cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has been used to treat patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting who have stenosis of a saphenous vein graft and/or a native artery. During 53 months, 61 patients underwent 105 angioplasty attempts. Eighty lesions (76%) were successfully dilated in 46 of 61 patients (75 %). Success in a patient was determined by a ≥20% decrease in the percent diameter stenoses coupled with an improved clinical response; 52 patients had one prior CABG and nine patients had two or more prior CABGs. Multivessel disease was present in 56 patients (92%). A vein graft stenosis was successfully dilated in 26 of 33 cases (79%)—19 of 25 (76%) at an anastomotic site and seven of eight (88 %) in the graft body. An arterial stenosis was successfully dilated in 37 of 52 cases (71%)—18 of 22 (82%) in the left anterior descending, 13 of 22 (59%) in the circumflex, 21 of 26 (81 %) in the right coronary, and two (100%) in the left main coronary artery. There is no statistically significant difference in the incidence of success in dilating a vein graft or native artery. Complications included: one emergency CABG (1.6%), three myocardial infarctions (4.9%), and two deaths (3.3%). There were 15 unsuccessful PTCAs: Ten patients had elective CABG, one had emergency CABG, two received medical treatment, and two died. Forty-six patients are being followed-up: Twenty-eight (61 %) continue to do clinically well, seven (15%) had another PTCA and remain well and 10 (16%) had elective CABG because of restenosis and/or disease progression. There was one late death and one late myocardial infarction. Thus, 35 patients (57%) had continued clinical success without the need for repeat CABG; 89% had no angina or improved angina, and 90% had improved exercise treadmill results. PTCA is technically feasible in selected patients with prior CABG and can achieve a clinical response with an acceptable complication rate when compared to repeat CABG.
"How Do You Spell Reality?-'O-U-T-A-S-E''': Or How I Learned to Stop Gravity's Rainbow and Start Worrying

For a number of years I taught Gravity's Rainbow as the last book in my graduate course "Post-WWII American Fiction." The course usually included a dozen books, with a separate, short writing assignment on each. The students were required to do any three of these short assignments and then a longer research paper. In the short assignments, I usually identified a brief passage from the assigned novel, raised a long list of specific questions about the passage, and asked the students to answer some of those questions in the process of relating a careful analysis of the language to thematic, stylistic, or generic issues concerning the book as a whole.
Therapeutic monitoring of cyclosporine.

Therapeutic monitoring of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine is a critical requirement because of intra- and interpatient variability of drug absorption, narrow therapeutic window and drug induced nephrotoxicity. The most widely used procedure involves measuring trough concentrations of cyclosporine (CsA) parent drug in whole blood using a specific monoclonal immunoassay. Trough concentrations generally correlate with adverse clinical events, e.g., episodes of rejection and nephrotoxicity. However, they do not correlate consistently with chronic events to allow prediction of adverse outcome. There is now increasing interest in using CsA pharmacokinetic profiling as a means of monitoring. This approach appears to offer a more valid index of drug exposure and hence a better prediction of clinical outcome. Nevertheless, multiple blood sample requirement and the complexity of pharmacokinetic profiling impose practical concern. The overall merit of either approach awaits further studies comparing clinical efficacy, technical requirements, and economic issues.
Development and validation of a sensitive and selective LC–MS/MS method for determination of tacrolimus in oral fluids

Tacrolimus is a commonly used immunosuppressive agent in organ transplant recipients. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of tacrolimus is essential to adjust the dose and achieve optimal immunosuppression level. Routine TDM is practiced using whole blood samples obtained through venipuncture. However, tacrolimus concentration that is present in oral fluid (OF) can theoretically represent the free or pharmacologically active form of tacrolimus. In this study, we report the development and validation of a rapid, sensitive and selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for quantification of tacrolimus in OF. Chromatographic separation were achieved on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column by a gradient elution using 2mM ammonium acetate/0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water (mobile phase A) and in methanol (mobile phase B) with a 2.2min chromatographic run time. Tacrolimus was extracted from OF with acetonitrile as the precipitating solvent. Both extraction and chromatography was optimized to provide optimal sample cleanness, negligible matrix effect, and optimal specificity. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for the assay was set at 10pg/mL using a 50μL aliquot of OF obtained by passive drool. The method demonstrated adequate accuracy and precision with accuracy between 94.5-103.6%, and coefficient of variation ranging from 4 to 9.8%. Tacrolimus was stable in OF for up to one month at -80°C and the extracted matrix was stable up to 48h in auto-sampler at 20°C. The method showed high reproducibility as confirmed by incurred sample reanalysis test. This assay was employed in several clinical pharmacokinetic studies and could successfully measure the concentration of tacrolimus in OF.
Unintentional Pediatric Ingestion of Electronic Cigarette Nicotine Refill Liquid Necessitating Intubation

