cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
P151 Acute antibody-mediated kidney rejection associated with anti-Bw6 originated from allosensitization to HLA-C14 during pregnancy: A case report

We report a case of a 36 year old Caucasian G4P4 female with chronic kidney disease stage 4 and no prior transfusions who received a living-related kidney transplant from her brother, which was a 0A-1B-1DR mismatch. She was discharged post-operative day 4 with good allograft function and a serum creatinine (SCr) of 0.76 mg/dL. Seven days later she presented with pain at the allograft site and a SCr of 3.6 mg/dL. Allograft biopsy showed evidence of thrombotic microangiopathy, hemorrhagic cortical necrosis, and peritubular capillary positivity for C4d. This strongly suggested an acute antibody mediated rejection (AMR), which was later corroborated by histology of the post-nephrectomy allograft specimen. HLA antibody screen at the time of AMR by single-antigen beads demonstrated a broad pattern of reactivity against all beads expressing Bw6-associated antigens and multiple HLA-C antigens. The MFI values of all Bw6-associated beads were above 15000 when tested at 1:25 dilution; MFI of the donor specific antibody against B62 (Bw6) was 19366. Only low-level reactivity against a small number of HLA-B antigens was detected prior to transplantation either with neat serum or at 1:25 dilution. These findings are consistent with an anamnestic alloantibody response against a common epitope present in HLA-B and HLA-C antigens, initially primed by exposure to her husband’s antigens during pregnancy and rechallenged by renal transplantation. HLA typing of the patient’s husband demonstrated no antigen mismatch at the A or B loci and one antigen mismatch at the C locus (patient is C16 and her husband is C14). Notably, C14 and all Bw6-associated antigens share a confirmed epitope, 80N (HLA epitope registry). This case demonstrates an unusual incidence of sensitization to Bw6-associated antigens via exposure to a Bw6-crossreactive C antigen. It also highlights the risk of occult alloimmunization that is undetectable in pre-transplant HLA antibody testing but may cause rapidly progressive allograft rejection.
Increased Use of Cystectomy in Patients 75 and Older: A Contemporary Analysis of Survival and Perioperative Outcomes From the National Cancer Database.

Objective To assess national utilization patterns for cystectomy and nonsurgical treatments for elderly patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Methods From the National Cancer Database, we identified patients ≥75 years old with T2-T4, non-metastatic urothelial carcinoma between 2003 and 2012. Patients were grouped by treatment: cystectomy, chemoradiation, or nonstandard treatment. Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to evaluate time trends for treatments and perioperative outcomes. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression tests were used for overall survival analyses. Results Of 18,945 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, 3898 (21%) underwent cystectomy. Cystectomy use increased from 14% in 2003 to 24% in 2012 ( P P = .02), whereas 30-day readmission and mortality rates remained stable ( P = .86 and P = .73, respectively). Median overall survival (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 26.5 (23.1-28.9) months for cystectomy, 22.1 (20.1-24.2) months for chemoradiation, and 12.0 (11.3-12.7) months for nonstandard treatment ( P P P Conclusion Cystectomy use is increasing in elderly patients, with stable or improved perioperative outcomes and improved survival compared with nonstandard treatment. These findings support continued use of cystectomy in appropriately selected elderly patients.
Laparotomy for Refractory ICP

A key management principle in managing severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is control of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), thereby allowing adequate cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) in order to prevent secondary injury to the brain. Although there are many regulatory functions to protect the brain, there are limits to what can be modified. Extensive studies have detailed conventional management of elevated ICP, and there are rare instances when these conventional measures do not work. Recognition of the phenomenon of decreasing ICP after laparotomy has led to the possibility that opening the abdominal compartment may lead to improvement in refractory ICP. The concept of “multiple compartment syndrome” in recent years has helped to outline a strategy for the management of refractory ICP in a last-ditch effort to improve an otherwise dire outcome [1].
In vivo imaging of electrical properties of an animal tumor model with an 8-channel transceiver array at 7 T using electrical properties tomography

Purpose To develop and evaluate a technique for imaging electrical properties ((EPs), conductivity and permittivity) of an animal tumor model in vivo using MRI. Methods Electrical properties were reconstructed from the calculated EP gradient, which was derived using two sets of measured transmit B1 magnitude and relative phase maps with the sample and radiofrequency (RF) coil oriented in the positive and negative z-directions, respectively. An eight-channel transceiver microstrip array RF coil fitting the size of the animal was developed for generating and mapping B1 fields to reconstruct EPs. The technique was evaluated at 7 tesla using a physical phantom and in vivo on two Copenhagen rats with subcutaneously implanted AT-1 rat prostate cancer on a hind limb. Results The reconstructed EPs in the phantom experiment was in good agreement with the target EP map determined by a dielectric probe. Reconstructed conductivity map of the animals revealed the boundary between tumor and healthy tissue consistent with the boundary indicated by T1-weighted MRI. Conclusion A technique for imaging EP of an animal tumor model using MRI has been developed with high sensitivity, accuracy, and resolution, as demonstrated in the phantom experiment. Further animal experiments are needed to demonstrate its translational value for tumor diagnosis. Magn Reson Med 78:2157–2169, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Encapsulated inertial systems

