cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stories from patients and families: an invitation to a co-productive partnership in healthcare service.

The writer1 describes the central importance of human relationships – in healthcare services, in our efforts to improve quality and safety within healthcare, and in society at large. The work of healthcare professionals, although action-focused and often technologically complex, always takes place in the context of human relationships. These relationships unfold in place and time. The ancient Greeks had two words for time – chronos and kairos. Chronos time is measured sequentially in minutes, hours, months and years. Kairos time, by contrast, is an indeterminate duration – a season, a period, a moment – in which something of significance occurs. A daughter standing at the bedside holding her dying mother's hand waits in kairos time for the transition that will usher in the next chapter of her adult life. The health professionals attending to the patient in bed 3 work – for the most part – with diligence and good intentions, day and night, in ordinary chronos time, clocking in and clocking out. Although patients and families and health professionals may meet in the same physical location in a room in the ICU, they are existing in two different kinds of time. Health professionals and patients and families …
In Vitro Characterization of Umbilical Cord Blood CD133+ and In Vivo Functionality in Response to Ischemia in a Murine Hind-Limb Injury Model.

Previous reports have demonstrated efficacy of cellular therapy in mediating therapeutic angiogenesis in response to ischemia. We sought to determine the potential efficacy of adult umbilical cord blood (UCB) derived selected CD133 + cells in the murine hind limb ischemia model and to characterize these cells by surface phenotype and functionality prior to injection. Methods and Results: Mononuclear cells (MNC) from UCB were labeled with CD133 + conjugated magnetic beads, followed by automated sorting through magnetic columns (Miltenyi). Routine yield of CD133 + cells was 0.51 ± 0.2% of MNC, with a purity of 78.7 ± 2.4% (n=30). Surface expression in the UCB CD133 + population was 3.59 ± 1.49% KDR(VEGFR2), 8.66 ± 3.79% CXCR4 and 22.74 ± 2.84% CD105 compared to 7.14 ± 2.15% KDR, 28.54 ± 5.81% CXCR4 and 6.74 ± 2.07% CD105 in the UCB MNC population. Transwell plates with 5μm collagen coated filters (Costar) were used to observe chemotactic migration of MNC or CD133 + cells towards SDF-1 (100ng/mL) compared to control wells containing media alone. Following a 3 hour incubation, the cells migrating to the bottom wells were counted by flow cytometry with TruCOUNT™ tubes (BD Biosciences). MNC and CD133 + cells migration to SDF showed a 4.9 ± 2.9 and 1.8 ± 0.7 fold increase over the negative control respectively. To test vasculogenic functionality of these selected cell populations, NOD/SCID mice underwent ligation of the right femoral artery and were randomized into 3 study groups: control (endothelial media with cytokines), non-selected MNC (1 x 10 6 cells/mouse) or CD133 + (0.5 x 10 6 cells/mouse) given via intracardiac injection immediately after injury. Doppler flow measurements were taken on both limbs each week for 4 weeks and the ratio of perfusion in the ischemic/healthy limb was calculated. At 28 days, perfusion ratios were statistically higher in study groups receiving CD133 + cells from UCB, 0.55 ± 0.07 (n=8) compared to cytokine controls 0.39 ± 0.02 (n=10, p=0.019). Mice receiving MNC did not show statistically significant improvement over control animals 0.42 ± 0.06 (n=7, p=0.27). Conclusion: Surface phenotyping was notable for increased expression of the receptor for SDF-1, CXCR4 on MNC when compared to CD133 + cells. In vitro functional assays showed that CD133+ and MNC exhibited increased chemotactic migration to SDF-1. In vivo studies showed that injection of UCB CD133 + cells improved blood flow compared with cytokines alone in the murine hind limb injury model, highlighting the vasculogenic potential of CD133 + cells from UCB.
Plasma Circulating Caspase-3 Index as a Biomarker in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Abstract 4381 Because of the accumulation of lymphocytes and relative paucity of proliferating cells characteristic of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), defective apoptosis has been proposed as a key step in the pathogenesis of this disease. Activity levels of the proapoptotic enzyme caspase-3 have been used as a simple, quantitative measure of ongoing apoptosis in various cancers. Here we explored the clinical value of assessing apoptosis levels in patients with CLL, using caspase-3 activity in plasma as a surrogate marker for apoptosis. The study included 194 patients with CLL and 96 normal control subjects. Caspase-3 activity was measured in plasma samples by incubation with the substrate DEVD. Circulating caspase-3 activity was detectable in the plasma of all CLL patients and normal control subjects, but was significantly (P=0.005) lower in CLL patients (median=7.49; range=4.2-19.68 pmol/min/μL) than in controls (median=8.27; range=4.54-34.30 pmol/min/ul. Absolute levels of caspase-3 levels in plasma in CLL did not correlate with any of the laboratory variables examined (WBC, platelets, HGB, B2M), Rai stage, or performance status. To assess the extent of apoptosis in relevance to level of the disease or tumor load, the caspase-3 index was calculated by normalizing plasma caspase-3 activity to the number of circulating lymphocytes in peripheral blood. The circulating caspase-3 index correlated negatively with bone marrow cellularity (P IgVH mutation status (P=0.74) or performance status (p=0.72). More importantly, higher circulating caspase-3 index values (>8 pmol/min/1000 lymphocytes/ul) were significantly associated with poor overall survival (P=0.005). However, in multivariate analysis incorporating caspase-3 index along with beta-2 microglobulin level and IgVH mutation status showed that caspase-3 was not predictor of survival (p=0.7). In conclusion, apoptosis as determined using plasma caspase-3 activity is low in CLL. However, high circulating caspase-3 activity index values appear to reflect more aggressive disease. Further studies are needed to explore the possibility that this circulating caspase-3 index reflects the proportion of cells that are transformed into larger cells, with consequently higher proliferation and apoptosis rates, in patients with CLL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Perception and Familiarity of Diatonic Modes