Liquid nicotine used in electronic cigarette devices is highly concentrated, unreliably packaged, and poorly regulated. We present a case report of a 6-year-old female who developed severe toxicity and required intubation after an unintentional oral ingestion of approximately 703 mg (35 mg/kg) of liquid nicotine, with accompanying serum and urine concentrations of nicotine and its metabolites. Analysis of the ingested liquid suggests a nicotine concentration of 140.6 mg/mL in the purchased commercial product, or 234% of its labeled concentration. Clinicians should be aware of these products and the potential severity of toxicity they may incur.
Scaling Relationships for Direct Ink Writing with Acoustic Focusing

Novel methods to control the microstructures of multiphase extruded materials are needed to control spatial variations in structural and functional properties in additively manufactured components. One promising method is acoustic focusing, wherein microparticles suspended in fluids flowing through a silicon microfluidic channel are manipulated by establishing an acoustic wave in the channel. Acoustic focusing quality depends on factors including nozzle and particle geometries, acoustic pressure, matrix rheology, and flow characteristics. Using these factors, we experimentally verified scaling relationships governing acoustic focusing based on classical acoustic forces, using ceramic microspheres in epoxy resin. Further experiments characterized focusing behavior in more complex shear-thinning matrices composed of epoxy resin, fumed silica, and acetone. We designed image processing methods to quantify particle focusing and form holding (the ink’s ability to maintain shapes), and we used those methods to identify the trade-offs associated with matrix formulation, printing speed, and acoustic pressure.
Examination of variables that affect the efficacy of instructive feedback

Instructive feedback is a procedure in which additional, nontarget stimuli are presented during instructional trials for students with a wide array of disabilities. This preliminary investigation examined whether participant behavior during instructive feedback, including attending and echoic behavior, altered the efficacy of instructive feedback for 2 children with autism. Results showed that participant behavior during instructive feedback related to training outcomes for both participants and treatment modifications based on participant behavior influenced acquisition. Future directions of research and implications for practice are discussed.
"It Can't Happen Here": Fascism and Right-Wing Extremism in Pennsylvania, 1933-1942

half century, there is an elaborate historiography for virtually every fringe move ment in most countries of Europe and the Americas, with the conspicuous excep tion of the United States.2 However, it would be misleading to suggest that Ameri cans were singularly lucky in escaping this particular political temptation. In real ity, between about 1920 and 1945, fascist groups of every tendency flourished in the United States and often achieved significant popular support. As the nation approached what seemed inevitable participation in the Second World War, the degree of support for far-Right movements caused great concern both on the po litical Left and in law enforcement agencies. There were a number of official inves tigations and investigative exposes by journalists, who charged that the fascist-lean ing groups were indeed conspiring with foreign governments to undertake sabo tage and terrorist violence. The truth of such charges remains uncertain, and of course the America that entered the war was, mercifully, almost wholly free of the feared fifth column ac tivities. However, this does not mean that the earlier investigators had been en gaged in unsupported panic-mongering, or that the violence of which they warned might not have occurred if events had developed somewhat differently. In the late 1930s, there were millions of Americans with at least some sympathy for the cause of the Axis powers. This political tradition would be especially significant for the history of Pennsylvania, a state which included representatives of all the major Rightist groups, and where the journalists of the period found some authentic Nazi and fascist sympathizers. Between 1938 and 1941, both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had flourishing branches of the Ku Klux Klan, the German-American Bund, the Silver Shirt Le gion, the Italian Black Shirts, and the Christian Front. Philadelphia in particular Philip Jenkins The Pennsylvania State University
Unethical Behavior and Negative Emotions: A Theory Integration Approach

The present study integrates and extends moral disengagement theory (MDT) and self-discrepancy theory (SDT) to provide a comprehensive explanation of the process by which individuals, when tempted ...
Efficient detection of viral transmissions with Next-Generation Sequencing data

Hepatitis C is a major public health problem in the United States and worldwide. Outbreaks of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections associated with unsafe injection practices, drug diversion, and other exposures to blood are difficult to detect and investigate. Molecular analysis has been frequently used in the study of HCV outbreaks and transmission chains; helping identify a cluster of sequences as linked by transmission if their genetic distances are below a previously defined threshold. However, HCV exists as a population of numerous variants in each infected individual and it has been observed that minority variants in the source are often the ones responsible for transmission, a situation that precludes the use of a single sequence per individual because many such transmissions would be missed. The use of Next-Generation Sequencing immensely increases the sensitivity of transmission detection but brings a considerable computational challenge because all sequences need to be compared among all pairs of samples. We developed a three-step strategy that filters pairs of samples according to different criteria: (i) a k-mer bloom filter, (ii) a Levenhstein filter and (iii) a filter of identical sequences. We applied these three filters on a set of samples that cover the spectrum of genetic relationships among HCV cases, from being part of the same transmission cluster, to belonging to different subtypes. Our three-step filtering strategy rapidly removes 85.1% of all the pairwise sample comparisons and 91.0% of all pairwise sequence comparisons, accurately establishing which pairs of HCV samples are below the relatedness threshold. We present a fast and efficient three-step filtering strategy that removes most sequence comparisons and accurately establishes transmission links of any threshold-based method. This highly efficient workflow will allow a faster response and molecular detection capacity, improving the rate of detection of viral transmissions with molecular data.
Equipping the 22nd-Century Historical Ecologist.

