cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Profile of Home Care Aides, Nursing Home Aides, and Hospital Aides Historical Changes and Data Recommendations

Purpose To examine demographic characteristics and work conditions of home care aides, nursing home aides, and hospital aides in the late 1980s and late 1990s. Design and methods This study replicated a previous study which examined the Current Population Survey (CPS) March supplement from 1987 to 1989. The present study examined CPS data from 1997 to 1999 both to obtain a profile of aides in the late 1990s and to compare 1990's work conditions and demographic characteristics with those of aides in the late 1980s. Results Whereas demographic characteristics and work conditions of hospital and nursing home aides show little change over the decade, home care aides today are generally younger, more educated, more likely to hold full-time positions, and more likely to have health benefits than their counterparts 10 years ago. Yet work conditions are still poorer for home care aides than for the other types of aides. Implications Work conditions need further improvement, particularly for home care aides. More accurate data to describe paraprofessional care workers are also necessary to address the serious worker shortage problems.
Simplified method for G6PD screening using blood collected on filter paper.

A rapid screening method for detecting glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is described. The method involves the collection of blood samples on filter paper and depends on the fluorescence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. Simple and inexpensive to perform, this test yields positive results when enzyme levels are less than 25 per cent of normal, thus permitting the easy detection of hemizygous men and homozygous women with G6PD deficiency. Also, this test may give positive results in some heterozygous female carriers.
Regeneration of liver tissue following partial hepatectomy in parabiotic rats.

Summary1. When one rat of a parabiotic pair was partially hepatectomized, the unoperated liver of its partner increased in wet weight and in the number of hepatic cells. The growth stimulus causing this hypertrophy of liver tissue must have been a factor carried in the blood from the operated animal to the unoperated liver, and the latter responded to this stimulus just as does an operated liver.2. No significant difference was observed between the rates of regeneration of livers in lobectomized parabions and in lobectomized single animals.
Development of response to glucose of fetal rat islet in organ culture

Pancreases of 18-day fetal and 3-day neonatal rat were grown in organ culture in both standard glucose (150 mg/100 ml) and high glucose (500 mg/100 ml) media. Insulin content of medium was measured by radioimmunoassay at time of transfer. In fetal cultures, standard and high glucose media contained a similar level of insulin through 6 days of culture. In neonatal cultures, high glucose medium contained 40-60% more insulin than did standard medium. However, after 8 days of organ culture fetal pancreas developed responsiveness to high glucose; a greater amount of insulin was present in the high glucose medium (50% by 10 days and 70% by 12 days) than in standard glucose medium. The time at which this responsiveness develops in vitro approximates the chronologic age which corresponds to 3-5 days postnatal period. The maturation of this responsiveness appears to be inherent to the pancreas and is independent of other organ systems. When neonatal explants, grown in standard medium for 8 days, were transferred to high glucose medium, 80-160% more insulin was detected in the high glucose medium than in standard medium during the next 4 days of culture. These results indicate that once glucose responsiveness had developed, it is maintained in organ culture for at least 12 days.
Breakthrough: Nobel Prize Discoveries in Viral Pathogenesis

Abstract Our knowledge of viral pathogenesis is founded upon experimental data generated by many investigators over at least the last century. Furthermore, ongoing research constantly revises and expands our understanding. To give readers a sense of the experimental basis for viral pathogenesis, we dedicate this chapter to examples of important breakthroughs in this field. Since there were many Nobel prizes for research relevant to viral pathogenesis, we decided to use some of these as illustrations. In each instance, we describe the original experimental data, explain its relevance to viral pathogenesis, and provide a short biosketch of one of the Nobel awardees. The examples we have selected range over many aspects of pathogenesis, including virology, immunology, host responses, and vaccines. Much of this information is based on the lectures and other information generated as part of the Nobel ceremonies and set forth on the official site of the Nobel Foundation (Nobelprize.org). The original documents available online make fascinating reading, and the video lectures are a great introduction to the subjects. We hope that these individual stories will inspire some of our readers to consider the opportunities for future research in viral pathogenesis.
Progress in analysis of findings in the standard battery of genotoxicity tests

Genotoxicity research plays an important role in new drug development,but the false positive and/or false negative results of genotoxicity tests may interfere weighing the risks of candidate drugs and making decisions.Thus it is particularly important to give comprehensive and sound analysis of these in vitro and in vivo findings.In this review,we summarized the major research progress about some controversial hot spots that influence the analysis and evaluation of the findings in the standard battery of genotoxicity tests,such as the high rate of positive results in in vitro mammalian cell tests,metabolic considerations,the influence factors about in vivo micronucleus studies and so on.The recommendation frameworks for interpretation of standard battery and follow-up test were also included.Finally the prospect of some improvements to the standard battery of genotoxicity tests was put forward.These may provide some key clues for the revision of existing guidelines for genotoxicity and the development of genetic toxicity assessment work.
Concentric CARS and CSRS in solid-state despersive medium