In a prior study (Temperley & Tan, 2013), participants rated the “happiness” of melodies in different diatonic modes. A strong pattern was found, with happiness decreasing as scale steps were lowered. We wondered: Does this pattern reflect the familiarity of diatonic modes? The current study examines familiarity directly. In the experiments reported here, college students without formal music training heard a series of melodies, each with a three-measure beginning (“context”) in a diatonic mode and a one-measure ending that was either in the context mode or in a mode that differed from the context by one scale degree. Melodies were constructed using four pairs of modes with the same tonic: Lydian/Ionian, Ionian/Mixolydian, Dorian/Aeolian, and Aeolian/Phrygian. Participants rated how well the ending “fit” the context. Two questions were of interest: (1) Do listeners give higher ratings to some modes (as endings) overall? (2) Do listeners give a higher rating to the ending if its mode matches that of the context? The results show a strong main effect of ending, with Ionian (major) and Aeolian (natural minor) as the most familiar (highly rated) modes. This aligns well with corpus data representing the frequency of different modes in popular music. There was also a significant interaction between ending and context, whereby listeners rated an ending higher if its mode matched the context. Our findings suggest that (1) our earlier “happiness” results cannot be attributed to familiarity alone, and (2) listeners without formal knowledge of diatonic modes are able to internalize diatonic modal frameworks.
STUDIES ON VITAL STAINING II. THE REMOVAL OF BRILLIANT VITAL RED FROM THE BLOOD STREAM. DISTRIBUTION OF DYE BETWEEN BLOOD STREAM AND BODY TISSUES

Brilliant vital red injected into the blood stream of dogs is slowly taken up by phagocytes in various parts of the body, but eventually an equilibrium is established, after which the concentration as measured in the plasma remains almost constant for long intervals of time. This equilibrium can be disturbed by injecting more dye, and in this case the phagocytes resume ingestive activity, apparently with normal or nearly normal vigor. This activity continued until a rather large part of the newly injected dye has been removed, and as the reaction again slows up we note that both plasma and tissues contain more dye than before. It is difficult to be certain that the distribution ratio of dye between plasma and tissues remains unaltered with dosage, but evidence indicates that for non toxic doses, at least, this is approximately true. This study of this partition ratio is complicated by the fact that the liver slowly excretes dye into the bile, and this helps to reduce the amount of dye in the body. Partial correction for this factor can be made by ascertaining the dye output in bile fistula dogs. These latter studies show that dye elimination into bile is relatively less efficient when large doses of dye are given to the animal than with smaller dosage. This undue retention of dye in the body with large dosage helps to maintain the dye concentration in the plasma at unduly high levels. These peculiarities in liver excretion have an important bearing on liver physiology in general, and in addition they also have an important application in connection with the theory of "blockade of the reticulo-endothelial system." It is now obvious that prolonged retention of dye in the blood stream does not of itself prove that this group of phagocytic cells is "blocked" against the entrance of foreign material. Altered excretion by liver, kidney, etc. must be ruled out before we can accept such data as evidence of "blockade."
A Novel Approach for Plate Impact Experiments to Determine the Dynamic Behavior of Materials Under Extreme Conditions

This paper presents a unique approach to plate impact experiments for characterization of dynamic material behavior under extreme conditions, i.e., ultra-high strain-rates (~106/s) and test temperatures up to 1000 °C. Strategic modifications are made to the existing single-stage gas-gun facility at CWRU to enable this approach. These include an extension of the gun barrel at the breech end of the gas-gun, which now incorporates a precision machined steel housing that carries a vertical heater well to accommodate an 800 W resistance coil heater with axial and rotational degrees of freedom. This custom designed heater assembly enables specimens placed on the flyer plate carried by the sabot to be heated uniformly across the diameter in a 100 mTorr vacuum prior to impact at the breech end of the gun barrel. A new sabot design is utilized to minimize heat transfer from the heated flyer plate to the sabot body. Using this modified gas-gun facility, the dynamic strength of pre-heated commercial purity polycrystalline aluminum samples is investigated at the onset of plastic flow in response to weak normal shock compression at test temperatures ranging from room to near melt point of aluminum. The dynamic strength of aluminum samples, as inferred from the measured normal particle velocity history at the free (rear) surface of the target plate, show progressive weakening with increasing specimen temperatures in the temperature range 23–643 °C; at higher test temperatures, however, the rate of softening in dynamic strength is observed to weaken and even reverse as the sample temperatures approach the melt point of aluminum (test temperature ~643 °C).
Are validated symptom assessment instruments comprehensive? “Orphan” and “champion” symptoms.