Historical ecology provides information needed to understand contemporary conditions and make science-based resource management decisions. Gaps in historical records, however, can limit inquiries and inference. Unfortunately, the patchiness of data that poses challenges for today's historical ecologist may be similarly problematic for those in the future seeking to understand what are currently present-day conditions and trends, in part because of societal underinvestment in systematic collection and curation. We therefore highlight the generational imperative that contemporary scientists and managers individually have – especially in this era of tremendous global change – to ensure sufficient documentation of the past and current conditions of the places and resources to which they have access.
Molecular Diagnostic Approaches and Their Clinical Utility

Clinical decision-making in regard to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology for fine needle aspirations (FNAs) is complicated for indeterminate nodules, which make up to 25% of all samples. In the quest to limit unnecessary diagnostic thyroid lobectomies or conversely to proceed directly to oncologic thyroidectomy, gene mutation testing is being increasingly used to augment indeterminate thyroid nodule management. This chapter will discuss the test characteristics, clinical validity, and applicability of the current available molecular genetic tests for differentiated thyroid cancer and introduce future possibilities in this rapidly progressing field. The Afirma gene expression classifier (GEC), a high sensitivity test, can be used to rule out differentiated thyroid cancer, while the 7-gene mutation panel (7-MP), which evaluates mutations in BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS mutations as well as translocations of the RET/PTC1, RET/PTC3, and PAX8/PPARγ genes, is a highly specific test and can be used to rule in differentiated thyroid cancer. However, as neither Afirma GEC nor 7-MP has both high sensitivity and specificity, next-generation sequencing panels are being utilized to further improve diagnostic capabilities. Future directions in diagnostics include studying biomarkers such as galectin-3 (GAL3), hector battifora mesothelial-1 (HBME-1), cytokeratin-19 (CK-19), CD-117, and c-kit to improve the utility of existing tests.
Multi-state design of kinetically-controlled RNA aptamer ribosensors

Metabolite-responsive RNA regulators with kinetically-controlled responses are widespread in nature. By comparison, very limited success has been achieved creating kinetic control mechanisms for synthetic RNA aptamer devices. Here, we show that kinetically-controlled RNA aptamer ribosensors can be engineered using a novel approach for multi-state, co-transcriptional folding design. The design approach was developed through investigation of 29 candidate p-aminophenylalanine-responsive ribosensors. We show that ribosensors can be transcribed in situ and used to analyze metabolic production directly from engineered microbial cultures, establishing a new class of cell-free biosensors. We found that kinetically-controlled ribosensors exhibited 5-10 fold greater ligand sensitivity than a thermodynamically-controlled device. And, we further demonstrated that a second aptamer, promiscuous for aromatic amino acid binding, could be assembled into kinetic ribosensors with 45-fold improvements in ligand selectivity. These results have broad implications for engineering RNA aptamer devices and overcoming thermodynamic constraints on molecular recognition through the design of kinetically-controlled responses.
West Nile Virus Infection in American Singer Canaries: An Experimental Model in a Highly Susceptible Avian Species

This study investigated the susceptibility of American singer canaries ( Serinus canaria) to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Adult canaries were inoculated with 105, 102, and 101 plaque forming units (PFU) of WNV. All birds became infected and mortality occurred by 5 days postinoculation. The load of viral RNA as determined by RT-qPCR was dose dependent, and was higher at all doses than the level of viral RNA detected in American crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos) challenged with 105 PFU of WNV. In a subset of birds, viremia was detected by virus isolation; canaries inoculated with 101 PFU of WNV developed viremia exceeding 1010 PFU/mL serum, a log higher than American crows inoculated with 105 PFU of virus. In canaries euthanized at 3 days postinoculation, WNV was isolated at >107 PFU of virus/100 mg of lung, liver, heart, spleen, and kidney tissues. Pallor of the liver and splenomegaly were the most common macroscopic observations and histologic lesions were most severe in liver, spleen, and kidney, particularly in canaries challenged with 102 and 101 PFU. Immunoreactivity to WNV was pronounced in the liver and spleen. IgG antibodies to WNV were detected in serum by enzyme immunoassay in 11 of 21 (52%) challenged canaries and, in 4 of 5 (20%) of these sera, neutralization antibodies were detected at a titer ≥ 1:20. American singer canaries provide a useful model as this bird species is highly susceptible to WNV infection.
CIED malfunction in patients receiving radiation is a rare event that could be detected by remote monitoring.