In this paper we report an experiment of concentric coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (OARS) and coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS) achieved in the dispersive medium calcite crystal under certain properly designed condition.
Association of thrombophilia and catheter-associated thrombosis in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Essentials It is unclear if thrombophilia increases the risk of catheter-associated thrombosis in children. We conducted a meta-analysis on thrombophilia and pediatric catheter-associated thrombosis. Presence of ≥1 trait confers additional risk of venous thrombosis in children with catheters. Limitations of included studies preclude us from recommending routine thrombophilia testing. SummaryBackground The association between thrombophilia and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) associated with central venous catheter (CVC) use, the most important pediatric risk factor for thrombosis, is unclear in children. Pediatric studies with small sample sizes have reported conflicting results. We sought to evaluate whether, among children with CVCs, thrombophilia increases the risk of CVC-associated DVT (CADVT). Materials and methods We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials, PubMed and reference lists for controlled studies published from the inception of the database until September 2015. Included were studies of children aged <21 years with CVCs who were systematically tested for thrombophilic traits that are commonly screened for in clinical practice. Pooled prevalence rates and pooled odds ratios (pORs) of CADVT with thrombophilia were estimated by use of a random effects model. Results We analyzed 16 cohort studies with 1279 children, 277 of whom had CADVT, and with 12 traits tested. There was significant heterogeneity in the included studies. The presence of one or more traits was associated with CADVT (pOR 3.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56–6.54). Although the prevalence of most traits was < 0.10, children with protein C deficiency, elevated factor VIII levels and the FV Leiden mutation had an increased prevalence of CADVT. The association with thrombophilia seemed to be stronger for symptomatic CADVT (pOR 6.71; 95% CI 1.93–23.37) than for asymptomatic CADVT (pOR 2.14; 95% CI 1.10–4.18). Conclusions On the basis of the low prevalence of specific traits, the relatively weak association with CADVT, and the limitations of the included studies, we cannot recommend routine testing of thrombophilias in children with CADVT.
Comparing node-link and node-link-group visualizations from an enjoyment perspective

While evaluation studies in visualization often involve traditional performance measurements, there has been a concerted effort to move beyond time and accuracy. Of these alternative aspects, memorability and recall of visualizations have been recently considered, but other aspects such as enjoyment and engagement are not as well explored. We study the enjoyment of two different visualization methods through a user study. In particular, we describe the results of a three-phase experiment comparing the enjoyment of two different visualizations of the same relational data: node-link and node-link-group visualizations. The results indicate that the participants in this study found node-link-group visualizations more enjoyable than node-link visualizations.
Voltage-Controlled Oscillator Reliability

This chapter talks about the LC oscillator reliability subjected to electrical stress. Mixed-mode device and circuit simulation results as well as experimental data of voltage-controlled LC oscillators are presented.
On Event-Triggered Adaptive Architectures for Decentralized and Distributed Control of Large-Scale Modular Systems

The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in physical systems controlled over wireless networks (networked control systems). These systems allow the computation of control signals via processors that are not attached to the physical systems, and the feedback loops are closed over wireless networks. The contribution of this paper is to design and analyze event-triggered decentralized and distributed adaptive control architectures for uncertain networked large-scale modular systems; that is, systems consist of physically-interconnected modules controlled over wireless networks. Specifically, the proposed adaptive architectures guarantee overall system stability while reducing wireless network utilization and achieving a given system performance in the presence of system uncertainties that can result from modeling and degraded modes of operation of the modules and their interconnections between each other. In addition to the theoretical findings including rigorous system stability and the boundedness analysis of the closed-loop dynamical system, as well as the characterization of the effect of user-defined event-triggering thresholds and the design parameters of the proposed adaptive architectures on the overall system performance, an illustrative numerical example is further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed decentralized and distributed control approaches.
Metallic Chemical Vapor Deposition: New Deposition Technologies

The emergence of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as an essential technology in the manufacture of advanced materials has led to a reinvigoration of studies involving the application of volatile organometallic compounds to deposition processes. This is particularly true for the main group metals but is also true for the transition metals. This reinvigoration is due to the observation that while metal-halide based CVD processes produce the required film growth, several problems are associated with this method: the elevated deposition temperatures required (> 800°C) due to the thermal inertness of most metal halides and the production of corrosive gases (i.e., HCl and HF) that are deleterious to film growth and integrity. In addition, in some cases, metal halide based techniques do not produce high-quality materials reproducibly. Using the considerable scientific background in organometallic chemistry, it has been possible to tailor organometallic starting materials to deposit desired films of high purity wi...
Iron-free permanent magnet structures for traveling wave tubes

