cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low Uptake of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Among Postpartum Women, 2006-2012.

Abstract Background: Young adult women find it acceptable to be offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine postpartum. Little is known about the practice of administering the HPV vaccine during the postpartum period. Materials and Methods: The Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database was used to develop a cohort of privately insured 18 to 26–year-old women with uncomplicated live-born pregnancies. Eligibility required no previous doses of HPV vaccine before delivery and continuous insurance enrollment from June 2006 through 1 year postpartum. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: A total of 51,913 women meet age and enrollment criteria, with 3912 (7.5%) having received any doses of vaccine before their delivery, leaving 48,001 women in this cohort. In the year postpartum, 861 women (1.8%) received any HPV vaccine. Of the women initiating the vaccine, only 337 (39%) completed the three-vaccine series. Women who received the vaccine, compared with women who ...
The 2010 KDD Cup Competition Dataset: Engaging the machine learning community in predictive learning analytics

In the spring of 2010, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data-mining (KDD) selected a dataset from an educational technology for its annual competition. The competition, titled “Educational Data Mining Challenge”, tasked participants with predicting the correctness of student answers to questions within an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) from The Cognitive Tutors suite of tutors. This challenge was hosted by the PSLC DataShop, and included data provided by the Carnegie Learning Inc., producers of The Cognitive Tutors. Consisting of over 9GB of student data this was the largest KDD Cup dataset up to that point in time. The competition brought in 655 competitors submitting 3,400 solutions. Five years later, we believe the competition dataset has been the most often cited from an educational technology platform.
Selective epoxidation of cyclohexene with molecular oxygen on catalyst of nanoporous Au integrated with MoO3 nanoparticles

Abstract Selective oxidation of olefins to desired products such as epoxides is highly demanded in chemical industry. It remains challenging to achieve high selectivity for production of epoxides over heterogeneous catalysts through using molecular oxygen as the oxidant. Nanoporous reverse catalysts (MoO3@np-Au) consisting of pure nanoporous gold (np-Au) and MoO3 nanoparticles anchored on Au ligaments were synthesized for selective oxidation of cyclohexene with molecular oxygen. By controlling the loading of molybdenum and thermal treatment condition, MoO3 nanoparticles with size of ∼5 nm were uniformly anchored on the surface of gold ligaments (30–50 nm) of pure nanoporous gold (np-Au). These synthesized MoO3@np-Au catalysts exhibited high selectivity of 58%–73% for production of cyclohexene oxide at conversion of 4%–11% of cyclohexene by using molecular oxygen as the oxidant. Compared to MoO3@np-Au, the selectivity for the production of cyclohexene oxide on pure np-Au catalyst is only 6% under the same catalytic condition as that on MoO3@np-Au. The observed high selectivity for production of cyclohexene oxide on MoO3@np-Au can be rationalized with a bi-functional mechanism of a reverse metal/oxide catalyst. The in-situ formed surface molybdenum oxo-peroxo species are suggested to be responsible for selective oxidation of cyclohexene to cyclohexene oxide, while the MoO3/Au interface activates molecular oxygen to regenerate the molybdenum oxo-peroxo active centers.
Lead (Pb) exposure reduces global DNA methylation level by non-competitive inhibition and alteration of dnmt expression

Low-dose exposure to lead (Pb) is connected to developmental neurological alterations by inducing molecular changes, such as aberrant gene expression patterns. The attributing molecular mechanism, however, is not well-elucidated. In this study, we revealed epigenetic features and mechanisms that can alter gene expression patterns by identifying changes in DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity, expression pattern and DNA methylation level using moelcular studies and a zebrafish animal model. We characterized the effects of Pb on the activities of various DNMTs in vitro and determined the molecular role of Pb in modulating DNMT activity via kinetic experiments. An exposure of 100 or 500 ppb of Pb was found to significantly lower the activity of maintenance DNMTs. The inhibition mechanism can be described using non-competitive Michaelis–Menten kinetics. A zebrafish animal model was then used to assess the biological significance of our findings. An embryonic exposure to 100 or 500 ppb Pb resulted in a significant change in global methylation levels consistent with previous studies using human and rodent model. Our study also suggests that Pb exposure in zebrafish alters the expression patterns of dnmt3 and dnmt4 which are human DNMT3b orthologs. The knowledge from this study suggests that Pb exposure can affect the activity of maintenance DNMTs via non-competitive inhibition, which has not been reported previously. Meanwhile, the expression pattern of de novo methyltransferases can also be altered. Collectively, they result in a reduction in global DNA methylation level in Pb-exposed zebrafish model, which can be compared to findings in human and rodent studies.
Analysis and design guidelines to mitigate demagnetization vulnerability in PM synchronous machines