There is significant interest in integration of multiple MEMS functionalities into a single compact device. Our group has developed a wafer-scale encapsulation process that provides an ultraclean, stable environment for operation of MEMS timing references, which has been commercialized by SiTime, Inc. In this paper, we discuss some of the issues associated with incorporation of inertial sensors into this encapsulation process, including design constraints, stiction, pressure, and other issues.
Influence of Jackhammer Weight on Grip Pressure, Muscle Activity, and Hand–Arm Vibration of the Operator

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS The conventional (41 kg) jackhammer is most commonly used in construction, and it is widely believed that a lighter jackhammer would be less effective or unable to perform certain tasks. We compared the performance of two hammers (conventional and 35% lighter) at breaking a 15 cm reinforced concrete slab, and found that some trade-offs exist between the two. Benefits of using a 35% lighter tool were mainly in reduction of muscle activity, shorter lifts, and some reduction in grip pressure. However, the lighter tool resulted in an elevated vibration dose, mainly due to an increase in task time though there were no major changes in vibration magnitude measured on the hand. Based on these results, a lightweight jackhammer may be suitable for breaking a concrete slab, and could provide a two-fold reduction in low-back injury risk due to lifting, as well as allow a population with a larger range of strength and stature to perform this task.TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: Construction a...
In situ spectroscopic studies on vapor phase catalytic decomposition of dimethyl oxalate

Dimethyl Oxalate (DMO) has recently gained prominence as a valuable intermediate for the production of compounds of commercial importance. The stability of DMO is poor and hence this can result in the decomposition of DMO under reaction conditions. The mechanism of DMO decomposition is however not reported and more so on catalytic surfaces. Insights into the mechanism of decomposition would help in designing catalysts for its effective molecular transformation. It is well known that DMO is sensitive to moisture, which can also be a factor contributing to its decomposition. The present work reports the results of decomposition of DMO on various catalytic materials. The materials studied consist of acidic (γ-Al2O3), basic (MgO), weakly acidic (ZnAl2O4) and neutral surfaces such as α-Al2O3 and mesoporous precipitated SiO2. Infrared spectroscopy is used to identify the nature of adsorption of the molecule on the various surfaces. The spectroscopy study is done at a temperature of 200 °C, which is the onset of gas phase decomposition of DMO. The results indicate that the stability of DMO is lower than the corresponding acid, i.e. oxalic acid. It is also one of the products of decomposition. Spectroscopic data suggest that DMO decomposition is related to surface acidity and the extent of decomposition depends on the number of surface hydroxyl groups. Decomposition was also observed on α-Al2O3, which was attributed to the residual surface hydroxyl groups. DMO decomposition to oxalic acid was not observed on the basic surface (MgO).
Maclaurin's Inequality and a Generalized Bernoulli Inequality

SummaryMaclaurin's inequality is a natural, but nontrivial, generalization of the arithmetic-geometric mean inequality. We present a new proof that is based on an analogous generalization of Bernoulli's inequality. Applications of Maclaurin's inequality to iterative sequences and probability are discussed, along with graph-theoretic versions of the Maclaurin and Bernoulli inequalities.
Missouri Senate Race: Now Seeing Red

Incumbent United States Senator Roy Blunt was challenged by Jason Kander, the Missouri secretary of state, but gained the victory in 2016. Missouri’s partisan preference, moving from a “purple” state with two competitive parties to decisively favoring Republican candidates, was a definitive factor in the race. Roy Blunt, a “Washington insider” with family ties to lobbyists in an outsider dominated election, had a significant fight to best Kander, a rising Democratic star. Kander made national news with his “Background Checks” commercial, where he assembled a rifle blindfolded while specifying his position on gun control. Despite Kander’s efforts, Blunt was returned to the Senate, a beneficiary of Trump coattails and current Republican dominance within the state.
A Review of Omacetaxine: A Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Resurrected.