The mass and bulk of the magnetic focusing structures of traveling wave tubes depend greatly on the details of their design. The authors describe several permanent magnet structures that use no iron pole-pieces and depend upon magnetically rigid permanent magnet materials in novel configurations to produce large longitudinal magnetic fields in the working space with a minimum of leakage to the structural exterior. These configurations are compared with regard to field-mass ratio, field uniformity, and flux leakage. The most mass-effective periodic structure with regard to on-axis field amplitude is the iron-free hybrid structure. For average cross-sectional field strength the triangular hybrid structure is the best choice. Both offer order of magnitude mass and bulk reductions compared to those of the conventional structures which use pole pieces. For short beam paths, high-field, nonperiodic applications, the magic sphere is a good choice. For long beam paths and very uniform fields of modest magnitude (up to 4 kOe), the permanent magnet solenoid should be considered. >
Direct 4D parametric image reconstruction with plasma input and reference tissue models in reversible binding imaging

The most active area in brain PET ligand development and imaging continues to involve receptor/transporter studies involving reversible binding. The focus of this work has been to develop direct 4D parametric image reconstruction techniques for reversible binding imaging. Based on a recent graphical analysis formulation [1], we developed a closed-form 4D EM algorithm to directly reconstruct distribution volume (DV) parametric images using a plasma input model. Furthermore, while previous work in the area of 4D imaging has been primarily limited to plasma input models, we sought to also develop reference tissue model schemes whereby distribution volume ratio (DVR) parametric images were reconstructed by the reference tissue model within the 4D image reconstruction task (using the cerebellum as reference). The means of parameters estimated from 55 human 11C-raclopride dynamic PET studies were used for simulation (22 realizations) using a mathematical brain phantom. Images were reconstructed using standard FBP or EM methods followed by modeling, as well as the proposed direct methods. Noise vs. bias quantitative measurements were performed in various regions of the brain. Direct 4D EM reconstruction resulted in substantial visual and quantitative accuracy improvements (over 100% noise reduction, with matched bias, in both plasma and reference-tissue input models). Notable improvements were also observed in the coefficient of variation (COV) of the estimated binding potential (BP) values, including even for the relatively low BP regions of grey and thalamus, suggesting the ability for robust parameter estimation even in such regions.
Culture and the Confederate flag: Attitudes toward a divisive symbol

The Confederate flag remains a controversial symbol. This article reviews research on attitudes toward the Confederate flag and its public display. In order to better understand the divisiveness of the flag, I outline a historical timeline of the U.S. South and the Confederate flag while emphasizing the association between race and politics within the region. Culture is crucial to this paper because the flag is rooted in cultural constructions of its symbolism, and because opinions toward the flag shed light on the process of cultural change. Overall, this work synthesizes existing research on attitudes and legislative voting patterns focused on the flag and provides a foundation and suggestions for future inquiry into the topic. As a case study analyzing the manner in which “unsettled times” (Swidler, 1986) produce climates conducive to social change, I argue that the Charleston Emanuel AME Church shootings created an opportunity to remove the Confederate flag from the South Carolina capitol grounds. I conclude by viewing the flag debate within a society that has and continues to perpetuate racial inequities. Future research has the task of analyzing implications of Confederate flag support hopefully leading to the elimination of ideologies that spur racial violence.
Genomic evaluation of age at first calving

From their time of birth until their first lactation, dairy heifers incur management, health, and feed expenses while not producing milk. Much effort has been made to estimate optimal ages of first calving (AFC) for cows to reduce these costs, which can be as high as $2.50 per day, and ensure that animals are productive earlier in life. To identify AFC for 3 dairy cattle breeds (Holstein, Jersey, and Brown Swiss) that maximizes production, we retrieved phenotypic records for more than 14 million cows calving between 1997 and 2015 from the US national dairy database. The mean AFC for Holstein and Jersey has decreased by 2.4 and 2.7 mo, respectively, since 2006. When comparing the association of AFC with production and fertility traits, we found that decreased AFC was correlated with greater fertility and higher milk yield for all but the earliest group (18 to 20 mo). We also identified an unfavorable correlation of lower AFC with increasing stillbirth rates in Holstein (0.047 least squares means compared with a baseline of 24 mo) and Brown Swiss (0.062 least squares means). Finally, we identified favorable genetic correlations of lower AFC with lifetime net merit, heifer conception rate, cow conception rate, and daughter pregnancy rate in Holstein and Jersey cattle, and favorable correlations for net merit and heifer conception rate in Brown Swiss. To maximize lifetime production and reduce the effects of AFC on stillbirth, the AFC that maximizes production for Holstein and Brown Swiss is 21 to 22 mo, and for Jersey it is 20 to 21 mo. However, the effect of AFC on stillbirth reduces the benefits of calving at very young ages. Calculated genomic predicted transmitting ability for AFC showed an improvement in reliability of 20 percentage points in genomic young bulls compared with parent averages in Holstein, suggesting that genomic testing can improve selection for this trait.
Transmission of Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Prior to Death of Infected Loblolly Pine Sawfly, Neodiprion taedae linearis Ross, on Loblolly Pine

Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) was transmitted by infected loblolly pine sawfly, Neodiprion taedae linearis Ross, larvae prior to death on loblolly, pine. Third instars reared on pine foliage previously fed upon for 24 h by NPV-infected larvae at densities of 4 and 16 per terminal resulted in up to 69.9 and 93.1% mortality, respectively, in previously unexposed cohorts. Third instars reared on pine foliage wetted with washings from frass of infected larvae also resulted in a high level of mortality. Results suggest that a high level of secondary transmission of NPV occurs before death of primary-infected larvae. This transmission appears to be the result of NPV in the digestive tract released either through regurgitation or in the feces.
Evaluation of a National Pediatric Subinternship Curriculum Implemented Through Individual Learning Plans

Abstract Objective The Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics and Association of Pediatric Program Directors developed a Pediatric Subinternship (CAPS) curriculum for use with an individualized learning plan (ILP). The authors determined which learning objectives (LOs) pediatric subinterns selected when provided the CAPS curriculum, summarized students' self-reported progress, and determined feasibility of ILPs in subinternship. Methods Students from 10 medical schools completed a standardized ILP during pediatric subinternship. Students listed ≥3 LOs using CAPS curriculum as a guide and self-assessed their progress. Students reviewed ILPs with faculty preceptors; preceptors completed questionnaires on time and effort spent. Authors mapped student LOs to CAPS curriculum objectives and grouped in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency domains. Results Two hundred four students documented 850 LOs. Authors mapped student LOs to 61 of the 69 CAPS objectives (88%). Students most commonly chose Patient Care LOs, with the top 3 related to oral presentations, time management, and management plans. Student LOs not in CAPS addressed nutrition, child development, test interpretation, and cost. No students chose LOs related to health disparities, shared decision making, informed consent, or patient safety. Students self-reported significant progress on most LOs (73%). Faculty met with students ≥1 time and 93% met for a total of ≤1 hour. According to faculty, students required little or no help completing ILPs. Conclusions Students chose a wide range of LOs when provided the CAPS curriculum. Revision to include additional student-identified LOs would enhance CAPS curriculum's comprehensiveness. Using this curriculum with an ILP during subinternship is feasible, but gaps between educator-identified and student-identified objectives require further exploration.
Direct Lighting Models for Ray Tracing with Cylindrical Lamps

Publisher Summary This chapter presents direct lighting models for ray tracing with cylindrical lamps. Fluorescent lights are used for many lighting applications, such as classrooms and shopping centers, and neon lights are again becoming popular for advertising signs and cosmetic lighting. Fluorescent and neon luminaires can be modeled as diffuse emitting cylinders with associated spectral distributions. For spherical and triangular luminaires, previous research suggests a sampling based on the estimated sub-tense (solid angle) of the luminaire as a good strategy. However, for a cylinder this angle can be difficult to characterize. Therefore, an alternative approach is taken, which follows from the observation that an approximation to solid-angle-based sampling can be obtained by choosing p such that the luminaire point x′ is more likely to be generated nearer to the illuminated point x . This approach provides a reasonable approximation because x′ subtends a greater differential solid angle as it moves nearer to x . This chapter presents a method for performing the direct lighting computations for cylindrical luminaires in distribution ray tracing. It extends a previous concept that presents physically correct methods for computing the contribution of spherical and triangular luminaires.
Handhabung des Manuals

Die Empfehlungen zum Erlernen und zur Handhabung des Manuals fusen auf den bewahrten Prinzipien des Lernens durch das Tun. Zum „Tun“ gehoren folgende Punkte: 1) Lies das Manual, behandle Patienten und lies das Manual erneut. 2) Lasse die Behandlungen durch einen Supervisor kontrollieren, der im Laufe der Supervision auf die jeweils wichtigen Teile des Manuals hinweist. 3) Nimm fur die Darstellung der Patient-Therapeut-Interaktion in der Supervision Stundenprotokolle, Tonbandaufzeichnungen und Rollenspiele zu Hilfe. 4) Untersuche gemeinsam mit dem Supervisor die Personlichkeit des Therapeuten, sobald diese an Schwierigkeiten im psychotherapeutischen Prozes mit beteiligt ist. 5) Achte darauf, das der Therapeut Erfahrungen als Supervisor machen kann, um auf diese Weise das Erlernte nachhaltig zu festigen und zu sichern.
Molar Masses and Molar Mass Distributions

In synthesizing polymers in vivo and in vitro, molecular homogenous (“monodisperse”) polymers (i.e., those in which every macromolecule has the same molar mass or “molecular weight”) occur only under quite specific conditions. The overwhelming majority of polymer syntheses proceed more or less randomly, and the resulting macromolecular substances have more or less broad molar mass distributions. The kind of molar mass distribution obtained depends on the nature of the polymerization, which may be either thermodynamically or kinetically controlled. Each kind of distribution is characterized by a definite relationship between the mole fraction x and the degree of polymerization X. Consequently, it is possible in many cases to deduce the kind of polymerization involved from the type of distribution function obtained.
Spatial Subsidies and Mortality of an Estuarine Copepod Revealed Using a Box Model