e20597 Background: Cancer patients experience multiple symptoms which vary in prevalence, severity, distress and negative impact on life. Comprehensive assessment is essential. Many validated assessment tools are used. They have limitations; varied content, clinical utility, completion rates, and acceptability. The objectives of this study were: Compare common cancer multisymptom assessment instruments to a comprehensive checklist. Identify commonly assessed (“champions”) and frequently neglected (“orphans”) symptoms. Examine the clinical importance of “orphan” symptoms. Methods: A 46-symptom checklist was developed from available evidence. This was compared against the content of 6 commonly used, validated, multisymptom instruments. Those with ≤ 2 symptoms, cancer site-specific, and tumor response instruments were excluded. Results: Symptom numbers varied in the 6 instruments; median (range) 19 (3-32). Of the 46 checklist symptoms, only 28 were present in 1 or more of the instruments. “Orphans”: 18 of th...
A methodology to quantify the long-term changes in social networks of competing species

Abstract Current methods of social network analysis need detailed data, which are often unavailable for long periods of time (e.g. decades). The main objective of the present work is to develop and test a methodology that requires less detailed data and relies on user-defined mathematical models. This methodology is a three-step procedure described as follows. First, long-term population data is divided into n subsets based on the desired time unit (e.g. months, or years). Second, a class of mathematical models are defined and fitted to each subset of data, where growth, migration, and interaction parameters are estimated. Third, time series of estimated parameter values are analyzed to detect trends, periodic cycles and patterns of ecological dominance. To examine the robustness of this method, the annual competitive Lotka–Volterra (CLV) models were parametrized using the long-term (1973–2003) population densities of five rodent species residing in Kansas: cotton rat (CR), prairie vole (PV), white-footed mouse (WFM), deer mouse (DM), and western harvest mouse (WHM). Using the Fourier series models fitted to the estimated parameter values, we found that the periodic cycles of growth and competition rates were about 5.5 and 11 years for CR and about 2.6–3.8 years in all rodent species. The linear regression models fitted to the estimated values indicate slight decreases in the growth rates of all species except PV. The competing effects of PV on CR and WFM have decreased more than 11.4%. Whereas the competing effect of the DM on PV, and WFM on DM and itself have increased by 15.4%, 25.8% and 14.9%, respectively. The estimated migration rates of DM and WHM were mainly negative, which indicates that these species were mainly migrating out of the study site. All other three species had mainly positive migration rates. The parametrized annual CLV models were employed to analyze the formation of stable equilibria and to numerically investigate spatio-temporal patterns of population densities. We found that CR and PV were often dominant. The present work is the first step towards employing user-defined models compensating for the lack of long-term detailed social network data.
Abundance and Scarcity: Neoclassical Economic Thought

This chapter examines the central role of scarcity in the neoclassical economic paradigm. The chapter highlights the neoclassical association of wealth and scarcity, and the connections such an association has with the changing nature and outlook of the economics discipline. The views surveyed include those of Karl Menger, Leon Walras, Alfred Marshall, Frank Knight, John Maynard Keynes, and Lionel Robbins.
Fabrication and in vitro performance of a dual responsive lactate and glucose biosensor

Abstract Implantable multi-analyte biosensors are particularly challenging because the specificity of bioreceptors must be conferred to limited real estate. Additive biofabrication techniques based on electropolymerization for a dual responsive (glucose and lactate) biotransducer have been developed and characterized in vitro. Mediator modification of working microdisc electrode arrays with nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) followed by alternating layer-by-layer electropolymerization of polypyrrole-poly(styrene-sulfonic acid) (PPy-PSSA) and PPy-Enzyme (glucose oxidase or lactate oxidase) to a total applied charge density (QT = 50 or 100 mC/cm2 applied in Q = 5, 10 or 100 mC/cm2 increments) were evaluated for their contributions to a biosensor's bioanalytical performance. Single layered PPy-Enzyme (100 mC/cm2) biotransducers showed a higher sensitivity compared to all multi-layered biotransducers. An interceding layer of NiHCF at the Pt|PPy-GOx interface improved consistency in PPy-GOx electrodeposition compared to unmodified devices but, measured under self-consistent anodic conditions (0.65 V vs. Ag/AgCl), did not improve sensitivity. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the mediator layer did not change the overall impedance spectra of the Pt microelectrode array when compared to unmodified Pt electrodes. Under anodic test conditions, non-mediator modified devices had a higher sensitivity (0.94 nA/mM) to glucose than the mediator modified devices (0.32 nA/mM).
Direct Synthesis of Radioactive Gold Nanoparticles Using a Research Nuclear Reactor

