cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Guanidinosuccinic Acid on Human Platelet Effects of Exogenous Urea, Creatinine, and Aggregation In Vitro

Patients with severe uremia may have a bleeding tendency associated with a prolonged bleeding time and an adequate platelet count. We have tested the effects on platelet aggregation of three compounds that are found in increased concentration in the blood of patients with renal failure. The addition of urea was followed by an immediate, but transient, increase in optical density of platelet-rich plasma. This precluded the use of turbidimetric techniques for the measurement of platelet aggregation after addition of urea, until the optical density became stable. Adenosine diphosphate-, collagen-, and norepinephrine-induced platelet aggregation were shown to be inhibited 1 hr after urea was added to platelet-rich plasma to produce urea nitrogen increments of 100-300 mg/ 100 ml. Increasing concentrations of creatinine by 10 or 20 mg/100 ml did not inhibit platelet aggregation. Guanidinosuccinic acid, in a concentration in the range found in uremic plasma, also had no effect on platelet aggregation. Through inhibition of platelet aggregation, elevated blood concentrations of urea may be one of the causes of the bleeding tendency of uremic platients.
The Gene Expression Program for the Formation of Wing Cuticle in Drosophila

The cuticular exoskeleton of insects and other arthropods is a remarkably versatile material with a complex multilayer structure. We made use of the ability to isolate cuticle synthesizing cells in relatively pure form by dissecting pupal wings and we used RNAseq to identify genes expressed during the formation of the adult wing cuticle. We observed dramatic changes in gene expression during cuticle deposition, and combined with transmission electron microscopy, we were able to identify candidate genes for the deposition of the different cuticular layers. Among genes of interest that dramatically change their expression during the cuticle deposition program are ones that encode cuticle proteins, ZP domain proteins, cuticle modifying proteins and transcription factors, as well as genes of unknown function. A striking finding is that mutations in a number of genes that are expressed almost exclusively during the deposition of the envelope (the thin outermost layer that is deposited first) result in gross defects in the procuticle (the thick chitinous layer that is deposited last). An attractive hypothesis to explain this is that the deposition of the different cuticle layers is not independent with the envelope instructing the formation of later layers. Alternatively, some of the genes expressed during the deposition of the envelope could form a platform that is essential for the deposition of all cuticle layers.
Validation of protein-unfolding transition states identified in molecular dynamics simulations

Experimental and simulation studies can complement each other nicely in the area of protein folding. Experiment reports on the average properties of a large ensemble (approx. 10(17)-10(19) molecules), typically over time. Molecular dynamics simulations, on the other hand, provide detailed information for a single molecule, a component of the ensemble. By combining these approaches we can obtain not only a more complete picture of folding, but we can also take advantage of the strengths of different methods. For example, experiment cannot provide molecular structures. Molecular dynamics simulations can provide such information, but the simulations are meaningless without a linked experiment. Thus, the interrelated nature of simulation in assessing experimental assumptions and in providing structures to augment energetic descriptions, and experiment in judging whether the simulations are reasonable, provides more confidence in the resulting information about folding. This combination yields tested and testable molecular models of states that evade characterization by conventional methods. Therefore, we have explored the combined use of these methods to map folding/unfolding pathways at atomic resolution, in collaboration with Alan Fersht. Here we focus on chymotrypsin inhibitor 2, a small single-domain, two-state folding protein.
Charge Creation and Recombination in Multi‐Length Scale Polymer:Fullerene BHJ Solar Cell Morphologies

While the extremes in organic photovoltaic bulk heterojunction morphology (finely mixed or large pure domains) are easily understood and known to be unfavorable, efficient devices often exhibit a complex multi-length scale, multi-phase morphology. The impact of such multiple length scales and their respective purities and volume fractions on device performance remains unclear. Here, the average spatial composition variations, i.e., volume-average purities, are quantified at multiple size scales to elucidate their effect on charge creation and recombination in a complex, multi-length scale polymer:fullerene system (PBDTTPD:PC71BM). The apparent domain size as observed in TEM is not a causative parameter. Instead, a linear relationship is found between average purity at length scales <50 nm and device fill-factor. Our findings show that a high volume fraction of pure phases at the smallest length scales is required in multi-length scale systems to aid charge creation and diminish recombination in polymer:fullerene solar cells.
Methods to Synchronize Estrous Cycles of Postpartum Beef Cows with Melengestrol Acetate12