The paradigm of targeted therapy was pioneered for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has led to marked improvements in responses and overall survival; however, there is still a subset of patients that are either resistant through a multitude of mechanisms or intolerant to standard TKI therapy. Omacetaxine mepesuccinate (omacetaxine), a semisynthetic purified homoharringtonine compound, has been studied for over 40 years and was approved in 2012 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with CML refractory or intolerant to two or more TKIs. Omacetaxine has a novel mechanism of action—inhibition of protein synthesis, which does not overlap with kinase inhibition. Multiple studies have demonstrated that omacetaxine can achieve responses in heavily treated patients with either chronic-phase or accelerated-phase CML, regardless of the presence of mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain. This review will outline the tortuous story of omacetaxine, including preclinical and clinical studies of homoharringtonine, current indications, and management guidelines.
Mechanical Analysis of Different Yoke Configurations for the SSC Dipole

Finite element methods are used to calculate the additional mechanical support offered by different configurations of the yoke and shell for the SSC dipoles. In this analysis, horizontally and vertically split yokes with different gaps between the yoke halves are evaluated in terms of collar deflections and coil stresses. The results show that the yoke offers significant additional support for the collars against the Lorentz forces. Collar deflections due to Lorentz forces can be reduced 50–75% by using the various yoke configurations studied here. Additionally, the analysis indicates that vertically split yokes are preferable to horizontally split yokes for maintaining a uniform stress state across the coil poles, and that for either horizontally or vertically split yokes, an open midplane gap between the yoke halves at 4.2 K results in a smaller coil stress loss during cooldown.
Revisiting IL-2: Biology and therapeutic prospects

Interleukin-2 (IL-2), the first cytokine that was molecularly cloned, was shown to be a T cell growth factor essential for the proliferation of T cells and the generation of effector and memory cells. On the basis of this activity, the earliest therapeutic application of IL-2 was to boost immune responses in cancer patients. Therefore, it was a surprise that genetic deletion of the cytokine or its receptor led not only to the expected immune deficiency but also to systemic autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation. Subsequent studies established that IL-2 is essential for the maintenance of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells), and in its absence, there is a profound deficiency of Treg cells and resulting autoimmunity. We now know that IL-2 promotes the generation, survival, and functional activity of Treg cells and thus has dual and opposing functions: maintaining Treg cells to control immune responses and stimulating conventional T cells to promote immune responses. It is well documented that certain IL-2 conformations result in selective targeting of Treg cells by increasing reliance on CD25 binding while compromising CD122 binding. Recent therapeutic strategies have emerged to use IL-2, monoclonal antibodies to IL-2, or IL-2 variants to boost Treg cell numbers and function to treat autoimmune diseases while dealing with the continuing challenges to minimize the generation of effector and memory cells, natural killer cells, and other innate lymphoid populations.
Immunobiology of EBV-Associated Cancers

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been studied as a candidate human cancer virus since its discovery in 1964. The herpesvirus was first isolated from a lymphoblastoid cell line established from an African Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) biopsy thereby stimulating interest in the role of this virus in the etiology of this disease (Epstein et al., 1964). Subsequent studies by the Henle and Henle conclusively demonstrated that EBV was the causative agent of heterophil-positive infectious mononucleosis (Henle et ah, 1968; Henle and Henle, 1978). In addition, results were published by Old and associates suggesting that EBV might be a factor in the etiology of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a high-incidence cancer in Africa and Southeast Asia (Old et ah, 1966). These initial disease associations, established largely from seroepidemiological findings, stimulated extensive research on the possible role of this virus in the etiology of these diseases as well as toward identifying other neoplastic disease states in which this virus might play an etiological role. This resulted in publications suggesting that EBV might also be an important cofactor in the etiology of such diseases such as Hodgkin’s disease and CLL (Johannson et al., 1970, 1971). In addition, this virus has been implicated as a factor in the etiology of B-cell lymphomas, which have been occurring at a relatively high frequency in patients with genetic-associated or drug-induced immunodeficiency states (Purtilo, 1976; Klein and Purtilo, 1981). More recently, results have been reported suggesting that EBV might also be a causative factor of Kaposi’s sarcoma in patients with AIDS (Quinnan et al., 1984). Thus, from the etiological point of view, this virus continues to be of interest in relation to the etiology of certain types of human cancers.
On Feedback Control of Processes with ‘Hard’ Nonlinearities

It is frequently necessary to control processes with ‘hard’ nonlinearities, such as friction, backlash, and saturation, or with state-variable constraints, such as physical limit stops or regions in state space into which the system should not venture. Design of control systems for such processes has eluded treatment by some of the currently popular methods, such as feedback linearization, that require differentiable (‘smooth’) nonlinearities. The recently-developed state-dependent algebraic Riccati equation (SDARE) method, also known as extended linearization, however, does not suffer from this limitation and may be useful for design of control systems that are not amenable to design by other methods.
NONREINFORCING FILLERS FOR PLASTICS

