cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Environmental Issues Associated with the Dominican RepublicCentral American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)

The Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) with the United States was passed on July 28, 2005. The main goal of DR-CAFTA is to create a free trade zone for economic development. The Agreement is highly controversial with many contentious issues including concern about the environment, which is the focus of this study. The concern is that the environmental objectives are expected to be subservient to trade and other economic incentives which will lead to further deterioration of the environment in countries where the environmental standards are already low. The effects on the U.S. environment are expected to be minimal. However, it is feared that the U.S. manufacturing facilities may relocate to Central American countries to take advantage of low wages and low environmental requirements, which may result in loss of jobs and capital investment in the U.S. However, overall DR-CAFTA is expected to be beneficial in many ways, including an increase in trade and economic growth in all participating countries.
Selective Biotemplated Synthesis of TiO2 Inside a Protein Cage

Biological organisms have evolved tremendous control over the synthesis of inorganic materials in aqueous solutions at standard conditions. Such control over material properties is difficult to achieve with current synthesis strategies. Biotemplated synthesis of materials has been demonstrated to be efficient at facilitating the formation of various inorganic species. In this study, we employ a protein cage-based system to synthesize photoactive TiO2 nanoparticles less than 10 nm in diameter. We also demonstrate phase control over the material, with the ability to synthesize both anatase and rutile TiO2 using distinct biomineralization peptides within the protein cage. Finally, using analytical ultracentrifugation, we are able to resolve distinct reaction products and approximate their loading. We find that two distinct species comprise the reaction products, likely representing procapsid-like particles with early, precursor metal oxide clusters, and shells nearly full with crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles,...
Oligoselenophene derivatives functionalized with a diketopyrrolopyrrole core for molecular bulk heterojunction solar cells.

Solution-processable oligoselenophenes functionalized with diketopyrrolopyrrole cores have been synthesized for use as the donor material in bulk heterojunction solar cells. The optical absorption of these materials extends to the edge of the visible spectrum. Power conversion efficiencies of 1.53 ± 0.04% for DPPS and 0.84 ± 0.04% for DPPDS were obtained under simulated 100 mW/cm2 AM 1.5G irradiation for devices when PC61BM was used as an acceptor. DPPS showed hole mobilities of 4 × 10−5 cm2/(V s) and a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 25%, while DPPDS showed hole mobilities of 2 × 10−5 cm2/(V s) and a peak EQE of 19%. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first oligoselenophenes that have been reported in molecular bulk heterojunction solar cells and this study could serve as a springboard for the design and optimization of high-performance selenophene-containing photovoltaics.
Infrared Light Source Made of Heavily Doped Single Crystal Silicon Microbridge

We have developed an infrared light source made of a heavily doped single crystal silicon microbridge. This microbridge was formed by boron ion implantation and ammonia anisotropic etching. This infrared light source comprises a microheater. Accordingly infrared light is radiated from the heated microbridge. Because the ion implantation is possible to form a very thin layer of heavily doped single crystal silicon, the microheater has very small heat capacity. The size of the microheater is about 650×200×1.5μm3. It had a peak of radiant intensity at 4μm wavelength. Only 150mW drive power was consumed to raise the temperature of the microheater to 780°C. It had a small thermal time constant less than lmsec, and wide modulated temperature more than 700°C at 100Hz. Therefore, the infrared light source can radiate intermittent infrared light with direct electrical power drive. There is possibility that handy infrared sensing systems are realized.
Plasma temperature measurement by a Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy system

Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy (CARS) is a laser-based diagnostic technique for temperature measurement in various environments. This paper presents the results of recent CARS measurements in a Plasma Energy Co. PT-50 plasma torch. The CARS temperature measurements were made in different locations from the arc and under various torch operating conditions. Correlations between torch operating conditions and gas temperatures were studied. The limitation to the application of CARS in plasma diagnostics is also addressed. (Author)
Plague Vector Studies Part II. The role of climatic factors in determining seasonal fluctuations of flea species associated with the California Ground Squirrel

Studies were conducted on California ground squirrels confined in O.4-ha electrically-fenced fields to determine the effects of physical factors in the environment on seasonal fluctuations in the population densities of Hoplopsyllus anomalus, Diamanus montanus and Echidnophaga gallinacea. The summer-breeding species, H. anomalus and E. gallinacea, were greatly restricted in their reproductive activities in the experimental field where moisture was supplemented to keep the soil moist to 1 m in depth; the winter-breeding species, D. montanus, was much more reproductively active during the summer in the experimental area where the soil was kept moist. A total of 46,962 fleas was collected from 468 ground squirrels during the course of this study. Trained ferrets were used to pull electrical cables into the ground squirrel burrows to enable the operators to record the relative humidities and temperatures existing at various levels in the burrow systems.
Detection of Dynamic Disturbance Voltage Using Hybrid Filter Algorithm of Morphological Filtering and "Specific Harmonic Elimination"