A design approach is presented to mitigate demagnetization vulnerability in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) by proper selection and design of stator windings and rotor configurations. First, a comparative analysis of the stator demagnetizing MMFs and leakage inductances for surface PM machines equipped with integral-slot distributed windings (ISDW) and fractional-slot concentrated windings (FSCW) is performed under the constraint of equal magnet flux linkage. Finite element analysis is used to build confidence in the predicted variation of flux density over the magnet surfaces in the two machines. The higher leakage inductance in the FSCW machine reduces the negative impact of its higher peak demagnetizing MMF, but not enough to offset the ISDW machine's advantage of lower demagnetizing MMF. Overall, two convenient metrics are proposed to evaluate the relative amplitude of peak demagnetizing MMF and potential rotor temperature rise due to eddy-current losses. This study shows that the FSCW-PM machine is more vulnerable to rotor demagnetization compared to the ISDW-PM machine because of the higher peak demagnetizing MMF applied by the stator winding currents and rich spatial harmonics that increase rotor losses. Finally, it is shown that the FSCW-PM machines with slot-per-phase-per-pole values of / offer appealingly low values for both of these demagnetization metrics.
Performance of bridge piers under vehicle collision

Abstract Both the peak dynamic force (PDF) and the equivalent static force (ESF) of a vehicle collision with reinforced concrete bridge columns were examined as part of an extensive finite element (FE) analyses study. An extensive parametric study of 13 parameters, including the concrete material model, the unconfined concrete compressive strength f c ′ , the material strain rate, the percentage of longitudinal reinforcement, the hoop reinforcement, the column span-to-depth ratio, the column diameter, the top boundary conditions, the axial load level, the vehicle’s velocity, the vehicle’s mass, the roadside distance between errant vehicle and unshielded bridge column, and the soil depth above the top of the column footing was conducted. Three approaches were used to investigate the ESF. The ESF in the first (stiffness-based) approach was defined as the static force producing the same maximum displacement that is produced by a vehicle collision at the point of impact. The ESF examined in the second approach was calculated according to the Eurocode. The ESF studied in the third approach was defined as the Peak of the Twenty-five Milli Second moving Average (PTMSA). The different ESFs were compared to the ESF in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials-Load and Resistance Factor Design (AASHTO-LRFD; 2670 kN [600 kips]). In general, the ESF calculated according to the Eurocode presented the lower bound while those from the stiffness-based approach presented the upper bound. Furthermore, the recommended ESF of the AASHTO-LRFD was found to be non-conservative for heavy and/or high speed vehicle impacts; it was found to be too conservative for light and/or slow vehicle impacts. Hence, rather than a constant design impact force, a variable design impact force should be used. An equation was developed to calculate a design impact force, which is the function in the vehicle’s mass and velocity. A simplified equation based on the Eurocode equation of the ESF was proposed. These equations, however, do not require cumbersome FE analyses.
A Beauty But A Funny Girl: A Queer Investigation of the "Broadwayfication of Disney"

The term “Disneyfication” is traditionally a way of implying that substance and depth have been removed and replaced by simplistic, conservative values, at best, and dangerously fascist encoded messages, at worst. To refer to the opening of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway as the beginning of the “Disneyfication of Broadway” is to imply, therefore, a corporate invasion of a theatre culture which has been portrayed through various historiographies as a leftist refuge for the outsiders of American culture, particularly the LGBT community. However, I would argue that before Disney's occupation of Times Square, the culture of the Walt Disney Company had been breached by two Broadway veterans, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who incorporated the book musical structure, musical theatre styles, conventions, and progressive themes into Disney's animated films in a period which I shall refer to as the “Broadwayfication of Disney.” Because one of the major deterrents of a queer reading of Disney musicals, and the subsequent exclusion of them from queer histories of Broadway, is the “Disney” brand name, this paper will examine, through textual analysis of the film and stage versions of Beauty and the Beast , informed by the writings of Eve Sedgewick, Judith Butler, and Mikhail Bakhtin, the ways in which the creators of Beauty and the Beast utilized traditional musical theatre styles and conventions to present the mainstream public with an anti-essentialist treatment of gender and sexuality in American culture.
A non-rigid registration framework that accommodates pathology detection

Image-guided external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for the treatment of cancer enables accurate placement of radiation dose to the cancerous region. However, the deformation of soft tissue during the course of treatment, such as in cervical cancer, presents significant challenges. Furthermore, the presence of pathologies such as tumors may violate registration constraints and cause registration errors. In this paper, we present a novel MAP framework that performs nonrigid registration and pathology detection simultaneously. The matching problem here is defined as a mixture of two different distributions which describe statistically image gray-level variations for two pixel classes (i.e. tumor class and normal tissue class). The determinant of the transformation's Jacobian is also constrained, which guarantees the transformation to be smooth and simulates the tumor regression process. We perform the experiments on 30 patient MR data to validate our approach. Quantitative analysis of experimental results illustrate the promising performance of this method in comparison to previous techniques.
Predictors of Treatment Discontinuation During Prolonged Exposure for PTSD.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent and impairing condition for which there are several evidence-based psychotherapies. However, a significant proportion of patients fail to complete a ‘sufficient dose’ of psychotherapy, potentially limiting treatment gains. Aims: The present study investigated predictors of premature treatment discontinuation during a trial of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD. Method: Combat veterans with PTSD were recruited to participate in a randomized clinical trial of PE delivered in person or via telehealth technologies. Of the 150 initial participants, 61 participants discontinued the trial before the completion of eight sessions (of an 8‒12 session protocol). Treatment condition (telehealth or in person) and factors identified by prior research (age, combat theatre, social support, PTSD symptoms) were tested as predictors of treatment discontinuation. Results: A Cox proportional hazards model (a subtype of survival analysis) was used to evaluate predictors of treatment discontinuation. Disability status and treatment condition were identified as significant predictors of discontinuation, with a noted disability and use of telehealth demonstrating higher risk. Conclusions: The present findings highlight the influence of telehealth and disability status on treatment discontinuation, while minimizing the role of the previously identified variables from studies with less sensitive analyses.
Equilibrium thermodynamic predictions of coking propensity in membrane-based dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons and alcohols