Because of the high cost and possible short supplies of feedstocks, and the need to upgrade the properties of plastics, there is a trend toward the use of more functional fillers in plastics. In addition to the more sophisticated reinforcing fillers, such as fibrous glass, graphite and whiskers, many ordinary fillers are being used. These include carbon black, wood flour, alpha cellulose, calcium carbonate, natural and synthetic silicas, and natural and synthetic silicates.
Evidence for multi-trophic effects of pesticide seed treatments on non-targeted soil fauna

Abstract The use of pesticide seed treatments containing neonicotinoid insecticides is widespread in large-scale row crop agriculture. Recently, use of pesticide seed treatments has come under scrutiny due to concerns over non-target impacts on beneficial insects (e.g., honey bees) and the environment. Amidst these growing concerns, however, few studies have examined how pesticide seed treatments may impact soil faunal communities across multiple feeding guilds and the soil processes they regulate. We grew corn and soybean with and without pesticide seed treatment for three years and measured the response of the soil faunal detritivore, herbivore, mixed, and predator feeding guilds, nitrogen mineralization, and surface litter decomposition at three time points each year. We found the effects of seed treatment on the soil faunal community varied in direction and magnitude by year and feeding guild and were most apparent in the predator and detritivore guilds. Guild-level effects tended to be strongest soon after planting but remained apparent throughout the crop growing season, particularly in the predator and mixed feeding guilds. We found no evidence that pesticide seed treatment affected the herbivore guild—the intended target of the seed treatment, or nitrogen mineralization, surface litter decomposition, or grain yields. Collectively, these data suggest that pesticide seed treatments can alter the abundance, richness, and diversity of all non-targeted soil faunal guilds. Additional research will be necessary to determine the longer-term significance of pesticide seed treatment-driven changes in non-target soil faunal communities in agroecosystems.
Variability in penile duplex ultrasound international practice patterns, technique, and interpretation: an anonymous survey of ISSM members.

Penile duplex ultrasound (PDU), combined with pharmacologic stimulation of erection, is the gold standard for the evaluation of multiple penile conditions. A 30-question electronic survey was distributed to members of the International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM). The survey assessed the variability in current PDU practice patterns, technique, and interpretation. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between categorical variables. Approximately 9.5% of all 1996 current ISSM members completed the survey. Almost 80% of members surveyed reported using PDU, with more North American practitioners utilizing PDU than their European counterparts (94% vs 69%, p 5 cm/s. This is the first study to assess the variability in the PDU protocol and practice patterns, and to pinpoint areas of improvement. As in other surveys, recall bias, generalizability, and response rate (9.5%) are inherent limitations to this study. Although most respondents report utilizing a standardized PDU protocol, widespread variation exists among practitioners in terms of both technique and interpretation, limiting accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of penile conditions.
Development of a model to predict 5-year risk of severe hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective We constructed a predictive model of long-term risk for severe hypoglycemia (SH: hypoglycemia requiring assistance) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Research design and methods Data from the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study (original n=10 251, n=5135 used in the current analysis), a randomized, multicenter, double 2×2 factorial design study examining the effect of glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid control on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diagnosed T2DM, were used. Over the follow-up (3.76±1.12 years), the ACCORD participants experienced 607 incident SH events. Cox regression was used to identify the SH risk prediction model. Results We identified 17 predictors—glycemic management, age, race, education, waist circumference, medications (insulin, antihypertensive, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, sulfonylurea, biguanide and meglitinide), years since diabetes diagnosis, history of hypoglycemia in the last week, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, and urinary albumin creatinine ratio—to construct a prediction model for SH (c-statistic=0.782). Using this information, we derived point scores to estimate the 5-year risk for SH in individual patients with T2DM. After adjusting for other variables in the model, the three strongest predictors for SH over 5 years were intensive glycemic management (HR=2.37, 95% CI 1.99 to 2.83), insulin use (HR=2.14, 95% CI 1.77 to 2.59), and antihypertensive medication use (HR=1.90, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.86). Conclusion Using the ACCORD data, we identified attributes to predict 5-year risk of SH in patients with T2DM, which warrant evaluation in broader populations to determine applicability.
Galveston Bay and Coastal Ocean Optical-Geochemical Response to Hurricane Harvey From VIIRS Ocean Color

Dissolved and particulate organic carbon, suspended particulate matter concentrations, and their optical proxies colored dissolved organic matter absorption and backscattering coefficients were studied in Galveston Bay, Texas, following the extreme flooding of Houston and surrounding areas due to Hurricane Harvey (25-29 August 2017) using field and ocean color observations. A three-step empirical-semianalytic algorithm for determination of colored dissolved organic matter absorption and backscattering coefficients revealed the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon and particle distribution from Visible and Infrared Imaging Radiometric Suite ocean color. Environmental drivers, especially floodwater discharge and winds, strongly influenced the spatiotemporal distribution of dissolved/particulate material in the bay and shelf waters following the hurricane passage. Over 10 days during/following the hurricane, ~25.2 × 106 kg C of total organic carbon and ~314.7 × 106 kg of suspended particulate matter were rapidly exported from Galveston Bay (representing ~0.65% and 0.27% of respective annual Mississippi River fluxes to the Gulf of Mexico), with potential for ecological impacts to shelf waters.
Charge state switching of the divacancy defect in 4 H -SiC