Mortality of planktonic populations is difficult to determine because assumptions of the methods are rarely met, more so in estuaries where tidal exchange ensures violation of the assumption of a closed or spatially uniform population. Estuarine plankton populations undergo losses through movement from productive regions, creating a corresponding subsidy to regions that are less productive. We estimated mortality rates of the copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi in the San Francisco Estuary using a vertical-life-table approach with a Bayesian estimation method, combined with estimates of spatial subsidies and losses using a spatial box model with salinity-based boundaries. Data came from a long-term monitoring program and from three sample sets for 1991–2007 and 2010–2012. A hydrodynamic model coupled with a particle-tracking model supplied exchange rates between boxes and from each box to several sinks. In situ mortality, i.e., mortality corrected for movement, was highly variable. In situ mortality of adults was high (means by box and sampling program 0.1–0.9 day−1) and appeared invariant with salinity or year. In situ mortality of nauplii and copepodites increased from fresh (~ 0) to brackish water (means 0.4–0.8 day−1), probably because of consumption by clams and predatory copepods in brackish water. High mortality in the low-salinity box was offset by a subsidy which increased after 1993, indicating an increase in mortality. Our results emphasize the importance of mortality and spatial subsidies in structuring populations. Mortality estimates of estuarine plankton are feasible with sufficient sampling to overcome high variability, provided adjustments are made to account for movement.
Estimation of Surface Central Pressures in Tropical Cyclones from Aircraft Observations

Dropsonde data from the eyes of tropical cyclones are used for testing old and deriving new empirical relationships between the surface pressure and the heights of constant-pressure surfaces. The derived regressions are used for the preparation of a nomogram which can be used for estimating surface pressure in the eye of a tropical cyclone from aircraft pressure-height data at any level between the surface and 500 mb. The regressions also provide a basis for some comments on the mean thermal structure of the eye.
Autoimmune epilepsy: findings on MRI and FDG-PET

Autoimmune epilepsy (AE) is becoming increasingly recognized as a potentially reversible cause of frequent or medically intractable seizures and cognitive deterioration. We describe various presentations of autoimmune encephalopathy which have specifically presented with seizure and describe reported imaging findings. This is organized as a review of the more common autoantibodies which can specifically precipitate seizure according to the intracellular or extracellular location of the targeted antigen. For each antibody, we illustrate their pathophysiology, characteristic clinical presentations with typical effective treatments and prognoses and imaging findings on MRI and PET/CT exams. Parenchymal involvement is variable with the limbic structures typically affected; however, non-limbic cortex, cerebellum, brainstem and basal ganglia can also be involved. In the acute setting, affected regions typically demonstrate T2 hyperintensity with mild mass effect from edema and increased 18F-fludeoxyglucose uptake. Chronically involved parenchyma will often undergo atrophy and demonstrate decreased metabolism; mesial temporal sclerosis is often the end result when the limbic system is involved. Without treatment, long-term effects from AE range from ongoing cognitive dysfunction and refractory seizures to death. Familiarity with AE may prompt appropriate antibody screening, particularly in cases of refractory seizure disorders. Early investigation and proper management of AE cases may help to prevent parenchymal and neurologic deterioration in these patients.
Diagonalization in Logic and Mathematics

The family of diagonalization techniques in logic and mathematics supports important mathematical theorems and rigorously demonstrates philosophically interesting formal and metatheoretical results. Diagonalization methods underwrite Cantor’s proof of transfinite mathematics, the generalizability of the power set theorem to the infinite and transfinite case, and give rise at the same time to unsolved and in some instances unsolvable problems of transfinite set theory. Diagonalization is also frequently construed as the logical basis of the liar, Richard’s, Grelling’s, the Russell and Curry paradoxes, Godel’s theorems, Church’s and Rosser’s incompleteness results, and every logically or semantically self-limiting metatheorem and self-referential logical puzzle and formal semantic paradox.
Lessons learned about stress and the heart after major earthquakes

There is evidence that certain stressors can trigger cardiovascular events. Several studies have now demonstrated an increase in major adverse cardiac events associated with natural disasters such as an earthquake. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on earthquakes and cardiovascular events. Reports from 13 major quakes were reported. Earthquakes have been associated with a number of cardiac events including sudden cardiac death, fatal myocardial infarction (MI), myocardial infarction, stress cardiomyopathy, heart failure, stroke, arrhythmias, hypertension and pulmonary embolism. Most reports were associated with earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater. Cardiac events were reported within hours of the quakes. In some reports there was a sharp spike in cardiac events followed by a decrease; but in other quakes the increases in cardiac events lasted weeks, months and even years. There often was an association between the cardiac events and amount of personal property loss. The Great East Japan Earthquake was an unusual event in that it was associated with a major tsunami and cardiac events appeared worse in inundated areas due to flooding. Some but not all reports suggested more MIs associated with early morning earthquakes that woke up the population. Hospitals in earthquake-prone areas should consider developing plans for handling increases in myocardial infarctions and other cardiac events that are associated with earthquakes.
Race, Education Attainment, and Happiness in the United States.