Some special industries are very sensitive to electromagnetic interference caused by harmonics,over-voltage,short cuts,voltage sharply,voltage sag in grid.In order to solve the power quality problems,we first need to detect the disturbance voltage wave and the information.In order to overcome this problem in all kinds of algorithms in real-time and accurate,we introduced a mathematical morphology(mm) theory based low-pass filter and the "Selective Harmonic Elimination" method to filter out noises,high frequent harmonics and low frequent harmonics in transient power quality,and abstracted the base frequent component.Accordingly,with the improvement of traditional dq transformation matrix,a selective harmonic abstraction filtering algorithm was introduced.The simulation has verified the practicability of the algorithm.The proposed algorithm for the power system harmonic analysis provides a new way of thinking.
Determination of multiple VOCs in drinking water with headspace gas chromatography

Objective:A method for determination of multiple VOCs in drinking water by headspace gas chromatography was explored.Methods:Multiple VOCs in the water which were extracted by headspace technology was determinated by programming temperature GC with HP-5 capillary column.The retention time of the peaks was used for qualitative analysis;external standard method was used for quantitative analysis.Results:The linear ranges of 1,1,1-trichloroethane,dichloromethane,benzene,trichloroethylene,tetrachloroethylene,toluene,1,2-dichloroethane,ethyl benzene,p-xylene,m-xylene,o-xylene,styrene were 25.36～1536.00,24.18～2418.00,2.93～293.48,25.71～2571.00,32.64～3264.00,4.07～407.28,24.22～2422.00,4.28～427.64,4.19～418.80,3.41～341.20,4.24～423.60,4.82～481.64 μg/L,respectively.The lowest determination limit was 0.26～8.52 μg/L;the rate of recovery was 89.2%～110.3%,and RSD were 2.4%～5.7%.Conclusion:The method is simple,rapid,sensitive and can efficiently separate and accurately determine multiple VOCs in drinking water.The total analysis time is only 15 min.
Connecticut Pharmacy’s “PSRO” for Long-Term Health Care Facilities: A National Model?

The Connecticut State Health Department has established a Pharmacy Advisory Board as a professional standards review team for improving consultant pharmacy services in the state’s 300 long-term health care facilities. This paper describes the composition of this Board and its initial activities in developingguidelines and standards for consultant pharmacy services. Following this phase, members of the Advisory Board will monitor the implementation of the guidelines by participating in on-site reviews of facilities. The Pharmacy Advisory Board may be viewed as the state’s “PSRO” for pharmaceutical services rn long-term care facilities.
Perceived Risk of HIV Infection Among Drug-Using African American Male Prisoners: One Year After Community Re-entry.

ABSTRACTBackground: African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population but 46% of people living with HIV and nearly 40% of state and federal prisoners. Disproportionate rates of HIV among African American males involved in the criminal justice system have been associated with risk factors, including: contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), substance misuse, and inconsistent condom use. However, many African American males may not perceive an elevated risk of HIV upon re-entering the community. Objective: The current study examines correlates of perceived HIV risk among incarcerated African American drug-using males about one year after release from prison. Methods: Derived from a larger Health Services Utilization study, interviewing (N = 661) incarcerated men at baseline with a 92% follow-up rate approximately one year after community re-entry, the current study is a secondary data analyses from self-identified African American men (N = 250). After list-wise deletion, the total N = 221 fo...
1937: Calm Before the Storm

By 1937, the events of the previous year had left few in doubt that Europe had become a more dangerous place. In November 1936, Mussolini and Hitler had drawn appreciably closer together with the declaration of the Rome-Berlin ‘Axis of European Peace’ — a vague declaration of like-mindedness of the two fascist powers. The agreement signified that Mussolini was very close to deciding that the best deal he could get to help him achieve his ends would come through agreement with Germany. He still had his doubts, but by the end of the year he would abandon his concerns about the importance to Italy of an independent Austria — the final point which divided him from Hitler — and take his chances with Germany. The declaration of the Axis was not a firm alliance, but it certainly was an important milepost on the road towards one.
Reflections on marketing and imagination

This commentary on Professor Gerald Zaltman’s essay on Imagination in Marketing first commends the range and depth of this stimulating essay. The author then takes up some specific points made by Dr. Zaltman, illustrating how they have been manifested in his own academic experiences in the world of marketing. Instructional approaches come first, including why the course syllabus was banished from his MBA classroom, and how a special course aimed at stimulating students’ imaginations has evolved over time. Broader issues in the research realm are then addressed, beginning with the posing of a possible relationship between visual impediments and development of imagination. Topics that a new AMA Task Force might wish to address are then discussed, including the dominance of “consequentialism” in Business Schools, the imperialistic tendencies of metrics as applied to scholarly endeavors, the dangers of defining PhD students as immediate producers rather than immediate learners, and the continuing need for a larger view of our sprawling field of Marketing.
Distributed averaging with quantized communication over dynamic graphs

