cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-G-TeP2-09: Evaluation of the MaxFOV Extended Field of View (EFOV) Reconstruction Algorithm On a GE RT590 CT Scanner

Purpose: This study compares the newly released MaxFOV Revision 1 EFOV reconstruction algorithm for GE RT590 to the older WideView EFOV algorithm. Two radiotherapy overlays from Q-fix and Diacor, are included in our analysis. Hounsfield Units (HU) generated with the WideView algorithm varied in the extended field (beyond 50cm) and the scanned object's border varied from slice to slice. A validation of HU consistency between the two reconstruction algorithms is performed. Methods: A CatPhan 504 and CIRS062 Electron Density Phantom were scanned on a GE RT590 CT-Simulator. The phantoms were positioned in multiple locations within the scan field of view so some of the density plugs were outside the 50cm reconstruction circle. Images were reconstructed using both the WideView and MaxFOV algorithms. The HU for each scan were characterized both in average over a volume and in profile. Results: HU values are consistent between the two algorithms. Low-density material will have a slight increase in HU value and high-density material will have a slight decrease in HU value as the distance from the sweet spot increases. Border inconsistencies and shading artifacts are still present with the MaxFOV reconstruction on the Q-fix overlay but not the Diacor overlay (It should be noted that the Q-fix overlay is not currently GE-certified). HU values for water outside the 50cm FOV are within 40HU of reconstructions at the sweet spot of the scanner. CatPhan HU profiles show improvement with the MaxFOV algorithm as it approaches the scanner edge. Conclusion: The new MaxFOV algorithm improves the contour border for objects outside of the standard FOV when using a GE-approved tabletop. Air cavities outside of the standard FOV create inconsistent object borders. HU consistency is within GE specifications and the accuracy of the phantom edge improves. Further adjustments to the algorithm are being investigated by GE.
Sediment, water column, and open‐channel denitrification in rivers measured using membrane‐inlet mass spectrometry

Riverine biogeochemical processes are understudied relative to headwaters, and reach-scale processes in rivers reflect both the water column and sediment. Denitrification in streams is difficult to measure, and is often assumed to occur only in sediment, but the water column is potentially important in rivers. Dissolved nitrogen (N) gas flux (as dinitrogen (N2)) and open-channel N2 exchange methods avoid many of the artificial conditions and expenses of common denitrification methods like acetylene block and 15N-tracer techniques. We used membrane-inlet mass spectrometry and microcosm incubations to quantify net N2 and oxygen flux from the sediment and water column of five Midwestern rivers spanning a land use gradient. Sediment and water column denitrification ranged from below detection to 1.8 mg N m−2 h−1 and from below detection to 4.9 mg N m−2 h−1, respectively. Water column activity was variable across rivers, accounting for 0–85% of combined microcosm denitrification and 39–85% of combined microcosm respiration. Finally, we estimated reach-scale denitrification at one Midwestern river using a diel, open-channel N2 exchange approach based on reach-scale metabolism methods, providing an integrative estimate of riverine denitrification. Reach-scale denitrification was 8.8 mg N m−2 h−1 (95% credible interval: 7.8–9.7 mg N m−2 h−1), higher than combined sediment and water column microcosm estimates from the same river (4.3 mg N m−2 h−1) and other estimates of reach-scale denitrification from streams. Our denitrification estimates, which span habitats and spatial scales, suggest that rivers can remove N via denitrification at equivalent or higher rates than headwater streams.
An improved algorithm for slicing machine code

Machine-code slicing is an important primitive for building binary analysis and rewriting tools, such as taint trackers, fault localizers, and partial evaluators. However, it is not easy to create a machine-code slicer that exhibits a high level of precision. Moreover, the problem of creating such a tool is compounded by the fact that a small amount of local imprecision can be amplified via cascade effects. Most instructions in instruction sets such as Intel's IA-32 and ARM are multi-assignments: they have several inputs and several outputs (registers, flags, and memory locations). This aspect of the instruction set introduces a granularity issue during slicing: there are often instructions at which we would like the slice to include only a subset of the instruction's semantics, whereas the slice is forced to include the entire instruction. Consequently, the slice computed by state-of-the-art tools is very imprecise, often including essentially the entire program. This paper presents an algorithm to slice machine code more accurately. To counter the granularity issue, our algorithm performs slicing at the microcode level, instead of the instruction level, and obtains a more precise microcode slice. To reconstitute a machine-code program from a microcode slice, our algorithm uses machine-code synthesis. Our experiments on IA-32 binaries of FreeBSD utilities show that, in comparison to slices computed by a state-of-the-art tool, our algorithm reduces the size of backward slices by 33%, and forward slices by 70%.
Thirty years of density functional theory in computational chemistry: an overview and extensive assessment of 200 density functionals