Optical charge state switching was previously observed in photoluminescence experiments for the divacancy defect in $4H$-SiC. The participating dark charge state could not be identified with certainty. We use constrained density-functional theory to investigate the mechanism of charge state conversion from the bright neutral charge state of the divacancy defect to the positive and negative charge states including corresponding recovery of the neutral charge state. While we can confirm that the positive charge state is dark, we do not find evidence that the negative charge state is dark. We compute similar absorption energies required for conversion of the neutral defect to both charge states. However, the formation of the positive charge state requires a series of excitations involving a 2-photon excitation, while the creation of the negative charge state is achieved through a single 2-photon process. Calculated absorption energies for the recovery of the neutral defect from the positive charge state fit the experimental value better than those from the negative charge state. Defect formation energies as a function of the Fermi energy show a very small Fermi energy range in which the negative charge state is most stable, while the positive charge state exhibits a wide stability range. Overall, our computational results give more support to the identification of the dark charge state as the positive over the negative charge state in the mechanism of optical charge state switching.
Maternal postnatal care in Bangladesh: a closer look at specific content and coverage by different types of providers.

# Background The first 48 hours after birth is a critical window of time for the survival for both mothers and their newborns. Timely and adequate postnatal care (PNC) is being promoted as a strategy to reduce both maternal and newborn mortality. Whether or not a woman has received a postnatal check within 48 hours has been well studied, however, specific content and type of provider are also important for understanding the quality of the check. The objective of this paper is to understand who receives specific PNC interventions by type of provider in Bangladesh. # Methods Data from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) were used to study receipt of specific PNC interventions -- breast exam, vaginal discharge exam, temperature check and counseling on danger signs -- within 2 days of birth. Descriptive bivariate analyses and regression analyses using generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to understand if receipt of an intervention differed by socio-economic and health-related factors. A key factor studied was the type of provider of the PNC. # Results The proportion of women receiving specific interventions during maternal PNC was mostly low (41.81% for breast exam, 39.72% for vaginal discharge, 82.22% for temperature check, 55.56% for counseling on danger signs and 16.95% for all four interventions). Findings from the regression analyses indicated that compared to having postnatal contact with formal providers (doctors, nurses, midwives and paramedics), having postnatal contact with village doctors was significantly associated with lower probabilities of receiving a breast exam, vaginal discharge exam and receiving all four interventions. PNC provided by NGO workers and other community attendants was significantly associated with a lower probability of receiving a vaginal discharge exam but a higher probability of receiving counseling on danger signs. # Conclusions During PNC, women were much more likely to receive a temperature check than counseling on danger signs, breast exams or vaginal discharge exams. Very few women received all four interventions. In the situation where Bangladesh is experiencing a shortage of high-level providers, training more types of providers, particularly informal village doctors, may be an important strategy for improving the quality of PNC.
Progress toward the Enantioselective Synthesis of Curcusones A-D via a Divinylcyclopropane Rearrangement Strategy.

We report our iterative efforts toward the divergent total syntheses of curcusones A–D via Suzuki coupling, intramolecular cyclopropanation, and a key divinylcyclopropane rearrangement. Progress of our synthesis was repeatedly challenged by the highly substrate-dependent cyclopropanation step, which we could ultimately overcome by judicious choice of substituents on the six-membered ring fragment.
Individuals’ Use of Twitter to Discuss Freedom of Information in the United States: A Social Network Analysis

This study employs social network analysis to examine more than 10,000 Twitter interactions that include the U.S. Freedom of Information Act hashtag (#FOIA) to understand who is engaging online, and to what extent. The analysis finds evidence of a dynamic conversation online among citizens, journalists, advocates, and public agencies. Findings offer insights into how citizens are using social media to engage with government and one another in conversations around important public policies, such as government transparency, as well as how technologies such as social media can be leveraged to better understand citizens’ interest. The study also found a significant increase in tweets during national Sunshine Week, a vehicle that increases national dialogue about FOI, and highlights effective social media strategies employed by MuckRock and other advocacy organizations.
Standardizing treatment of preterm infants with post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus at a single institution with a multidisciplinary team

