cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential costs of sexual and vegetative reproduction in wild strawberry populations

Summary. The CO 2 costs of producing sexual and vegetative reproductive propagules were calculated for two species of wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana and F. vesca. Five populations on sites representing a gradient of successional regrowth near Ithaca, New York, USA, were studied for two or three years each. Field studies of phenology, biomass, demography, and environment and laboratory studies of CO2 exchange were integrated using a computerbased model of CO 2 dynamics to estimate costs of propagules. The percentage of plants flowering and the number of flower buds produced were highest in an open, recently disturbed habitat and lowest in a forest habitat. The openhabitat plants had the greatest success in converting flower buds into ripe fruits and also produced the highest numbers of runners and runner plantlets. On the basis of total investments in structure and respiration minus any photosynthetic gain of all reproductive structures, the cost per seed was lowest in the most open habitats and highest and increasingly variable in the more closed habitats. The cost of plantlets also was lowest in the most open habitat. The differences among habitats in cost of plantlets alive after one or two growing seasons increased due to differential survivorship of plantlets, with the open habitat continuing to have the lowest cost per plantlet. Theoretical treatments of life history characteristics such as reproductive effort should recognize that costs of equivalent type and size of propagule may vary among environments.
Determining individual mineral contributions to U(VI) adsorption in a contaminated aquifer sediment: A fluorescence spectroscopy study

The adsorption and speciation of U(VI) was investigated on contaminated, fine grained sediment materials from the Hanford 300 area (SPP1 GWF) in simulated groundwater using cryogenic laser-induced U(VI) fluorescence spectroscopy combined with chemometric analysis. A series of reference minerals (montmorillonite, illite, Michigan chlorite, North Carolina chlorite, California clinochlore, quartz and synthetic 6-line ferrihydrite) was used for comparison that represents the mineralogical constituents of SPP1 GWF. Surface area-normalized Kd values were measured at U(VI) concentrations of 5 × 10−7 and 5 × 10−6 mol L−1 that displayed the following affinity series: 6-line-ferrihydrite > North Carolina chlorite ≈ California clinochlore > quartz ≈ Michigan chlorite > illite > montmorillonite. Both time-resolved spectra and asynchronous two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis of SPP1 GWF at different delay times indicated that two major adsorbed U(VI) species were present in the sediment that resembled U(VI) adsorbed on quartz and phyllosilicates. Simulations of the normalized fluorescence spectra confirmed that the speciation of SPP1 GWF was best represented by a linear combination of U(VI) adsorbed on quartz (90%) and phyllosilicates (10%). However, the fluorescence quantum yield for U(VI) adsorbed on phyllosilicates was lower than quartz and, consequently, its fractional contribution to speciation may be underestimated. Spectral comparison with literature data suggested that U(VI) exist primarily as inner-sphere complexes with surface silanol groups on quartz and as surface U(VI) tricarbonate complexes on phyllosilicates.
Quality Control for Deglycerolized Red Blood Cells

A quality-control procedure to detect inadequately deglycerolized red blood cells is feasible, although the cost-effectiveness of routinely employing such a test needs to be considered by each individual blood bank. When the standard deglycerolizing protocol is meticulously followed by experienced personnel, the chances of an error that would result in inadequate deglycerolization are remote. The administration of cells with excess residual glycerol can result only in intravascular lysis of the infused cells. However, if a blood bank feels the need for a quality-control test for deglycerolized red blood cells, resuspending cells in 0.7% NaCl and estimating the per cent hemolysis using a color comparator is a simple and effective test.
Extensible routers for active networks

This paper describes our effort to build an extensible router in support of active networks. Our work is driven by two goals: (1) supporting the injection of new functionality into a router, and (2) exploiting commercially available hardware. Our approach is a hierarchical architecture, in which packet flows traverse a range of processing/forwarding paths. This paper both presents the architecture, and describes our experiences implementing the architecture across a combination of general-purpose and network processors.
E-commerce Reputation Manipulation: The Emergence of Reputation-Escalation-as-a-Service

In online markets, a store's reputation is closely tied to its profitability. Sellers' desire to quickly achieve high reputation has fueled a profitable underground business, which operates as a specialized crowdsourcing marketplace and accumulates wealth by allowing online sellers to harness human laborers to conduct fake transactions for improving their stores' reputations. We term such an underground market a seller-reputation-escalation (SRE) market. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the SRE service on reputation escalation by performing in-depth measurements of the prevalence of the SRE service, the business model and market size of SRE markets, and the characteristics of sellers and offered laborers. To this end, we have infiltrated five SRE markets and studied their operations using daily data collection over a continuous period of two months. We identified more than 11,000 online sellers posting at least 219,165 fake-purchase tasks on the five SRE markets. These transactions earned at least $46,438 in revenue for the five SRE markets, and the total value of merchandise involved exceeded $3,452,530. Our study demonstrates that online sellers using SRE service can increase their stores' reputations at least 10 times faster than legitimate ones while only 2.2% of them were detected and penalized. Even worse, we found a newly launched service that can, within a single day, boost a seller's reputation by such a degree that would require a legitimate seller at least a year to accomplish. Finally, armed with our analysis of the operational characteristics of the underground economy, we offer some insights into potential mitigation strategies.
The Single-Subject Methodology in Clinical Practice