In the past 30 years, Kohn–Sham density functional theory has emerged as the most popular electronic structure method in computational chemistry. To assess the ever-increasing number of approximate...
Hydrocarbon and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from Natural Gas Well Pad Soils and Surrounding Soils in Eastern Utah

We measured fluxes of methane, non-methane hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide from natural gas well pad soils and from nearby undisturbed soils in eastern Utah. Methane fluxes varied from less than zero to more than 38 g m-2 h-1. Fluxes from well pad soils were almost always greater than from undisturbed soils. Fluxes were greater from locations with higher concentrations of total combustible gas in soil and were inversely correlated with distance from well heads. Several lines of evidence show that the majority of emission fluxes (about 70%) were primarily due to subsurface sources of raw gas that migrated to the atmosphere, with the remainder likely caused primarily by re-emission of spilled liquid hydrocarbons. Total hydrocarbon fluxes during summer were only 39 (16, 97)% as high as during winter, likely because soil bacteria consumed the majority of hydrocarbons during summer months. We estimate that natural gas well pad soils account for 4.6×10-4 (1.6×10-4, 1.6×10-3)% of total emissions of hydrocarbons...
NIRS-based cerebrovascular regulation assessment: exercise and cerebrovascular reactivity.

Alterations to cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been implicated in diverse neurological conditions. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-measured regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) provides an estimate of oxygenation of interrogated cerebral volume useful in identifying variations in oxygen supply to cerebral tissue and in monitoring cerebrovascular function. CO2-inhalation-based hypercapnic breathing challenges were used to simulate CBF dysregulation, utilizing NIRS to monitor the CBF autoregulatory response. A breathing circuit was designed to administer CO2-compressed air mixtures and assess CBF regulatory responses to hypercapnia in 26 healthy young adults. One to three hypercapnic challenges of 5 or 10 min duration were delivered to each subject while continuously monitoring rSO2, partial pressure of end tidal CO2 (PETCO2), and vital signs. Change in rSO2 (ΔrSO2) during CO2 inhalation positively correlated to ΔPETCO2 (R2=0.40). Grouping subjects into three exercise factor levels (h/week), (1) 0, (2) >0 and 10 showed significantly greater ΔrSO2 responses to CO2 challenges for level 3 subjects but similar PETCO2 responses for the three groups. Exercising greater than 10 h/week may produce a higher resting cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to CO2 inhalation. Establishing baseline values of rSO2 and CVR to CO2 may aid in early detection of CBF changes.
Implications of Detection Methods on Characterizing Atmospheric River Contribution to Seasonal Snowfall Across Sierra Nevada, USA

This study investigates the extent to which the diagnosed contribution of atmospheric rivers (ARs) to the seasonal cumulative snowfall (CS) is related to the AR detection approach utilized. Using both satellite integrated water vapor (IWV)-based and reanalysis integrated vapor transport (IVT)-based methodologies, the corresponding AR-derived CS distributions were characterized over the Sierra Nevada (USA) from 1998 to 2015. AR detection methods indicated that ARs yield greater orographic enhancement of the seasonal CS than non-AR storms above ~2,100–2,300 m for the IWV-based approach and over all elevations for the IVT-based detection approach across the western (i.e., windward) Sierra Nevada. Due to differences in the methodologies, the IWV-based approach diagnosed 2.1 times fewer ARs than the IVT-based approach. As a result, the ARs diagnosed using the IWV-based detection method yielded an average 33% of the total range-wide CS annually as opposed to 56% from the IVT-based detection method.
Machine Learning in Radiology: Applications Beyond Image Interpretation

Much attention has been given to machine learning and its perceived impact in radiology, particularly in light of recent success with image classification in international competitions. However, machine learning is likely to impact radiology outside of image interpretation long before a fully functional "machine radiologist" is implemented in practice. Here, we describe an overview of machine learning, its application to radiology and other domains, and many cases of use that do not involve image interpretation. We hope that better understanding of these potential applications will help radiology practices prepare for the future and realize performance improvement and efficiency gains.
Case Series: Spontaneous Relapse After Recovery From Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

Background Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a distinct type of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF) with variable outcomes. Rates of recovery range from 29% to 72% and mortality rates range from 0% to 25%. In studies, outcomes are often determined at 6 to 12 months following diagnosis, and many of those who recover stop following with cardiology and are lost to follow-up. Case report Patient 1 was a 25-year-old G2P1 who was diagnosed with PPCM 5 days after childbirth with an EF of 25%. Initially, her EF improved and first normalized at 4.1 years after diagnosis. It subsequently dropped to 30% without clear heart failure symptoms or identifiable trigger and 1 year later normalized again to an EF of 60%. Patient 2 was a 36-year-old G6P3 who was diagnosed with PPCM 6 weeks after the birth of her third child when echocardiogram revealed an EF of 10%. Time to EF normalization was 3.0 years after diagnosis when her EF was measured at 55%. She remained without symptoms of heart failure for the first 8 years after diagnosis when she developed dyspnea on exertion and lower extremity edema; EF at that time declined to a nadir of 42.5% without apparent cause. Conclusions Women with PPCM can have an unpredictable course, and those who appear to have recovered may have unrecognized subclinical dysfunction that places them at risk for future injury or deterioration.
Electrical and anatomical imaging of arrhythmogenic substrates for scar-related ventricular tachycardia

Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) often involves a reentry circuit formed by narrow channels of surviving tissue within the scar. Catheter ablation is an effective technique to intercept the circuit by targeting these critical channels. The success of VT ablation relies on our ability to assess the mechanism of the VT circuit and identify the location of the ablation targets. This study aims to analyze the VT substrate using high-resolution anatomical and electrical imaging techniques including contact EGM mapping, contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, and noninvasive electrocardiographic (ECG) imaging. The results indicate that joint electro-anatomical analysis could reveal critical isthmus of the VT circuit. In addition, ECG-imaging was able to identify sites of a scar and signal fractionation visually consistent with the other two modalities, and the reconstructed VT circuit revealed an exit around the critical site identified by combined CMR-EGM data.
An Educational Software for Simulating the Sample Size of Molecular Marker Experiments

We developed educational software to show graduate students how to plan molecular marker experiments. These computer simulations give the students feedback on the precision of their experiments. The objective of the software was to show students using a hands-on approach how: (1) environmental variation influences the range of the estimates of the magnitude of a quantitative trait loci (QTL) and; (2) how the number of F 2 plants used to map the QTL influences the range of estimates of the magnitude of the QTL. The histograms generated by the software show the range in the magnitude of the QTL genetic effect as the magnitude of the residual variance and number of F 2 plants are varied. Students will learn the influence of environmental variation on the magnitude of the QTL and why it is important to report confidence intervals for the QTL magnitude. The number of F 2 plants used in the experiment can also be varied to simulate the influence of segregating background genes that are not linked to the QTL. This software will enhance student understanding of the results of molecular marker experiments that they have either read about or conducted from their Own research effort.
Photometric Data from Nonresolved Objects for Improved Drag and Reentry Prediction

Debris objects such as rocket bodies can pose a threat to active space assets in orbit and to assets and humans on the ground through reentry. Orbit and reentry predictions for low-perigee resident...
Using Paleolandscape Modeling to Investigate the Impact of Native American–Set Fires on Pre-Columbian Forests in the Southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Ethnographic accounts document widespread use of low-intensity surface fires by California's Native Americans to manage terrestrial resources, yet the effects of such practices on forest compositio...
Basic Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Posterior Quantities

The fundamental goal of Bayesian computation is to compute posterior quantities of interest. When the posterior distribution π(¸|D) is high dimensional, one is typically driven to do multidimensional integration to evaluate marginal posterior summaries of the parameters. When a Bayesian model is complicated, analytical or exact numerical evaluation may fail to solve this computational problem. In this regard, the Monte Carlo (MC) method, in particular, the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach, may naturally serve as an alternative solution. Many of the MCMC sampling algorithms discussed in Chapter 2 can be applied here to generate an MCMC sample from the posterior distribution. The main objective of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive treatment of how to use an MCMC sample to obtain MC estimates of posterior quantities. In particular, we will present an overview of several basic MC methods for computing posterior quantities as well as assessing simulation accuracy of MC estimates. In addition, several related issues, including how to obtain more efficient MC estimates, such as the weighted MC estimates, and how to control simulation errors when computing MC estimates, will be addressed.
A replicated prospective investigation of life stress, coping, and depressive symptoms in multiple sclerosis

Life stress and coping responses jointly contribute to psychological adjustment in many chronic illness populations, but their significance in multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been extensively investigated. Physical disability, cognitive status, negative life stress, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms were prospectively assessed in 27 adults with definite or probable MS. Of the original subjects, 22 provided two additional assessments at 6-month intervals. After accounting for cognitive status and physical disability, life stress was positively correlated with current as well as future depressive symptoms; the prospective relationship was replicated within the second pair of prospective data waves. Escape avoidance was the only coping strategy that added to the prediction of future mood symptoms, but this was not replicated. Results suggest that MS-related depressive symptoms are a function of prior disease-related impairment, life stress, and possibly escape avoidance coping.
Service Provision for Children Who Are Hard of Hearing at Preschool and Elementary School Ages

Purpose To characterize preschool and school services for children who are hard of hearing (CHH), we described service setting, amount, and configuration and analyzed the relationship between servi...
CRISPR versus GMOs: Public acceptance and valuation