INTRODUCTION An increasing number of patients with cardiac devices require radiation therapy for treatment of a variety of cancers. This study aimed to identify the incidence and predictors of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) malfunction in a real-world population that has received radiation therapy. METHODS This retrospective cohort study included 109 adult patients who received radiation therapy at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Radiation Oncology Department, between 2000 and 2015. Sixty patients had pacemakers and 49 had automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Subjects received either high energy (16 MV) and/or low energy (6 MV) photon beams with or without electron beams (6-16 MeV). We included interrogations done from first day of radiation and up to 3 months' postradiation therapy. Outcomes analyzed were device-related malfunctions and device-related clinical events. Fisher's exact, Wilcoxon, and Kruskall-Wallis tests were used for bivariate analysis. Logistic regression with robust adjustment was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS We identified six device-related malfunctions. All events were minor and included partial settings reset leading to loss of historical data, pacing thresholds changes, lead impedance changes, and LV output increase. Two patients had device-related clinical events, including dyspnea and diaphragmatic-stimulation. In bivariate analysis, CIED malfunction was associated with CIED duration in situ. In multivariate analysis, there was no significant statistical association between adverse events and beam energy type, CIED location, or dose of radiation delivered to the target. CONCLUSIONS CIED malfunctions are uncommon in real-world patients and associated with minor clinical events. In our cohort, remote CIED monitoring would have identified all events.
Scaffolding: Definition, Current Debates, and Future Directions

Instructional scaffolding can be defined as support provided by a teacher/parent, peer, or a computer- or a paper-based tool that allows students to meaningfully participate in and gain skill at a task that they would be unable to complete unaided. The metaphor of scaffolding has been applied to instruction in contexts ranging from literacy education to science education, and among individuals ranging from infants to graduate students. In this chapter, scaffolding is defined and its theoretical backing is explored. Then scaffolding strategies and examples are explored. Trends, findings, and implications of current empirical research are presented and discussed. Current debates in the scaffolding literature are explored, including whether (a) scaffolding needs to be based on dynamic assessment and fading, and (b) domain-specific knowledge needs to be embedded in scaffolding. Finally, future research directions are outlined, including transfer of responsibility, the interaction between teacher scaffolding and computer-based scaffolding, and other scaffolding aspects.
Second Messengers: Calcium and cAMP Signaling

Second messenger systems provide incredibly powerful and specific ways for stimuli to be transformed from merely electrical and biochemical processes into stable, long-lasting, and memory-specific neuronal representations. This chapter focuses on the ways in which neurons use second messenger systems, with particular emphasis on calcium and cAMP, in order to provide localized, amplified, and specific responses to memory-specific stimuli. The family of adenylyl cyclases, which includes calcium-sensitive cyclases, participate enzymatically in the convergence of these two second messengers, resulting in downstream changes that precipitate long-lasting and memory-specific neuronal configurations.
Selection of Recently Isolated Colicinogenic Escherichia coli Strains Inhibitory to Escherichia coli O157:H7

Escherichia coli strains were screened for their ability to inhibit E. coli O157:H7. An initial evaluation of 18 strains carrying previously characterized colicins determined that only colicin E7 inhibited all of the E. coli O157:H7 strains tested. A total of 540 strains that had recently been isolated from humans and nine different animal species (cats, cattle, chickens, deer, dogs, ducks, horses, pigs, and sheep) were tested by a flip-plating technique. Approximately 38% of these strains were found to inhibit noncolicinogenic E. coli K12 strains. The percentage of potentially colicinogenic E. coli per animal species ranged from 14% for horse isolates to 64% for sheep strains. Those isolates that inhibited E. coli K12 were screened against E. coli O157:H7, and 42 strains were found to be capable of inhibiting all 22 pathogenic strains tested. None of these 42 strains produced bacteriophages, and only 24 isolates inhibited serotype O157:H7 in liquid culture. The inhibitory activity of these strains was completely eliminated by treatment with proteinase K. When mixtures of these 24 colicinogenic strains were grown in anaerobic continuous culture, the four-strain E. coli O157:H7 population was reduced at a rate of 0.25 log 10 cells per ml per h, which was fivefold faster than the washout rate. Two strains originally isolated from cat feces (F16) and human feces (H30) were identified by repetitive sequences polymerase chain reaction as the predominant isolates in continuous cultures. The results of this work indicate that animal species other than cattle can be sources of anti-O157 colicinogenic strains, and these results also lead to the identification of at least two isolates that could potentially be used in preharvest control strategies.
Pollinivory and the diversification dynamics of bees

Pollinivory—the consumption of pollen rather than arthropod prey—is a defining feature of bees (Anthophila; the flower lovers). In virtually all bee species, larvae consume a diet composed of polle...
Observational studies with type 2 diabetes mellitus treatments in Spain: A systematic literature review.