This paper provides an overview of the single-subject methodology in clinical practice. This methodology can be used to contribute to a cumulative body of professional knowledge, as well as to evaluate clinical effectiveness. The paper discusses guidelines on the collection of reliable and valid data over time and the selection and use of on appropriate single-subject design. Clinicians are encouraged to follow those guidelines that are consistent with their clinical constraints and goals for each case. Several unresolved issues involving utilization of the model are addressed.
Fetal Endocrine and Metabolic Response to Placental Insufficiency

The purpose of this chapter is two-fold: first, to review the data which describes the fetoplacental endocrine and metabolic response to placental insufficiency; second, to use this information to support the hypothesis that these responses represent critical adaptations which insure survival in the face of a progressive reduction in nutrient supply. Initially the data, which has been obtained in several species, will be reviewed. Next, the interactions between the endocrine, metabolic and hemodynamic responses will be examined in an attempt to identify a central regulatory mechanism. Finally, the survival value of the responses will be assessed. Throughout, discussion will be limited to the dysmature, asymmetrically growth-retarded fetus. The more general problem of the ‘small-for-gestational-age’ fetus without clear documentation of the proportionality of growth will not be addressed.
Physical Properties of Silicene

In this chapter, we discuss the physical properties of free-standing silicene . Silicene is a single atomic layer of silicon much like graphene. The interest in silicene is exactly the same as that for graphene, in being two-dimensional and possessing a Dirac cone . One advantage relies on its possible application in electronics, whereby its natural compatibility with the current Si technology might make fabrication much more of a commercial reality. Since free-standing has not yet been made, all of the results are theoretical in nature, though most properties are not expected to differ significantly for silicene on a substrate.
SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Background Depression and anxiety have been inconsistently associated with diabetes. Sex differences in the biological and behavioral correlates of these forms of distress could partially explain these inconsistencies. We investigated sex-specific associations between depression/anxiety symptomatology and diabetes in two separate samples.
Thermocouple Recovery Factor for Temperature Measurements in Turbomachinery Test Facilities

Using un-shrouded thermocouples to measure the temperature of a working fluid can result in velocity error of up to 9◦C. However, these type of thermocouples are often used to measure temperatures in turbomachinery applications due to space and monetary constraints. Applying a recovery factor to the thermocouple reading can correct the measurement to the total temperature and reduce the velocity error by up to 83%. While some information about thermocouple recovery factors is available, it is only for a small subset of thermocouples. The method for experimentally obtaining the recovery factor is discussed. The recovery factor for grounded and exposed, /16 inch diameter, Type T, sheathed thermocouples is determined to be 0.815. This recovery factor is compared with previous research and used to effectively correct thermocouple measurements.
Comparison of Soil Response during Earthquake Excitation and Uniform Cyclic Loading

Characterization of soil response under cyclic loading is one of the major challenges in evaluating liquefaction triggering. In this paper, the results of numerical simulations are presented for dynamic soil behavior during uniform and earthquake loading. For this purpose, Plasticity Model for Sands (PM4Sand) was utilized to simulate soil behavior for a range of loading intensities. This model incorporates a 2-surface kinematic yield mechanism to simulate soil behavior and more importantly considers the effect of fabric change and void ratio evolution during loading. Cyclic soil behavior was simulated under a series of uniform sine wave loading and earthquake excitations under controlled boundary conditions and stress paths. Dissipated energy and accumulated pore water pressures were evaluated during these simulations. Triggering of liquefaction was also monitored with different failure criteria. Thereafter, soil behavior was characterized, and a new approach was developed to represent earthquake time histories by equivalent uniform stress series. The proposed approach relates earthquake to uniform loading by the energy dissipated during the stress time history.
Investigation of encephalitis and meningitis cases in Hexi corridor of Gansu province during summer and autumn from 2006 to 2010