Abstract CRISPR gene-editing has major implications for agriculture and food security. However, no studies have evaluated the public acceptance and valuation of CRISPR-produced food. As such, we conducted a multi-country assessment of consumers’ willingness-to-consume (WTC) and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for CRISPR-produced food compared to conventional and genetically modified (GM) foods, respectively. In the USA, Canada, Belgium, France, and Australia, 56, 47, 46, 30, and 51% of respondents, respectively, indicated they would consume both GM and CRISPR food. We also found that biotechnology familiarity and perceptions of safety were the primary drivers for WTC CRISPR and GM food. Moreover, respondents valued CRISPR and GM food similarly – substantially less than conventional food – which could be detrimental for meeting future food demand.
Rectal swabs in critically-ill patients provide discordant representations of the gut microbiome compared to stool samples: a brief methodologic report

Abstract The role of the gut microbiome in critical illness is being actively investigated, but the optimal sampling methods for sequencing studies of gut microbiota remain unknown. Stool samples are generally considered reference-standard but are not practical to obtain in the intensive care unit (ICU), and thus, rectal swabs are often used. However, the reliability of rectal swabs for gut microbiome profiling has not been established in the ICU setting. In this study, we compared 16S rRNA gene sequencing results between rectal swab and stool samples collected at three timepoints in mechanically-ventilated critically-ill adults. Rectal swabs comprised 89% of samples collected at the baseline timepoint, but stool samples became more available at later time-points. Significant differences in alpha and beta-diversity between rectal swabs and stool samples were observed, but these differences were primarily due to baseline samples. Higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria phyla (typically skin microbes) was present in rectal swabs compared to stool samples (p=0.05), a difference that was attenuated over time. The progressive similarity of rectal swabs and stool samples likely results from increasing stool coating of the rectal vault and direct soiling of the rectal swabs taken at later time points. Therefore, inferences about the role of the gut microbiome in critical illness should be drawn cautiously and take into account the actual type and timing of samples analyzed. Statement of Importance Rectal swabs have been proposed as potential alternatives to stool samples for gut microbiome profiling in outpatients or healthy adults, but their reliability in critically-ill patients has not been defined. Because stool sampling is not practical and often not feasible in the intensive care unit, we performed a detailed comparison of gut microbial sequencing profiles between rectal swabs and stool samples in a longitudinal cohort of critically-ill patients. We identified systematic differences in gut microbial profiles between rectal swabs and stool samples and demonstrated that timing of rectal swab sampling had a significant impact on sequencing results. Our methodological findings should provide valuable information for the design and interpretation of future investigations of the role of the gut microbiome in critical illness.
In (Not so) Deep Water: The Texas–New Mexico Water War and the Unworkable Provisions of the Rio Grande Compact

In the 2018 Supreme Court case, Texas v. New Mexico, Texas claimed that New Mexico breached its obligations under the Rio Grande Compact of 1938 by allowing groundwater pumping in New Mexico south of Elephant Butte Reservoir. The Rio Grande Compact is one of many interstate water compacts in the western United States. The Compact requires Colorado and New Mexico to pay river water to the respective downstream states based on 1929 river conditions. The Supreme Court jurisprudence over interstate water disputes has wavered between concepts of equity (through the Court’s power of equitable apportionment) and contract law, which makes it difficult to predict how the Court will eventually hold in the Texas–New Mexico dispute. Regardless of how the Court holds, the underlying problem of unworkable provisions of the Rio Grande Compact will continue to present problems. Interstate water compacts have a common flaw of failing to consider changing factors that affect water availability such as decreased precipitation and snowcap runoff as well as increased temperatures, evaporation and population growth, which all result in lower river flows. The Rio Grande Compact must be amended and restructured to provide for considerations of climatic factors and changes that affect river flows and water availability. The Rio Grande Compact should borrow some concepts from the Utton Transboundary Resource Center’s Model Interstate Water Compact, but the Model Compact fails to address the important climatic factors. Without the consideration of these factors, the sustainability of interstate water resources will diminish entirely. The Rio Grande Compact and its Commission must be structured to consider these climatic factors and provide for the best interest of the Rio Grande itself as a vital and diminishing natural resource.
JAK/STAT signaling is involved in air sac primordium development of Drosophila melanogaster.

The dorsal thoracic air sacs in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are functionally and developmentally comparable to human lungs. The progenitors of these structures, air sac primordia (ASPs), invasively propagate into wing imaginal disks, employing mechanisms similar to those that promote metastasis in malignant tumors. We investigated whether Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription JAK/STAT signaling plays a role in the directed morphogenesis of ASPs. We find that JAK/STAT signaling occurs in ASP tip cells and misexpression of core components in the JAK/STAT signaling cascade significantly impedes ASP development. We further identify Upd2 as an activating ligand for JAK/STAT activity in the ASP. Together, these data constitute a considerable step forward in understanding the role of JAK/STAT signaling in ASPs and similar structures in mammalian models.
Hospital C.O.D.E (Clinical, Operational, Disaster, and Emergency) Terminology