Abstract This paper uses equilibrium analysis to predict the likelihood of carbon deposits as functions of fuel-steam composition and temperature. The focus is particularly concerned with the effects of dehydrogenation as in catalytic membrane reactors or protonic fuel cells. Results show that if an inlet mixture is under the deposit limit, then even with significant hydrogen removal the dehydrogenated mixture can remain free of carbon deposits. Depending on operating temperature and pressure, the equilibrium predictions offer qualitative and quantitative guidelines that assist establishing initial fuel/steam ratios. The predictions also provide guidelines for assessing the effects of hydrogen removal via membranes. However, it must also be noted that there can be significant departures from equilibrium that are the result of finite-rate kinetic effects with particular catalysts.
Splinters and Schisms: Rebel Group Fragmentation and the Durability of Insurgencies

Insurgent organizations often experience internal fragmentation when a faction breaks away to form a separate group with independent leadership. Following a split, what factors influence the relati...
Central-Pacific surface meteorology from the 2016 El Nino Rapid Response (ENRR) field campaign

Abstract. During the early months of the 2015/2016 El Nino event, scientists led by the Earth System Research Laboratory's Physical Sciences Division conducted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) El Nino Rapid Response (ENRR) field campaign. One component of ENRR involved in situ observations collected over the near-equatorial eastern–central Pacific Ocean. From 25 January to 28 March 2016, standard surface meteorology observations, including rainfall, were collected at Kiritimati Island (2.0° N, 157.4° E) in support of twice-daily radiosonde launches. From 16 February to 16 March 2016, continuous measurements of surface meteorology, sea surface temperature, and downwelling shortwave radiation were made by NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. These were largely done in support of the four to eight radiosondes launched each day as the ship travelled from Hawaii to TAO buoy locations along longitudes 140 and 125° W and then back to port in San Diego, California. The rapid nature of these remote field deployments led to some specific challenges in addition to those common to many surface data collection efforts. This paper documents the two deployments as well as the steps taken to evaluate and process the data. The results are two multi-week surface meteorology data products and one accompanying set of surface fluxes, all collected in the core of the eastern–central Pacific's extremely warm waters. These data sets, plus metadata, are archived at the NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and are free for public access: surface meteorology from Kiritimati Island ( https://doi.org/10.7289/V51Z42H4 ); surface meteorology and some surface fluxes from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown ( https://doi.org/10.7289/V5SF2T80 ; https://doi.org/10.7289/V58050VP ).
Commentary: Copyright Restrictions Versus Open Access to Survey Instruments.

Author(s): Hays, Ron D; Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Teresi, Jeanne A; Wallace, Steven P; Stewart, Anita L
CHRONIC CHAGAS CARDIOMYOPATHY PRESENTING AS VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA STORM

Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) is an important cause of dilated non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) in the Latin American population and manifests as heart failure and ventricular arrhythmias. A 59-year-old man was evaluated after an episode of syncope. He was found to be in ventricular tachycardia (VT
Possibility Waves, Uncertainty, and Complementarity

What kind of waves are matter waves? When is an electron a wave and when is it a particle? Particles are localized concentrated objects with clearly defined tracks, whereas waves spread through large distances and can be in various places and volumes of space at once. These are very different properties. Can the same object have such diverse properties?
Bringing Babies Back into the Social World

Almost everything that Alice encountered in her Adventures in Wonderland was somewhat other than it should have been. A baby turned out to be a pig, white roses were painted red by playing-card gardeners, and a cat disappeared into its own grin. Even the author’s name, Lewis Carroll, was not real but the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
International Law, U.S. War Powers, and the Global War on Terrorism