Objective The research was designed to analyze the epidemiological and clinical features of encephalitis and meningitis cases in Hexi corridor of Gansu province during summer and autumn season from 2006 to 2010. Utilizing historical data analysis, this study was aimed to provide theoretical basis for the control of the Japanese encephalitis(JE). Methods Five hundred and seventy-four cases of encephalitis and meningitis were retrospectively surveyed and analyzed. Results Patients with viral encephalitis accounted for 75.09% of 574 cases with the syndromes of encephalitis and meningitis. Patients less than 15 years old took up 44.60% of all cases and the percentage for this age group was higher than other age groups. The majority of the patients were students, famers, and pre-school children. Most of the patients showed acute onset. The clinical classification was mild or moderate. The main clinical symptoms were headache, nausea, listlessness, pyrexia, vomiting, and dizziness. The headache incidence for patients with tuberculosis meningitis was significantly higher than patients with viral encephalitis or purulent meningitis(P0.05), the incidence of neurological symptoms for patients with purulent meningitis was significantly higher than patients with viral encephalitis or tuberculosis meningitis. Conclusion Viral encephalitis was the major disease for the encephalitis and meningitis in Hexi corridor. Combining with history data, it is still difficult to draw the conclusion that there is no JE case in Hexi corridor of Gansu province.
Experiences of testing bioinformatics programs for detecting subtle faults

One of the biggest challenges for conducting automated systematic testing on scientific programs is the oracle problem. This challenge is especially prevalent in the field of bioinformatics due to the inherent complexity of these programs. In this paper, we explore two approaches: pseudo-oracles and metamorphic testing for conducting automated systematic testing of bioinformatics programs. We use BBMap: an open source genome alignment tool as the system under test to evaluate the effectiveness of the above two approaches for identifying subtle faults.Our results show that the pseudo-oracle testing does not provide a consistent basis for fault-detection. This is mainly due to not having a consistent rate of agreement between the outputs of the system under test and the pseudo-oracle. On the other hand, metamorphic testing detects a majority of subtle faults, suggesting that it is more effective in identifying these types of faults.
Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Children and Adolescents

Although primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has emerged as a common endocrine disorder in adults, it is still a rare condition in infants and children with an incidence estimated at only 2–5 per 100,000. It is most commonly caused by a single adenoma, but multiple-gland disease can also occur especially in the setting of a familial disease or syndrome. Sporadic PHPT in children is associated with greater morbidity and end-organ damage at the time of diagnosis compared to adults. The most commonly affected organs are the kidney and bone. A greater degree of hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria at presentation compared to adults is present despite similar parathyroid hormone concentrations, suggesting greater target-organ sensitivity and an apparent decrease in the sensitivity of the parathyroid adenoma to negative feedback by calcium in young patients. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment in pediatric patients, preferably performed by a high-volume surgeon with experience in pediatric endocrine surgery.
Perspectives on pathology education.

Advances in science and technology continue to influence the practice of medicine. Traditionally, pathology has played a key role in bridging the gap between basic science and clinical practice. Will the tradition survive the next century's technical applications of advances in molecular biology? Will the teaching of pathology to medical students and the training of pathology residents adapt to new and innovative technologies? What will be the future role of the community hospital pathologist? These are the questions that should concern all of pathology
DESIGN AND CHARACTERIZATION OF OPTICAL FIBERS FOR HIGH CAPACITY TRANSMISSION

Various new designs of optical fibers are being developed in pursuing the ultimate performance of optical fiber communications. The current major concerns with optical fiber design are control of chromatic dispersion and nonlinearities. This paper reviews the current status of new optical fiber development, such as improved designs of dispersion-shifted fibers, dispersion-flattened fibers, and so on. Topics related to measurement techniques for nonlinear refractive index and chromatic dispersion are also discussed.
Immunotoxicology and its application in risk assessment.

Immunotoxicology is the study of undesired modulation of the immune system by extrinsic factors. Toxicological assessments have demonstrated that the immune system is a target following exposure to a diverse group of xenobiotics including ultraviolet radiation, chemical pollutants, therapeutics, and recreational drugs. There is a well-established cause and effect relationship between suppression of the immune response and reduced resistance to infections and certain types of neoplasia. In humans, mild-to-moderate suppression of the immune response is linked to reduced resistance to common community-acquired infections, whereas opportunistic infections, which are very rare in the general population, are common in individuals with severe suppression. Xenobiotic exposure may also result in unintended stimulation of immune function. Although a cause and effect relationship between unintended stimulation of the immune response and adverse consequences has yet to be established, evidence does suggest that hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, and pathological inflammation may be exacerbated in susceptible populations exposed to certain xenobiotics. Xenobiotics can act as allergens and elicit hypersensitivity responses, or they can modulate hypersensitivity responses to other allergens such as pollen or dust mite by acting as adjuvants, enhancing the development or expression of hypersensitivity. Allergic contact dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma are the most commonly encountered types of hypersensitivity reactions resulting from chemical exposure. The immunologic effectors and mechanisms involved in autoimmune reactions are the same as those associated with responses to foreign antigens; however, the reactions are directed against the host’s own cells. Thus, chemicals that induce immune suppression, nonspecific immunostimulation, or hypersensitivity may also impact autoimmunity. Risk assessment for immunotoxicity should be performed using the same approaches and principles for other noncancer effects. However, since xenobiotics may have effects on more than one aspect of immune function, immunotoxicity data should be evaluated separately for evidence of suppression, stimulation, hypersensitivity, and autoimmunity.
Perceived health competence predicts health behavior and health-related quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease

Abstract Objective Evaluate the effect of perceived health competence, a patient's belief in his or her ability to achieve health-related goals, on health behavior and health-related quality of life. Methods We analyzed 2063 patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome and/or congestive heart failure at a large academic hospital in the United States. Multivariable linear regression models investigated associations between the two-item perceived health competence scale (PHCS-2) and positive health behaviors such as medication adherence and exercise (Health Behavior Index) as well as health-related quality of life (5-item Patient Reported Outcome Information Measurement System Global Health Scale). Results After multivariable adjustment, perceived health competence was highly associated with health behaviors ( p p p Conclusions Perceived health competence predicts health behavior and health-related quality of life in patients hospitalized with cardiovascular disease as well as change in health-related quality of life after discharge. Practice implications Patients with low perceived health competence may be at risk for a decline in health-related quality of life after hospitalization and thus a potential target for counseling and other behavioral interventions.
Verification by Way of Refinement: A Case Study in the Use of Coq and TLA in the Design of a Safety Critical System

Sandia engineers use the Temporal Logic of Actions (TLA) early in the design process for digital systems where safety considerations are critical. TLA allows us to easily build models of interactive systems and prove (in the mathematical sense) that those models can never violate safety requirements, all in a single formal language. TLA models can also be refined, that is, extended by adding details in a carefully prescribed way, such that the additional details do not break the original model. Our experience suggests that engineers using refinement can build, maintain, and prove safety for designs that are significantly more complex than they otherwise could. We illustrate the way in which we have used TLA, including refinement, with a case study drawn from a real safety-critical system. This case exposes a need for refinement by composition, which is not currently provided by TLA. We have extended TLA to support this kind of refinement by building a specialized version of it in the Coq theorem prover. Taking advantage of Coq’s features, our version of TLA exhibits other benefits over stock TLA: we can prove certain difficult kinds of safety properties using mathematical induction, and we can certify the correctness of our proofs.
CNS Tumors and Neurofibromatosis

The association of CNS tumors and neurofibromatosis was studied in a population-based-case control group of 338 patients, less than 15 years of age, diagnosed with a primary tumor of the central nervous system in a ten year period in 53 New York State counties and reported from the Cancer Etiology Unit, Division of Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health, Corning Tower, Albany, NY.
Final/Technical Report on The National Conference of Black Physics Students

The 14th Annual Conference of the Society of Black Physics Students (NCBPS) was held March 16-19, 2000 at North Carolina A&T State University. The conference was held jointly with the National Society of Black Physicists. The students had the opportunity to interact and network with each other and the members of the profesional organization (NSBP). There are two attachments: Findings from the survey of participants of the 14th Annual National Conference of Black Physics Students, and XXVII Day of Scientific Lectures and 23rd Annual Meeting of The National Society of Black Physicists, March 15-18, 2000. The theme of the meeting was 'Physics: The science that shapes the future.'
Vocal Fry Use in Adult Female Speakers Exposed to Two Languages

Summary Objective Several studies have identified the widespread use of vocal fry among American women. Popular explanations for this phenomenon appeal to sociolinguistic purposes that likely take significant time for second language users to learn. The objective of this study was to determine if mere exposure to this vocal register, as opposed to nuanced sociolinguistic motivations, might explain its widespread use. Study Design This study used multigroup within- and between-subjects design. Methods Fifty-eight women from one of three language background groups (functionally monolingual in English, functionally monolingual in Spanish, and Spanish-English bilinguals) living in El Paso, Texas, repeated a list of nonwords conforming to the sound rules of English and another list of nonwords conforming to the sound rules of Spanish. Perceptual analysis identified each episode of vocal fry. Results There were no statistically significant differences between groups in their frequency of vocal fry use despite large differences in their amount of English-language exposure. All groups produced more vocal fry when repeating English than when repeating Spanish nonwords. Conclusions Because the human perceptual system encodes for vocal qualities even after minimal language experience, the widespread use of vocal fry among female residents in the United States likely is owing to mere exposure to English rather than nuanced sociolinguistic motivations.
Proposals for International Tax Reform: Is There a Middle Road?