Distributed algorithms are the key to enabling effective large scale distributed control systems, which present many challenges due to lack of access to global information. This paper studies the effects of quantized communication among agents for distributed averaging algorithms. The agents rely on peer-to-peer interactions to exchange and update their local agreement variables that converge to the average of initial values asymptotically. Our previous work had shown that, when the underlying communication graph is static with certain types of uniform quantization effects, an optimized distributed selection of algorithm parameters results in the convergence of the agreement variables to a small neighborhood around the actual average, independent of the network size. In this paper, we extend this result to time-varying (dynamic) graphs. We first show, using an example, that the deviation from the desired average caused by quantized communication on time-varying graphs can be arbitrarily large even when the graph is connected at every iteration. This is contrary to the case without quantized communication. We then present a large class of randomized time-varying communication graphs for which the convergence to a small neighborhood around the average is guaranteed in the presence of quantized communication.
Oxygen scavenging polymer coating prepared by hydrophobic modification of glucose oxidase

Trace oxygen in packaged foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals can promote a range of oxidative degradation reactions and support microbial growth, ultimately impacting product quality and shelf-life. Oxygen scavenging active packaging systems have therefore been explored to control headspace oxygen content. Herein, we report on a hydrophobic ion pairing method to render glucose oxidase hydrophobic, and thus soluble in organic solvents. Hydrophobic modified glucose oxidase was blended with ethylene vinyl acetate and cast on the interior of glass vials to demonstrate potential as a commercially translatable coating method for enzyme immobilization. The resulting oxygen scavenging polymer coatings were topographically uniform and presented 0.553 μg/cm2 enzyme at the coating interface. The coatings effectively reduced headspace oxygen by 2% in a closed-vial system filled 50 vol% with citrate buffer, pH 3.5. Less than 25% protein migrated from the coating over an 8-week leaching study, with no detectable protein leached in the first 4 weeks. Hydrophobic ion pairing of glucose oxidase enabled a facile, high-throughput enzyme immobilization technique without use of complicated, time-consuming surface modification chemistries and reagents. Such oxygen scavenging polymer coatings can support controlling headspace oxygen in packaged goods, and thus retaining stability of oxygen-sensitive components such as colors, flavors, and nutrients.
Autoradiographic studies in cervical cancer before and after a test dose of irradiation

Summary 1. H3-thymidine and H3-uridine were incorporated into human cervical carcinoma cells before and after a test dose of irradiation. A description of the short term incubation method developed by one of us (T.Y.) is nresented. 2. Higher percentages of labeled cells were found in the uridine series than in the thymidine series both before and after irradiation.
Home range, den selection and habitat use of Carolina northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus)

Context Understanding habitat selection is important for determining conservation and management strategies for endangered species. The Carolina northern flying squirrel (CNFS; Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) is an endangered subspecies found in the high-elevation montane forests of the southern Appalachians, USA. The primary use of nest boxes to monitor CNFS has provided biased information on habitat use for this subspecies, as nest boxes are typically placed in suitable denning habitat. Aims We conducted a radio-telemetry study on CNFS to determine home range, den site selection and habitat use at multiple spatial scales. Methods We radio-collared 21 CNFS in 2012 and 2014–15. We tracked squirrels to diurnal den sites and during night-time activity. Key results The MCP (minimum convex polygon) home range at 95% for males was 5.2±1.2ha and for females was 4.0±0.7. The BRB (biased random bridge) home range at 95% for males was 10.8±3.8ha and for females was 8.3±2.1. Den site (n=81) selection occurred more frequently in montane conifer dominate forests (81.4%) vs northern hardwood forests or conifer–northern hardwood forests (9.9% and 8.7%, respectively). We assessed habitat selection using Euclidean distance-based analysis at the 2nd order and 3rd order scale. We found that squirrels were non-randomly selecting for habitat at both 2nd and 3rd order scales. Conclusions At both spatial scales, CNFS preferentially selected for montane conifer forests more than expected based on availability on the landscape. Squirrels selected neither for nor against northern hardwood forests, regardless of availability on the landscape. Additionally, CNFS denned in montane conifer forests more than other habitat types. Implications Our results highlight the importance of montane conifer to CNFS in the southern Appalachians. Management and restoration activities that increase the quality, connectivity and extent of this naturally rare forest type may be important for long-term conservation of this subspecies, especially with the impending threat of anthropogenic climate change.
Ultrastructure of the Ovulatory Process