In Congressional Authorization and the War on Terrorism, Curtis Bradley and Jack Goldsmith provide a useful framework for interpreting the contours of the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF). As Bradley and Goldsmith point out, the AUMF is a broad, general authorization to wage war against certain states, organizations, and individuals. And because the AUMF authorizes the President to wage war, it also implicitly authorizes the President to exercise any powers incident to waging war. The most obvious feature of the AUMF, though, is its non-obvious boundaries. What powers are incident to waging war? When, where, and against whom may they be exercised? The central question is how best to interpret the AUMF and, more specifically, how best to define the outer limits, if any, of what Congress authorized the President to do. Bradley and Goldsmith argue that the law of armed conflict (LOAC) informs the proper interpretation of the AUMF. In other words, the AUMF arguably authorizes the President to do what LOAC permits - because, in part, this well established, widely endorsed body of law defines the rights and obligations of belligerents. Despite the substantial virtues of the Article, however, Bradley and Goldsmith systematically understate the interpretive significance of LOAC - and, thereby blunt the sharp edge of several important law-of-war constraints on executive power. In this short essay, we identify two important deficiencies in their framework. First, Bradley and Goldsmith overstate the ambiguity of several relevant principles of LOAC. This ostensible ambiguity threatens to unravel many of the would-be constraints they identify because, as they also point out, the President enjoys substantial discretion to interpret international law. Second, they misspecify the range of LOAC rules that are conditions of the exercise of core war powers (such as the power to detain enemy combatants and the power to prosecute war criminals). We conclude that LOAC should assume a more central role in the interpretation of the AUMF. This body of law, properly understood, suggests several meaningful, strategically viable constraints on executive action in the Global War on Terrorism.
Response of cerebral blood vessels to an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase

We examined effects of NG,NG-dimethyl-L-arginine (asymmetric dimethylarginine, ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, on cerebral vascular responses using cranial windows in anesthetized rats and rabbits. Under control conditions in rats, topical application of 10 and 100 microM ADMA constricted the basilar artery by 9 +/- 2 and 19 +/- 1% (SE; P < 0.05, n = 8), respectively, from a baseline diameter of 213 +/- 19 microns. ADMA (10 and 100 microM) produced marked inhibition of vasodilation in response to acetylcholine without inhibiting vasodilatation in response to nitroprusside. ADMA (1-100 microM) inhibited activity of brain NO synthase (measured as the conversion of L-[14C]arginine to L-[14C]citrulline). In cerebrum and cerebellum, 50% inhibition of activity of NO synthase was produced by 2.3 +/- 0.4 and 1.8 +/- 0.1 microM ADMA, respectively. In rabbits, treatment with ADMA (300 microM) decreased baseline diameter of cerebral arterioles (control diameter = 93 +/- 10 microns) by 11 +/- 2% (P < 0.05, n = 10). In response to 1 microM acetylcholine, cerebral arterioles dilated by 36 +/- 6 and 13 +/- 4% (P < 0.05 vs. control) in the absence and presence of ADMA, respectively. Effects of ADMA were prevented by L-arginine. Thus ADMA inhibits activity of brain NO synthase and relaxation of cerebral blood vessels in response to acetylcholine. Because ADMA is produced in relatively high concentrations in brain, it may be an important endogenous modulator of cerebral vascular tone under resting conditions and in response to vasoactive stimuli.
Passivation of polycrystalline Ga 0.37 In 0.63 P – an emerging 1.7eV bandgap top cell candidate

For the first time, a novel passivation method for 1.7 eV bandgap polycrystalline GaInP is discussed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. Post-growth deposition of aluminum and annealing treatment is used to passivate the GaInP thin-films. The proposed passivation technique is predicted to form a type-I heterostructure at the surface and at the grain boundaries. Dependence of the photoluminescence spectrum of polycrystalline GaInP alloys on annealing temperature and time is reported. A 210-fold increase of photoluminescence peak intensity after post-anneal treatment suggests significant recombination reduction of surface and grain boundaries.
Dimension in Finite Baer ∗-Rings

Throughout this chapter (except in some of the exercises), A denotes a finite Baer ∗-ring with GC. For the most part, the Type I and Type II summands of A require different techniques and are treated separately. A salient feature of the exposition is that virtually all results are obtained without assuming the parallelogram law (P); it is only in the final section on modularity (Section 34) that (P) is invoked.
An Atlas of z = 5.7 and z = 6.5 Lyα Emitters

We present an atlas of 88 z ~ 5.7 and 30 z ~ 6.5 Lyα emitters obtained from a wide-field narrowband survey. We combined deep narrowband imaging in 120 A bandpass filters centered at 8150 A and 9140 A with deep B V R I z broadband imaging to select high-redshift galaxy candidates over an area of 4180 arcmin^2. The goal was to obtain a uniform selection of comparable depth over the seven targeted fields in the two filters. For the GOODS-North region of the Hubble Deep Field-North field, we also selected candidates using a 120 A filter centered at 9210 A. We made spectroscopic observations with Keck DEIMOS of nearly all the candidates to obtain the final sample of Lyα emitters. At the 3.3 A resolution of the DEIMOS observations the asymmetric profile for Lyα emission can be clearly seen in the spectra of nearly all the galaxies. We show that the spectral profiles are surprisingly similar for many of the galaxies and that the composite spectral profiles are nearly identical at z = 5.7 and z = 6.5.We analyze the distributions of line widths and Lyα equivalent widths and find that the lines are marginally narrower at the higher redshift, with median values of 0.77 A at z = 6.5 and 0.92 A at z = 5.7. The line widths have a dependence on the Lyα luminosity of the form ~L^(0.3)_α . We compare the surface densities and the luminosity functions at the two redshifts and find that there is a multiplicative factor of two decrease in the number density of bright Lyα emitters from z = 5.7 to z = 6.5, while the characteristic luminosity is unchanged.
A comparison of the Danish and the Virginia secondary teacher education system: their values and emphasis on mathematics content knowledge