Introduction:Healthcare facilities frequently use disaster codes as a way to communicate with employees that an emergency or incident is occurring. As increasing numbers of providers work at multiple facilities, and healthcare systems continue to build disaster response teams and protocols covering multiple facilities, standardization of disaster code terminology is critical. A lack of consistency in terminology can potentially have a devastating impact on the understanding and response of visiting or relief staff.Aim:To evaluate the level of standardization in terminology of disaster codes in healthcare facilities.Methods:A convenience sample was taken from a private Facebook™ group consisting of emergency department nurses from a wide range of facilities. The Facebook™ group was asked to share their hospital disaster codes. Of the 40,179 total members, 78 commented, including 55 photos of quick reference badges, and the rest were descriptions/lists of codes. One badge was excluded due to a blurry photograph. Results were collated and analyzed for trends and standardization.Results:The most common codes were, “Code Red” for fire (72.7%), “Code Blue” for cardiac arrest (44.9%), “Code Silver” for active shooter/weapons event (37.7%) and “Code Orange” for hazardous materials (33.8%). There were 168 instances of a code term being associated with a particular event by five or fewer facilities. Two facilities used numeric systems, with 11 using plain language descriptions.Discussion:Disaster code language is inconsistent. Few of the codes were consistently assigned to the same meaning, and none were universal. Color coding was the most common method, but there was little consistency even within color code systems. Additionally, some facilities used a combination of colors, numbers, terms, and plain language. Healthcare facilities should embrace standard terminology and create a consistent language for disaster codes to enhance response capabilities and medical security.
New Species of Falcaustra (Nematoda: Kathlaniidae) and Other Helminths in Megophrys stejnegeri (Anura: Megophryidae) from Samar Island, Philippines

Falcaustra samarensis n. sp. (Ascaridida, Kathlaniidae) from the intestines of Megophrys stejnegeri Taylor 1920 (Anura, Megophryidae) is described and illustrated. Falcaustra samarensis n. sp. represents the one hundred fourth species assigned to the genus and the thirty-seventh Oriental species. It is distinguished from other Oriental species by the pattern of caudal papillae (8 precloacal, 2 adcloacal, 10 postcloacal, and 1 median), length of spicules (2,050–3,300 µm) and presence of 1 pseudosucker. Megophrys stejnegeri was also found to harbor 2 additional species of Nematoda, adults of Aplectana ranae and Batrachostrongylus longispiculus. Megophrys stejnegeri represents a new host record for each of these helminth species.
Protective effects of L-carnitine on newborn with hypoxic ischemic myocardial injury

Objective To explore the effects of L-carnitine on newborn with hypoxic ischemic myocardial injury.Methods Sixty cases with hypoxic ischemic myocardial injury were divided into two groups,including control group (n =30) receiving fructose sodium diphosphate injection,and experimental group (n =30) receiving both fructose sodium diphosphate and L-carnitine injection for 7 days.The clinical symptoms,changes of heart rates,blood pressure,volume of urine,lactic acid dehydrogenase,creatine kinase,creatine kinase-MB,cardiac troponin Ⅰ and electrocardiogram were investigated before and after treatment.Results Treatment with L-carnitine improved the symptoms of hypoxic ischemic myocardial injury,the total effective rate was 93.3％ (28/30),versus 66.7％ (20/30) in control group,the difference was statistically significant(x2 =6.667,P =0.01).Heart rates of the experimental group were significantly improved after treatment(t =-6.131,P ＜0.01),compared with the control group,there were no significant differences (P ＞ 0.05).Blood pressure and urine volume of experimental group both increased after treatment (P ＜0.05),compared with the control group,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).Creatine kinase and creatine kinase-MB significantly decreased after treatment,compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.05).A downward trend of cardiac troponin Ⅰ was observed in both groups,however,there was no statistically significant difference before and after treatment (P ＞ 0.05).After treatment,electrocardiogram improvement rates were no significantly different between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion L-camitine can contribute to protect hypoxic ischemic myocardial from further injury. Key words: Carnitine; Myocardial injury; Therapy; Infant, newborn
Interactions between methodological and interindividual variability: How Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task contrast maps vary and impact associations with behavior.