Twenty-five years ago, when I first began studying the ultrastructure of rabbit ovarian follicles, I expected to observe striking changes in the cellular components of the follicle wall as it progressed toward the moment of rupture. Considering the conspicuous hyperemia, the gross softening of tissues, and the other macroscopic changes that occur before the follicular stigma bursts and bleeds, I anticipated a prominent number of lysosomal bodies within the cells of ovulatory follicles. To the contrary, the first sections of rabbit tissue contained negligible evidence of any specific morphological changes that could be used to elucidate the physical and chemical mechanisms of mammalian ovulation. The limited changes that occur are evident only within the last hour or so before rupture, which, in the rabbit, is approximately 10 hours after the mature follicles have been stimulated by a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) [1]. These obvious events include the dissociation of thecal connective tissue and the disintegration of the surface epithelium at the stigma of ovulatory follicles. Lysosomes are sparse in the thecal cells and the surface epithelium, and there is no sign that such protease-rich particles have any significant role in the ovulatory process [1, 2]. Nevertheless, there are a number of interesting features in the ultrastructure of ovulatory follicles. Therefore, the principal objective of this chapter is to identify some of the more unique aspects of follicular fine structure (of rabbit) and to suggest several additional studies that might be worthy of pursuit.
Prediction of individual response to antidepressants and antipsychotics: an integrated concept.

In both clinical trials and daily practice, there can be substantial inter- and even intraindividual variability in response—whether beneficial or adverse—to antidepressants and antipsychotic medications. So far, no tools have become available to predict the outcome of these treatments in specific patients. This is because the causes of such variability are often not known, and when they are, there is no way of predicting the effects of their various potential combinations in an individual. Given this background, this paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding known factors and their combinations so that eventually clinicians can better predict what medication(s) to select and at what dose they can optimize the outcome for a given individual. This framework is flexible enough to be readily adaptable as new information becomes available. The causes of variation in patient response are grouped into four categories: (i) genetics; (ii) age; (iii) disease; and (iv) environment (internal). Four cases of increasing complexity are used to illustrate the applicability of this framework in a clinically relevant way In addition, this paper reviews tools that the clinician can use to assess for and quantify such inter- and intraindividual variability. With the information gained, treatment can be adjusted to compensate for such variability, in order to optimize outcome. Finally, the limitations of existing antidepressant and antipsychotic therapy and the way they reduce current ability to predict response is discussed.
Subspecialization in orthopaedics. Has it been all for the better

Orthopaedics was long known as the discipline that dealt with congenital, developmental, paralytic, and infectious conditions in children and with infections and posttraumatic deformities in adults. When general surgery split into several subdisciplines, orthopaedics began to enlarge its scope and gradually moved into the care of fractures. Until that time, fractures had been the purview of general surgeons. It took several decades before the care of fractures was transferred completely from general surgery to orthopaedics. Early in the second half of the twentieth century, the specialty of traumatology was created in north central Europe. Traumatologists were physicians trained to provide comprehensive care of acutely injured patients. The specialized training allowed them to assume the care not only of injuries involving the musculoskeletal system but also of traumatic conditions affecting the abdominal cavity, the chest, the genitourinary system, and the vessels and nerves. However, over the years, the care of trauma in those countries has evolved. In many trauma centers, the traumatologist no longer provides comprehensive care for all conditions affecting an injured patient. Abdominal surgeons, chest surgeons, vascular surgeons, neurosurgeons, urologists, and others are summoned to handle problems that fall within their respective expertise. With increasing frequency, traumatologists are limiting their surgical practices to fracture care, arthroscopy, and reconstructive surgery of major joints and the spine. The traumatologists of central Europe are practicing the profession in a manner that is almost identical to that of the American and British orthopaedists of today. The Hand Society was the first musculoskeletal subspecialty society established in the United States. The Society's continuing education courses became popular, and hand surgery became a prestigious and highly sought after subspecialty. Although acute injuries of the skin and tendons and congenital and paralytic afflictions of the hand at first constituted the bulk of the conditions treated by …
Amyloid- and tau-PET imaging in a familial prion kindred.

Objective To study the in vivo binding properties of 18 F-AV-1451 (tau-PET) and Pittsburgh compound B (PiB-PET) in a unique kindred with a familial prion disorder known to produce amyloid plaques composed of prion protein alongside Alzheimer disease (AD)–like tau tangles. Methods A case series of 4 symptomatic family members with the 12-octapeptide repeat insertion in the PRNP gene were imaged with 3T MRI, PiB-PET, and tau-PET in their fourth decade of life. Results There was significant neocortical uptake of the tau-PET tracer in all 4 familial prion cases. However, PiB-PET images did not demonstrate abnormally elevated signal in neocortical or cerebellar regions for any of the patients. Conclusions In vivo detection of molecular hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases will be a prerequisite to well-conducted therapeutic trials. Understanding the in vivo behavior of these PET biomarkers in the setting of various neurodegenerative processes is imperative to their proper use in such trials and for research studies focused on the basic neurobiology of neurodegeneration. This study supports the high specificity of neocortical 18 F-AV-1451 binding to AD-like tau and the lack of PiB binding to PrP plaques. It is uncertain how early in the disease course tau pathology appears in the brains of individuals who carry this PRNP gene mutation or how it evolves throughout the disease course, but future longitudinal 18 F-AV-1451 imaging of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in this kindred will help address these uncertainties.
Adoptive Immunotherapy with Autologous CD25-Depleted and CD3/CD28-Costimulated T-Cells (ACTC) Enhances Numeric and Functional Lymphocyte Recovery after Cyclophosphamide - Fludarabine Chemotherapy in Patients with Low-Grade Follicular Lymphoma.