We report the single-step synthesis of radioactive gold nanoparticles with an activity and size appropriate for potential use in cancer treatment and diagnosis. Methods: A solution of 2 mM gold chloride (HAuCl4⋅3H2O), 1 mM polyvinylpyrrolidone (molecular weight, 360,000), and 60 mM 2-propanol was prepared in deionized water. Seven different samples of the solution were irradiated in a neutron flux of 7.45 × 1012 n/cm2⋅s in a research reactor for 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10, 30, or 60 min. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized for morphology and chemical composition using a transmission electron microscope and ImageJ. Results: The obtained nanoparticles were 3–450 nm in size. The average size depended on the length of irradiation, with a longer irradiation producing smaller nanoparticles. Irradiation for 10 min produced nanoparticles with characteristics suitable for potential cancer treatment and diagnosis (average size, 50 nm; activity, 6.85 MBq/mL). Conclusion: Direct production of chemically stable radioactive gold nanoparticles was successfully accomplished using the Missouri University of Science and Technology reactor. The nanoparticles had physical and radioactive characteristics potentially useful for cancer treatment and diagnosis.
5PSQ-048 Darunavir/cobicistat pharmacological interactions: clinical relevance and action mechanism

Background Darunavir/cobicistat (DRV/COB) is the first fixed combination inhibitor of protease. Both are metabolised by the cytochrome CYP3A4, the reason why they are susceptible to present a multitude of drug interactions (DI). Purpose To describe the DI of DRV/COB in HIV patients to avoid and to optimise therapy. Material and methods Retrospective observational study performed in a county hospital. We reviewed the digital clinical history to collect the following data: patients treated with DRV/COB from 1 January 2016 to 1 November 2016, demographics, duration of treatment, concomitant medications, drugs involved, and DI. We review HIV-drug interactions using the database of the University of Liverpool to classify DI according to the mechanism of action (MA) and their potential severity. The pharmaceutical intervention (PI) was to notify to the prescribing physician, by report attached in the patient’s medical record, the contraindicated interactions (CI). Results Thirty-five patients, 51% males (n=18). Race: 54% non-Caucasian (n=19). Median age 37 years (IQR 64–20). Median days of treatment 195 (IQR 465–22), total of concomitant medications 199, median 5 (IQR 1–19), DI 31% (n=62) median 1 (IQR 0–8), 40 drugs involved in DI. Type of DI according to their MA: CYP3A inhibition 62% (n=25), inhibition CYP2D6 10% (n=4), inhibition CYP3A and CYP2D6 7% (n=3) and inducer CYP3A 5% MA 15% (n=6). DI type according to its potential severity: high (CI) 15% (n=6) (midazolam, budesonide, phenobarbital, ivabradine, simvastatin and domperidone); and potential: 89% (n=35). PI: accepted 3 (50%): one change from simvastatin to rosuvastatin, one change from phenobarbital to levetiracetam and a change from midazolam to lormetazepam. Conclusion A high rate of DI is observed in patients receiving treatment with DRV/COB. The most relevant interactions are observed at the level of the CYP3A family. Acceptance of PI was low in the case of CI detected, probably because the prescribing physician was unaware of it. To have a higher success rate we could have made a phone call to him to put him on notice. The pharmacist is important in optimising drug therapy. References and/or Acknowledgements Thanks to all my colleagues in the Hospital de Poniente for their selfless help No conflict of interest
Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach: Technical Tips and Tricks

Abstract Introduction: The transoral thyroidectomy vestibular approach has emerged as a new remote access surgical technique for the treatment of thyroid disease.1 With the benefit of being “scarle...
On the Systematics of Phase Transformations in Metallic Alloys

Phase transformations in metallic alloys proceed by diffusional replacive or diffusionless displacive mechanisms. These are generally viewed as independent processes without significant interactive coupling. However, new studies of displacive transformations, particularly regarding pretransformation phenomena, suggest that such coupling may indeed occur. If so, it should have a significant effect on the mode, morphology and mechanisms of the replacive transformations. In this paper we examine these possibilities in light of the most recent observations and thinking in this field.
Opportunities for female choice in the bed bug Cimex lectularius