Abstract The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to provide an overview of the Spanish research landscape of observational studies conducted with antidiabetic drugs in T2DM patients, published in the last five years, with special focus on the objectives, methodology and main research areas. Twenty-two articles, corresponding to 20 studies, were included in the analysis. Around 82% of the studies employed a longitudinal study design, collected data retrospectively (72.7%), and were based on secondary data use (63.6%). Pharmacotherapeutical groups most frequently studied were insulin (31.8%) and DPP4i (13.6%). Analytic design was employed most in the studies (68.2%), followed by descriptive analysis (22.7%). In the top five of the most studied variables are those related to effectiveness assessed according to glycaemic control (91%), treatment patterns (82%), safety (hypoglycaemia) (59%), the identification of effectiveness predictive factors (45%) and effectiveness according to other control measures such as anthropometric control or cardiovascular risk factors (36%).
Pediatric Survivorship: Considerations Following CAR T-Cell Therapy.

Background This article presents an overview of pediatric relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in pediatric patients. Objectives Acute and chronic post-CAR T-cell effects and considerations are discussed, along with survivorship considerations. Methods A case study illustrates the identification and management of physiologic and psychosocial sequelae. Findings B-cell aplasia, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and cumulative effects of CAR T-cell therapy and other treatments are a concern in the pediatric population. Unique to pediatric and young adult survivors of childbearing potential are implications for post-treatment fertility. Financial toxicities and psychosocial needs require a family-centered approach to interventions that address the impact of CAR T-cell therapy not only on the patient, but also on caregivers and siblings.
Nutrition and Nutritional Supplements in the Management of Dyslipidemia—Part 1

Abstract The combination of a lipid-lowering diet and scientifically proven nutritional supplements have the ability to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol signif...
Building Next-Generation AI systems: Co-Optimization of Algorithms, Architectures, and Nanoscale Memristive Devices

Computing systems inspired by the architecture of the human brain is poised to revolutionize the engines for information processing and data analytics. However, the efficiency and performance of these platforms pale in comparison with the human brain, especially when benchmarked in terms of metrics such as intelligence per Watt per square mm. In this paper, we review some recent progress and future prospects of building artificial intelligence systems that target the efficiency of the brain, leveraging the unique properties of nanoscale memristive device technologies.
Predicting Adolescent Substance Use in a Child Welfare Sample: A Multi-Indicator Algorithm:

Given the risk of substance use (SU) among adolescents in the child welfare system, identification of risk for prospective impairing SU behaviors is a significant public health priority. We sought ...
Wave Hindcasts Versus Recorded Waves

Water wave heights on Lake Michigan were calculated theoretically from meteorological data for periods of time totalling 21 days in the autumn of 1964 and the results compared with measured wave heights. Calculations were made using both the Neumann and Pierson-Moskowitz spectra. It was found that better agreement between calculated and observed wave heights is obtained when the Neumann spectrum is used. Except for periods of very low wave heights, it was found that agreement between calculated and observed wave heights is reasonably good.
Poetry Slams and Brasília’s Legacy of Verse Competitions

This chapter posits that, since 2015, Brasilia’s minority poets have asserted their creative right to the city via poetry slams. These iterant competitions affirm the rights of female, LGBTQ+ , black, and low-income residents to exist in all corners of the capital. Two other types of verse competitions, repente duels and freestyle battles, preceded poetry slams in Brasilia. In all three, participants perform original verses, and the best verses, according to the audience judges, win. More generally, however, in these competitions, members of an underrepresented group collectively compete for the group’s public recognition. Since these performances use competition structures that allow the audience to vote, they transcend the hegemonic gatekeepers of artistic merit and empower local residents to judge art’s worth. Analyses of poetry slams, Meimei Bastos’s 2015 performance of her poem “Eixo,” repente duels, and freestyle battles consider poetry slams within the context of Brasilia’s strong tradition of verse competitions.
Subjective adjustments to objective performance measures : an empirical examination in complex work settings

This study examines the question: What factors determine whether supervisors subjectively adjust the objective performance measures of managers? I use survey and proprietary secondary data of 434 objective performance measures for 111 audit managers from 12 divisions of one of the world's largest internal audit organizations to study this question. The organization introduced a pay-for-performance incentive plan that allowed supervisors to adjust (up or down) the objective performance measures of audit managers. Empirical evidence documents both benefits and costs of subjectivity. Specifically, supervisors subjectively adjusted objective performance measures they perceived to be incomplete, unverifiable, and noisy, suggesting incentive contracting benefits. However, supervisors also subjectively adjusted objective performance measures based on influence activities of managers, personal preferences of supervisors, and adjustment tendencies of division managers, suggesting incentive contracting costs.
The role of ICU classification management