This paper aims to suggest two proposals for solving the current problems of the U.S. international tax regime that can be implemented on a bipartisan basis. To do so, the first section below will provide some context. The next section will survey recent reform proposals by both U.S. Representative Dave Camp (R-MI) and President Barack Obama. Lastly, the paper will discuss plausible avenues for reform after the presidential election, beginning with short-term proposals (preferably, abolishing deferral at a lower rate), and continuing with medium-term ones (adopting a destination based corporate tax).
Simpler models in environmental studies and predictions

This review outlines major directions of simpler model development in environmental modeling, metamodeling, statistical-regression- and machine-learning-based empirical models, and mechanistic mode...
Microgrid battery and thermal storage for improved renewable penetration and curtailment

As renewable energy becomes a larger fraction of the overall energy mix in the US, energy storage technology and its efficient deployment will be increasingly necessary. This work examines a small-scale microgrid which supplies renewable energy to a single building with both electric (battery) and thermal (hot-water) energy storage. The building contains a mix of apartments and one commercial kitchen, and electrical consumption and demand hot water profiles are developed from historical residential meter data and models for restaurant activity. Renewable energy from a PV array and wind turbines is dispatched to the load or is stored for later use, and the microgrid performance is measured by the renewable energy penetration, renewable curtailment, and system cost over time. Modeling results indicate that replacing some electrical storage capacity with thermal storage for demand hot-water has the potential to decrease cost by 8%, increasing renewable penetration by 7%, and decrease renewable curtailment by 11%.
The Wisdom of Plato’s Phaedo

On the surface, Plato’s conception of wisdom, as expressed in the Phaedo, is crystal clear. It is a condition of a purified human soul that is able, as far as possible, to think purely about objects that are changeless and eternal. As Socrates puts it, “purification” (catharsis: 67c4) occurs when the philosopher “using pure thought itself by itself attempts to hunt down each of the beings that purely is itself by itself” (66a).1 To achieve such wisdom, the soul must distance itself, as far as possible, from the body. It must reject the testimony of the senses, ignore the pangs of hunger, thirst, and sexual desire, cleanse itself of the subjective turbulence of the emotions, and become singularly focused on the immortal “Forms,” those ultimate beings that exist “themselves by themselves” and, unlike all residents of the sensible world, do not change.
At the Mercy of the State: Health Philanthropy in China

Public health and healthcare issues in China have historically attracted individuals and organizations to engage the health sector. The growth of health philanthropy in post-Mao China raises questions regarding the role of the state in the development of China’s health philanthropy. Through a historical overview of health philanthropy in China as well as an examination of the functions and effectiveness of health-related philanthropic actors in the contemporary era, this study has identified the state as a major factor in the development of China’s health philanthropy. Indeed, even though the post-Mao reform dynamics have expanded space for health-related charity organizations, the state continues to have commanding height in health philanthropy in terms of status, funding, services, and influence. The state dominance in turn negatively affects the registration, financing, and capacity building of private foundations and NGOs in this area. Whether the state will dominate health philanthropy in the future to a large extent hinges upon how much extra space it is willing to concede in order to accommodate the dynamics in China’s philanthropic sector.
"SIEF"--simultaneous implant exchange with fat: a new option in revision breast implant surgery.

UNLABELLED A technique of implant exchange is reported using recipient-site preexpansion followed by autologous fat transplantation to the breast in 12 consecutive patients with breast implants who desired implant removal. Recipient-site preexpansion, used 2 weeks before fat grafting, may have both practical and theoretical benefits in increasing the breast subcutaneous space and stimulating the recipient-site microcellular environment overlying the prosthetic implant, allowing the subcutaneous insertion of a sufficient core volume of donor graft at the time of prosthetic explantation. In the cases described, the postexplantation breast volume at 9 months to 1 year postoperatively by quantitative three-dimensional imaging was equal to or greater than the preexplantation composite volume of breast and implant. Preexpansion before implant exchange with fat affords a more abundant space, completely independent from the subglandular or submuscular planes. In this new space, the "third space" of the breast, it is possible to technically place graft into the breast subcutaneous tissue and alleviate breast asymmetry resulting from pocket distortions caused by capsular contracture or by implant pocket drift. Observing breast augmentation with implants and with fat grafting in the same patient affords a unique opportunity to analyze some of the key differences between the two techniques. Recipient-site preexpansion and simultaneous implant exchange with fat (SIEF) should be added to the list of applications where fat grafting to the breasts may have early clinical utility and portends the use of fat used in conjunction with breast implants to achieve better patient outcomes. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic, V.
Growth Factors Involved in the Development, Maturation and Neuroplasticity of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

Publisher Summary As originally described by Dahlstrom and Fuxe, the dopaminergic neurons located in the midbrain are organized into three nuclei; the retro rubral (A8), substantia nigra (A9), and the ventral tegmental area (A10). Neuroanatomical tract tracing studies have revealed that arising from these nuclei are the mesostriatal, mesolimbic, and the mesocortical dopaminergic projection pathways. In Parkinson's disease, the weaver mutant mouse and in response to 1-methyl-4-phenel-1, 2, 3, 6-tretrahydropyridine (MPTP) toxicity, the mesostriatal dopamine neurons selectively degenerate as compared to either the mesolimbic or mesocortical dopamine neurons. There is also degeneration in this population of dopamine neurons in the course of normal aging.
Digest: Stress and inbreeding depression in Drosophila melanogaster.