Bed bugs are cited as exemplars of sexual conflict because mating can only occur via traumatic insemination. However, past antagonistic coevolution between the sexes does not necessarily preclude current female choice. Here, we investigate opportunities for precopulatory female choice in bed bugs. We examined whether females seek out mating opportunities when they gain the most benefit: when females are virgin and/or have recently fed. But, we found that female mating and feeding status had little effect on female attraction to males and male odor. To determine whether females approach male harborages (home crevices) to seek matings in nature, we investigated where matings occurred among unfamiliar pairs of bed bugs. We found that, despite female attraction to male odor, matings were most likely to take place in the female's harborage rather than the male's harborage. We also examined the effect of feeding on male and female ability to mate. Whereas previous research reported that engorgement impaired female ability to refuse matings, we found that male feeding status had a larger effect on the success of mating encounters than female feeding status. Fed males had poor mating success, suggesting that males may be faced with a trade‐off between mating and feeding.
Organizational Dissent Dynamics in Universities: Simulations With a System Dynamics Model:

This article investigates how universities may evolve into high- or low-performance institutions by taking different approaches to dissent tolerance and processing. We explore different dissent man...
Synthesis of biomass-derived feedstocks for the polymers and fuels industries from 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) and acetone

We show that 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) and acetone can be selectively converted into a range of biomass-derived high molecular weight chemicals in high yield (>90%). HMF was condensed with acetone and purified to produce HMF-Acetone-HMF dimer (HAH). We then selectively synthesized various compounds from HAH by the sequential catalytic reaction pathway of hydrogenation, ring-opening, and hydrodeoxygenation. These synthesized HMF-derived chemicals were characterized by 1D and 2D NMR spectra and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The HMF-derived molecules described in this paper can be feedstocks for the polymer, pigment, and petroleum industries.
A Software Tool for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing to Learn How to Speak

This project aims towards the empowerment of the deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) in social communication by providing them a software tool to learn how to speak. As the DHH will closely monitor and mimic other’s facial expressions on the software, they will also explore how tongue placement is used to create the correct sounding words. The software application uses simple technologies and can be used in computers or mobile phones with the help of embedded cameras and microphones. Hence it is portable and easily deployable with everyday gadgets, i.e., laptops, mobile phones, and so on. The application also comes in handy for the DHH to develop better communication skills by providing a flexible learning environment.
The Use of Coffee to Decrease the Incidence of Postoperative Ileus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

abstract Purpose To investigate the efficacy of providing coffee to elective abdominal surgery patients, immediately postoperatively, to lessen postoperative ileus. Design A systematic review with meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials published since 2012. Methods Methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane guidelines. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations assessment tool evaluated the quality of the evidence. Subgroup analyses were completed if the I2 statistic demonstrated heterogeneity (greater than 50%). Findings Coffee was statistically significant in shortening the time between surgery and the first passage of stool (mean difference, −9.38; 95% confidence interval, −17.60 to −1.16; P = .03). Although not statistically significant (P = .20), the overall effect favored shorter hospital stays for those patients receiving coffee. Conclusions The current systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that coffee given as early as 2 hours postoperatively decreases time to first bowel movement. In addition, patients tolerated solid food faster and were discharged sooner when given coffee immediately postoperatively.
How the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill reshaped our understanding of crude oil photochemical weathering at sea: a past, present, and future perspective

The weathering of crude oil at sea has been researched for nearly half a century. However, there have been relatively few opportunities to validate laboratory-based predictions about the rates, relative importance, and controls of oil weathering processes (e.g., evaporation, photo-oxidation, and emulsification) under natural field conditions. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill in the Gulf of Mexico provided the oil spill science community with a unique opportunity to evaluate our laboratory-based predictions in nature. With a focus on photochemical weathering, we review what we knew prior to the DWH spill, what we learned from the DWH spill, and what priority gaps in knowledge remain. Three key findings from the DWH spill are discussed. First, the rate and extent of photochemical weathering was much greater for the floating surface oil than expected based on early conceptual models of oil weathering. Second, indirect photochemical processes played a major role in the partial oxidation of the floating surface oil. Third, the extensive and rapid changes to the physical and chemical properties of oil by sunlight may influence oil fate, transport, and the selection of response tools. This review also highlights findings and predictions about photochemical weathering of oil from several decades ago that appear to have escaped the broader scientific narrative and ultimately proved true for the DWH spill. By focusing on these early predictions and synthesizing the numerous findings from the DWH spill, we expect this review will better prepare the oil spill science community to respond to the next big spill in the ocean.
Molecule-Inspired Methods for Coarse-Grain Multi-System Optimization

A major goal in multi-objective optimization is to strike a compromise among various objective functions subject to diverse sets of conflicting constraints. It is a reality, however, that we must face optimization of entire systems in which multiple objective sets make it practically impossible to even formulate objective functions and constraints in the standard closed form. We present a new approach techniques inspired by biomolecular interactions such as embodied in DNA. The advantages are more comprehensive and integrated understanding of complex chains of local interactions that affect an entire system, such as the chemical interaction of biomolecules in vitro, a living cell, or a mammalian brain, even if done in simulation. We briefly describe a system of this type, EdnaCo (a high-fidelity simulation in silico of chemical reactions in a test tube in vitro), that can be used to understand systems such as living cells and large neuronal assemblies. With large-scale applications of this prototype in sight, we propose three basic optimization principles critical to the successful development of robust synthetic models of these complex systems: physical–chemical, computational, and biological optimization. We conclude with evidence for and discussion of the emerging hypothesis that multi-system optimization problems can indeed be solved, at least approximately, by so-called coarsely optimal models of the type discussed above, in the context of a biomolecule-based asynchronous model of the human brain.
Evaluating the potential role of bioactive chemicals on the distribution of invasive Asian carp upstream and downstream from river mile 278 in the Illinois waterway