Abstract This review considers recently developed methods to control estrous cycles of postpartum beef cows with melengestrol acetate ( MGA ®, Pharmacia Animal Health, Kalamazoo, MI). Melengestrol acetate is an orally active progestin that will suppress estrus and prevent ovulation in cattle if consumed on a daily basis. The duration of feeding may vary among the various protocols that are available, but the level of feeding (0.5 mg/d per animal) is consistent and critical to success. Feeding MGA® for 14 d followed by injection of prostaglandin F 2α ( PGF 2α ) 17 to 19 d after MGA® withdrawal was developed as an effective method of estrous cycle control for heifers. Studies in postpartum beef cows identified significant improvements in specific reproductive endpoints among cows that received MGA® prior to the administration of PGF 2α compared with cows that received PGF 2α only, including increased estrous response and improved synchronized conception (CR) and pregnancy (PR) rates. Recently, an improvement in synchrony of estrus was reported, without compromising fertility, in postpartum beef cows that were pretreated, either short- or long-term, with MGA® prior to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and PGF 2α . We proposed the general hypothesis that progestin (MGA®) treatment prior to the GnRH-PGF 2α estrus synchronization protocol would successfully 1) induce ovulation in anestrous postpartum beef cows; 2) reduce the incidence of a short luteal phase among anestrous cows induced to ovulate; 3) increase estrous response, synchronized CR, and PR; and 4) increase the likelihood of successful fixedtime insemination. Protocols that utilize this sequential approach to control the estrous cycle include the MGA® Select and 7-11 Synch protocols. The flexibility in matching specific protocols with the particular management system involved is a major advantage in using MGA® to control estrous cycles in cows.
Adult Brain Serotonin Deficiency Causes Hyperactivity, Circadian Disruption, and Elimination of Siestas

Serotonin (5-HT) is a crucial neuromodulator linked to many psychiatric disorders. However, after more than 60 years of study, its role in behavior remains poorly understood, in part because of a lack of methods to target 5-HT synthesis specifically in the adult brain. Here, we have developed a genetic approach that reproducibly achieves near-complete elimination of 5-HT synthesis from the adult ascending 5-HT system by stereotaxic injection of an adeno-associated virus expressing Cre recombinase (AAV-Cre) into the midbrain/pons of mice carrying a loxP-conditional tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2) allele. We investigated the behavioral effects of deficient brain 5-HT synthesis and discovered a unique composite phenotype. Surprisingly, adult 5-HT deficiency did not affect anxiety-like behavior, but resulted in a robust hyperactivity phenotype in novel and home cage environments. Moreover, loss of 5-HT led to an altered pattern of circadian behavior characterized by an advance in the onset and a delay in the offset of daily activity, thus revealing a requirement for adult 5-HT in the control of daily activity patterns. Notably, after normalizing for hyperactivity, we found that the normal prolonged break in nocturnal activity (siesta), a period of rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, was absent in all animals in which 5-HT deficiency was verified. Our findings identify adult 5-HT as a requirement for siestas, implicate adult 5-HT in sleep–wake homeostasis, and highlight the importance of our adult-specific 5-HT-synthesis-targeting approach in understanding 5-HT9s role in controlling behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Serotonin (5-HT) is a crucial neuromodulator, yet its role in behavior remains poorly understood, in part because of a lack of methods to target specifically adult brain 5-HT synthesis. We developed an approach that reproducibly achieves near-complete elimination of 5-HT synthesis from the adult ascending 5-HT system. Using this technique, we discovered that adult 5-HT deficiency led to a novel compound phenotype consisting of hyperactivity, disrupted circadian behavior patterns, and elimination of siestas, a period of increased sleep during the active phase. These findings highlight the importance of our approach in understanding 5-HT9s role in behavior, especially in controlling activity levels, circadian behavior, and sleep–wake homeostasis, behaviors that are disrupted in many psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Abstract 3514: Assessing the role of CREB in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma with PRKACA-DNAJB1 fusion protein

Introduction: Fibrolamellar Hepatocellular Carcinoma (FLHCC) is a rare form of liver cancer that occurs predominantly in adolescents or young adults. Curing or prolonging the lives of patients with FLHCC is extremely challenging. Despite aggressive surgical resections of primary tumors as well as metastatic lesions, outcomes tend to be poor due to lack of effective chemotherapy. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of PRKACA-DNAJB1 fusion protein in the majority of FLHCC patients. DNAJB1 is a heat shock protein and PKA is a kinase that phosphorylates numerous substrates including cAMP-regulatory element-binding protein (CREB), a proto-oncogenic transcription factor. Therefore, we sought to examine whether the presence of the fusion protein in FLHCC is associated with increased CREB phosphorylation. Methods: We analyzed tumor and matched non-neoplastic liver tissue from 7 pediatric patients with a pathologic diagnosis of FLHCC. We assessed the presence of the PRKACA-DNAJB1 fusion protein using PKA antibody, as well as total CREB and phosphorylated (p-CREB) using immunoblot analyses with specific antibodies. Results: Immunoblot analysis using anti-PKA antibody confirmed the occurrence of PRKACA-DNAJB1 fusion transcripts in 6/7 (86%) FLHCC tumor samples. Immunoblot analyses of the 6 patients with the fusion protein revealed a trend towards a decrease in p-CREB expression in tumor samples compared to non-neoplastic tissue controls (p=0.15). Conclusions: The pattern of p-CREB in FLHCC with PRKACA-DNAJB1 fusion protein suggests that the fusion protein does not exert its proto-oncogenic effects through the transcriptional activity of CREB. Citation Format: Anju Karki, Michael J. LaQuaglia, Amanda M. Dios, Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili, Khashayar Vakili. Assessing the role of CREB in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma with PRKACA-DNAJB1 fusion protein [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3514. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3514
The oldest known paleosol profiles on Earth: 3.46 Ga Panorama Formation, Western Australia