Background and Objectives As suggests by the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDR) theory, education attainment and other socioeconomic status (SES) indicators have a smaller impact on the health and well-being of non-White than White Americans. To test whether MDR also applies to happiness, in the present study, Blacks and Whites were compared in terms of the effect of education attainment on the level of happiness among American adults. Methods General Social Survey (1972-2016) is a series of national surveys that are performed in the United States. The current analysis included 54,785 adults (46,724 Whites and 8,061 Blacks). The years of schooling (i.e., education attainment) and happiness were the main independent variable and the main dependent variable of interest, respectively. In addition, other parameters such as gender, age, employment status, marital status, and the year of the survey were the covariates and race was the focal effect modifier. Finally, the logistic regression model was used to analyze the data. Results Based on the results, high education attainment was associated with higher odds of happiness in the pooled sample. Further, a significant interaction was found between race and education attainment on the odds of happiness, showing a larger gain for Whites compared to Blacks. Race-specific models also confirmed this finding (i.e., a larger magnitude of the effect of education for Whites compared to Blacks). Conclusion Overall, the MDR theory also applies to the effect of education attainment on happiness. Blacks' disadvantage in comparison to the Whites in gaining happiness from their education may be due to the structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism and discrimination in the US. Therefore, there is a need for economic and public policies that can minimize the Blacks' diminished returns of education attainment and other SES resources.
Speaking in Tongues: On Maragall, Unamuno and Pentecost

This article analyses the presence of Pentecost as a metaphor and model for Iberian multilingualism in the writings of Joan Maragall and Miguel de Unamuno. The correspondence between these two poet...
Fast Local Phase Velocity-Based Imaging: Shear Wave Particle Velocity and Displacement Motion Study

Fast and precise noninvasive evaluation of tissue mechanical properties is of high importance in ultrasound shear wave elastography. In this study, we present an updated, faster version of the local phase velocity-based imaging (LPVI) method used to create images of local phase velocity in soft tissues. The updated LPVI implementation uses 1-D Fourier transforms in spatial dimensions separately in comparison to its original implementation. A directional filter is applied upon the shear wave field to extract the left-to-right (LR) and right-to-left (RL) propagating shear waves. A local shear wave phase velocity map is recovered based on both LR and RL waves. Finally, a 2-D shear wave velocity map is reconstructed by combining the LR and RL phase velocity maps. LPVI performance for shear wave displacement and velocity-wave motion data is examined. A study of LPVI used for only one data acquisition with multiple focused ultrasound push beams is presented. The lesion placement with respect to the pushes and whether two sequential pushes provided different results from two simultaneous radiation force pushes was investigated. The addition of white Gaussian noise to the wave motion data was also tested to examine the LPVI method’s performance. Robust and accurate shear wave phase velocity maps are reconstructed using the proposed LPVI method using numerical tissue-mimicking phantoms with inclusions. Results from the numerical phantom study showed that the reconstructed, asymmetric inclusions, for various axial locations, are better preserved for shear wave particle velocity signals compared with particle displacement motion data.
Reducing host DNA contamination in 16S rRNA gene surveys of anthozoan microbiomes using PNA clamps

Efforts to study the microbial communities associated with corals can be limited by inefficiencies in the sequencing process due to high levels of host amplification by universal bacterial 16S rRNA gene primers. Here, we develop an inexpensive peptide nucleic acid (PNA) clamp that binds to a target sequence of host DNA during PCR and blocks amplification. We then test the ability of this PNA clamp to mitigate host contamination and increase overall microbial sequence coverage on samples from three coral species: the gorgonians Eunicea flexuosa and Gorgonia ventalina, and the scleractinian Porites panamensis. The 20-bp PNA clamp was designed using DNA from E. flexuosa. Adding the PNA clamp during PCR increased the percentage of microbial reads in E. flexuosa samples more than 11-fold. Microbial community diversity was similar without- and with-PNA clamps, as were the relative frequencies of the ten most abundant ASVs (amplicon sequence variants), indicating that the clamps successfully blocked host DNA amplification while simultaneously increasing microbial DNA amplification proportionally across the most abundant taxa. The reduction of E. flexuosa DNA correlated with an increase in the abundance of rarer taxa. The clamp also increased the average percentage of microbial reads in another gorgonian, G. ventalina, by 8.6-fold without altering the microbial community beta diversity, and in a distantly related scleractinian coral, P. panamensis, by nearly double. The reduction of host contamination correlated with the number of nucleotide mismatches between the host amplicon and the PNA clamp. The PNA clamp costs as little as $0.48 per sample, making it an efficient and cost-effective solution to increase microbial sequence coverage for high-throughput sequencing of coral microbial communities.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Known HLA Associations are Unlikely To Be Associated With Atopic Dermatitis.

