevant. Half of the respondents (132/244, 54.1%) stated theywere likely to continue with telepsychiatry even after in-person visits were made available. Telephone visit users were less likely than video visit users to anticipate future participation in telepsychiatry (RRR 1.08; 95% CI 0.97-1.2). Overall, virtual visits met or exceeded expectations for the majority of users. Conclusions: In this cohort, patient age correlates with the choice of virtual visit type, with older adults more likely to choose telephone visits over video visits. Understanding challenges to patient-facing technologies can help advance health equity and guide best practices for engaging patients and families through telehealth.
Erythrocytes, a New Contributor to Age-Associated Loss of Blood–Brain Barrier Integrity

Blood exchanges between young and old partners demonstrate old blood has a detrimental effect on brain health of young animals. Previous studies primarily investigate soluble blood factors, such as transforming growth factor-beta, on the brain and the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, the role of blood cellular components, particularly erythrocytes, has not been defined. Erythrocyte morphology and rigidity change as mammals age, altering their transport within the capillary bed. This impacts downstream biological events, such as the release of reactive oxygen species and hemoglobin, potentially compromising the BBB. Here, a micro electrical BBB (µE-BBB), with cocultured endothelial and astrocytic cells, and a built-in trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) system is described to monitor the effect of capillary shear stress on erythrocytes derived from young and old mice and people and the subsequent effects of these cells on BBB integrity. This is monitored by the passage of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran and real-time profiling of TEER across the BBB after old and young erythrocyte exposure. Compared to young erythrocytes, old erythrocytes induce an increased permeability by 42% and diminished TEER by 2.9% of the µE-BBB. These results suggest that changes in circulating erythrocytes are a biomarker of aging in the context of BBB integrity.
A limited number of slices yields comparable results to all slices in foot intrinsic muscle deterioration ratio on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Abstract Diagnostic imaging modalities, like computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can be used to assess in vivo muscle quality. Quantitative assessment using these techniques is time-intensive and costly due in part to extensive post-processing needs. The purpose of this study was to identify whether a subset of slices on CT and MRI would yield comparable results to the full number of slices for a measure of muscle quality (muscle deterioration ratio = fat volume/muscle volume) in the foot intrinsic muscles of people with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy. CT (0.6 mm slice thickness) and MRI (3.5 mm slice thickness) scans were obtained using previously described methods. The total number of slices acquired during the scan was compared to several conditions using a portion of slices. Bland-Altman plots and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient were used to test agreement. Any condition using at least three slices yielded substantial to almost perfect agreement with the total number of slices on both CT and MRI (Range of Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient: 0.947–0.999). Using a single slice in the middle of the region of interest demonstrated poor to moderate agreement with the total number of slices. The findings of this study suggest that using a limited number of slices to quantify muscle deterioration ratio on CT or MRI is a viable way to balance the combined need for measurement accuracy with feasibility in research and clinical settings.
Children with developmental dyslexia show elevated parasympathetic nervous system activity at rest and greater cardiac deceleration during an empathy task.

Abstract Reading difficulties are the hallmark feature of dyslexia, but less is known about other areas of functioning. Previously, we found children with dyslexia exhibited heightened emotional reactivity, which correlated with better social skills. Whether emotional differences in dyslexia extend to the parasympathetic nervous system—an autonomic branch critical for attention, social engagement, and empathy—is unknown. Here, we measured autonomic nervous system activity in 24 children with dyslexia and 24 children without dyslexia, aged 7 – 12, at rest and during a film-based empathy task. At rest, children with dyslexia had higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) than those without dyslexia. Cardiac deceleration during the empathy task was greater in dyslexia and correlated with higher resting RSA across the sample. Children with dyslexia produced more facial expressions of concentration during film-viewing, suggesting greater engagement. These results suggest elevated resting parasympathetic activity and accentuated autonomic and behavioral responding to others’ emotions in dyslexia.
Hostility, facial configuration, and bilateral asymmetry on galvanic skin response

The effects of hostility on bilateral measures of skin conductance during affective facial configurations were investigated. Highly hostile and non-hostile men were instructed in making facial configurations that were identified by raters as happy, angry, or neutral. Subjects were asked to make the set of facial configurations twice with unstructured baselines taken prior to each expression. Significant increases in skin conductance were found from baseline across all three facial configurations. Skin conductance varied as a function of affect, decreasing from angry to happy to neutral configurations. A three-way group × hand × block interaction was found. The high-hostile group showed persistence in the elevation of conductance at the left hand through Block 2. In contrast, reduced skin conductance at the left hand was found in the low-hostile group, along with habituation at the left hand across blocks. The possibility of altered right cerebral systems in high-hostile individuals is discussed.
Kinetics of beta-tubulin exchange following translation. Evidence for a slow conformational change in beta-tubulin necessary for incorporation into heterodimers.