Abstract Subaerial volcanic flank and floodplain facies of the 3.46 Ga Panorama Formation have been recognized on the basis of trough cross-bedded sandstones, lapilli tuffs, and abundant nodularized barite sand crystals, like those noted in other Archean non-marine facies. These barite-nodular layers are interpreted as alluvial paleosols for the following reasons. They show different degree of bedding disruption scaled to nodule size beneath a sharp upper boundary, like desert soil profiles. They show multiple generations of cracking, clay skins, and up-profile destruction of feldspar and rock fragments, compatible with weathering of labile constituents of the parent material. Loss of alkali and alkaline earth elements and phosphorus up profile are also features of chemical weathering. Geochemical mass balance calculations (tau analysis) shows that the profiles lost mass and labile elements, unlike unaltered sediments and tuffs. Rare earth element analysis also shows light rare earth retention as in weathering, as opposed to sedimentation or hydrothermal alteration. Barite of nodules in the paleosols is mobilized to concentration under very acidic conditions (pH
How the west was won: an inside view of the seiuʼs strategies and tactics for organizing home care workers in oregon

Using participatory action research, this paper explains how the Service Employees International Union and community groups collaborated to organize home care workers in Oregon. The tactics used include policy borrowing and tinkering, a ballot initiative, coalition building, lobbying, and legislative politics. This approach to organizing low-wage human service providers has important implications for other unions. Home care workers are similar to many other human service providers because the funding stream for their jobs is public. In essence, they are quasi-public sector employees. The tactics employed by the SEIU may serve as a “handle” for organizing other human service workers, who are employed by nongovernmental organizations, but are paid through federal, state, and local government funds.
An Integrated Approach to Counseling Children Diagnosed With ADHD, ODD, and Chronic Stressors:

Families in rural, low socioeconomic status areas are often underserved related to mental health services. Additionally, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are common comorbid concerns for children in these areas. Further, chronic stressors are typically present in the lives of children in such a setting when a parent loses custody of the child, and another family member takes on the parenting role. In this article, we (a) review information on the confluence of ADHD, ODD, and chronic stressors; (b) present an assimilative integrated approach using behavioral therapy as the foundational theory, supplemented by techniques from play therapy and structural family therapy; and (c) present a case example in which the approach was utilized.
Project on the Good Physician: Further Evidence for the Validity of a Moral Intuitionist Model of Virtuous Caring.

ABSTRACTTheory: In the Project on the Good Physician, the authors propose a moral intuitionist model of virtuous caring that places the virtues of Mindfulness, Empathic Compassion, and Generosity at the heart of medical character education. Hypotheses: Hypothesis 1a: The virtues of Mindfulness, Empathic Compassion, and Generosity will be positively associated with one another (convergent validity). Hypothesis 1b: The virtues of Mindfulness and Empathic Compassion will explain variance in the action-related virtue of Generosity beyond that predicted by Big Five personality traits alone (discriminant validity). Hypothesis 1c: Virtuous students will experience greater well-being (“flourishing”), as measured by four indices of well-being: life meaning, life satisfaction, vocational identity, and vocational calling (predictive validity). Hypothesis 1d: Students who self-report higher levels of the virtues will be nominated by their peers for the Gold Humanism Award (predictive validity). Hypothesis 2a–2c: Neur...
Long-term changes in retinal vascular diameter and cognitive impairment in type 1 diabetes.

Objective:To assess associations between cognitive impairment and longitudinal changes in retinal microvasculature, over 18 years, in adults with type 1 diabetes.Research design and methods:Participants of the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study received ≥3 fundus photographs between baseline (1986–1988) and time of cognitive assessment (2010–2015: N = 119; 52% male; mean age and type 1 diabetes duration 43 and 34 years, respectively). Central retinal arteriolar equivalent and central retinal venular equivalent were estimated via computer-based methods; overall magnitude and speed of narrowing were quantified as cumulative average and slope, respectively. Median regression models estimated associations of central retinal arteriolar equivalent and central retinal venular equivalent measures with cognitive impairment status, adjusted for type 1 diabetes duration. Interactions with HbA1c, proliferative retinopathy and white matter hyperintensities were assessed.Results:Compared with parti...
Neurophysiological Approaches to the Study of Aggression