Abstract Fludarabine-based chemotherapy combinations are highly effective in patients (pts) with low-grade follicular lymphoma (FL), but cause severe and long-lasting immunosuppression due to depletion of normal CD4 T-cells. Aside from increasing the risk of serious infections, this toxicity may limit the ability of the immune system to eliminate minimal residual disease. Adoptive immunotherapy using autologous CD25-depleted, CD3/CD28-costimulated T-cells expanded ex vivo (ACTC) may enhance immune reconstitution and improve disease control. We initiated a phase I study in pts with purine analog-naive relapsed/refractory FL (grades 1 and 2). After leukapheresis, pts receive 4 cycles of fludarabine (25 mg/m2) days 1 – 3 and cyclophosphamide (250 mg/m2) days 1 – 3. Four weeks after last chemotherapy, responding patients (CR, CRu, PR) receive escalating doses of ACTC prepared from autologous T-cells collected prior to chemotherapy. Thirteen pts have been enrolled to date. Median age is 49 y (range: 32 – 68). Median number of prior therapies is 2 (range: 1 – 3). Two pts were withdrawn from the study due to hematologic toxicity related to chemotherapy, one patient was withdrawn for progressive disease during chemotherapy, and one patient has not completed first response assessment after ACTC infusion. For 9 assessable pts completing chemotherapy and ACTC infusion, 7 pts achieved a CR and 2 pts achieved a PR; 5 pts received 1 – 5 x 109 and 4 patients received 5 – 10 x 109 CD3+ ACTC. There have been no adverse events related to T-cell infusions. Median follow-up after ACTC infusion is 20 months (range: 2 – 42 months). CD4 counts increased in all patients by 1 month after T-cell infusion, with a median increase of 3.8 fold (n = 8; range: 1.5 – 71). For patients at dose level 1, the median increase was 2.2 fold (n = 4; range: 1.5 – 21); at dose level 2, it was 4.2 fold (n = 4; range: 3.8 – 71). CD8 counts also increased, with a median increase of 8.1 fold (range: 1.0 – 30). All 9 pts receiving ACTC were anergic to candida antigen by delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin testing before chemotherapy; 5 pts developed a positive DTH response to candida antigen 60 days after ACTC infusion. From the start of therapy for patients receiving T-cells, median follow-up is 24 months (range: 6 – 47) with median progression-free survival of 18 months, which is significantly longer than the time to progression from last therapy (median 11 months) (p = 0.01, log-rank test). Thus, ACTC results in more rapid CD4+ lymphocyte recovery in pts after cyclophosphamide-fludarabine chemotherapy compared to historical controls and results in reconstitution of recall immunity. These encouraging clinical responses provide the rationale for clinical trials to test ACTC as a way to enhance cellular immunity to tumor-specific antigens after chemotherapy.
Locus of Control and Cognition in Older Adults with Type 1 Diabetes: Evidence for Sex Differences from the Study of Longevity in Diabetes (SOLID)

Objective Life expectancy for individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has increased recently; however, it is unknown how diabetes care attitudes affect late-life brain health. Research design and methods The Study of Longevity in Diabetes (SOLID) consists of 734 older adults with T1DM, reporting diabetes locus of control (dLOC), age of diabetes diagnosis and other demographics, history of hypoglycemic episodes, and depressive symptoms. Global and domain-specific (language, executive function, episodic memory, simple attention) cognitive functioning was assessed at in-person interviews. Cross-sectional associations between dLOC and cognition were estimated using covariate-adjusted linear regression models in pooled and sex-stratified models. Results In pooled analyses, a 1-point increase in dLOC (more internal) was positively associated with global cognition [β=0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02, 0.07], language (β=0.04, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07), and executive function (β=0.04, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07), but not episodic memory or simple attention. However, in sex-stratified analyses, this effect was seen only in males and not females. Conclusions In elderly individuals with T1DM, we found associations between dLOC and cognition overall and in men but not women. Underlying sex differences should be considered in future research or interventions on psychosocial characteristics for cognition.
MySeq: privacy-protecting browser-based personal Genome analysis for genomics education and exploration.