In this paper I will first examine an example of secondary mathematics teacher education in the USA, namely Virginia, then compare it with the secondary teacher education in Denmark. The purpose is both to investigate how much mathematics the students get in the respective systems and secondly to see what this type of teacher education communicates about the values emphasized in the various countries’ education systems. I spent more time on explaining the Danish education system than that of the USA and the single states since it is assumed that the reader is familiar with these systems. One cannot necessarily deduce from number of courses how much mathematics the student actually “gets” since this depends on particular passing requirements as well as requirements of entry, the specific content of the courses both in terms of levels of difficulty and topics, etc. However, a comparison of course load indicates how much study of “mathematics” is perceived enough, or minimum, to teach secondary mathematics from the national or state political perspective (who might see a direct link between course load and knowledge).
Magnetic Resonance Elastography of kidneys: SE-EPI MRE reproducibility and its comparison to GRE MRE.

The purpose of this study is 1) to demonstrate reproducibility of spin echo-echo planar imaging (SE-EPI) magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to estimate kidney stiffness; and 2) to compare SE-EPI MRE and gradient recalled echo (GRE) MRE-derived stiffness estimations in various anatomical regions of the kidney. Kidney MRE was performed on 33 healthy subjects (8 for SE-EPI MRE reproducibility and 25 for comparison with GRE MRE; age range: 22-66 years) in a 3 T MRI scanner. To demonstrate SE-EPI MRE reproducibility, subjects were scanned for the first scan and then asked to leave the scan room and repositioned again for the second (repeat) scan. Similar set-up was used for GRE MRE as well. The displacement data was then processed to obtain overall stiffness estimates of the kidney. Concordance correlation analyses were performed to determine SE-EPI MRE reproducibility and agreement between GRE MRE and SE-EPI MRE derived stiffness. A high concordance correlation (ρc = 0.95; p-value<0.0001) was obtained for SE-EPI MRE reproducibility. Good concordance correlation was observed (ρc = 0.84; p < 0.0001 for both kidneys, ρc = 0.91; p < 0.0001 for right kidney and ρc = 0.78; p < 0.0001 for left kidney) between GRE MRE and SE-EPI MRE derived stiffness measurements. Paired t-test results showed that stiffness value of medulla was significantly (p < 0.0001) greater than cortex using SE-EPI MRE as well as GRE MRE. SE-EPI MRE was reproducible and good agreement was observed in MRE-derived stiffness measurements obtained using SE-EPI and GRE sequences. Therefore, SE-EPI can be used for kidney MRE applications.
Using rating arrays to estimate score distributions for player-versus-level matchmaking

Rating systems (like Elo and Glicko-2) have previously been used for predicting the expected score that a player will achieve on a level. We present an approach that predicts not a single score, but an approximate cumulative distribution function over possible scores. This approach assigns each level an array of multiple ratings for different score thresholds. Our long-term goal is twofold: first, to dynamically change level difficulty for each player by using this CDF to tailor the target score required to complete a level; second, in human computation games (HCGs), to identify players capable of setting new high scores that could correspond to improved solutions to underlying tasks. To move towards this goal, we explore the rating array approach using two datasets: one gathered from the HCG Paradox, and one generated from idealized players and levels. We examine the accuracy of the CDF and the expected scores it predicts, as well as its use in serving levels to players who could set new high scores.
Modeling the Placenta with Stem Cells.

Modeling the Placenta Placental health is critical to fetal health, but modeling the placenta is difficult. A recent study shows that both human and porcine stem-cell cultures can, in fact, be effi...
MIDDLE-AGED ADULTS’ BEREAVEMENT RESPONSE TO PARENT DEATH: THE ROLE OF PRE-LOSS RELATIONSHIP QUALITY