Two non-native carp species have invaded the Illinois Waterway and are a threat to Great Lakes ecosystems. Poor water quality in the upper Illinois Waterway may be a factor contributing to the stalling of the carp population front near river mile 278. In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey collected 4 sets of water samples from two sites upstream and 4 sites downstream from river mile 278, and one tributary. Each sample was analyzed for up to 649 unique constituents of which 287 were detected including 96 pesticides, 62 pharmaceuticals, 39 wastewater indicator chemicals, 29 metals, 19 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 6 disinfection by-products (DBPs), 5 hormones, and 5 carboxylic acids. Potential for bioactivity was estimated by comparing chemical concentrations to aquatic life or human health criteria and to in-vitro bioactivity screening results in the U.S Environmental Protection Agency ToxCast™ database. The resulting hazard quotients and exposure-activity ratios (EARs) are toxicity indexes that can be used to rank potential bioactivity of individual chemicals and chemical mixtures. This analysis indicates that several bioactive chemicals (BCs) including: carbendazim, 2,4-D, metolachlor, terbuthylazine, and acetochlor (pesticides); 1,4-dioxane (VOC); metformin, diphenhydramine, sulfamethoxazole, tramadol, fexofenadine, and the anti-depressants (pharmaceuticals); bisphenol A, 4-nonylphenol, galaxolide, 4-tert-octylphenol (wastewater indicator chemical); lead and boron (metals); and estrone (hormone) all occur in the upper Illinois Waterway at concentrations that produce elevated EARs values and may be adversely affecting carp reproduction and health. The clear differences in water quality upstream and downstream from river mile 278 with higher contaminant concentrations and potential bioactivity upstream could represent a barrier to carp range expansion.
Demand for bio-based fertilizers from dairy manure in Washington State: a small-scale discrete choice experiment

The use of bio-based fertilizers derived from dairy manure can provide a valuable source of fertility, improve soil health and provide an outlet for manure from dairy operations. We conducted a small-scale discrete choice survey of crop farmers and crop consultants in Washington State to determine the attributes that were important to them in the potential use of a bio-based fertilizer product derived from dairy manure. Of the attributes examined, distribution channel was not statistically significant. Respondents preferred air-dried or pelletized forms to wet forms, though there was no statistically significant difference between air-dried and pelletized forms. As expected, uptake increased as price decreased. Our results imply that respondents would be willing to pay 23 and 39% more for an air-dried or pelletized product, respectively, than for a ‘semi-wet’ product. Our results indicate that there are other important attributes beyond the ones in the survey that led respondents to stay with their current fertilizer regime. Qualitative responses in the survey pointed to the need for field trial results and data on nitrogen release from the bio-based fertilizer. Greater understanding of willingness-to-pay and attributes important to potential end users is important for the development of markets for bio-based fertilizers.
From racialized think-pieces toward anti-racist praxis in our science, education, and practice

The process of evaluating and understanding occupation as something people want or are obligated to do and its impact on health and survival is as old as the occupational therapy profession (Johnso...
Comparison of weight gain after antiretroviral switch to integrase strand transfer inhibitor or tenofovir alafenamide-based therapy.

Several studies have reported weight gain after switching to integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). Debate persists if weight gain also occurs when switching from tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)-based ART. We performed a retrospective chart review of virally suppressed HIV-infected patients who were switched from non INSTI- to INSTI-based ART (INSTI switch group) as well as patients switched from TDF- to TAF-based ART (TAF switch group), and compared the mean weight change in these groups to the mean change in weight in patients maintained on NNRTI-based regimens (control group). 329 patients were identified. 256 patients in the INSTI switch group gained a mean 2.4 kg over 17 months compared to 0.5 kg in 54 patients in the control group over the same period (p = 0.008). 161 patients in the TAF switch group gained a mean 2.8 kg over 17 months compared to 0.5 kg in the control group (p = 0.003). There was no statistical difference in weight gain between the INSTI and TAF switch groups. Although the highest mean weight gain of 3.2 kg was seen in those 90 patients switched from both TDF- to TAF-based and non INSTI- to INSTI-based ART (TAF/INSTI switch group), this weight gain was not statistically different compared with the INSTI switch or TAF switch groups. Our study suggests that weight gain is associated with both switching HIV regimens from non INSTI- to INSTI-based ART and TDF- to TAF-based ART.
How do elementary school teachers learn coding and robotics? A case study of mediations and conflicts