The development of techniques for the neurophysiological investigation of the unanesthetized central nervous system of behaving organisms has provided a number of important innovations for the study of aggression. In this presentation, I will discuss two methods: electrical stimulation and electrophysiological recording of the activity of the central nervous system. Of these, the former has been more widely applied in research on aggressive behavior. Thus far, recording methods have been used relatively infrequently. A discussion of the advantages and limitations of each of the two approaches may offer some reasons for the apparent difference in popularity of the two techniques and may indicate how each set of methods may be used in future research in the problem area of the neural mechanisms underlying social aggression.
Schizophrenia, Oxidative Stress and Selenium

Schizophrenia is a complex, crippling mental illness that is influenced by multiple environmental and genetic factors. Oxidative stress is among the most prominent factors implicated in schizophrenia. Many components of the oxidative stress pathways influence cell-signaling cascades that regulate several neurotransmitter systems. One of the characteristic features of schizophrenia is altered dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurotransmission, which is influenced by oxidative stress and exacerbated by certain drugs of abuse. Selenoproteins play critical roles in defense against oxidative stress and include glutathione peroxidases, thioredoxin reductases, and iodothyronine deiodinases. Based upon their integral function in protection against oxidative stress, impaired selenoprotein synthesis and function may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): Refining the Concepts, Reframing the Issues

One issue of great concern in the United States concerns disparities in achievement in science and engineering fields among groups. Much of the research on groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering in the United States uses the acronym STEM to refer to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; similarly, such research in Europe uses the acronym SET to refer to science, engineering and technology. Both acronyms hide significant differences between the sciences and engineering/technology in terms of how both the disciplines and careers are structured. Equally important, failure to disaggregate gender data by race/ethnicity and race/ethnicity data by gender obscures differences that have significant implications for research, policy, and programs designed to diversify the science and engineering workforces.
Interaction between polyuridylic acid and rabbit globin messenger ribonucleic acid

Poly(U) binds to globin mRNA in 0.1m-NaCl. Studies with ribonuclease digestion of this complex suggest that there are polyadenylate-rich sequences in the mRNA containing about 30–40 adenylate residues. The sequences appear to be homogenous and of approximately the same length for both α- and β-globin mRNA. They are most likely located at the 3′ terminus of the molecule.
Correlation of electrophoretic urine protein banding patterns with severity of renal damage in dogs with proteinuric chronic kidney disease.

Background Urine protein loss is common in dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Currently available noninvasive means of evaluating CKD in dogs cannot accurately predict the severity of glomerular and tubulointerstitial damage. Electrophoretic analysis of urine proteins can indicate the compromised renal compartment (glomerular vs tubular), but extensive evaluation of protein banding pattern associations with histologic damage severity has not been performed in dogs. Objectives We aimed to evaluate electrophoretic banding patterns as indicators of the presence and severity of glomerular and tubulointerstitial damage in dogs with naturally occurring, predominantly proteinuric CKD. Methods We performed a retrospective study using urine and renal tissue from 207 dogs with CKD. Urine protein banding patterns were correlated with histologic severity of renal damage. Sensitivity and specificity of banding patterns for the detection of glomerular and tubulointerstitial damage were determined. Results Banding patterns were 97% sensitive and 100% specific for the detection of glomerular damage and 90% sensitive and 100% specific for the detection of tubulointerstitial damage. Correlations between composite banding patterns and the severity of renal damage were strong, while glomerular banding patterns correlated moderately with glomerular damage severity, and tubular gel scores correlated weakly to moderately with the severity of tubulointerstitial damage. Conclusions and clinical importance Urine protein banding patterns are useful for the detection of glomerular and tubulointerstitial damage in dogs with proteinuric CKD.
Use of Amberlite Macroporous Resins To Reduce Bitterness in Whole Olives for Improved Processing Sustainability

Olives are inedible because of high levels of bitter phenolics (e.g., oleuropein) which are removed during commercial olive processing. Current commercial processing methods are highly water-intensive, produce toxic wastewater, and are environmentally unsustainable. To address this, macroreticular polymeric resins were used to assist debittering and decrease water use. Amberlite resins XAD4, XAD16N, XAD7HP, and FPX66 were evaluated for the ability to adsorb bitter and/or high-value phenolic compounds (i.e., oleuropein, ligstroside, oleuropein aglycone, ligstroside aglycone, oleocanthal, oleacein, and hydroxytyrosol) from whole olives during typical brine storage. All resins effectively adsorbed oleuropein and ligstroside. FPX66 reduced oleuropein in whole olives suspended in a 1.0% acetic acid brine to 0.635 mg/kg wet weight in 2.5 months with no further processing. This concentration is below levels measured in commercial California-style black ripe olives (0.975 mg/kg wet weight). Resins in storage brines effectively decrease levels of bitter phenolic compounds without additional lye processing. Excellent recoveries of high-value phenolic compounds are obtained from resins (e.g., 80.2 ± 3.3% to 89.4 ± 8.9% hydroxytyrosol).
A Review of Atomic Scale Characterization Techniques of Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS 2 )

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are attracting a broad range of research interest. MoS2 is one of the most common TMDCs. Here, studies on the atomic scale characterization of MoS2 with particular emphasis on Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy are reviewed.
Optimizing the Production of Nursery-Based Biological Soil Crusts for Restoration of Arid Land Soils.