The bereavement literature in adulthood has largely focused on spousal loss. Yet the death of a parent is an influential – and expected – loss experience in middle and later life. This study analyzed prospective data from two waves of the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013) to explore adults’ (N = 192; Mage = 56.76) experience of a recent parent death in the past 5 years, including grief responses and positive memories of the deceased parent. We examined how pre-loss relationships with the deceased parent (e.g., positive and negative relationship quality, relationship importance) are associated with different bereavement responses among the bereaved children. Findings showed that the levels of grief were higher for children who placed more importance on the parent prior to that parent’s death. Positive relationship quality was associated with positive memories after a parent’s death. However, negative relationship quality was not associated with any bereavement responses.
Nanoindentation of Subchondral Bone During Osteoarthritis Pathological Process Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the alteration of connective tissue in the joints [1]. The current theory believes that changes to the subchondral bone, such as increased stiffness actually precede and contribute to cartilage loss in the early stages of OA [2], however, subchondral bone changes are not yet fully understood [3]. The goal of this project is to understand the effects of osteoarthritis on the mechanical properties of the subchondral bone femur of mice. The hypothesis is that at the nanoscale the subchondral bone (SB) Elastic Modulus is lower in early OA mice than in control. To test our hypothesis, we investigated the SB of C57Bl6 mice femurs from an early OA group and a control group (n = 6 and n = 6, respectively). We performed eight indentations at three locations on both the medial and lateral condyles for each femur. Our results show that the average Elastic Modulus in early OA mice is 3.57E+09 Pa, while that of the control group mice is 1.09E+10 Pa. This indicates a higher average Elastic Modulus in the control group mice than in the early OA mice, which may indicate an initial decrease in Elastic Modulus during the OA pathological process.
Holocaust graphic narratives: generation, trauma & memory: by Victoria Aarons, New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 2019, 256 pp., US$24.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-9788-0255-1

Authored by literary scholar Victoria Aarons, Holocaust Graphic Narratives: Generation, Trauma & Memory represents an important intersection between comic studies and memory studies. While often em...
High Fidelity Physics Simulation of 128 Channel MIMO Sensor for 77GHz Automotive Radar

Automotive radar is one of the enabling technologies for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and subsequently fully autonomous vehicles. Along with determining the range and velocity of targets with fairly high resolution, autonomous vehicles navigating complex urban environments need radar sensors with high azimuth and elevation resolution. Size and cost constraints limit the physical number of antennas that can be used to achieve high resolution direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation. Multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) schemes achieve larger virtual arrays using fewer physical antennas than would be needed for a single-input/multiple-output (SIMO) system. This paper presents a high-fidelity physics simulation of a 77GHz, frequency-modulated continuous-waveform (FMCW)-based 128 channel (8 transmitters (T x ), 16 receivers (R x )) MIMO radar sensor. The 77GHz synthetic radar returns from full scale traffic scenes are obtained using a high-fidelity physics, shooting and bouncing ray electromagnetics solver. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) based signal processing scheme is used across slow-time (chirp) and space (channel) to obtain range-Doppler and DoA maps, respectively. Detection and angular separation performance comparisons of 16, 64 and 128 channel MIMO radar sensors are made for two complex driving scenarios.
Accuracy of point-of-care diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgM/IgG) is heterogeneous.

SOURCE CITATION: Ricco M, Ferraro P, Gualerzi G, et al. Point-of-care diagnostic tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies: a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world data. J Clin Med. 2020;9:1515. 32443459.
Material Properties of the Medial Elbow During Passive Valgus and Self-Initiated Varus Torques

Shear wave elastography imaging of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is used to help understand changes in material properties of the ligament. Ensuring that the wrist flexors are relaxed is essential as muscle contractions can alter the alignment of the medial elbow. The purpose of this study was to determine how the structural and material properties of the medial elbow respond to various elbow torques. The medial elbows of 20 healthy adults, free from upper extremity disorders, were imaged in 3 of the following torque conditions: (1) neutral relaxed, (2) passive valgus, and (3) active varus. Structural properties (ulnohumeral gap and UCL length) using B-mode and material properties (UCL and flexor muscle stiffness) using shear wave were measured. Passive valgus torque opened the ulnohumeral gap (P < .001), and increased UCL (P < .001) and wrist flexor stiffness (P = .001), compared with the neutral condition. Under an active varus contraction, the gap returned back to the neutral position, but UCL (P < .008) and wrist flexor stiffness (P < .004) remained elevated compared with neutral, meaning low-intensity torques can influence structural and material properties of the medial elbow. Therefore, effort should be taken to minimize muscle activation during imaging in order to accurately measure medial elbow properties.
Association of Fresh Embryo Transfers Compared With Cryopreserved-Thawed Embryo Transfers With Live Birth Rate Among Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction Using Freshly Retrieved Donor Oocytes.