In this qualitative case study, we examined in-service elementary school teachers’ learning of coding and robotics in a blended professional learning course developed and delivered through the collaboration between university faculty and a school district. We focused on activity theory to understand and reveal the mediations, conflicts, and effective practices that facilitated or hindered teachers’ learning of coding and robotics. The participants of the study were twelve teachers from five different elementary schools in a rural school district. Data collection and generation sources included interviews, videos of class meetings, course assignments, and artifacts. In analyzing the data, we employed analytical approaches under the guidance of activity theory. The findings showed that teacher collaboration, coding/robotics platforms employed during the professional learning course, instructional approaches, and resources in and outside the professional learning setting mediated or conflicted with the teachers’ learning of coding and robotics depending on the way that each of these elements was employed in the course. Elaborating on these elements, we reported the implications for further research and practice.
24-Hour Profiles of 11-Oxygenated C19 Steroids and Δ5-Steroid Sulfates during Oral and Continuous Subcutaneous Glucocorticoids in 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency

Background: Optimal management of androgen excess in 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) remains challenging. 11-oxygenated-C19 steroids (11-oxyandrogens) have emerged as promising biomarkers of disease control, but data regarding their response to treatment are lacking. Objective: To compare the dynamic response of a broad set of steroids to both conventional oral glucocorticoids (OG) and circadian cortisol replacement via continuous subcutaneous hydrocortisone infusion (CSHI) in patients with 21OHD based on 24-hour serial sampling. Participants and methods: We studied 8 adults (5 women), ages 19-43 years, with poorly controlled classic 21OHD who participated in a single-center open-label phase I–II study comparing OG with CSHI. We used mass spectrometry to measure 15 steroids (including 11-oxyandrogens and Δ5 steroid sulfates) in serum samples obtained every 2 h for 24 h after 3 months of stable OG, and 6 months into ongoing CSHI. Results: In response to OG therapy, androstenedione, testosterone (T), and their four 11-oxyandrogen metabolites:11β-hydroxyandrostenedione, 11-ketoandrostenedione, 11β-hydroxytestosterone and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) demonstrated a delayed decline in serum concentrations, and they achieved a nadir between 0100-0300. Conversely, CSHI dampened the early ACTH and androgen rise, allowing the ACTH-driven adrenal steroids to return closer to baseline before mid-day. 11KT concentrations displayed the most consistent difference between OG and CSHI across all time segments. While T was lowered by CSHI as compared with OG in women, T increased in men, suggesting an improvement of the testicular function in parallel with 21OHD control in men. Conclusion: 11-oxyandrogens are useful biomarkers of disease control in 21OHD and remain elevated in the morning and afternoon in poorly controlled patients. The development of normative data for these promising novel biomarkers must consider their diurnal variability.
Benchmarking Isotropic Hyperfine Coupling Constants Using (QTP) DFT functionals and Coupled Cluster Theory

Significant effort has been devoted to benchmarking isotropic hyperfine coupling constants for both wavefunction and density-based approaches in recent years, as accurate theoretical predictions aid the fitting of experimental model Hamiltonians. However, literature examining the predictive quality of a DFT functional abiding by the Bartlett IP condition is absent. In an attempt to rectify this, we report isotropic hyperfine coupling constant predictions of 24 commonly used DFT functionals on a total of 56 radicals, with the intent of exploring the successes and failures of the QTP line of DFT functional (ie CAM-QTP00, CAM-QTP01, CAM-QTP02, and QTP17) for this property. Included in this benchmark study are both small and large organic radicals as well as transition metal complexes, all of which have been studied to some extent in prior work. Subsequent CCSD and CCSD(T) calculations on small and large organic radicals show modest improvement as compared to prior work, and offer an additional avenue for evaluation of DFT functional performance. We find the QTP-17 and CAM-QTP00 functionals consistently underperform, despite being parameterized to satisfy an IP eigenvalue condition primarily focused on inner shell electrons. On the other hand, the CAM-QTP01 functional is the most accurate functional in both organic radical datasets. Furthermore, both CAM-QTP01 and CAM-QTP02 are the most accurate functionals tested on the transition metal dataset. A significant portion of functionals were found to have comparable errors (within 5-15 MHz) but the hybrid class of DFT functionals maintain a consistently optimal balance between accuracy and precision across all datasets.
X through the firewall, and other application relays

Organizations often impose an administrative security policy when they connect to other organizations on a public network such as the Internet. Many applications have their own notions of security, or they simply rely on the security of the underlying protocols. Using the X Window System as a case study, we describe some techniques for building application-specific relays that allow the use of applications across organizational boundaries. In particular, we focus on analyzing administrative and application-specific security policies to construct solutions that satisfy the security requirements while providing the necessary functions of the applications.
Race, Religion, and Ethics in the Modern/Colonial World