The assessment work is important for pediatric intensive medicine in developed countries, including the assessment work for economic rationality and the suitability of the technology in PICU, which provides an objective basis for the government health sector decision-making and medical care work guide.So far, domestic counterparts have not paid enough attention to the assessment work.PICU assessment work is basically blank, which needs to be strengthened. Key words: Pediatric intensive medicine; Pediatric intensive care unit; Classification management
Dose escalation study of bovine lactoferrin in preterm infants: getting the dose right.

Lactoferrin as a nutritional enteral supplement has emerged as a novel preventative therapy against serious infections in preterm infants, although neonatal studies have demonstrated variable resul...
High-bandwidth readout of optomechanical cavity sensors with electro-optic frequency combs

We use an electro-optic frequency comb system to measure the oscillatory displacement of optomechanical cavity accelerometers with fast measurement bandwidth (500 kHz) and high dynamic range.
A meta-analysis of the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion: The SPICEraq database

Abstract The Steptoean Positive Isotopic Carbon Excursion (SPICE) is a prominent chemostratigraphic feature in the Lower Paleozoic. It has been used to correlate Upper Cambrian carbonate strata globally, and is cited as intimately linked to the Crepicephalus-Aphelaspis trilobite extinction event and the Sauk II-Sauk III megasequence transition. Despite the global nature of the SPICE event, regional/local conditions serve as a control on the expression of the SPICE event in the rock record. In light of this, and to better understand how reliable the SPICE event is as a chemostratigraphic tool for correlation, we have created the “SPICEraq,” a database comprising 78 SPICE-bearing sections containing 6669 individual δ13C analyses. In this study, we quantitatively evaluate the variability in SPICE records, and document that, while the excursion is a global signature, its stratigraphic expression is influenced by such conditions as paleolatitude, paleocontinent, water depth, and facies. While the magnitude of the SPICE excursion is generally consistent (an ~4‰ increase), the peak δ13C values are quite variable (ranging from +0.35 to +5.87‰). Specifically, sections located between 30 and 60°S paleolatitude ca. 500 Ma record δ13C values ~1 to 2‰ lower than those from lower paleolatitudes. Sections deposited in shallow water depths and facies also record lower δ13C values than intermediate and deep-water facies; the deep-water facies exhibit the most 13C-enriched carbonates at the peak of the SPICE and post-excursion. The stratigraphic thickness of the excursion varies widely, ranging from
Mass-Casualty Training Exercise Using High-Fidelity Computerized Simulators and Involving Time and Resource Limitation.

Purpose: Training emergency department (ED) personnel in the care of victims of mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) is a highly challenging task requiring unique and innovative approaches. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively explore the value of high-fidelity simulators in an exercise that incorporates time and resource limitation as an optimal method of training health care personnel in mass-casualty care. Methods: Mass-casualty injury patterns from an explosive blast event were simulated for 12 victims using high-fidelity computerized simulators (HFCS). Programmed outcomes, based on the nature of injuries and conduct of participants, ranged from successful resuscitation and survival to death. The training exercise was conducted five times with different teams of health care personnel (n = 42). The exercise involved limited time and resources such as blood, ventilators, and imaging capability. Medical team performance was observed and recorded. Following the exercise, participants completed a survey regarding their training satisfaction, quality of the exercise, and their prior experiences with MCI simulations. The Likert scale responses from the survey were evaluated using mean with 95% confidence interval, as well as median and inter-quartile range. For the categorical responses, the frequency, proportions, and associated 95% confidence interval were calculated. Results: The mean rating on the quality of experiences related trainee survey questions (n = 42) was between 4.1 and 4.6 on a scale of 5.0. The mean ratings on a scale of 10.0 for quality, usefulness, and pertinence of the program were 9.2, 9.5, and 9.5, respectfully. One hundred percent of respondents believed that this type of exercise should be required for MCI training and would recommend this exercise to colleagues. The five medical team (n = 5) performances resulted in the number of deaths ranging from two (including the expectant victims) to six. Eighty percent of medical teams attempted to resuscitate the “expectant” infant and exhausted the O- blood supply. Sixty percent of medical teams depleted the supply of ventilators. Forty percent of medical teams treated “delayed” victims too early. Conclusion: A training exercise using HFCS for mass casualties and employing limited time and resources is described. This exercise is a preferred method of training among participating health care personnel.
More Unified Analysis Of Medical Imaging System SNR Characteristics