Importance In in vitro fertilization cycles using autologous oocytes, data have demonstrated higher live birth rates following cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfers compared with fresh embryo transfers. It remains unknown if this association exists in cycles using freshly retrieved donor oocytes. Objective To test the hypothesis that in freshly retrieved donor oocyte cycles, a fresh embryo transfer is more likely to result in a live birth compared with a cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study using national data collected from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology for 33 863 recipients undergoing fresh donor oocyte cycles in the US between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017. Exposures Fresh embryo transfer and cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was live birth rate; secondary outcomes were clinical pregnancy rate and miscarriage rate. Analyses were adjusted for donor age, day of embryo transfer, use of a gestational carrier, and assisted hatching. Results Recipients of fresh and cryopreserved-thawed embryos had comparable median age (42.0 [interquartile range {IQR}, 37.0-44.0] years vs 42.0 [IQR, 36.0-45.0] years), gravidity (1 [IQR, 0-2] vs 1 [IQR, 0-3]), parity (0 [IQR, 0-1] vs 1 [IQR, 0-1]), and body mass index (24.5 [IQR, 21.9-28.7] vs 24.4 [IQR, 21.6-28.7]). Of a total of 33 863 recipients who underwent 51 942 fresh donor oocyte cycles, there were 15 308 (29.5%) fresh embryo transfer cycles and 36 634 (70.5%) cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer cycles. Blastocysts were transferred in 92.4% of fresh embryo transfer cycles and 96.5% of cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer cycles, with no significant difference in the mean number of embryos transferred. Live birth rate following fresh embryo transfer vs cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer was 56.6% vs 44.0% (absolute difference, 12.6% [95% CI, 11.7%-13.5%]; adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.42 [95% CI, 1.39-1.46]). Clinical pregnancy rates were 66.7% vs 54.2%, respectively (absolute difference, 12.5% [95% CI, 11.6%-13.4%]; aRR, 1.34; [95% CI, 1.31-1.37]). Miscarriage rates were 9.3% vs 9.4%, respectively (absolute difference, 0.2% [95% CI, −0.4% to 0.7%]); aRR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.91-1.07]). Conclusions and Relevance In this retrospective cohort study of women undergoing assisted reproduction using freshly retrieved donor oocytes, the use of fresh embryo transfers compared with cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfers was associated with a higher live birth rate. However, interpretation of the findings is limited by the potential for selection and confounding bias.
Anatomic shoulder arthroplasty in workers’ compensation patients: predictors of success and return to work

Abstract Background In patients with shoulder arthritis, workers’ compensation (WC) status presents unique challenges to the clinician because of the socioeconomic and psychosocial aspects attendant to patients covered on this type of insurance. Patients, surgeons, and these insurance programs would be informed by a better understanding of the factors that may impact the results of a shoulder arthroplasty as treatment for glenohumeral arthritis in this population. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the extent to which patient-reported outcomes are impacted by WC status in comparison to patients covered by other types of insurance, (2) which factors are predictive of a successful outcome of shoulder arthroplasty as defined by improvement exceeding the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), (3) the ability of WC patients to return to their presurgical occupation after arthroplasty. Methods This was a retrospective study of a longitudinally maintained institutional database of 677 patients who underwent primary anatomic shoulder arthroplasty with a minimum 2-year follow-up, 39 of whom had WC insurance. These patients were compared to a matched cohort of 78 patients without WC insurance. Primary outcome measures included SST scores, SANE scores, and need for revision surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine preoperative characteristics associated with success as defined by improvement greater than the MCID of the SST. Results Success, defined as improvement beyond MCID, occurred in a significantly lower proportion of WC patients compared to non-WC patients (64% vs. 94%, P Conclusions The challenges in treating patients covered by WC are underscored by the high percentage of these patients that do not improve beyond the MCID and the high percentage of patients with physically-demanding jobs that are unable to return to their presurgical occupation. Those patients who report less disability with routine daily activities (ie, higher SF-36 role physical domain scores) may fare better with anatomic shoulder arthroplasty. Patients with physically-demanding jobs should be counseled that return to their previous occupation is unlikely. Level of Evidence Level III; Retrospective Cohort Comparative Study
Abstract 220: High Sodium Diet Increases Gut Th17 Differentiation and Induces Neurovascular and Cognitive Dysfunction Through Il-17

High sodium diet (HSD) is a risk factor for stroke and dementia, independent of its effect on blood pressure (BP), but the mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate the cerebrovascular and cognitiv...
COViD-19 Long-Haulers": Caring for Older People in the Aftermath of a Global Pandemic."

The coronavirus pandemic raised many questions about how to optimally care for older people as evidenced by the vulnerability of this population to the virus over the past eighteen months. Not only are older people at a higher risk for contracting the disease but also for experiencing the severest forms of COVID-19. Unfortunately, many have succumbed to this relentless and devastating virus. Those who survive may encounter added challenges including the long-term sequelae of COVID-19. In the aftermath of this pandemic, how can healthcare professionals effectively care for older people experiencing long-term complications of this disease?
EEG Recordings on Patients Treated with High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation

ABSTRACT.This article shows that good quality EEGs may be obtained on newborn infants being treated with high-frequency oscillating ventilators. Physiologic monitoring is essential to correlate ventilator-induced artifacts. Secure electrodes, low impedances, and insulation of the infant's head from the bed are important. All normal waveforms and muscle artifacts can be recorded.
Macrocell Design for Concurrent Signal Processing

The term “macrocell”, used in the context of large-scale integrated circuit design, has had a variety of meanings in the past. There is now general agreement that macrocells have the following properties: 1. A macrocell is large, larger than for example a cell from a typical standard cell library. The macrocells to be described here range in complexity from several hundred to ten thousand transistors. 2. Macrocells have sufficient internal functionality, and a sufliciently small need for external communication, that they may be assembled into a circuit using general placement and routing techniques with acceptable area efficiency. 3. When a macrocell, stored in a library, is called into use by the designer, there will in general be parameters and options. This optimizes the macrocell to its particular application.
Prevention of F-actin assembly switches the response to SCF from chemotaxis to degranulation in human mast cells.