ABSTRACT Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are topsoil communities formed by cyanobacteria or other microbial primary producers and are typical of arid and semiarid environments. Biocrusts promote a range of ecosystem services, such as erosion resistance and soil fertility, but their degradation by often anthropogenic disturbance brings about the loss of these services. This has prompted interest in developing restoration techniques. One approach is to source biocrust remnants from the area of interest for scale-up cultivation in a microbial “nursery” that produces large quantities of high-quality inoculum for field deployment. However, growth dynamics and the ability to reuse the produced inoculum for continued production have not been assessed. To optimize production, we followed nursery growth dynamics of biocrusts from cold (Great Basin) and hot (Chihuahuan) deserts. Peak phototrophic biomass was attained between 3 and 7 weeks in cold desert biocrusts and at 12 weeks in those from hot deserts. We also reused the resultant biocrust inoculum to seed successive incubations, tracking both phototroph biomass and cyanobacterial community structure using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Hot desert biocrusts showed little to no viability upon reinoculation, while cold desert biocrusts continued to grow, but at the expense of progressive shifts in species composition. This leads us to discourage the reuse of nursery-grown inoculum. Surprisingly, growth was highly variable among replicates, and overall yields were low, a fact that we attribute to the demonstrable presence of virulent and stochastically distributed but hitherto unknown cyanobacterial pathogens. We provide recommendations to avoid pathogen incidence in the process. IMPORTANCE Biocrust communities provide important ecosystem services for arid land soils, such as soil surface stabilization promoting erosion resistance and contributing to overall soil fertility. Anthropogenic degradation to biocrust communities (through livestock grazing, agriculture, urban sprawl, and trampling) is common and significant, resulting in a loss of those ecosystem services. Losses impact both the health of the native ecosystem and the public health of local populations due to enhanced dust emissions. Because of this, approaches for biocrust restoration are being developed worldwide. Here, we present optimization of a nursery-based approach to scaling up the production of biocrust inoculum for field restoration with respect to temporal dynamics and reuse of biological materials. Unexpectedly, we also report on complex population dynamics, significant spatial variability, and lower than expected yields that we ascribe to the demonstrable presence of cyanobacterial pathogens, the spread of which may be enhanced by some of the nursery production standard practices.
Multimodal opioid-sparing postoperative pain regimen compared with the standard postoperative pain regimen in vaginal pelvic reconstructive surgery: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background Postoperative pain control after urogynecological surgery has traditionally been opioid centered with frequent narcotic administration. Few studies have addressed optimal pain control strategies for vaginal pelvic reconstructive surgery that limit opioid use. Objective The objective of the study was to determine whether, ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol, a novel opioid-sparing multimodal postoperative pain regimen has improved pain control compared with the standard postoperative pain regimen in patients undergoing inpatient vaginal pelvic reconstructive surgery. Study Design This was a multicenter randomized controlled trial of women undergoing vaginal pelvic reconstructive surgery. Patients were randomized to the ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol postoperative pain regimen or the standard regimen. The ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol regimen consists of around-the-clock ice packs, around-the-clock oral acetaminophen, around-the-clock intravenous ketorolac, and intravenous hydromorphone for breakthrough pain. The standard regimen consists of as-needed ibuprofen, as-needed acetaminophen/oxycodone, and intravenous hydromorphone for breakthrough pain. The primary outcome was postoperative day 1 pain evaluated the morning after surgery using a visual analog scale. Secondary outcomes included the validated Quality of Recovery Questionnaire, satisfaction scores, inpatient narcotic consumption, outpatient pain medication consumption, and visual analog scale scores at other time intervals. In all, 27 patients in each arm were required to detect a mean difference of 25 mm on a 100 mm visual analog scale (90% power). Results Thirty patients were randomized to ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol and 33 to the standard therapy. Patient and surgical demographics were similar. The median morning visual analog scale pain score was lower in the ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol group (20 mm vs 40 mm, P = .03). Numerical median pain scores were lower at the 96 hour phone call in the ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol group (2 vs 3, P = .04). Patients randomized to the ICE-T regimen received fewer narcotics (expressed in oral morphine equivalents) from the postanesthesia care unit exit to discharge (2.9 vs 20.4, P Conclusion The ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol multimodal pain regimen offers improved pain control the morning after surgery and 96 hours postoperatively compared with the standard regimen with no differences in patient satisfaction and quality of recovery. Ice packs, Tylenol, and Toradol can significantly limit postoperative inpatient narcotic use and eliminate outpatient narcotic use in patients undergoing vaginal pelvic reconstructive surgery.
Emission of iron and aluminum oxide particles from ultrasonic humidifiers and potential for inhalation.