Preterm infants with post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) are often treated with temporizing measures such as ventricular access devices (VADs) in order to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) prior to permanent diversion with ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement. There is little consensus on the timing and management of VADs and VPSs. This leads to marked practice variations among treating services that can adversely affect patient outcomes. This is a quality improvement study evaluating practices from February 2011 to September 2017 including infants with PHH in a single level IV NICU. A multidisciplinary team created a local clinical pathway modified from the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network’s Shunting Outcomes in Post-Hemorrhagic Hydrocephalus protocol to manage infants with PHH. Methods of CSF diversion and shunt timing were based on weight. Neonatal care providers performed VAD aspiration; timing was guided by imaging and clinical exam criteria. Surgical procedures were performed in the NICU. There were 78 patients eligible for the study. Prior to pathway implementation, infections occurred in 4% of VAD and 3% of VPS patients. There have been no infections since inception of the pathway. With pathway implementation, treatment compliance improved from 55 to 86% while conversion compliance rate improved from 89 to 100%. Standardization of care for PHH infants leads to improvement in patient outcomes such as a decrease in time to VAD placement. Reservoir aspirations by the neonatology team did not result in an increase in infection rate.
Cation-disordered rocksalt transition metal oxides and oxyfluorides for high energy lithium-ion cathodes

For lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to meet society's ever-growing demands in electrical energy storage, e.g. for the electrification of transportation, for portable electronics and for grid storage applications, novel electrode materials with a large charge storage capacity and a high energy density are needed. Over the last five years, several experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated the feasibility of disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathodes, that is, lithium transition metal oxide cathodes with a crystalline rocksalt structure but with a disordered arrangement of lithium and transition metal on the cation lattice. We provide here an overview of the current understanding of DRX materials, in terms of their structural and compositional characteristics, as well as their electrochemical properties. We also present important considerations for the design of high performance DRX cathodes and suggest future research directions. Because no specific order is needed, DRX compounds can be composed of a wide variety of transition metal species, which can create long-term benefits for the lithium battery industry by making it less reliant on scarce and expensive raw materials. While some DRX compositions can simply be synthesized at high temperature to induce thermal cation disorder, other compositions require mechanochemical methods to induce a disordered arrangement of cation species. Cation disorder leads to unique lithium transport properties, small volume changes during charge–discharge cycling and sloping electrochemical profiles. Fluorine substitution for oxygen and the incorporation of high-valent d0 transition metals in the bulk DRX structure are two strategies used to increase the lithium content in the material, improve lithium percolation and to keep the valence of redox-active metal species low so that high transition metal redox capacity can be obtained. Short-range cation order, which is affected by thermal treatment, metal composition and fluorine substitution, has a significant impact on electrochemical performance. Moreover, fluorine substitution for oxygen improves long-term capacity retention by significantly reducing anion-based charge compensation mechanisms during charge. Fluorinated DRXs have recently demonstrated reversible capacities >300 mA h g−1 and extremely high energy densities approaching 1000 W h kg−1, holding promise for a nearly two-fold increase in the energy density of commercial lithium-ion batteries.
The Man-Not and the Inapplicability of Intersectionality to the Dilemmas of Black Manhood:

This essay argues against the proposal that Tommy J. Curry’s The Man-Not: Race, Class, Genre, and the Dilemmas of Black Manhood be read as a work of intersectionality. It argues that such a proposa...
Too stressed to self-regulate? Associations between stress, self-reported executive function, disinhibited eating, and BMI in women.

Abstract Stress is associated with obesity. Executive Function (EF), a set of behavioral regulation capacities, may play a mediating role in this relation if lower EF increases disinhibited eating. Participants were 249 women who completed an online survey. We measured stress using Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale, EF using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), disinhibited eating using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, and self-reported BMI. We used path analysis on this cross-sectional sample of women to test our hypothesis that higher stress is associated with reduced EF, greater disinhibited eating, and higher BMI and tested the indirect effects from stress to disinhibited eating and from stress to BMI. Stress was related to lower EF (β = 0.53 p
Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Scientific Inquiry

The emphasis on the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is viewed as a curriculum/teaching approach to achieve scientific literacy. Nature of scientific knowledge (known as NOS or NOSK) and scientific inquiry (SI) have been identified as critical components of scientific literacy. Hence, this chapter concretely discusses nature of scientific knowledge and scientific inquiry and their relationship to STEM. A discussion of the meaning of NOS/NOSK and SI is presented as well as potential problems with respect to their integration into the current conceptualization of STEM. The most commonly stated obstacle to the seamless use of a STEM curriculum and/or curriculum approach is teacher preparation. However, at a deeper level, one must consider that the various disciplines in STEM are different ways of knowing. This chapter concretely discusses the problems that exist when inquiry is used within a STEM focus. In particular, the nature of SI and NOS/NOSK have different conventions for the collection/analysis of data, as well as for what constitutes evidence and the ontological status of the knowledge produced from the other disciplines represented in STEM. Finally, agenda for research related to the effectiveness of STEM to achieve the goal of scientific literacy is suggested.
Biocatalytic reductive amination from discovery to commercial manufacturing applied to abrocitinib JAK1 inhibitor