The ideal observer signal-to-noise ratio has been derived from statistical decision theory for all of the major medical imaging modalities. This yields an absolute scale for image performance assessment and instrumentation design and optimization. Applications include: the functional dependence of detectable detail size on exposure or imaging time; a framework for comparing data acquisition techniques, e.g., Fourier methods vs reconstruction from projections in NMR imaging; calculations of realizable limits, e.g., the limiting gain of time-of-flight PET scanning. Measurements on human observers show that they can come close to ideal performance, except when the noise has negative correlations as in images reconstructed from projections. In this latter case they suffer a small but significant penalty.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a tumor arising from the epithelial cells that cover the surface and line the nasopharynx. The annual incidence of NPC in the UK is 0.3 per million at age 0–14 years, and 1 to 2 per million at age 15–19 years. Incidence is higher in the Chinese and Tunisian populations. Although rare, NPC accounts for about one third of childhood nasopharyngeal neoplasms. Three subtypes of NPC are recognized in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification: 1) squamous cell carcinoma, typically found in the older adult population; 2) non-keratinizing carcinoma; 3) undifferentiated carcinoma. The tumor can extend within or out of the nasopharynx to the other lateral wall and/or posterosuperiorly to the base of the skull or the palate, nasal cavity or oropharynx. It then typically metastases to cervical lymph nodes. Cervical lymphadenopathy is the initial presentation in many patients, and the diagnosis of NPC is often made by lymph node biopsy. Symptoms related to the primary tumor include trismus, pain, otitis media, nasal regurgitation due to paresis of the soft palate, hearing loss and cranial nerve palsies. Larger growths may produce nasal obstruction or bleeding and a "nasal twang". Etiological factors include Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), genetic susceptibility and consumption of food with possible carcinogens – volatile nitrosamines. The recommended treatment schedule consists of three courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, irradiation, and adjuvant interferon (IFN)-beta therapy.
Criminal Law: Third Edition

This is a casebook for a first-year criminal law course at American law schools. It covers statutory interpretation, actus reus, mens rea, attempt, conspiracy, homicide, rape, and general affirmative defenses. The included material is either public domain, Creative Commons, or included with the copyright owner's permission. The book itself is released under a Creative Commons license which you can find at the beginning of the book. I encourage editing, revising, and distributing under those permissive terms.
The Quilted Nationalism of Black Women’s Political Labor: Rethinking Abolition Democracy and W.E.B. Du Bois as Glocal Theorist

This paper brings together W. E. B. Du Bois’s theory of abolition democracy and his decolonial imaginary for the United States, and perhaps the world, as it attempts to redeploy nationalism without reproducing its sexist and racist tendencies. Much of the scholarship on Du Bois’s nationalism uses either a biographical approach, focusing largely on his political antagonism with Marcus Garvey over the pan-African movement, or provides a conceptual synthesis from his writings on Africa. Both approaches leave largely un-analyzed what American nationalism would look like for Du Bois. In placing his oft neglected text, Color and Democracy (1945), alongside his earlier writings on Reconstruction (Black Reconstruction, 1935) and late 19th century urbanization (The Philadelphia Negro, 1899), I focus on class as the central operating category for Du Bois’s concept of nationalism as it relates to both race and gender. By re-centering him in the Black radical tradition, this reformulation of Du Bois’s nationalism can shed light on current conflicts between the inheritors of colonial forms of nationalism while simultaneously bringing hope to our increasingly global and urban world from which the socio-political facts of structural racism, gender discrimination, and middle-class respectability have yet to be purged. Integrating the eloquence of the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, the centrality of Black women in the emergence of the global social movement against whiteness (i.e. Black Lives Matter), and Black women’s collective praxis of quilting into the analysis, I read a concept of nationalism from Du Bois forgoes American exceptionalism by pivoting the center of the American nation to the history and theory of abolitionism.
Transforming the Digital Coherent Receiver into a Test and Measurement Equipment using Machine Learning

We demonstrate the use of various machine learning techniques to extract unique features from the digital coherent receiver and enable optical performance monitoring and optical network fault management in future optical communication systems.
MO‐DE‐201‐03

Fundamental knowledge of radiologic anatomy and physiology is critical for medical physicists. Many physicists are exposed to this topic only in graduate school, and knowledge is seldom formally evaluated or assessed after Part I of the ABR exam. Successful interactions with clinicians, including surgeons, radiologists, and oncologists requires that the medical physicist possess this knowledge. This course presents a review of radiologic anatomy and physiology as it applies to projection radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, MRI, U/S, and nuclear medicine. We will review structural anatomy, manipulation of tissue contrast, the marriage between anatomy and physiology, and explore how medical imaging exploits normal and pathological processes in the body to generate contrast. Learning Objectives: 1. Review radiologic anatomy. 2. Examine techniques to manipulate tissue contrast in radiology. 3. Integrate anatomy and physiology in molecular imaging.
Assessing impact of naturally occurring pathogens of forest insects