Abstract Ultrasonic humidifier use is a potential source of human exposure to inhalable particulates. This research evaluated the behavior of insoluble iron oxide and aluminum oxide particles in water used to fill room-sized ultrasonic humidifiers. Solutions of 10 mg/L Fe, as iron oxide particles, or 5 mg/L Al, as aluminum oxide suspension, were added into tap water used to fill ultrasonic humidifiers. The humidifiers were operated for 14 h; samples were obtained over time and monitored for soluble and particulate Fe and Al, as well as particle sizes in the humidifier reservoir and emitted in aerosols. Denser, settleable particles of approximately 1.5 μm diameter of iron or aluminum oxides accumulated at the bottom of the humidifier reservoir. Smaller, suspended metal oxide particles of 0.22–0.57 μm diameter were emitted as aerosols from the humidifier. Soluble anions and cations in tap water were also present in the aerosols emitted from humidifiers. The results indicate that a typical 1.6 MHz ultrasonic humidifier can emit 0.22–0.57 μm particles and dissolved minerals from fill water into breathable air.
Analytical Comparison of Methods for Extraction of Short Cell-Free DNA from Urine

Urine cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a valuable noninvasive biomarker for cancer mutation detection, infectious disease diagnosis (eg, tuberculosis), organ transplantation monitoring, and prenatal screening. Conventional silica DNA extraction does not efficiently capture urine cfDNA, which is dilute (ng/mL) and highly fragmented [30 to 100 nucleotides (nt)]. The clinical sensitivity of urine cfDNA detection increases with decreasing target length, motivating use of sample preparation methods designed for short fragments. We compared the analytical performance of two published protocols (Wizard resin/guanidinium thiocyanate and Q Sepharose), three commercial kits (Norgen, QIAamp, and MagMAX), and an in-house sequence-specific hybridization capture technique. Dependence on fragment length (25 to 150 nt), performance at low concentrations (10 copies/mL), tolerance to variable urine conditions, and susceptibility to PCR inhibition were characterized. Hybridization capture and Q Sepharose performed best overall (60% to 90% recovery), although Q Sepharose had reduced recovery (
Exchange and Survival Sex, Dating Apps, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Among Homeless Youth in Los Angeles

We estimated the association between gender and sexual identities, and engagement in exchange and survival sex and seeking these partners via dating apps or websites, within a sample of homeless youth. In 2017, 253 homeless youth were interviewed from three different drop-in centers in Los Angeles. Multivariable regression analyses assessed associations between gender/sexual identity, and exchange and survival sex, adjusting for demographic characteristics. Sexual minority (43.6%) and gender minority (12.1%) youth reported elevated rates of exchange sex compared to cisgender heterosexual youth. Twenty-three percent of youth who engaged in survival or exchange sex used dating apps or websites to find partners. Exchange sex was associated with having recent HIV positive sex partners. Reporting an HIV positive partner and a relatively high number of sexual partners were significant predictors of engaging in survival sex. Programs and interventions for homeless youth should address engagement with technology and exchange and survival sex, and should respond to the unique needs of sexual and gender minority homeless youth.
The appropriateness of competitive programming and the UVa online judge in the classroom: conference tutorial

This workshop will introduce the use of the UVa Online Judge to the audience. This website is an online automated judge for programming problems hosted by University of Valladolid in Spain. It contains over 4300 problems and is growing by the day. Problems can be submitted to this site in C, C++, Java, Pascal and Python. Since the problems range from very simple to extremely difficult a young computer science major can start with easy problems and slowly work their way up. Problems exist that require almost every data structure you have ever heard of with complexity of submitted solutions being a necessary consideration. I have been using this judge in the classroom and as a practice site for my programming teams for many years. From a personal perspective it has made me a better programmer and as a result I can help students debug their programs faster than I ever have before. In addition to all the above, students attack and study problems that are often given to them in interviews at high-end software companies such as Google and Microsoft.
A New Quality Improvement Toolkit to Improve Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care.