The concept of religion as an anthropological category and the idea of race as an organizing principle of human identification and social organization played a major role in the formation of modern/colonial systems of symbolic representation that acquired global significance with the expansion of Western modernity. The modern concepts of religion and race were mutually constituted and together became two of the most central categories in drawing maps of subjectivity, alterity, and sub-alterity in the modern world. This makes the critical theory of religion highly relevant for the theory of race, and both of them crucial for ethics. It follows from this, not only that religion and race have been profoundly intertwined in modernity, but also that any ethics that seeks to take seriously the challenges created by modernity/coloniality has to be, at least to some extent, decolonial.
Microstructural Evolution and Creep Properties of Plasma Sprayed Nanocomposite Zirconia‐Alumina Materials

This work aims at using static annealing as a means to obtain microstructures optimized for high temperature deformation. Eutectic compositions in the zirconia-alumina-magnesium aluminate system have been produced by plasma melting and quenching. The obtained powders were statically annealed and the nucleation and growth processes studied. The quenched powder is partly amorphous, but contains also tetragonal zirconia and traces of gamma alumina. An exothermic peak is obtained in DTA at 950°C and by XRD related to further crystallization of tetragonal zirconia. Alumina precipitates as gamma phase and is transformed via delta phase to alpha alumina at temperatures at and above 1100°C. The material is well crystallized only after heat treatment above 1200°C. The bi-continuous microstructure of zirconia and alumina with low mutual solubility is fairly stable against grain growth. The effects of annealing on sinter forging, high temperature creep and dynamic grain growth are addressed.
Efficient and adaptive schemes for consistent information sharing in wireless mobile and peer-to-peer networks

With the tremendous growth of applications in wireless mobile and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks, significant research efforts have been made to improve the quality of service. Caching and replicating frequently used data objects or files in user's local buffers are popular mechanisms to effectively reduce the communication bandwidth requirement and thus improve the overall system performance. However, the frequent disconnections of users make data consistency a difficult task in wireless mobile and P2P networks. In this dissertation, we design and analyze a Scalable Asynchronous Cache Consistency Scheme (SACCS) for single cell wireless cellular networks. SACCS is a highly scalable, efficient, and low complexity scheme and works well in error-prone wireless mobile environments. Analytical results indicate that SACCS provides very good cache consistency in error-prone wireless environments. Comprehensive simulation results show that SACCS offers more than 50% performance gain than that of existing Timestamp (TS) and Asynchronous Stateful (AS) schemes; We also propose Dynamic SACCS (DSACCS) for multi-cell mobile environments. To the best of our knowledge, DSACCS is the first cache consistency scheme that optimizes cache performance in multi-cell mobile environments. In P2P networks, some files are heavily replicated to enhance their availability and reduce the search cost. With the dramatic growth in P2P applications dealing with dynamic files, file updates and the file consistency maintenance become critical. To effectively propagate update information to the replica peers, we propose an efficient algorithm, called Update Propagation Through Replica Chain (UPTReC), in decentralized and unstructured P2P networks to provide weak file consistency. To provide strong file consistency, we develop another algorithm, called file Consistency Maintenance through Virtual servers (CMV). In CMV, each dynamic file has a virtual server and any file update must be accepted through the virtual server to maintain one copy serializability of the file. To the best of our knowledge, CMV is the first strong file consistency algorithm for decentralized and unstructured P2P networks. Our simulation results show that UPTReC algorithm outperforms other existing algorithms, and CMV is an efficient file consistency algorithm with very low overhead messages.
Selecting representative examples and attributes by a genetic algorithm

A nearest-neighbor classifier compares an unclassified object to a set of pre-classified examples and assigns to it the class of the most similar of them (the object's nearest neighbor). In some applications, many pre-classified examples are available and comparing the object to each of them is expensive. This motivates studies of methods to remove redundant and noisy examples. Another strand of research seeks to remove irrelevant attributes that compromise classification accuracy. The paper suggests to use the genetic algorithm to address both issues simultaneously. Experiments indicate considerable reduction of the set of examples, and of the set of attributes, without impaired classification accuracy. The algorithm compares favorably with earlier solutions.
An Interpretive Scheme for Analyzing the Identities That Students Develop in Mathematics Classrooms

Our primary purpose in this article is to propose an interpretive scheme for analyzing the identities that students develop in mathematics classrooms that can inform instructional design and teaching. We first introduce the key constructs of normative identity and personal identity, and then illustrate how they can be used to conduct empirical analyses. The case on which the sample analysis focuses concerns a single group of middle school students who were members of two contrasting classrooms in which what it meant to know and do mathematics differed significantly. The resulting analyses document the forms of agency that students can legitimately exercise in particular classrooms, together with how authority is distributed and thus to whom students are accountable, and what they are accountable for mathematically. In the final section of the article, we clarify the relation of the interpretive scheme to other current work on the identities that students are developing in mathematics classrooms.