INTRODUCTION Phenomena related to reward responsiveness have been extensively studied in their associations with substance use and socioemotional functioning. One important task in this literature is the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) task. By cueing and delivering performance-contingent reward, the MID task has been demonstrated to elicit robust activation of neural circuits involved in different phases of reward responsiveness. However, systematic evaluations of common MID task contrasts have been limited to between-study comparisons of group-level activation maps, limiting their ability to directly evaluate how researchers' choice of contrasts impacts conclusions about individual differences in reward responsiveness or brain-behavior associations. METHODS In a sample of 104 participants (Age Mean = 19.3, SD = 1.3), we evaluate similarities and differences between contrasts in: group- and individual-level activation maps using Jaccard's similarity index, region of interest (ROI) mean signal intensities using Pearson's r, and associations between ROI mean signal intensity and psychological measures using Bayesian correlation. RESULTS Our findings demonstrate more similarities than differences between win and loss cues during the anticipation contrast, dissimilarity between some win anticipation contrasts, an apparent deactivation effect in the outcome phase, likely stemming from the blood oxygen level-dependent undershoot, and behavioral associations that are less robust than previously reported. CONCLUSION Consistent with recent empirical findings, this work has practical implications for helping researchers interpret prior MID studies and make more informed a priori decisions about how their contrast choices may modify results.
Recent developments in the synthesis of azaindoles from pyridine and pyrrole building blocks

The azaindole chemical scaffold is represented in many biologically active natural products and synthetic derivatives. Recently, this chemical scaffold yielded several therapeutic agents for a variety of diseases. Due to the interesting biochemical and biophysical properties of various isomeric azaindoles, numerous investigators have designed and implemented novel synthetic methods for azaindole core units in the past few decades. By using these novel strategies, a number of diversely substituted azaindoles including bioactive natural products, key intermediates and drug candidates have been produced. Herein, we have reviewed the novel synthetic strategies developed for azaindoles since 2011 and highlight their attractive reaction mechanisms, advantages and their limitations. This review may offer potential solutions to develop novel and facile methodologies for the azaindole derivatives of biological interest.
VNS and Epilepsy

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a treatment option for adult and pediatric patients with drug-resistant focal or generalized epilepsy. Typically, seizure frequency will be reduced by at least half in at least one-third of patients. Seizure freedom is rarely achieved with VNS. Hoarseness is a typical and expected side effect of stimulation. Newer VNS devices provide stimulation in response to heart rate changes. VNS therapy is an attractive approach as an adjunctive treatment for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and difficulty tolerating antiseizure medications (ASM).
Targeting Pyroptosis to Prevent Hyperoxia-induced Lung Injury in Neonatal Rats

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most common long-term complications of preterm infants. Exposure to hyperoxia is known to cause lung injury and subsequent development of BPD in these infants. Gasdermin D (GSDMD) is a key executer of pyroptotic cell death that is activated by inflammatory caspases. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the inflammasome-GSDMD cascade is activated in the neonatal rat model of …
Impact on Women Undergraduate CS Students' Experiences from a Mentoring Program

Despite the demand for Computer Science (CS) related jobs that women in computing can join, there has been a decline in the number of women earning a bachelor's degree in the United States from 27% in 1997 to 19% in 2016. To reduce this gap, promote gender diversity in computing and retain students, a mentorship program was created within a computing program in a university with high research activity in the southeastern US. In this program, women undergraduate CS students are paired with corporate mentors for career guidance and support. This study focuses on understanding students' experiences, including transfer students, when participating in this mentorship program. The women transfer students' perspectives are especially critical as there are a limited number of studies highlighting their experiences, which may vary from traditional women students. In spring 2020, we implemented an IRB-approved phenomenology study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with five women undergraduate CS students, among which four were transfer students. The inductive analysis of the data shows that the mentorship program impacted students' personal as well as professional spaces. Within each of these spaces, students are impacted by the program, their mentors, and their peers in the program. The program impacts are presented here.
Assessment of 18F-NaF PET/CT as a diagnostic tool for early detection of coronary artery calcification

460 Objectives NaF uptake has been investigated as an in vivo biomarker of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in humans. No studies to date have investigated non-invasive early detection of microcalcification before clinically significant coronary artery disease(CAD). In this study we assessed 18F-NaF PET/CT as a diagnostic tool for early CAC in a preclinical swine model of metabolic syndrome(MetS) Methods Eleven MetS Ossabaw swine with early-stage CAD and 3 lean swine underwent ECG-gated NaF PET/CT scans followed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and histologic examinations (HCl extraction, Hematoxylin & Eosin, Von Kossa, Masson’s trichrome and Verhoff van Giesen stains to assess the myocardium and microvasculature). Global cardiac and coronary tracking techniques were used to measure NaF uptake Results MetS swine had almost 2-fold increased NaF uptake in the coronaries(p Conclusions We have shown in a preclinical swine model of early CAD that NaF-PET/CT can detect CAC in early stage lesions when macroscopic evidence for calcification is not clear yet. Further studies are required to validate these findings
Emergent, Relational Revolution: What More Do We Have to Learn from Jane Addams?