Abstract Cell-free translation of beta-tubulin mRNA generates full length beta-tubulin polypeptides distributed in three molecular forms: a high molecular weight lysate-associated form, the free beta-tubulin subunit, and the alpha beta-heterodimer (Yaffe, M.B., Farr, G. W., and Sternlicht, H. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 16023-16031). A quantitative assay system for these three forms was developed and used to measure the rates of incorporation/exchange of the newly synthesized free beta-subunit and the high molecular weight form into tubulin heterodimers following incubation of the 35S-translation products with unlabeled bovine tubulin dimer. This exchange process was found to be slow and strongly temperature-dependent. The half-lives for exchange ranged from 12.5 min at 37 degrees C to 17.5 h at 0 degree C with a measured activation energy of 22.5 kcal/mol. Microtubule-associated proteins appeared to play no role in the exchange process, since identical exchange rates were observed regardless of whether microtubule protein or phosphocellulose-purified tubulin was used as the source of tubulin dimer. Surprisingly, the exchange rates were found to be independent of dimer concentration. We interpret these results as evidence for a rate-limiting, slow conformational change that occurs within the newly synthesized beta-subunits prior to their association with alpha-tubulin to generate the alpha beta-hetero-dimer.
Sudden Retirement of a Psychotherapist Due to Terminal Illness

Michael Shernoff, MSW, is an activist and a senior, out therapist in the GLBT community. In 2006, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had to suddenly close his psychotherapy practice of 30 years. In this paper, Shernoff provides a firsthand account of his experience and how he strives to adjust adaptively to his current life circumstances.
Riding the Crest: A History of Michigan’s Aerospace Engineering Department

In 2014, the University of Michigan celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first formally organized academic program in aeronautical engineering in the world. Since 1914, the University has offered a degree program in a field that was to become one of the most important technological developments in the 20th century: the airplane, and later the space vehicle. Michigan’s aeronautical engineering program was the first of its kind. Moreover, throughout its history, it rode the crest of major advancements in aeronautical and space technology. Because of its relevance and importance to all members of the aerospace community today, we tell its story here.
Properties of the Soluble Malate-Vitamin K Reductase and Associated Phosphorylation

Abstract The distribution and properties of malate-Vitamin K reductase from Mycobacterium phlei have been investigated. This enzyme was found in both the particulate and supernatant fractions, although the bulk of the malate-Vitamin K reductase was found in the soluble form. The reductases from the particulate and supernatant fraction appeared to be similar since they exhibited similar requirements for activity. In addition, the particulate-bound reductase was completely removed from the particles by washing with sucrose. However, divalent cations such as Mg++ or Mn++ appeared to bind the reductase to the particles. The phosphorylation associated with malate oxidation by the soluble malate-Vitamin K reductase has been resolved into a reductase fraction free of phosphorylation and a phosphorylating factor (or factors) free of the reductase. Both fractions were necessary for the phosphorylation associated with malate oxidation. The resolved system exhibited similar requirements for cofactors as those described for the crude enzyme. The resolved soluble fractions were tested with the complex particulate fraction. Addition of the purified reductase and FAD to the electron transport particles resulted in a stimulation of only oxidation with malate as the electron donor, and the further addition of the purified coupling factor (factors) was necessary for restoration of phosphorylation. The malate-Vitamin K reductase was inhibited by the presence of adenine nucleotides. The inhibition of oxidation was greater with AMP and ATP than with ADP. The inhibition of activity by the adenine nucleotides was reversed by the addition of FAD. Other components necessary for malate oxidation by this enzyme, such as Vitamin K1, phospholipid, magnesium ions and dye, failed to reverse the inhibition caused by the adenine nucleotides. The inhibition by the nucleotides and reversal by FAD were observed with both the particulate and soluble forms of the enzyme.