Do stressful conditions exacerbate inbreeding depression? Using Drosophila melanogaster, Schou et al. (2018) examine the mechanisms underlying the interaction between stress and inbreeding depression. The authors found that gene expression in inbred individuals was highly stochastic under benign conditions, but differential gene expression in inbred individuals was reduced compared to controls under stressful conditions.
Exploring the Relationship Between Longitudinal Course-Taking Patterns and In-State Transfer Into STEM Fields of Study

Community colleges have increasingly played a critical role in expanding the pathway to baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields of study. At the sam...
Pulmonary and other health effects of electronic cigarette use among adult smokers participating in a randomized controlled smoking reduction trial.

Abstract Background There is limited evidence about the effects of dual electronic cigarette (e-cig) and combustible cigarette use on lung health or other health outcomes. Studies that have evaluated these outcomes have not included estimates of e-cig or cigarette exposure in the analyses. Materials and methods Data analyzed were from 263 smokers participating in a randomized controlled trial designed to encourage participants to reduce their combustible cigarette use by substituting with an e-cig or a non-electronic cigarette substitute (cig-sub). t-tests were used to evaluate changes from baseline at 1 month and 3 months in lung function, blood pressure, pulse, exhaled carbon monoxide, and weight. Linear mixed effects models were used to test associations between health outcomes and study product group, including exposure to the study products (e-cig and cig-sub times used and days used in the past 7 days) and cigarettes per day (CPD). Results There were few significant differences between the groups for lung function indices at any time point in the unadjusted analyses. There were significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure and pulse at 1 month in the unadjusted analyses for those in the e-cig group compared to the cig-sub group. CPD decreased significantly more for the e-cig group than for the cig-sub group at both time points. There were no significant associations between any measured health outcomes and group in the linear mixed effects models. Conclusion E-cig use did not contribute to significant changes in health outcome markers as compared with use of a non-electronic cig-sub.
Application of Comparative Biosequence Analysis to Understand Antibiotic Resistance in Superbug

The advent of synthetic antibiotics revolutionized the treatment of bacterial infections in humans. Antibiotics are classified into several different families, depending on their mode of action, including beta-lactams, macrolides, and quinolones. Beta-lactam antibiotics work by targeting the biochemical process of building up peptidoglycan, the major component of bacterial cell walls. Macrolides work most frequently by targeting the function of bacterial ribosomes, the protein-building machine essential for the survival of bacteria. In contrast, quinolones are those for treating more aggressive forms of bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, and work by breaking the strands of replicating DNA [1]. Bacteria evolve each time they are exposed to antibiotic treatment, developing antibiotic resistance. Consequently, they disable once effective antibiotics and give rise to antibiotic crisis, the deadliest threat to human health. WHO lists 12 antibiotic-resistant bacteria as superbugs, including S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa [2]. Interestingly, each of the superbugs is resistant to only one or two family of antibiotics. Very little is known about the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, making it challenging to develop novel antibiotics that contain all the superbugs [3-4]. In particular, none of the past and current researches have clearly established phylogenetic relationships between antibiotic non-resistant and resistant bacteria. This study is focused on the A site located in the highly conserved region across all bacterial 16S rRNA sequences, one of the best documented antibiotic binding sites of aminoglycosides targeting Gram-negative bacteria [3]. The A site in the E. coli 16S rRNA secondary structure includes an internal loop of three nucleotides (A1408, A1492, and A1493), directly flanked by two basepairs C1407:G1494 and C1409:G1491. Our analysis reveals that while these positions are highly conserved positions in bacteria, a few positions in both Enterobacter and H. influenzae change from one nucleotide to another. Interestingly, both H. pylori and H. influenzae are resistant to aminoglycosides, suggesting that these observed nucleotide variations at the A site could be associated with antibiotic resistance. This study is to further examine how nucleotide variation at the A site is phylogenetically related to antibiotic resistance in the superbugs.
Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Introduction: Atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML), BCR-ABL1 negative is a rare myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) for which no current standard of care exists. We present one of the rare presentations of aCML in an elderly patient. Case: A 76 year old male presented to the Hematology clinic for consultation after discharge from local hospital for elevated WBC count. Past medical history was significant for COPD, acid reflux, peripheral arterial disease and hypertension. Physical exam was unremarkable. Initial labs were significant for leukocytosis of 30 k/cu mm, anemia with Hb 10 gm/dl, thrombocytosis 695,000 with neutrophilia of ANC 25,200. Peripheral blood was negative for JAK2 V617F and BCR-ABL. Peripheral blood flow cytometry showed granulocytic left shift with 1.5% myeloblasts. Bone marrow biopsy suggestive of hypercellular marrow (100%) with myeloid predominance, atypical megakaryocytes, increased ring sideroblasts (49% of NRBC), increased blasts (5%) and dysgranulopoeisis over all suggestive of Myelodyplastic Syndrome/Chronic Myeloproliferative Disorder (MDS/MPD). Cytogenetics were positive for U2AF1 positive, CSF3R T6181, CSF3R Q776 pathognomonicof atypical CML and negative for BCR-ABL, FLT3. He was considered transplant ineligible. He was started on Azacitadine and is currently receiving 2nd cycle therapy. He is also receiving darbepoeitin periodically to avoid frequent transfusions. He is currently transfusion independent. Discussion: Increased WBC count (e.g., cutoffs of >40×109/L or 50×109/L), increased percentage of peripheral blood myeloid precursors, female sex, and older age are adverse prognostic factors for overall survival or leukemia-free survival in aCML. aCML cases lack in Philadelphia chromosome. Overall 50-65% of patients show cytogenetic abnormalities. The most frequent is +8 (25%). Other changes such as -7 and del(12p) have also been recurrently observed. Patients with aCML have an estimated median survival between 14 and 30 months. aCML tends to exhibit a more aggressive clinical course than other MDS/MPN subtypes. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
C–H Functionalization Approach for the Synthesis of Chiral C2-Symmetric 1,5-Cyclooctadiene Ligands