The complexity of genome informatics is a recurring challenge for genome exploration and analysis by students and other non-experts. This complexity creates a barrier to wider implementation of experiential genomics education, even in settings with substantial computational resources and expertise. Reducing the need for specialized software tools will increase access to hands-on genomics pedagogy. MySeq is a React.js single-page web application for privacy-protecting interactive personal genome analysis. All analyses are performed entirely in the user’s web browser eliminating the need to install and use specialized software tools or to upload sensitive data to an external web service. MySeq leverages Tabix-indexing to efficiently query whole genome-scale variant call format (VCF) files stored locally or available remotely via HTTP(s) without loading the entire file. MySeq currently implements variant querying and annotation, physical trait prediction, pharmacogenomic, polygenic disease risk and ancestry analyses to provide representative pedagogical examples; and can be readily extended with new analysis or visualization components. MySeq supports multiple pedagogical approaches including independent exploration and interactive online tutorials. MySeq has been successfully employed in an undergraduate human genome analysis course where it reduced the barriers-to-entry for hands-on human genome analysis.
An Incentive to Innovate: Improving Health Care Value and Restoring Physician Autonomy Through Physician-Directed Reinvestment.

Problem Many health care systems in the United States are shifting from a fee-for-service reimbursement model to a value-based payment model. To remain competitive, health care administrators must engage frontline clinicians in their efforts to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. Engaging physicians and other clinicians is challenging, however, as many feel overwhelmed with clinical responsibilities and do not view cost reduction as in their purview. Even if they are willing, providing a direct financial incentive to clinicians to control costs poses ethical and legal challenges. An effective incentive in the current system must motivate clinicians to engage in creative problem solving and mitigate ethical and legal risk. Approach Evidence suggests the most successful behavior change interventions in physicians are multi-faceted and combine intrinsic motivators, such as increased autonomy, with extrinsic motivators, such as access to funding or social recognition. Two academic health centers-the University of Utah Health and Stanford Health Care-have begun experimenting with an alternative value-sharing arrangement. Physician-directed reinvestment is an explicit agreement in which a health care system reinvests a portion of savings attributed to physician-led cost reduction initiatives back into areas of the physician's choosing, such as capital investment, research, or education. Outcomes Both organizations reported similar positive outcomes, including increased engagement from clinicians and administrators, sustained or improved quality of care, reduced costs of care, and benefits from reinvested funds. Many savings opportunities were previously unknown to administrators. Next steps Physician-directed reinvestment appears to effectively engage physicians in ongoing efforts to improve value in health care, although formal evaluation is still needed. This incentive structure may hold promise in other configurations, such as inviting non-physicians to apply as project leaders (clinician-directed reinvestment) and expanding the program to non-academic and ambulatory settings.
Dual Asymmetric Centrifugation Efficiently Produces a Poloxamer-Based Nanoemulsion Gel for Topical Delivery of Pirfenidone

This study used dual asymmetric centrifugation (DAC) to produce a topical vehicle for Pirfenidone (Pf; 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2[1H]-pyridone)—a Food and Drug Administration-approved antifibrotic drug indicated for idiopathic fibrosis treatment. Pf was loaded (8 wt%) in a poloxamer nanoemulsion gel (PNG) formulation consisting of water (47.8 wt%), triacetin (27.6 wt%), poloxamer 407 (P407, 13.8 wt%), polysorbate 80 (1.8 wt%), and benzyl alcohol (0.9 wt%). To our knowledge, poloxamer gels are typically processed with either high-shear methods or temperature regulation and have not been emulsified using DAC. Using a single-step emulsification process, 2 min mixed at 2500 RPM resulted in the lowest Pf loading variability with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.96% for a 1.5 g batch size. Batch sizes of 15 g and 100 g yield higher RSD of 4.18% and 3.05%, respectively, but still in compliance with USP guidelines. Ex vivo permeation in full thickness porcine skin after 24 h showed total Pf permeation of 404.90 ± 67.07 μg/cm2. Tested in vitro on human dermal fibroblasts stimulated with transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), Pf-PNG resulted in a > 2 fold decrease in α-SMA expression over vehicle control demonstrating that formulated Pf retained its biological activity. One-month stability testing at 25°C/60% relative humidity (RH) and 40°C/75% RH showed that % drug content, release kinetics, and biological activity were largely unchanged for both conditions; however, pH decreased from 6.7 to 5.5 (25°C/60% RH) and 4.5 (40°C/75% RH) after 1 month. Overall, these data demonstrate the utility of DAC to rapidly and reproducibly prepare lab-scale batches of emulsified gels for pharmaceutical formulation development.
Rise and Fall: Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19 Global Trends: Interest, Political Influence, and Potential Implications.