Enzymatic reductive amination, being a direct, selective and green methodology, has attracted significant interest in a short period of time and is emerging as a powerful tool for the synthesis of chiral alkylated amines. The discovery of an increasing number of imine reductases with reductive aminase (RedAm) activity has enabled mechanistic and substrate profiling studies. However, their potential for commercial applications has not been realized. Here, we report the discovery of RedAm activity in an imine reductase enzyme for the direct reductive amination of a cyclic ketone with methylamine. We also investigate engineering the enzyme to access a cis-cyclobutyl-N-methylamine for the manufacturing of a late-stage drug candidate, Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor abrocitinib. The engineered enzyme, SpRedAm-R3-V6, showed >200-fold improvement in performance over the wild-type enzyme and was successfully used to develop a commercial manufacturing process with 73% isolated yield at 99.5% purity and high selectivity (>99:1 cis:trans). This process has been successfully used to manufacture multi-metric tons of the amine, demonstrating the potential of RedAm technology for commercial manufacturing. Reductive aminases show strong potential for the sustainable synthesis of chiral amines, but their application in industrial scale processes is lacking. Now, such an enzyme is screened and engineered allowing its use in commercial manufacturing of abrocitinib JAK1 inhibitor in multi-metric tons.
Reflections on School Board Evaluation Practices to Support Meaningful Feedback for Superintendent Growth and Improvement

Evaluating the superintendent is the paramount duty of the school board. Current evaluation practices are inconsistent and meaningless for providing effective feedback. The researcher was intereste...
Evaluation of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) for control of vector-borne diseases in solanaceous crops

Abstract Every year, solanaceous crops, such as potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), suffer important economic loss due to insect pests and the diseases they transmit. While pesticides can be used to control insects directly, they can exacerbate some vector-borne diseases by increasing insect movement among plants and thus increase disease transmission. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis, as a potential control strategy for insect vectors and vector-borne disease of tomato and potato. AVG application (0.5 g/L) was evaluated in field plots and insect populations were monitored. Two field applications of AVG reduced total insect and leafhopper populations in tomato and potato plots, however, AVG increased thrips populations in tomato fields later in the growing season. Dual-choice bioassays were performed to examine the effect of AVG on insect preference toward virus-infected plants. AVG application reduced aphid preference to Potato leafroll virus infected potato plants but did not affect leafhopper preference to Beet curly top virus infected tomato plants. Taken together, these results suggest that AVG has the potential to be used as a component of integrated management practices, but additional studies will be required.
Evaluating the impact of age and inflammatory duration on behavioral assessments of nociception

Pain is a prevalent issue for elderly individuals. Unfortunately, it remains unclear how acute and chronic pain differs as a function of age, and surprisingly, there is even disagreement on how the sensory and affective dimensions of pain change with age. Therefore, the current investigation evaluated such age differences with behavioral methodology using a preclinical model of arthritis. The primary factors of interest were age and chronicity of pain using behavioral assessments designed to measure sensory and affective dimensions of pain processing. Mechanical and thermal paw withdrawal thresholds demonstrated unique outcomes associated with sensory processing across age. The processing of pain affect measured by the Place Escape/Avoidance Paradigm (PEAP testing) also demonstrated age related effects. Overall, younger animals appeared more sensitive to nociceptive stimuli than older animals. However, the results from the current study suggest that chronicity of pain can be impactful for how older animals process pain related affect and avoidance. The finding of unique patterns of pain across age and duration of pain highlights the clinical literature. Future research should aim to elucidate mechanisms for affective processing of chronic pain in older subjects.
Quantization effects in semiconductor nanostructures and singlet fission in molecular chromophores for photovoltaics and solar fuels