Pathogens have long been known to play a major role in the population dynamics of many important forest insects. For many irruptive species, outbreaks are terminated by baculovirus epizootics that cause dramatic declines of host density. Such epizootics are well known for Lepidoptera such as gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar; Douglas fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata; nun moth, L. monacha; pine beauty moth, Panolis flammea; forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria; western tent caterpillar, M. californicum pluviale, and the European larch budmoth, Zeiraphera diniana. Similar epizootics are known in sawflies (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) including the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer; the European spruce sawfly, Gilpinia hercyniae and the red-headed pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei.
ATM and KAT5 safeguard replicating chromatin against formaldehyde damage

Many carcinogens damage both DNA and protein constituents of chromatin, and it is unclear how cells respond to this compound injury. We examined activation of the main DNA damage-responsive kinase ATM and formation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) by formaldehyde (FA) that forms histone adducts and replication-blocking DNA-protein crosslinks (DPC). We found that low FA doses caused a strong and rapid activation of ATM signaling in human cells, which was ATR-independent and restricted to S-phase. High FA doses inactivated ATM via its covalent dimerization and formation of larger crosslinks. FA-induced ATM signaling showed higher CHK2 phosphorylation but much lower phospho-KAP1 relative to DSB inducers. Replication blockage by DPC did not produce damaged forks or detectable amounts of DSB during the main wave of ATM activation, which did not require MRE11. Chromatin-monitoring KAT5 (Tip60) acetyltransferase was responsible for acetylation and activation of ATM by FA. KAT5 and ATM were equally important for triggering of intra-S-phase checkpoint and ATM signaling promoted recovery of normal human cells after low-dose FA. Our results revealed a major role of the KAT5-ATM axis in protection of replicating chromatin against damage by the endogenous carcinogen FA.
Inventing Personality: Gordon Allport and the Science of Selfhood

Introduction 'Fine Character and Splendid Ideals': Allport's Early Years (1897-1915) A 'New World': Harvard (1915-1919) The Missionary Life: Robert College, Constantinople (1919-1920) A Science of 'Personality': Graduate School (1920-1922) A Psychology of the Spirit: Germany and England (1923-1924) Constructing a Category: Personality Psychology at Harvard and Dartmouth (1924-1930) The Politics of Moderation: Personality Psychology at Harvard (1930-1936) Personality and Social Crisis Conclusions
Property in Law: Government Rights in Legal Innovations

This Article makes the case that local governments should have intellectual property rights over the text of the laws they create. I argue that just as patents promote risky but ultimately valuable scientific experimentation, granting some form of IP protection to cities and states could result in a socially beneficial upsurge in legal experimentation. This piece begins by presenting evidence that local legislatures currently have little incentive to pass bold, imaginative statutes. The problem, in a nutshell, is that while legal experimentation creates many risks, the benefits of innovation remain largely externalized. The Article then contends that intellectual property protection for legal experimentation can raise social welfare by increasing incentives to produce reform. For example, a municipality that enacts a new and effective zoning scheme - and has IP rights in its work - would not only stand to attract new residents and businesses, but it would also have the power to license its innovations to neighboring jurisdictions. Part III answers potential criticisms of the idea, focusing on the complaint that intellectual property would slow the spread of successful legal advances. The final section of the manuscript explores which available IP paradigm - copyright or patent - would better regulate property-in-law claims.
Control of Fruit Rots of Processing Tomato Using Cover Crop Mulch and Tom-Cast

The effects of three bed systems [conventional (bare soil), chemically killed, or mechanically killed winter rye (Secale cereale) + hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) cover crop mulch] and five fungicide programs (no fungicide, 7-day fungicide application program, and Tom-Cast-timed fungicide applications at 15, 18, or 25 disease severity values) on marketable yield and soil-borne fungal fruit rot development in processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production were studied. In 1997, marketable yield was higher in both cover crop systems compared with the conventional bed system. In 1997, percentage of anthracnose(Colletotrichum coccodes) and ground rot-infected fruit (caused by Pythium spp. or Phytophthora spp.) were lower in both cover crop mulch systems compared with the conventional bed system. In 1998, marketable fruit yields were lower in both cover crop mulch systems compared with the conventional bed system. Percentage of anthracnoseinfected fruit was lower in 1998 in the chemically killed cover crop mulch system compared with mechanically killed bed system. There were no differences in ground rot-infected fruit between bed systems in 1998. In 1998, percentage of total molded fruit in the chemically killed cover crop mulch system was reduced compared with the mechanically killed cover crop mulch system.