What does Jane Addams's approach to social change offer to publicly engaged scholars and activists today? This essay explores several dimensions of Addams's work that have been misinterpreted and overlooked, putting these aspects of her work into conversation with research on endeavors to move higher education toward civic democratic engagement. The goal is to visualize opportunities and strategies for more inclusive and democratic engagement with issues across local, regional, and global communities. In particular, this essay explores how Addams's place-based, boundary-spanning methods of engagement provide strategies for more inclusive and collaborative philosophical activism, including (1) fostering and sustaining relationships across difference, (2) engaging with soft systems mapping, and (3) using synthetic imagination in crafting transdisciplinary engaged narratives. In conjunction with research on social change and creative innovation, Addams's work highlights the potential value of collaborative and democratic endeavors across difference as a means toward more radical imaginaries and relational revolution.
Sex differences in inflammatory cytokine levels following synthetic cathinone self-administration in rats

Abstract Synthetic cathinones are used as stimulants of abuse. Many abused drugs, including stimulants, activate nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription leading to increases in NF-κB-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and the level of inflammation appears to correlate with length of abuse. The purpose of this study was to measure the profile of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2 and TNF-α in brain and plasma to examine if drug exposure alters inflammatory markers. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (α-PVP) (0.1 mg/kg/infusion), 4-methylmethcathinone (4MMC) (0.5 mg/kg/infusion), or saline through autoshaping, and then self-administered for 21 days during 1 h (short access; ShA) or 6 h (long access; LgA) sessions. Separate rats were assigned to a naive control group. Cytokine levels were examined in amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, striatum, thalamus, and plasma. Rats acquired synthetic cathinone self-administration, and there were no sex differences in drug intake. Synthetic cathinone self-administration produced sex differences in IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2 and TNF-α levels. There were widespread increases in inflammatory cytokines in the brains of male rats compared to females, particularly for 4MMC, whereas females were more likely to show increased inflammatory cytokines in plasma compared to saline groups than males. Furthermore, these sex differences in cytokine levels were more common after LgA access to synthetic cathinones than ShA. These results suggest that synthetic cathinone use likely produces sex-selective patterns of neuroinflammation during the transition from use to abuse. Consequently, treatment need may differ depending on the progression of synthetic cathinone abuse and based on sex.
Critical thinking skills in nursing students: comparison of simulation-based performance with metrics.

fero l.j., o’donnell j.m., zullo t.g., dabbs a.d., kitutu j., samosky j.t. & hoffman l.a. (2010) Critical thinking skills in nursing students: comparison of simulation-based performance with metrics. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(10), 2182–2193. Abstract Aim This paper is a report of an examination of the relationship between metrics of critical thinking skills and performance in simulated clinical scenarios. Background Paper and pencil assessments are commonly used to assess critical thinking but may not reflect simulated performance. Methods In 2007, a convenience sample of 36 nursing students participated in measurement of critical thinking skills and simulation-based performance using videotaped vignettes, high-fidelity human simulation, the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Simulation-based performance was rated as ‘meeting’ or ‘not meeting’ overall expectations. Test scores were categorized as strong, average, or weak. Results Most (75·0%) students did not meet overall performance expectations using videotaped vignettes or high-fidelity human simulation; most difficulty related to problem recognition and reporting findings to the physician. There was no difference between overall performance based on method of assessment (P = 0·277). More students met subcategory expectations for initiating nursing interventions (P ≤ 0·001) using high-fidelity human simulation. The relationship between videotaped vignette performance and critical thinking disposition or skills scores was not statistically significant, except for problem recognition and overall critical thinking skills scores (Cramer’s V = 0·444, P = 0·029). There was a statistically significant relationship between overall high-fidelity human simulation performance and overall critical thinking disposition scores (Cramer’s V = 0·413, P = 0·047). Conclusion Students’ performance reflected difficulty meeting expectations in simulated clinical scenarios. High-fidelity human simulation performance appeared to approximate scores on metrics of critical thinking best. Further research is needed to determine if simulation-based performance correlates with critical thinking skills in the clinical setting.
Shortcuts to Reform

Scholars are quite aware of how hard it is to get election reform passed in the United States. I call it the "here to there" problem. We have a firm sense of what's wrong with our election system (the "here") and how to fix it (the "there"). But getting from "here to there" has been remarkably difficult in the elections context. This essay is loosely organized around the idea that shortcuts can play a useful role in promoting election reform. Shortcuts are a well known phenomenon in elections scholarship. The best known example is the party label, which provides voters an important heuristic for casting their vote. This paper focuses on what shortcuts can do to promote reform. It argues that shortcuts can and do play an important role in influencing three of the main leverage points for reform: voters, policymakers, and bureaucrats. The essay focuses on one such shortcut - a Democracy Index, which would rank states and localities based on how well their election systems perform - and explains why it ought to help create an environment more receptive to reform. It also talks about several others, including a Model Election Code and model districting commissions. While these reforms might seem quite modest compared to typical reform proposals, they are the kind of modest reforms that can make bigger and better reform possible. Shortcuts like these beat out most other reform proposals for a simple reason: they should help makes those alternatives possible.
En dire trop sur les Noirs? Contextualizing Genet’s Preface to Les Nègres