To the Editor: Individuals with atopic dermatitis (AD) frequently have illnesses such as asthma and seasonal allergies. Recent studies have revealed associations between AD and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)1,2. For example, a study from Germany showed an increased risk of RA for those with AD (risk ratio 1.72, 95% CI 1.25–2.37). The study included a genetic evaluation and was not able to demonstrate that AD and RA shared known genetic risk using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach1. RA has an established and strong association with HLA polymorphisms that account for ~18% of the genetic risk of seropositive RA3,4. GWAS approaches do not optimally evaluate HLA genes4,5. HLA-DRβ1 amino acid residues located at positions 11,13, 71, and 74 are found in ~80% of those who have seropositive RA and represent the receptor phenotype associated with HLA-DRβ1 allelic variation4,5. Specifically, amino acids like valine (V; OR > 4.0 favoring RA), leucine (L; OR > 2.0), or serine (S; OR < 0.40) at position 11 can have profound effects on how the HLA receptor on T cells binds with antigen, potentially influencing the pathophysiology of RA4. In this letter, we report a detailed … Address correspondence to Dr. D.J. Margolis, MD, PhD, 901 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Email: margo{at}pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Management of thumb carpometacarpal joint dislocations: A systematic review

Although rare, thumb Carpometacarpal (CMC) joint dislocations can have significant complications which impact hand function. Optimal management is crucial in restoring pinch and grasp strength, but no agreement exists regarding treatment due to a paucity of literature on this subject. Systematic review was conducted involving non-operative and operative management of the CMC joint. 15 articles with a total of 60 thumbs were evaluated from published literature. 12/60 thumbs with isolated CMC joint dislocations were treated with closed reduction, with 4 cases needing additional ligament repair due to joint instability post-reduction. 51/60 of the isolated CMC joint dislocations had ligament reconstruction, with flexor carpi radialis tendon autograft (29/51) as the most popular option. 60/60 patients regained full function and stability of the CMC joint with significant pain relief. Although good surgical outcomes have been achieved, long term clinical outcome reporting is needed to develop a standardized approach to treatment.
Prevalence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Caused by Systemic Hypertension Preceding the Development of Severe Aortic Stenosis.

It is generally assumed that left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy in aortic stenosis (AS) is a compensatory adaptation to chronic outflow obstruction. The advent of transcutaneous aortic valve replacement has stimulated more focus on AS in older patients, most of whom have antecedent hypertension. Accordingly, our aim was to investigate the interaction between hypertension and AS on LV remodeling in contemporary practice. We studied consecutive patients referred for echocardiograms with initial aortic valve (AV) peak velocity 3.5 m/s on a subsequent study performed at least 5 years later. LV size and geometry were measured echocardiographically. Midwall fractional shortening (FSmw) and peak systolic stress were calculated from 2-dimensional echocardiographic and Doppler data. Of 80 patients with progressive AS, 59% were women with mean age 82 ± 9 years. The average interval between the 2 echocardiograms was 5.9 ± 1.8 years. During the study period, peak velocity increased from 2.5 ± 0.4 to 4.2 ± 0.6 m/s (p < 0.01) and LV mass indexed to body surface area increased from 80 ± 28 to 122 ± 51 g/m2 (p < 0.01) with a corresponding shift from normal or concentric LV remodeling geometry to concentric hypertrophy. There was no correlation between change in LV mass index and AV mean gradient or valvulo-arterial impedance. However, change in LV mass index did correlate positively with initial peak velocity and inversely with initial LV mass. Plots of FSmw against circumferential stress at baseline and follow-up suggest that systolic function more than compensates for increasing load in many patients. In conclusion, most patients seen in our practice with severe AS have antecedent hypertension and LV remodeling at a time when outflow obstruction is mild. LV remodeling worsens in parallel with worsening severity of AS. Remodeling in these patients features increasing concentric remodeling of the LV, rather than LV dilation. Systolic function, as assessed by FSmw, remains compensated, or even improves relative to afterload, during progression of AS. Given these findings, we speculate that regression of LV hypertrophy to normal will not be affected by transcutaneous aortic valve replacement because LV hypertrophy preceded hemodynamically severe AS.
Dural puncture during lumbar epidural access in the setting of degenerative spondylolisthesis: case series and risk mitigation strategies

Degenerative spondylolisthesis is a common back pathology in the general adult population. Patients with this condition may present for epidural steroid injection, epidural blood patch, or epidural analgesia. We report five patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis who experienced inadvertent dural puncture during interlaminar epidural steroid injection attempts: four with intrathecal contrast spread or cerebrospinal backflow into the epidural needle and one with subdural contrast spread. Patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis may be at higher risk for dural puncture due to stretching of the dura and contraction of the epidural space at the translated spinal level. In the following report, we summarize the cases and suggest risk mitigation strategies for both chronic and acute pain physicians.
Meta-analysis dataset of soil extracellular enzyme activities in intercropping systems.