Following antigen/IgE-mediated aggregation of high affinity IgE-receptors (FceRI), mast cells (MCs) degranulate and release inflammatory mediators leading to the induction of allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. Migration of MCs to resident tissues and sites of inflammation is regulated by tissue chemotactic factors such as stem cell factor (SCF (KIT ligand)). Despite inducing similar early signaling events to antigen, chemotactic factors, including SCF, produce minimal degranulation in the absence of other stimuli. We therefore investigated whether processes regulating MC chemotaxis are rate limiting for MC mediator release. To investigate this issue, we disrupted actin polymerization, a requirement for MC chemotaxis, with latrunculin B and cytochalasin B, then examined chemotaxis and mediator release in human (hu)MCs induced by antigen or SCF. As expected, such disruption minimally affected early signaling pathways, but attenuated SCF-induced human mast cell chemotaxis. In contrast, SCF, in the absence of other stimuli, induced substantial degranulation in a concentration-dependent manner following actin disassembly. It also moderately enhanced antigen-mediated human mast cell degranulation which was further enhanced in the presence of SCF. These observations suggest that processes regulating cell migration limit MC degranulation as a consequence of cytoskeletal reorganization.
Glutathione Peroxidase and Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase Are Differentially Regulated in Rats by Dietary Selenium

Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPX) and classical glutathione peroxidase (GPXI) are encoded by separate genes with only about 40% amino acid and nucleic acid sequence identity. To determine the response of tissue PHGPX expression to dietary Se level and to compare these responses with those for GPXI, weanling male rats were fed amino acid diets containing from 2 (-Se) to 130 (+Se) μg Se/kg diet or a torula diet containing 5 and 190 μg Se/kg diet as Na 2 SeO 3 for 28 d. Tissues were analyzed for PHGPX and GPXI activity and mRNA. There was no effect of Se on growth. In -Se rats, GPXI activity was reduced to 1% in liver and 4-9% in heart, kidney and lung compared with +Se rats ; PHGPX activity was reduced only to 25-50% in these four tissues. The Se response curves indicated that the dietary Se requirement to reach plateau liver PHGPX activity was half that required for plateau GPX activity. In -Se rats, liver and heart GPXI mRNA levels were reduced to 6 and 12%, respectively, whereas PHGPX mRNA was not significantly affected by Se deficiency. Notably, 65 μg Se/ kg diet resulted in plateau liver GPXI mRNA levels but not plateau GPX activity. Testis had the lowest GPX activity and GPXI mRNA of all tissues examined, but had 15-fold higher PHGPX activity and 45-fold higher PHGPX mRNA levels when compared with liver. There was no significant effect of dietary Se on testis GPXI and PHGPX mRNA levels. This study demonstrates that these two selenoperoxidases are differentially regulated by dietary Se. Differences in Se regulation of mRNA levels in liver and heart were even more pronounced than for enzyme activity. The lack of any significant effect of reduced dietary Se on PHGPX mRNA levels suggests that there are detailed underlying molecular mechanisms whereby Se status regulates GPXI mRNA levels but not PHGPX mRNA levels.
Activity-based protein profiling: applications to biomarker discovery, in vivo imaging and drug discovery.

The genomic revolution has created a wealth of information regarding the fundamental genetic code that defines the inner workings of a cell. However, it has become clear that analyzing genome sequences alone will not lead to new therapies to fight human disease. Rather, an understanding of protein function within the context of complex cellular networks will be required to facilitate the discovery of novel drug targets and, subsequently, new therapies directed against them. The past ten years has seen a dramatic increase in technologies that allow large-scale, systems-based methods for analysis of global biological processes and disease states. In the field of proteomics, several well-established methods persist as a means to resolve and analyze complex mixtures of proteins derived from cells and tissues. However, the resolving power of these methods is often challenged by the diverse and dynamic nature of the proteome. The field of activity-based proteomics, or chemical proteomics, has been established in an attempt to focus proteomic efforts on subsets of physiologically important protein targets. This new approach to proteomics is centered around the use of small molecules termed activity-based probes (ABPs) as a means to tag, enrich, and isolate, distinct sets of proteins based on their enzymatic activity. Chemical probes can be ‘tuned’ to react with defined enzymatic targets through the use of chemically reactive warhead groups, fused to selective binding elements that control their overall specificity. As a result, ABPs function as highly specific, mechanism-based reagents that provide a direct readout of enzymatic activity within complex proteomes. Modification of protein targets by an ABP facilitates their purification and isolation, thereby eliminating many of the confounding issues of dynamic range in protein abundance. In this review, we outline recent advances in the field of chemical proteomics. Specifically, we highlight how this technology can be applied to advance the fields of biomarker discovery, in vivo imaging, and small molecule screening and drug target discovery.