What does the French playwright Jean Genet accomplish by rewriting the lengthy preface that he had prepared for his play Les Negres ? After discussing how the preface contextualizes the play, we consider for the first time the significance of the evolution of Genet’s authorial intentions both at the microtextual and macrotextual levels by comparing the full-length preface with its shortened, reordered version. We show that in rewriting his preface Genet endeavored to be more ambiguous as well as to counterbalance the cuts he had also made in rewriting the play for which it was written.
New material and evaluation of the chronostratigraphic position of Daphoenictis tedfordi (Mammalia, Carnivora, Amphicyonidae), a cat-like carnivoran from the latest Eocene of northwestern Nebraska, USA

One of the most enigmatic amphicyonid carnivorans, the cat-like Daphoenictis tedfordi, is now known from 12 cranio-dental specimens from North America. The most recently recovered specimen, a partial right hemimandible (UNSM 27015) described herein, adds considerably to our knowledge of this taxon, and in completeness rivals the holotype of the species. Daphoenictis tedfordi is distributed from Saskatchewan to Montana, continuing to Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming, with nearly 50% of the specimens coming from northwest Nebraska. The chronostratigraphy and geographic locus of the Nebraska hypodigm is the focus of this report. UNSM 27015 links the fragmentary fossils of the Nebraska hypodigm to the holotype (Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan). Chronologic evidence indicates this species is restricted to the Chadronian (late Eocene) age. Recent astronomical calibration applied to late Eocene-Oligocene tuffs places the species entirely in the middle Chadronian with a single individual found in the late early Chadronian biochron. Grant S. Boardman. Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geology, Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia 30149, USA, gboardman@berry.edu Robert M. Hunt, Jr. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA, rhunt2@unl.edu
â€˜Oh, Theyâ€™re Sending a Bad Message to Kids and About Blacksâ€™: Black Males Resisting & Challenging Eurocentric Notions of Blackness Within Hip Hop & the Mass Media Through Critical Pedagogy

The ethnographic study that forms the basis of this article investigated the ways in which three Black males, Darrell (15), Reggie (15), and Dave (16), negotiated the messages of rap and the mass media to form their own counter-narratives of Blackness. The article aims to: (1) demonstrate how Black males are deconstructing rap to expose racial stereotyping within society and the media; (2) explore how Black males are debunking monolithic notions of Black masculinity; and (3) investigate youths’ knowledge-making processes outside the walls of their schools.
Observing and learning chaotic phenomena from Chua's circuit

The ubiquitous phenomenon of chaos is introduced by experimentally observing the bifurcation phenomena from Chua's circuit as a single parameter. The tuning resistance, R, is varied. Complete details for building a robust experimental Chua's circuit are given. The entire circuit takes less than 30 min to hook up. This experimental Chua's circuit uses only a BiFET dual operational amplifier IC, and linear passive elements. A picture book documentation of the various bifurcation episodes observed from this circuit is given, thereby illustrating the Hopf bifurcation phenomenon, the universal period-doubling route to chaos, and two examples of storage attractors. >
OSL and IRSL characteristics of quartz and feldspar from southern California, USA

Abstract Southern California comprises of a wide range of diverse landscapes and environments, from high mountains with glacial and periglacial sediments to deserts with large sand dunes, extensive alluvial fans and ephemeral playas. Highly active tectonic processes has exposed ancient (c. 2 Ga) plutonic and metamorphic basement from deep within the crust, while similar Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks are also common. A rich array of volcanic lithologies extending into the late Quaternary complement many thick sedimentary sequences that formed in equally diverse ancient environments typical of an accreting active continental margin. In some locations, notably in the Coachella Valley close to Palm Springs and the Salton Sea, low OSL sensitivity and poor characteristics restrict the application of the quartz SAR protocol to date late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial sediments. In other locations such as the Malibu coastline, high sensitivity of the quartz OSL signal is observed, despite local source rocks being dominated by volcanic lithologies. Problems of poor quartz characteristics, along with uncertainty in predicting quartz OSL behavior for future dating campaigns poses a significant problem for projects, in particular for neotectonic contexts. While K-feldspar has been used extensively to date eolian and fluvial sediments in southern California, little information regarding signal stability is available. We explore the characteristics of both quartz and feldspar sub-samples from eolian, fluvial, lacustrine environments, in order to help develop mineral selection criteria for optical dating applications and clarify these issues. The importance of radiation quenching in quartz grains recently eroded from bedrock and the role of fires in enhancing OSL sensitivity are considered. The relative bleachability of quartz and feldspar fractions, along with thermal stability considerations is discussed. A simple test for quartz OSL signal contamination based on thermal quenching and assistance, and the susceptibility of the OSL signal to IR bleaching is introduced.