Hot carriers in semiconductors are electrons and/or holes that have energies greater than carriers that reside at the top and bottom of the conduction and valence bands, respectively; the latter carriers are in equilibrium with the lattice and have a temperature equal to the lattice (ambient) temperature. Hot carriers are created in semiconductors upon the absorption of photons with energies greater than the bandgap. The excess energy above the bandgap energy is in the form of kinetic energy. The hot carriers can cool to the lattice temperature via electron–phonon scattering and establish separate Boltzmann distributions for electrons and holes at the band edges. Thus, upon cooling, the excess kinetic energy of the hot carriers is transformed into heat and is unavailable to be converted into electrical or chemical free energy in a solar photon-converting cell. This hot-carrier cooling process significantly limits the maximum possible power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the free energy of solar photons into electrical free energy or chemical free energy in chemical bonds of fuels. However, if hot-carrier cooling can be slowed such that the hot carriers can be extracted before cooling to create higher photovoltages, or utilized to create additional electron-hole pairs through carrier multiplication, then beneficial use can be made of the excess energy of hot carriers and the maximum thermodynamic PCE can be dramatically increased. Quantization effects in semiconductor nanostructures, unique properties of some bulk semiconductors, and exciton multiplication in both semiconductors and molecular chromophores that undergo singlet fission have shown a path forward for potential dramatic increases in the PCEs of solar photons into electricity and solar fuels. The status, history, and future promise of the science and technology of these future approaches for different types of photovoltaic cells and cells for solar fuels will be discussed.
How New Ventures Build Industry Knowledge through Collaborative Experimentation

In a nascent industry, new ventures engage in experiments to gather feedback and to mitigate manifold uncertainties. Existing studies implicitly regard experimentation as an independent and closed ...
Blood lead levels mediate the relationship between social adversity and child externalizing behavior.

Abstract Background/aims The association between social adversity and externalizing behavioral problems in children is well-documented. What is much less researched are biological mechanisms that may mediate such relationships. This study examines the hypothesis that low blood lead mediates the relationship between social adversity and child externalizing behavior problems. Methods In this cross-sectional study, participants were 131 children aged 11–12 years (mean = 11.90) from the Philadelphia US. A venous fasting blood sample was taken and analyzed for blood lead level. A social adversity index was calculated based on 10 total indicators derived from a psychosocial interview of the parent and official neighborhood data, while child behavior outcomes (internalizing and externalizing behavior) were assessed using both parent-report and child self-report. Results The mean blood lead level was 2.20 μg/dL. Both relatively higher blood lead levels and higher social adversity scores were associated with higher levels of parent-reported and child self-reported externalizing behaviors. Additionally, blood lead mediated the relationship between social adversity and child-reported externalizing behavior (Indirect effect: B = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.004, 0.09) and partially mediated the relationship between social adversity and parent-reported externalizing behavior (Indirect Effect: B = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.07). Conclusion To our knowledge, this study is the first to suggest that blood lead levels play a mediating role in the relationship between externalizing behavior problems and social adversity. Findings have potentially important implications for public health and environmental regulation as well as understanding biological mechanisms that link social inequality with health outcomes, especially in youth from low-income, urban areas.
Mechanisms of the antiviral action of interferons.

Publisher Summary Interferons exert their actions through specific cell surface receptors. This chapter discusses the mechanisms by which virus replication may be inhibited in interferon (IFN)-treated cells. Many studies have implicated either the Pl/eIF-2a protein kinase system or the 2´,5´-oligoadenylate system, or both systems, in the antiviral action of IFNs and the inhibition of protein synthesis commonly observed in IFN-treated, virus-infected cells. However, other cellular proteins whose synthesis is regulated by IFN may also play roles in the antiviral action of IFN. The identity of only a few of the proteins whose expression is regulated by IFN is known; many IFN-regulated cellular genes are as yet simply characterized as unidentified protein bands on polyacrylamide gels or as unidentified cDNA clones to mRNAs whose steady-state level is regulated by IFN. The most direct evidence for the role of a specific IFN-regulated cellular gene product in the antiviral action of IFN has been obtained by the expression in the transfected cells of antisense RNA to the 2´,5´- oligoadenylate synthetase in recipient synthetase-positive cells, or the expression of the murine Mx protein in recipient Mx-negative cells.
Risk factors for surgical site infections in older people.

OBJECTIVES: To identify risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in older people and to test a priori hypotheses regarding particular variables and SSI risk. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Duke University Medical Center and seven community hospitals in North Carolina and Virginia. PARTICIPANTS: Elderly patients (≥65) who underwent surgery between 1991 and 2002 at the study hospitals. Cases were elderly patients with SSI; controls were elderly operative patients without SSI. Infection control practitioners prospectively identified patients. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected retrospectively. Case patients who developed SSI were compared with control patients who did not develop SSI. RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-nine SSI cases were identified, and 589 uninfected controls were selected. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of SSI included obesity (odds ratio (OR)=1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.34–2.32), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.17–2.34), and a wound class classified as contaminated or dirty (OR=1.65, 95% CI=1.01–2.72). Having private insurance was associated with lower risk (OR=0.29, 95% CI=0.12–0.68). CONCLUSION: This study identified several independent predictors of SSI in older people, including comorbid conditions (COPD and obesity), perioperative variables (wound class), and socioeconomic factors (private insurance, which was associated with lower risk). The results from this study can be used to design and implement interventions for SSI prevention in high-risk older people.