Abstract This dataset accompanies the meta-analysis entitled “Intercropping increases soil extracellular enzyme activity: A meta-analysis” Curtright and Tiemann (2021). Sustainable agriculture practices often aim to increase plant diversity. One means of doing this is through intercropping, where two or more plants are grown in the same field at the same time. Aboveground plant diversity may result in changes to the functioning of belowground microbial communities. Soil enzyme activities are frequently used as indicators of soil health and descriptors of soil nutrient cycling. While some studies have described the effect of intercropping on soil enzyme activities, results vary widely. To assess the overall effect that intercropping has on soil enzyme activities and describe the largest sources of variation, we performed a global meta-analysis of all studies found in the literature reporting enzyme activities in an intercropping system. Data were collected using exhaustive keyword searches on studies published through January 2021. We provide here a dataset of 969 observations across 100 studies. In addition to average enzyme activities in intercropping, metadata on environmental, edaphic, and agronomic properties were also collected.
Hall Effect Measurements to Characterize the Effect of Precursor Composition and Annealing Atmosphere on Solution-Processed CuInSe 2 Absorbers

Variable magnetic field Hall effect measurements were used to characterize CuInSe 2 thin films fabricated through solution processing. This characterization revealed the dependence of carrier concentration on the selenium vapor atmosphere during the high temperature growth step, even though no sulfur to selenium conversion occurs when starting from CuInSe 2 precursors. Additionally, the copper to indium ratio of the precursor inks is shown to impact the carrier concentration and mobility of the grown absorbers. This application of Hall effect measurements then shows great potential to better understand and optimize film fabrication conditions for CuInSe 2 and other related absorbers.
ArrhyNet: A High Accuracy Arrhythmia Classification Convolutional Neural Network

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major causes of all human deaths. Irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia is one among many reasons for cardiovascular diseases. Arrhythmia detection and classification is critical in the treatment of irregular heartbeats. This paper presents a systematic method for high accuracy arrhythmia detection and classification using ArrhyNet, a custom convolutional neural network (CNN) for arrhythmia classification on MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database. High and low frequency noise in the data is eliminated using low pass filter and baseline wander filter respectively, feature extraction is achieved using Daubechies Wavelet Transform and finally Synthetic Minority Over Sampling (SMOTE) technique is utilized to overcome the issue of imbalanced dataset. Using our technique, 16 different types of arrhythmias distributed in Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standard were analyzed. The results indicate that the top-1 accuracy of our five-class classification system for the database used is 92.73%.
Probabilistic constraints from existing and future radar imaging on volcanic activity on Venus

Abstract We explore the quantitative limits that may be placed on Venus' present-day volcanic activity by radar imaging of surface landforms. The apparent nondetection of new lava flows in the areas observed twice by Magellan suggests that there is a ~60% chance that the eruption rate is ~1 km 3 /yr or less, using the eruption history and area/volume flow geometry of terrestrial volcanoes (Etna, Mauna Loa and Merapi) as a guide. However, if the detection probability of an individual flow is low (e.g. ~10%) due to poor resolution or quality and unmodeled viewing geometry effects, the constraint ( 3 /yr) is not useful. Imaging at Magellan resolution or better of only ~10% of the surface area of Venus on a new mission (30 years after Magellan) would yield better than 99% chance of detecting a new lava flow, even if the volcanic activity is at the low end of predictions (~0.01 km 3 /yr) and is expressed through a single volcano with a stochastic eruption history. Closer re-examination of Magellan data may be worthwhile, both to search for new features, and to establish formal (location-dependent) limits on activity against which data from future missions can be tested. While Magellan-future and future–future comparisons should offer much lower detection thresholds for erupted volumes, a probabilistic approach will be required to properly understand the implications.
Cardiac resuscitation after documented myocardial infarction. Case report of a "successful failure".

Abstract A case report of successful resuscitation of a heart following arrest secondary to acute myocardial infarction is presented. Unfortunately, severe and permanent brain damage occurred, and the patient became a human “vegetable” requiring prolonged custodial care. Methods of possibly preventing such damage are discussed. The view is presented that resuscitation should be attempted when it is believed that the myocardium will be capable of an adequate response, and the risk of central nervous system damage should not deter the physician from the attempt. It is further suggested that percussion of the chest and intracardiac epinephrine may be employed prior to the use of massage if the mechanism of death is not known.
Tools to Tamper with Phosphoinositides

Rapidly depleting or elevating specific phosphoinositide lipids in the plasma membrane reveals their role in controlling cellular processes.