Introduction: The role of opioids in managing chronic pain has evolved in light of the opioid misuse epidemic and new evidence regarding risks and benefits of long-term opioid therapy. With mounting national guidelines and local regulations, providers need interventions to standardize and improve safe, responsible prescribing. This article summarizes the evolution of an opioid management toolkit using a quality improvement (QI) approach to improve prescribing. Methods: The authors developed a list of opioid-prescribing best practices and offered in-office, team-based QI projects to ambulatory clinics, updated and tested over 3 trials in the form of a toolkit. Outcome measures included pre- and postproject surveys on provider and staff satisfaction, toolkit completion, and process measures. The toolkit supports workflow planning, redesign, and implementation. Results: Ten clinics participated in trial 1, completing the QI project on average in 3 months, with a mean of 9.1 hours of team time. Provider satisfaction with prescribing increased from 42% to 96% and staff satisfaction from 54% to 81%. The most common strategies in trials 1 and 2 focused on regulatory compliance (35% to 36%), whereas in Trial 3 there was a strong move toward peer support (81%). Discussion: Clinics responded to implementation of opioid-related best practices using QI with improved provider and staff satisfaction. Once the goals of regulatory compliance and workflow improvements were met, clinics focused on strategies supporting providers in the lead role of managing chronic pain, building on strategies that provide peer support. Using QI methods, primary care clinics can improve opioid-prescribing best practices for patients.
Provider Networks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Associate with Length of Stay

We strive to understand care coordination structures of multidisciplinary teams and to evaluate their effect on post-surgical length of stay (PSLOS) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Electronic health record (EHR) data were extracted for 18 neonates, who underwent gastrostomy tube placement surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center NICU. Based on providers' interactions with the EHR (e.g. viewing, documenting, ordering), provider-provider relations were learned and used to build patient-specific provider networks representing the care coordination structure. We quantified the networks using standard network analysis metrics (e.g., in-degree, out-degree, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality). Coordination structure effectiveness was measured as the association between the network metrics and PSLOS, as modeled by a proportional-odds, logistical regression model. The 18 provider networks exhibited various team compositions and various levels of structural complexity. Providers, whose patients had lower PSLOS, tended to disperse patient-related information to more colleagues within their network than those, who treated higher PSLOS patients (P = 0.0294). In the NICU, improved dissemination of information may be linked to reduced PSLOS. EHR data provides an efficient, accessible, and resource-friendly way to study care coordination using network analysis tools. This novel methodology offers an objective way to identify key performance and safety indicators of care coordination and to study dissemination of patient-related information within care provider networks and its effect on care. Findings should guide improvements in the EHR system design to facilitate effective clinical communications among providers.
Report of the ALCTS Technical Services Workflow Efficiency Interest Group meeting. American Library Association Annual Conference, Chicago, June 2017

The ALCTS Technical Services Workflow Efficiency Interest Group (TSWEIG) held its meeting at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago. The session began with a short business m...
Identifying disparities in patient-centered care experiences between non-Latino white and black men: results from the 2008-2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

Patient-centered healthcare in the context of a medical home (PCMH) is an important pathway to reducing healthcare inequities. To date, no work has examined the prevalence of care experiences associated with PCMH among non-elderly Black males. We analyzed data, on 22 indicators representative of six healthcare domains associated with PCMH experiences, from non-Latino White (NLW) and Black males aged 18–64 from the 2008–2016 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (n = 47,405). We used generalized linear models to test whether Behavioral Model factors attenuate any differences in access to these domains between NLW and Black males, and decomposition techniques to examine the contribution of these factors to reported differences. Black males reported 1) lower access to personal primary care providers, 2) poorer quality communication with providers, and 3) lower levels of care comprehensiveness (all p < 0.05). Differences between groups were attenuated but not eliminated by accounting for the Behavioral Model factors particularly through enabling and predisposing factors. Group health characteristics were not a primary driver of racial differences in care experiences across all the considered domains. Black men, in the U.S, continue to face barriers to accessing high quality, patient-centered care, specifically as it relates to accessing specialty care, medical tests, and patient-provider communication.
Evaluation of the Seesaw Test as New Diagnostic Test for Thumb CMC Osteoarthritis.

Background:The seesaw test consists of flexion and extension of the thumb metacarpal on the trapezium, with continuous axial pressure to keep the metacarpal base reduced in the carpometacarpal (CMC...
Supine Imaging Is a Superior Predictor of Long-Term Alignment Following Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective:To investigate correlations between preoperative supine imaging and postoperative alignment.Methods:A retrospective review was conducted of a singl...
The Gray Rhino of Pandemic Preparedness: Proactive digital, data, and organizational infrastructure to help humanity build resilience in the face of pandemics.