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to rapid research and reporting on potential preventatives and treatments for the disease, including the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Despite a lack of robust evidence to support the use of HCQ for treatment of COVID-19, it was publicly endorsed and received widespread media coverage and public interest. The purpose of this report is to describe and contextualize the surges in public interest, demand, and adoption of HCQ for treatment of COVID-19 and outline implications for future public health policy and practice. Methods Using national and global events and Google Trends data as a measure of public interest, we describe the timeline and trends in the emergence of, interest in, and adoption of HCQ as a treatment of COVID-19. We additionally review reports on public demand for HCQ for treatment of COVID-19 and impacts on medication access among patients with indicated uses. Results Public interest and demand for HCQ surged in the United States and globally following endorsements from public officials and enaction of policies to facilitate off-label use of HCQ for treatment of COVID-19. Surges in demand for HCQ led to multiple documented shortages and barriers to accessing HCQ treatment for patients with indicated uses for HCQ. Although there have been reversals in policies to support HCQ use for treatment of COVID-19 in some regions, others have continued or expanded recommended uses. Conclusion Insights from the global response to HCQ and COVID-19 can be used to inform prudent decision-making in the future to prevent premature action and promote informed and equitable responses to promote public health.
The 2018 AHA/ACC/Multisociety Cholesterol Guidelines: A Personalized Approach to Risk Reduction

In this chapter, we discuss the 2018 AHA/ACC/Multisociety (American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, American Academy of Physician Assistants, Association of Black Cardiologists, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Diabetes Association, American Geriatrics Society, American Pharmacists Association, American Society for Preventive Cardiology, National Lipid Association, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association) Cholesterol Guidelines, highlighting its key recommendations and summarizing the reviewed evidence that led to these recommendations. The updated guidelines support cholesterol lowering to decrease atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk across the entire lifespan with intensive lifestyle intervention, as well as a shared decision model between the clinician and patient regarding statin and non-statin pharmacotherapy for those at highest risk. The guidelines provide the clinician with a personalized approach to ASCVD risk assessment, starting in primary prevention with a validated population-based risk calculator and further individualizing this score with risk-enhancing factors and, if a risk decision is still uncertain, reclassifying risk with a coronary artery calcium score. Moreover, additional criteria for defining risk in women and other special populations are given. In secondary prevention, the guidelines focus on intensifying LDL-C-lowering therapy with non-statins proven to reduce ASCVD when added to statins in those at highest risk. Also defined is a “very-high-risk” group that has almost three times the risk of those secondary prevention patients who do not qualify as “very high risk.” Overall, the guidelines provide a thoughtful approach to combining the best external evidence with clinical expertise in the context of the clinician-patient discussion.
Disease-specific waitlist outcomes in liver transplantation - a retrospective study.

This study aimed to evaluate possible discrepancies in waitlist outcomes between liver diseases, including alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hepatitis C virus infection (HCV), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Patients registered for liver transplantation from January 11, 2016, to June 30, 2018, were evaluated using OPTN/UNOS registry. Waitlist outcomes were compared between the five-disease groups. Patients were categorized by initial MELD-Na-score (6-20, 21-29, and ≥30) to identify outcome variations. Prognostic impact of transplantation was assessed according to final MELD-Na scores using Cox regression analysis modeling transplantation as a time-dependent covariate. 6053 with ALD, 3814 with NASH, 1558 with HCV, 602 with PBC, and 819 with PSC were eligible. Compared to ALD with comparable MELD-Na-scores, NASH with lower [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.30, P = 0.042] and mid-scores (aHR = 1.35, P = 0.008) showed significantly higher risk of 1-year waitlist mortality, and PBC with higher scores showed significantly higher risk of 90-day (aHR = 1.69, P = 0.03) and 1-year waitlist mortality (aHR = 1.69, P = 0.02). Positive prognostic impact of transplantation was not seen until score of 24-27 in ALD, 18-20 in HCV, 15-17 in NASH, and 24-27 in PBC and PSC. There are significant differences in waitlist outcomes among etiologies, which may differ the optimal transplant timing.
Abstract P724: Perimenopausal Women With Migraine Present With Stroke at a Younger Age and With Less Comorbid Diabetes

Introduction: Migraine is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. Frequency and severity increases in the perimenopausal period accompanied by marked vasomotor symptoms (VMS) such as hot fl...
Summary: The Final Legislative Changes to IRC 831(b)

The IRS began forensically auditing small captive insurance arrangements around 2009-2010 and started probing large captive insurance providers sometime around 2011-2012. The investigations gained momentum over the last few years, culminating with the placing of “certain” captive insurance transactions on the IRS dirty dozen tax scams list and several court cases. On a conference call on November 17, 2015, the ABA’s Captive Insurance Committee detailed the most fully developed case outlining the various arguments used in the Avrahami case. As of this writing, none of these cases have reached a verdict. However, Avrahami’s outcome appears to hinge on the viability of a specific insurance policy and the premiums charged for that policy. This author was a panel member of the ABA call. The Service opened another line of attack in the spring when the Senate Finance Committee considered amendments to the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) 831(b) statute that would have gutted the statute. The industry responded, effectively helping influence the eventual form of the changes. But at the end of that committee hearing, Senator Hatch asked the U.S. Treasury Department’s (“Treasury”) representative to write a report detailing the estate planning/captive insurance nexus. While the Treasury hasn’t issued the report, it’s safe to say the Service determined the practice is abusive, as the newly minted changes to IRC 831(b) are clearly targeted towards that practice. It is remarkably easy to fit a captive into a broader wealth transfer plan. The basic methodology is simple: a parent forms a captive making the children shareholders. Every premium payment accomplishes two goals: payment for insurance coverage and intra-generational wealth transfer. The theory is that since the premium represents payment for services, there are no gift tax implications. If the children own the captive outright, the premium payment effectively transfers the money outside of the parent’s gross estate. This practice was not without its detractors. This article discusses the potential problems with this transaction derived from the business purpose doctrine.
A Severe Case of Diabetic Ketoacidosis and New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Associated with Anti-Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Antibodies Following Immunotherapy with Pembrolizumab

BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a novel class of antibodies, which have been increasingly utilized in cancer immunotherapies. Pembrolizumab is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody, which acts against programmed cell death (PD)-1 receptors to help restore the body's T-cell and immune response. CASE REPORT In this case, we present a 51-year-old woman with a past medical history of lung adenocarcinoma and triple-positive breast cancer who was actively receiving therapy with pembrolizumab. Following her second chemotherapy cycle, she developed a severe case of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), with concern for new-onset autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), secondary to her recent ICI therapy. The patient was initiated on a high-dose insulin infusion for rapid glycemic control and was successfully transitioned to a subcutaneous regimen approximately 24 h after presentation. She additionally developed other autoimmune-related complications, including hepatoxicity, duodenitis, and a maculopapular rash, which all resolved upon discontinuation of the ICI treatment. Her laboratory test results were consistent with positive anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies and undetectable c-peptides, illustrating the uniqueness of an ICI potentially precipitating an autoimmune T1DM. CONCLUSIONS Immune-related adverse events from ICI therapy warrant further investigation to acknowledge the risk of potentially life-threatening adverse reactions, such as the development of DKA. Patients receiving ICI therapy should be educated on signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia, and routine measurements of blood glucose levels should be completed during each chemotherapy cycle. Future research in assessing potential biomarkers of beta cell dysfunction, such as anti-GAD antibodies and c-peptides, is of interest, particularly for patients receiving ICI therapies.
Do Uncommon Plant Phenolic Compounds Have Uncommon Properties? A Mini Review on Novel Flavonoids

Abstract Unique plants and their properties, once considered synonymous to medicine, remain a potent source for new compounds in modern science. Plant polyphenols and natural products continue to be investigated for effective treatments for the most persistent of human ailments. In this review, fifty novel plant phenolic compounds have been compiled and briefly described from the previous five years. Select compounds and notable plant species from genus Morinda and Sophora are further expanded on. Traditional medicine plants often contain rich and diverse mixtures of flavonoids, from which rare compounds should receive attention. The bioactivity of crude plant extracts, purified compounds and mixtures can differ greatly, requiring that these interactions and mechanisms of action be investigated in greater detail. Novel applications of uncommon natural products, namely mimosine and juglone, are explored within this review. The 2019 coronavirus pandemic has resulted in abrupt spike of related scientific publications: speculation is made regarding plant natural products and future of antiviral drug discovery.
New Approaches to Shirking in Major League Baseball

The impact of contract length on player performance has received attention in the sports economics literature. Players are said to shirk following the signing of a guaranteed contract if performance falls below some level of expected performance. While much of the literature uses OLS to identify shirking behavior by players under multi-year contracts, this study employs OLS, fixed effects regression, and two-stage least squares regression to analyze player performance from 2009 to 2017. Using fixed effects specifications, evidence of shirking is found with Wins Above Replacement and On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage - Plus as outcome variables. Using an improved measure of marginal revenue product, evidence of shirking is found using OLS specifications, where shirking is measured as the difference between expected and realized marginal revenue product. Two-stage least squares is then employed to address potential endogeneity in the marginal revenue product specifications. Using 2SLS, economically larger shirking effects are found. The negative impact of contract length on performance persists controlling for additional potential omitted variables.
Anti-interference control of servo motor system based on intelligent fuzzy PID

In modern control system, PID, proportional-integral-derivative control, is normally used according to its straightforward structure, strong adaptability, and easy manipulation. However, in the real world, traditional PID controller might meet issues like low stability, weak anti-interference ability, and unsatisfying response capability. With the aim of solving the mentioned problems, fuzzy method is be applied into PID controlling and anti-interference technology is added as well. Firstly, according to the original physical model, mathematical model is established, and the transfer function is calculated out by applying appropriate motor parameters. Secondly, the methodology of fuzzy control is added into the servo motor system so self-adaptive PID controller is achieved. Finally, a concise comparison of the simulation results is carried out and our proposed fuzzy PID is proved to perform much better than the traditional one.