Chiral cyclooctadiene (COD) derivatives are readily prepared by rhodium-catalyzed allylic C-H functionalization of COD. Either mono- or difunctionalization of COD is possible generating the products in high yield, diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity. The double C-H functionalization generates C2-symmetric COD derivatives with four new stereogenic centers in >99% ee, which can be readily converted to a series of chiral COD ligands. Preliminary evaluations revealed that the COD ligands can be used in rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric arylation of cyclohex-2-enone, leading to the conjugate addition products in up to 76% ee.
AGA Clinical Practice Update on Colorectal and Pancreatic Cancer Risk and Screening in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Carriers: Commentary.

Genetic testing for hereditary cancer syndromes is becoming increasingly common. Carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variants (i.e., mutations) are among the most commonly identified in hereditary cancer risk assessment. BRCA1 and BRCA2 encode proteins involved in homologous recombination and double-stranded DNA break repair. Germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are highly penetrant for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, conferring lifetime risks of up to 85% of breast cancer and 20-40% for ovarian cancer1 and have implications for efficacy of targeted therapies in several cancers2. Pathogenic variants in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have also been associated with variable risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, including colorectal (CRC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), biliary and gastric cancers3, 4 However, the magnitude of GI cancer risks is not well established and there is minimal evidence or guidance on screening for GI cancers among BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. The magnitude of risk, if any, for CRC is particularly relevant since there is evidence for the efficacy of earlier and more frequent colonoscopic screening among individuals at higher risk than the general population, such as those with Lynch syndrome or family CRC history5. Screening for PDAC, biliary and gastric cancers is less well-established, though recent trials6 and consensus recommendations7 provide preliminary support for PDAC screening in high risk individuals, preferably in research settings. Lack of accurate CRC and PDAC risk estimates in BRCA1 and BRCA2 leaves physicians and patients without guidance and, results in a range of screening recommendations and practices in this population8, 9 The purpose of this clinical practice update is to review studies and provide expert opinion on CRC and PDAC risk and screening strategies to help physicians and BRCA1/2 carriers make informed screening decisions.
Teaching About the Social Construction of Reality Using a Model of Information Processing

This paper proposes leveraging the recent fusing of Big Data, computer modeling, and complexity science for teaching students about complexity. The emergence and evolution of information orders, including social structural orders, is a product of social interactions. A simple computational model of how social interaction leads to emergent cultures is proposed for teaching students the mechanisms of complexity’s development. A large-scale poker game is also described where students learn the theory and principles behind the model in the course of play. Using the model and game can help instructors achieve learning objectives that include understanding the importance of diversity, how multiple realities can exist simultaneously, and why majority group members are usually unaware of their privileges.
Assessing How Perceived Inclusion Affects Minority Employees’ Organizational Satisfaction in Higher Education

Workplace inclusion research indicates that there is a relationship between an individual’s demographic status in the workgroup and organizational inclusion. Evidence also suggests that employee jo...
Effects of feeding corn distillers dried grains with solubles diets without or with supplemental enzymes on growth performance of pigs: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effects of the dietary energy system (net energy or metabolizable energy), oil content of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS), diet inclusion levels, and pig age on growth performance of pigs fed cDDGS-based diets. Mean differences of average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain:feed (G:F) were calculated and expressed as a percentage change relative to feeding corn-soybean meal (SBM)- and cDDGS-based diets to nursery [body weight (BW) 25 kg) pigs, and to compare the effects of supplementing various types of exogenous enzymes without or with phytase on growth performance. A total of 27 studies with 106 growth performance observations were included in the cDDGS dataset, and 34 studies with 84 observations for enzyme responses in cDDGS diets were used in the enzyme dataset. Approximately, 64.7% of the observations showed no change, and 26.7% of observations showed a reduction in ADG, ADFI, and G:F when feeding cDDGS-based diets to the nursery and growing-finishing pigs compared with feeding corn-SBM-based diets. Furthermore, feeding cDDGS diets resulted in decreased (P < 0.01) mean difference of ADG (-4.27%) and G:F (-1.99%) for nursery pigs, and decreased (P < 0.01) mean difference of ADG (-1.68%) and G:F (-1.06%) for growing-finishing pigs. Every percentage unit increase in the inclusion level of cDDGS in growing-finishing pig diet was associated with a decrease (P < 0.01) in ADG (-0.10%) and ADFI (-0.09%). Feeding high oil (≥10% ether extract) cDDGS-based diets to pigs resulted in a 2.96% reduction in ADFI whereas feeding reduced-oil (<10% ether extract) cDDGS-based diets reduced G:F by 1.56% compared with pigs fed corn-SBM-based diets. Supplementation of exogenous enzymes improved (P < 0.05) the mean difference of ADG and G:F by 1.94% and 2.65%, respectively, in corn-SBM-based diets, and by 2.67% and 1.87%, respectively, in cDDGS diets. Supplementation of exogenous protease, enzyme cocktail, or xylanase improved (P < 0.05) ADG by 7.29%, 2.64%, and 2.48% in pigs fed corn-SBM-based diets, respectively. There were no differences between the dietary addition of single enzymes and enzyme combinations for any growth performance parameters in corn-SBM- or cDDGS-based diets. In conclusion, feeding cDDGS-based diets slightly reduces the growth performance of nursery and growing-finishing pigs, but supplementation of xylanase or enzyme cocktail can improve G:F of pigs fed cDDGS-based diets.
Counting and Sampling Perfect Matchings in Regular Expanding Non-Bipartite Graphs.

We show that the ratio of the number of near perfect matchings to the number of perfect matchings in $d$-regular strong expander (non-bipartite) graphs, with $2n$ vertices, is a polynomial in $n$, thus the Jerrum and Sinclair Markov chain [JS89] mixes in polynomial time and generates an (almost) uniformly random perfect matching. Furthermore, we prove that such graphs have at least $\Omega(d)^n$ any perfect matchings, thus proving the Lovasz-Plummer conjecture [LP86] for this family of graphs.
Laser-assisted angioplasty

The unique attribute of laser energy for endovascular surgical applications is that it can be delivered over considerable lengths via very small fibreoptic fibres (200–600-μm diameters). This property distinguishes laser angioplasty devices from other angioplasty instruments which are being evaluated. The first feasibility studies evaluating lasers for angioplasty were performed in the early 1980s. Thus, there has been only limited development and evaluation of this technology. The initial studies revealed that tissue ablation was achieved by the intraluminal application of laser energy, but that imprecise delivery and thermal injury caused a high rate of vessel wall perforation. These injuries were related to characteristics of the continuous wave argon and neodymium yttrium aluminium garnet (NdYAG) lasers that were available for initial trials. In an attempt to capture precise tissue ablation but avoid excessive thermal penetration and perforations, an ovoid metal cap was placed on the end of the fibreoptic to confine the thermal effect to the tip and to promote intraluminal recanalization. This ‘hot-tip’ laser probe developed as a way of controlling tissue ablation with continuous wave lasers1.
Exploring Outcomes of an Asynchronous Learning Module on Increasing Cultural Competence for Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students.

Purpose Cultural competence is an essential tool for speech-language pathologists and other allied health care professionals in providing ethical and clinically competent care. Determining pedagogi...
Posterior Approach for Spinal Accessory to Suprascapular Nerve Transfer

Reconstruction of shoulder function is difficult due to the complex nature of joint movement. Spinal accessory nerve to suprascapular nerve transfer is a common approach to the restoration of shoulder function and can be accomplished through an anterior or posterior approach. The posterior approach allows for the transfer to occur closer to target muscles and can allow the surgeon to treat possible double crush injuries of the nerve. The posterior approach to this nerve transfer can be an alternative approach to consider when seeking to regain shoulder function in brachial plexus injuries.