COVID-19 has exposed glaring holes in our existing digital, data, and organizational practices. Researchers ensconced in epidemiological and human health work have repeatedly pointed out how urban encroachment, climate change, and other human-triggered activities and patterns are going to make zoonotic pandemics more frequent and commonplace. The Gray Rhino mindset provides a useful reframing (as opposed to viewing pandemics such as the current one as a Black Swan event) that can help us recover faster from these (increasingly) frequent occurrences and build resiliency in our digital, data, and organizational infrastructure. Mitigating the social and economic impacts of pandemics can be eased through building infrastructure that elucidate leading indicators via passive intelligence gathering so that responses to containing the spread of pandemics are not blanket measures; instead, they can be fine-grained allowing for more efficient utilization of scarce resources and minimizing disruption to our way of life.
Nutrition Support in Liver Transplantation and Postoperative Recovery: The Effects of Vitamin D Level and Vitamin D Supplementation in Liver Transplantation

Vitamin D plays an important role in the arena of liver transplantation. In addition to affecting skeletal health significantly, it also clinically exerts immune-modulatory properties. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the nutritional issues in the perioperative period of liver transplantation (LT). Although vitamin D deficiency is known to contribute to higher incidences of acute cellular rejection (ACR) and graft failure in other solid organ transplantation, such as kidneys and lungs, its role in LT is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical implication of vitamin D deficiency in LT. LT outcomes were reviewed in a retrospective cohort of 528 recipients during 2014-2019. In the pre-transplant period, 55% of patients were vitamin-D-deficient. The serum vitamin D level was correlated with the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD-Na) score. Vitamin D deficiency in the post-transplant period was associated with lower survival after LT, and the post-transplant supplementation of vitamin D was associated with a lower risk of ACR. The optimal vitamin D status and vitamin D supplementation in the post-transplant period may prolong survival and reduce ACR incidence.
Asthma in Adults

Asthma affects more than 15 million adults in the United States. The incidence of asthma has risen in the past few decades. It is a significant health concern and a tremendous economic burden in modern societies. In this chapter we discuss the etiologies and pathogenesis of asthma. We also describe the current concepts and guidelines of asthma intervention and treatment.
Teaching Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Review of the Economic Education Literature

Teaching Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Review of the Economic Education Literature
Towards an efficient innovation policy in Latin America

Innovation has emerged as a central theme on the growth agenda of Latin America. This paper examines four issues. First, how can we know if Latin America really has an “innovation problem” that is behind its weak total factor productivity performance? Second, what do we mean by innovation and what are dimensions of it in which the region exhibits weaknesses? Third, what does recent experience and literature suggest for principles and broad policy measures to foment innovation? Fourth, are there any linkages between these weaknesses and equity? Since even in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) there is little consensus on the specific policies that governments should implement, and even less on their suitability to developing countries, this paper attempts to organize thinking around some basic principles and offer suggestive experience rather than specific policy advice.
Consumer Manipulation: Are Marketers Building a Monster?

MBA candidates were exposed to scenarios describing very powerful social science-based promotional campaigns. They predicted that such campaigns would likely evolve and that these would add to marketers' effectiveness. However, they doubted that such developments would benefit either individual consumers or society.
Spectral IR Images of Direct-Injection Diesel Combustion by High-Pressure Fuel Injection

Abstract : Instantaneous successive spectral infrared (IR) images were obtained from a spray plume in a direct injection (DI) type compression-ignition (Cl) engine during the compression and combustion periods. The engine eqwpped with a high pressure electronic-controlled fuel injector system was operated by using D-2 Diesel fuel. In the new imaging system used for the present study, four high-speed IR cameras (with respective band filters in front) were lined up to a single optical arrangement containing three spectral beam splitters to obtain four spectral images at once. Two band filters were used for imaging the water vapor distribution and another two band filters were placed for capturing images of combustion chamber wall or soot formation. The simultaneous imaging was successively triggered by signals from an encoder connected to the engine. The fuel injection parameters were precisely controlled and the pressure-time (p-t) history was obtained for individual sets of images. The start of fuel injection was varied through four different crank angle positions. Mentioning some results from the study, the spectral IR images had no resemblance with the ones obtained using a visible-range camera from a comparable engine system as reported by others. In general, the present spectral images taken at the same crank angle were not mutually comparable.
RESENHA DO LIVRO "A COURSE IN MICROECONOMIC THEORY"*

O que faz um bom Livro-texto? Se a resposta a esta pergunta e estilo, apresentacao e conteudo, A Course in Microeconomic Theory e um livro que veio para ficar. O autor apresenta um estilo pouco formal, descontraido e as vezes ate mesmo engracado, o que facilita a passagem do leitor por 850 paginas de um material denso e rigoroso. Adicionalmente, muitas passagens sao ilustradas com amplos e detalhados exemplos, invariavelmente relacionados com os exercicios propostos ao fim de cada capitulo, onde muitas vezes se requer extensoes e aprofundamentos dos exemplos fornecidos.
Hannah Arendt and Global Justice

This essay explores recent scholarship on Hannah Arendt's contribution to the field of global justice. I show that many of Arendt's ideas have been brought to bear fruitfully on some of the most pressing global issues of our day. I turn first to the area in which Arendt has, arguably, been most influential, namely human right. I then look at recent scholarship on Arendt and various issues in global justice, including immigration, statelessness, human security, global poverty, political reconciliation, and global democracy. This essay offers a critical analysis of the ways that Arendt's work has been employed in discussions of global justice and highlights the contributions that she has made to this field of thought.© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd