cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of Foot Deformities in Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita.

The term arthrogryposis is used to describe >300 conditions of differing etiologies and clinical manifestations that are characterized by generally nonprogressive congenital joint contractures of more than two different body areas, which occur in one per 3000 live births1,2. So-called classic arthrogryposis (amyoplasia or arthrogryposis multiplex congenita) constitutes about 30% of all congenital contractures and usually presents with severe, multiple upper and/or lower-extremity contractures and muscle weakness of variable intensity; in distal arthrogryposis—a subgroup of autosomal dominant conditions without underlying general neuromuscular pathology—the hands and feet are mainly affected, whereas contractures around proximal joints are absent or limited in their presentation3. Foot deformities are common in all types of arthrogryposis, especially amyoplasia (prevalence, 80% to 100%), usually presenting as severe contractures, which require complex, and often repeated, orthopaedic treatment. If untreated, foot deformities constitute an obstacle to achieving independent standing and/or functional walking and may become painful, fixed deformities causing difficulty with shoe fitting and other everyday care problems4-9. The general …
The mating behaviour of Zygocotyle lunata adults grown in mice

Zygocotyle lunata adults grown in mice were treated in vitro with 3-H-adenosine to label sperm and then transplanted to the caecum of mice singly or with 6 to 8 unlabelled adults. After 6 to 10 days, worms were recovered, processed for autoradiography, and observed for radioactive sperm in their seminal receptacles. Adults would not incorporate radioactive thymidine into dividing cells. Tyrosine was utilized only by juvenile worms and then not enough to label germinal cells for mating studies. Four of 13 (31%) worms transplanted singly self-inseminated, whereas 9 of 10 (90%) labelled worms in multiple infections self-inseminated. When in groups, the labelled worms cross-inseminated with 14 of 43 (33%) unlabelled worms. This mating pattern was unrestricted in that both self- and cross-insemination took place in multiple infections, much like the mating pattern in another paramphistomatid, Megalodiscus temperatus, but unlike the restrictive pattern shown by three species of eyeflukes.
The temporal bone in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a malignant disease of the skeleton. Anatomically, any bone may ultimately come to be involved in a given case. In a literature review, no published series of temporal bone findings have been reported. In this study, oto-histopathologic changes associated with multiple myeloma are analyzed and reported in 15 temporal bones from 8 patients. The bone marrow of 13 temporal bones was involved by the tumor. Osteolysis was evident in 11 temporal bones. Serous otitis media (SOM) or purulent otitis media (POM) was seen in 13 ears with 12 showing mastoid effusions. Eight ears exhibited pathological changes in inner ears, including degeneration of the organ of Corti, atrophy of stria vascularis, decreased ganglion cells, and labyrinthine hydrops. The inner ear changes were most severe in 2 patients who had otologic symptoms. Infiltration of myeloma cells was not apparent in the middle ear mucosa or the inner ears.
Influence of Selected Variables on Solo and Small-Ensemble Festival Ratings

With this study, we examined four potential influences on American high school solo and. small-ensemble festival adjudicator ratings—time of day, performing medium (vocal or instrumental), type of ...
Making difficult choices at the end of life: a personal challenge for all participants.

With the modern ability to sustain life well beyond its natural limits questions about restricting treatment, identifying patient preferences, and the expectation that psychological as well as physical needs be addressed are part of the challenge. Physician beliefs and values should be considered when treatment goals are discussed with patients nearing the end of life. This allows the physician to balance them with those of the patient and to place them in the context of professional obligations even when beliefs conflict. Sharing beliefs with patients may strengthen the relationships and minimize conflict, but this should be done cautiously and in context of the patients’ needs and the clinical circumstances. Care should therefore be taken to respect the moral sensitivities of all participants when difficult choices are to be made at the end of life.
Assessment of a cooperative training course using faculty course assessment report in an ABET accredited engineering technology program

The electrical and electronics engineering technology (EEET) associate degree program at Hafr Al-Batin Community College (HBCC) located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) got accredited recently by the engineering technology accreditation commission (ETAC) of ABET. In this paper, we have described in detail our experiences of using the faculty course assessment report (FCAR) methodology for the direct and indirect assessment of both course learning outcomes (CLO's) and ABET student outcomes (SO's) supported by the cooperative (coop) training (EEET 290) course in the EEET unit at HBCC. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates how the student's evaluation by his supervisor is also taken into account while assessing both the EEET 290 CLO's and its respective ABET SO's using the FCAR tool. In addition, we have also analyzed the student's self-evaluation of his co-op training experience. Moreover, we have also compared the co-op training given to our students by Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), and Saudi Telecom Company (STC). In this comparison, we have highlighted some strengths and weaknesses of the co-op training offered by these companies. Finally, the results of our analysis are used to propose actions for the continuous improvement of co-op training course in the EEET program at HBCC.
No Sex or Age Difference in Dead-Reckoning Ability among Tsimane Forager-Horticulturalists.

Sex differences in reproductive strategy and the sexual division of labor resulted in selection for and maintenance of sexual dimorphism across a wide range of characteristics, including body size, hormonal physiology, behavior, and perhaps spatial abilities. In laboratory tasks among undergraduates there is a general male advantage for navigational and mental-rotation tasks, whereas studies find female advantage for remembering item locations in complex arrays and the locations of plant foods. Adaptive explanations of sex differences in these spatial abilities have focused on patterns of differential mate search and routine participation in distinct subsistence behaviors. The few studies to date of spatial ability in nonindustrial populations practicing subsistence lifestyles, or across a wider age range, find inconsistent results. Here we examine sex- and age-based variation in one kind of spatial ability related to navigation, dead-reckoning, among Tsimane forager horticulturalists living in lowland Bolivia. Seventy-three participants (38 male) aged 6–82 years pointed a handheld global positioning system (GPS) unit toward the two nearest communities and the more distant market town. We find no evidence of sex differences in dead reckoning (p = 0.47), nor do we find any evidence of age-related decline in dead-reckoning accuracy (p = 0.28). Participants were significantly more accurate at pointing toward the market town than toward the two nearest villages despite its being significantly farther away than the two nearest communities. Although Tsimane do show sexual dimorphism in foraging tasks, Tsimane women have extensive daily and lifetime travel, and the local environment lacks directional cues that typically enhance male navigation. This study raises the possibility that greater similarity in mobility patterns because of overlapping subsistence strategies and activities may result in convergence of some male and female navigation abilities.
The Propagation of the Virus of Visceral Lymphomatosis in Embryonated Eggs

Abstract THE growth of avian tumor material in embryos was first reported by Murphy and Rous (1912) using transplanted Rous tumor cells. Milford and Duran-Reynals (1943) using filtrates of the Rous tumor were able to induce tumor formation in relatively few of the embryos inoculated, but found hemorrhagic lesions which were serially transmitted through six passages. Hall et al. (1940) propagated another form of the avian leukosis complex, namely, erythroblastosis, in embryos by inoculations via the intravenous route. This was also reported by Brandly et al. (1949) but their attempts to grow the tumor cells of visceral lymphomatosis were unsuccessful. There has been no report of attempts to grow the virus of visceral lymphomatosis which was used in the experiment to be described in this report. EXPERIMENTAL The object of this experiment was to propagate the virus of visceral lymphomatosis by the injection of infectious material into the yolk of embryonated …
Chernobyl coverage: how the US media treated the nuclear industry:

This study attempted to uncover whether enough background information about nuclear power and the nuclear industries in the USA, USSR and Eastern and Western Europe had been included during the fir...
Using indicator bacteria and Salmonella test results from three large-scale beef abattoirs over an 18-month period to evaluate intervention system efficacy and plan carcass testing for Salmonella.

To develop a process for predicting the likelihood of Salmonella contamination on beef carcasses, we evaluated the influence of several possible causative factors (i.e., year, abattoir, day of week, month, and intervention system components) on the risk of Salmonella and indicator organism contamination. Hide and carcass sponge samples were collected in 2005 to 2006 in six steps at three abattoirs in the East (A), Midwest (B), and Southwest (C) United States. Each abattoir used the same intervention system. Samples were analyzed for aerobic plate counts (APCs; n = 18,990) and Enterobacteriaceae counts (EBCs; n = 18,989) and the presence or absence of Salmonella (n = 5,355). Our results demonstrated that many factors play a significant role in the level of microbial contamination of beef carcasses. Overall, Salmonella prevalence and EBC levels were significantly higher in 2006 than in 2005. APCs and EBCs were highest in abattoirs A (3.57 log CFU/100 cm2) and B (1.31 log CFU/100 cm2). The odds of detecting ...
Growth hormone therapy and children with idiopathic short stature: a viable option?

Since the production of biosynthetic growth hormone (GH) began in 1985, there has been growing controversy over appropriate usage for short stature alone. Despite clinical trials for nearly 2 decades, knowledge about the efficacy, safety, and long-term results of GH for this population remains limited. So far, studies of children without growth hormone deficiency (GHD) have found an initial acceleration in growth, but no increase in adult height above pretreatment target height percentiles. Additionally, recent studies have been unable to link normal short stature with adverse psychological effects, while use of GH therapy has been associated with an exacerbation of problems. Thus, there is evidence that GH therapy does not provide the means to overcome either the physical or psychosocial dilemmas of short stature. Health care providers need to recognize the complexity of problems surrounding short stature and look to other "solutions."
Thermodynamic analysis of conductive filaments

We present a thermodynamic theory of the conductive filament growth and dissolution in random access memory describing the observed features of their current-voltage (IV) characteristics. Our theory is based on the self-consisted Fokker-Planck approach reducing the filament kinetics to its thermodynamics. Expressing the observed IV features through material parameters, our results pave a way to device improvements.
Thick airfoil designs for the root of the 10MW INNWIND.EU wind turbine

The main objective of the "INNWIND.EU" project is to investigate and demonstrate innovative designs for 10-20MW offshore wind turbines and their key components, such as lightweight rotors. In this context, the present paper describes the development of two new airfoils for the blade root region. From the structural point of view, the root is the region in charge of transmitting all the loads of the blade to the hub. Thus, it is very important to include airfoils with adequate structural properties in this region. The present article makes use of high-thickness and blunt trailing edge airfoils to improve the structural characteristics of the airfoils used to build this blade region. CENER's (National Renewable Energy Center of Spain) airfoil design tool uses the airfoil software XFOIL to compute the aerodynamic characteristics of the designed airfoils. That software is based on panel methods which show some problems with the calculation of airfoils with thickness bigger than 35% and with blunt trailing edge. This drawback has been overcome with the development of an empirical correction for XFOIL lift and drag prediction based on airfoil experiments. From the aerodynamic point of view, thick airfoils are known to be very sensitive to surface contamination or turbulent inflow conditions. Consequently, the design optimization takes into account the aerodynamic torque in both clean and contaminated conditions. Two airfoils have been designed aiming to improve the structural and the aerodynamic behaviour of the blade in clean and contaminated conditions. This improvement has been corroborated with Blade Element Momentum (BEM) computations.
Other Insect Trace Fossils in Paleosols: Cicadas, Chafers, Weevils, and Sphinx Moths

Extant and fossil traces of cicadas, chafers, weevils and sphinx moths are reviewed. Cicadas have been recently recognized as producers of trace fossils in paleosols represented by feeding chambers: Feoichnus challa and Monesichnus ameghinoi. The former are simple pan or dish-shaped, upwardly concave, structures, whereas the latter are ovoid shaped chambers showing meniscate fillings. Both have as distinctive character the presence of a longitudinal groove representing the root to which the chamber was attached. Larvae of chafers and weevils are the producers of the ellipsoid chambers known as Rebuffoichnus casamiquelai, R. guanche and Fictovichnus gobiensis. Teisseirei barattinia is a chamber with depressed ellipsoidal section that has been known since 1939, but only recently it could be attributed to its producer: sphinx moths. The depressed shape and leg impressions are typical or both extant and fossil chambers. In addition, T. barattinia can be used as indicator of uppermost horizons in paleosols. Color plates of extant producers and their traces, type material, morphological details and representative cases of trace fossils are provided.
Rhythm is a dancer: the immediate management of postoperative atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery.

Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over ——Elvis Presley
Short communication: Analytical method and amount of preservative added to milk samples may alter milk urea nitrogen measurements

Milk urea N (MUN) is used by dairy nutritionists and producers to monitor dietary protein intake and is indicative of N utilization in lactating dairy cows. Two experiments were conducted to explore discrepancies in MUN results provided by 3 milk processing laboratories using different methods. An additional experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol (bronopol) on MUN analysis. In experiment 1, 10 replicates of bulk tank milk samples, collected from the Pennsylvania State University's Dairy Center over 5 consecutive days, were sent to 3 milk processing laboratories in Pennsylvania. Average MUN differed between laboratory A (14.9 ± 0.40 mg/dL; analyzed on MilkoScan 4000; Foss, Hillerod, Denmark), laboratory B (6.5 ± 0.17 mg/dL; MilkoScan FT + 6000), and laboratory C (7.4 ± 0.36 mg/dL; MilkoScan 6000). In experiment 2, milk samples were spiked with urea at 0 (7.3 to 15.0 mg/dL, depending on the laboratory analyzing the samples), 17.2, 34.2, and 51.5 mg/dL of milk. Two 35-mL samples from each urea level were sent to the 3 laboratories used in experiment 1. Average analyzed MUN was greater than predicted (calculated for each laboratory based on the control; 0 mg of added urea): for laboratory A (23.2 vs. 21.0 mg/dL), laboratory B (18.0 vs. 13.3 mg/dL), and laboratory C (20.6 vs. 15.2 mg/dL). In experiment 3, replicated milk samples were preserved with 0 to 1.35 mg of bronopol/mL of milk and submitted to one milk processing laboratory that analyzed MUN using 2 different methods. Milk samples with increasing amounts of bronopol ranged in MUN concentration from 7.7 to 11.9 mg/dL and from 9.0 to 9.3 mg/dL when analyzed on MilkoScan 4000 or CL 10 (EuroChem, Moscow, Russia), respectively. In conclusion, measured MUN concentrations varied due to analytical procedure used by milk processing laboratories and were affected by the amount of bronopol used to preserve milk sample, when milk was analyzed using a mid-infrared analyzer. Thus, it is important to maintain consistency in milk sample preservation and analysis to ensure precision of MUN results.
Comparison of Jiles-Atherton and Bulk Ferromagnetic Hysteresis Models for Modelling the Magnetic Characteristics of Advanced Magnetic Materials

Paper presents the comparison of original Jiles-Atherton model and its modification, proposed by R. Venkataraman, called the bulk ferromagnetic hysteresis model. Due to the fact, that both models utilize the concept of anhysteretic magnetization, bulk magnetic hysteresis model was extended also to anisotropic materials. Comparison was carried out for isotropic Mn-Zn ferrite and for amorphous alloy with strong perpendicular anisotropy. The results indicate, that both models well reproduce the shape of magnetic hysteresis loops, however, some of model’s parameters vary significantly for presented models.
Discriminating between HuR and TTP binding sites using the k-spectrum kernel method.

Background The RNA binding proteins (RBPs) human antigen R (HuR) and Tristetraprolin (TTP) are known to exhibit competitive binding but have opposing effects on the bound messenger RNA (mRNA). How cells discriminate between the two proteins is an interesting problem. Machine learning approaches, such as support vector machines (SVMs), may be useful in the identification of discriminative features. However, this method has yet to be applied to studies of RNA binding protein motifs. Results Applying the k-spectrum kernel to a support vector machine (SVM), we first verified the published binding sites of both HuR and TTP. Additional feature engineering highlighted the U-rich binding preference of HuR and AU-rich binding preference for TTP. Domain adaptation along with multi-task learning was used to predict the common binding sites. Conclusion The distinction between HuR and TTP binding appears to be subtle content features. HuR prefers strongly U-rich sequences whereas TTP prefers AU-rich as with increasing A content, the sequences are more likely to be bound only by TTP. Our model is consistent with competitive binding of the two proteins, particularly at intermediate AU-balanced sequences. This suggests that fine changes in the A/U balance within a untranslated region (UTR) can alter the binding and subsequent stability of the message. Both feature engineering and domain adaptation emphasized the extent to which these proteins recognize similar general sequence features. This work suggests that the k-spectrum kernel method could be useful when studying RNA binding proteins and domain adaptation techniques such as feature augmentation could be employed particularly when examining RBPs with similar binding preferences.
Equipoise in Interventional Trials

The principle of equipoise is the ethical basis for clinical trial research involving randomized patient assignment to different treatments. Clinical equipoise means that there is an uncertainty in the expert medical community about whether one treatment is superior to the other treatment. Equipoise is critical from an ethical standpoint as it would be an ethical dilemma for an investigator to design or randomize a patient to a clinical trial where they have evidence that the intervention in one of the trial arms is superior to the other. Thus, the basis for clinical trial design requires that there is no decisive evidence that the intervention being studied is superior or inferior to the alternative intervention or lack of intervention. Equipoise is the ethical center stone of clinical trials and is required for patient consideration of clinical trials and physician support of clinical trials as well as IRB review. Trials are regularly reviewed to reassess and ensure that the equipoise that provides the basis for the trial has not changed as a result of data from the trial or new data from other institutions, groups, or publications.
Identifying factors related to a hit-and-run after a vehicle-bicycle collision

Abstract Purpose Understanding bicycle-vehicle collisions that result in hit-and-run (HAR) behavior is an important concern for multiple disciplines, such as public health, transportation safety, enforcement, and affected individuals. If bicyclists are injured, this issue has implications for expedient access to medical care and for protection from the financial burden of associated injury and property costs. This study aimed to identify significant predictors of vehicle-bicycle HARs, the results of which help inform interdisciplinary prevention interventions. Method Data were collected from Boston Police Department bicycle collision reports for 2009–2012. The data identified whether a collision was a HAR and other predictor variables including road and bicyclist characteristics. The probability of a HAR was fit to selected variables through logistic regression models. Effects of the predictors were reported as odds ratios. Results Police reported data from Boston, Massachusetts were examined for the years 2009 to 2012. Of the 1646 bike-vehicle collisions, 6% (n=93) resulted in a HAR and 80% (n=1309) involved an injury to the bicyclist. Controlling for all other variables, the odds of a HAR did not differ when the bicyclist was injured versus not injured or male versus female. The odds of a HAR were 2.40 (95% CI: 1.31, 4.23) times more likely when the vehicle was a taxi versus another type of vehicle, 1.65 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.54) times more likely during night as during daylight hours, and 1.74 (95%: 1.07, 2.66) times more likely during the weekend versus during the week. The interactions of male-by-injured, taxi-by-injured, and night-by-weekend were nonsignificant. Conclusion The probability of a HAR partially depends on time, day of the week, and whether the vehicle type was a taxi. We discuss implications for policies and interventions aimed at preventing this type of collision and crime.
Electrochemical Heteroepitaxial Growth of Molecular Films on Ordered Substrates

Electrocrystallization of the organic superconductor bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene triiodide, (ET)2I3, on a highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate has been visualized using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). Previous studies have revealed the formation of a coincident epitaxial monolayer with a structure identical to that of a (001) layer of the superconducting beta phase of this material prior to bulk crystal growth. However, the symmetry of the HOPG substrate leads to domain boundary defects during self assembly of the separately growing domains. The number of defects is significantly reduced after an electrochemical annealing process in which the potential is cycled about the monolayer deposition potential. Annealing of these films is important if they are to be used in electronic devices as the defects may serve as barriers to electron transport in the two-dimensional layers. In addition to (ET)2I3, monolayer growth also has been visualized during electrocrystallization of (ET)2ReO4 on HOPG. The role of coincident epitaxy with HOPG in the monolayer formation and molecular orientation will be discussed. Structurally modified substrates have also been investigated. Studies of the electrocrystallization of (ET)2I3 on HOPG, thermally treated to produce well-defined monolayer depth pit structures, have demonstrated that (ET)2I3 monolayer growth can occur inside the pit structures. The presence of monolayer domain boundaries within large pits indicates that multiple, independent nucleation events can occur in the pits, providing an opportunity to determine critical nucleation sizes by varying the pit dimensions. Recently we have discovered that MoS2 substrates can be electrochemically etched, giving rise to monolayer deep triangular pits.
Improving superhydrophobic coatings for textiles through chemical modifications

Abstract: This chapter provides an overview of superhydrophobic textiles with detailed illustrations of key principles of superhydrophobic textiles, chemical modification coating on fibers, and hydrophobization for improving superhydrophobicity and surface robustness of textiles. Applications of superhydrophobic textiles in practical and potential fields are discussed. Future trends of superhydrophobic textiles are also presented.
Other agents. Phencyclidine, marijuana, hallucinogens, inhalants, and anticholinergics

Each of the agents discussed in this article is capable of producing euphoria, dysphoria, psychosis, and hallucinations, but pharmacologically they are very different; users do not confuse their subjective effects. Each class of agents also has distinctive features of overdose and withdrawal that distinguish them from each other and from other substances such as alcohol, opioids, sedatives, and psychostimulants.
Therapeutic Strategies and Concepts of Cure in CML

The molecular basis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been reasonably well defined in the last 20 years. The acquisition in a hematopoietic stem cell of a BCR-ABL fusion gene is generally considered to be the initiating event for the chronic phase of CML. It leads to expansion of a hematopoietic clone that expresses the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein with enhanced tyrosine kinase activity. Oral administration of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (IM) reduces the leukemia cell mass by at least 2 logs and induces complete cytogenetic remissions in most patients with early phase CML. It probably prolongs survival in comparison with previous treatments, but fails to eradicate leukemia stem cells, some of which may be in a “quiescent” or “dormant” phase. IM is now considered to be the best initial therapy for the majority of patients with newly diagnosed CML, though the issues of optimal dose and duration of treatment are not yet resolved. Some patients who respond initially to IM later become resistant as a result of diverse mechanisms, which include the acquisition of mutations in the BCR-ABL kinase domain. Efforts to improve on the use of IM as a single agent include combining it with other agents and the introduction of second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as dasatinib and nilotinib. The therapy of patients in the advanced phases of CML remains a significant challenge.
WEED MANAGEMENT IN SOYBEANS IN THE UNITED STATES

The total cost of weeds in soybean (Glycine max L.) production in the USA is about $3.0 billion each year. About four dozen weed species contribute to the yield losses and reductions in soybean seed quality. Crop rotations and cultural practices are beneficial to a successful weed management program but herbicides are the primary component of most successful control programs. Practically all soybeans are treated with herbicides each year. Preemergence soil treatments have been used more extensively than postemergence treatments but the usage of postemergence treatments is increasing and there is a slight decline in the use of preemergence treatment. The total amount of herbicide applied annually peaked in the 1980s and has declined slightly thereafter. The trend toward increased use of postemergence treatments will probably continue especially as increased use is made of conservation tillage practices.
Least squares Lehmann-Scheffé estimation of variances and covariances with mixed linear models.

Variances of quadratic estimators of (co)variances are functions of the numeric values of the (co)variance parameters being estimated. This situation makes estimation of (co)variances problematical. Uniformly best quadratic, unbiased estimators exist for balanced designs but not for unbalanced designs. This article tackles the problem by providing explicit quadratic estimators of (co)variances that are uniformly best in the sense that they are uniformly minimum variance, unbiased to the maximum extent possible over the entire range of possible parameter values of the (co)variances being estimated. This was accomplished by determining the restrictions on the elements of the matrix of the quadratic-form matrix necessary to satisfy the Lehmann-Scheffe criterion for uniformly minimum variance, unbiased estimation and then solving the resulting linear equations via the principle of least squares. The context is any mixed linear model, and the approach does not require that there be equal numbers of observations in the case of multivariate data. A detailed development of the method is given. That the procedure is completely general is discussed. A modification that forces unbiasedness is presented. An example with a three-variance-component model is provided and results discussed. A miscellaneous section discusses, among other topics, how this method can be used to compare other (co)variance component estimation procedures. The final section illustrates how the method handles multivariate situations (i.e., models with both variances and covariances) by detailing the expressions involved with the bivariate model.
An HPC based real-time path rating calculation tool for congestion management with high penetration of renewable energy

Every year, transmission congestion costs billions of dollars for electricity customers. This clearly identifies the critical need for more transmission capacity and also poses big challenges for power grid reliability in stressed conditions due to heavy loading and in uncertain situations due to variable renewable resources and responsive smart loads. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to build new transmission lines, which typically involve both economic and environmental constraints. In this paper, advanced computing techniques are developed to enable a non-wire solution that realizes unused transfer capabilities of existing transmission facilities. An integrated software prototype powered by high-performance computing (HPC) is developed to calculate ratings of key transmission paths in real time for relieving transmission congestion and facilitating renewable integration, while complying with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards on assessing total transfer capabilities. The innovative algorithms include: (1) massive contingency analysis enabled by dynamic load balancing, (2) parallel transient simulation to speed up single dynamic simulation, (3) a non-iterative method for calculating voltage security boundary and (4) an integrated package considering all NERC required limits. This tool has been tested on realistic power system models in the Western Interconnection of North America and demonstrates satisfactory computational speed using parallel computers. Various benefits of real-time path rating are investigated at Bonneville Power Administration using realtime EMS snapshots, demonstrating a significant increase in path limits. These technologies would change the traditional goals of path rating studies, fundamentally transforming how the grid is operated, and maximizing the utilization of national transmission assets, as well as facilitating integration of renewable energy and smart loads.
Stable isotopes and trace elements of drip waters at DeSoto Caverns during rainfall-contrasting years

Abstract A monitoring study at DeSoto Caverns during two years (2012−2013) of rainfall-contrasting variability presents the opportunity to test the response of the hydroclimate proxies in drips and active speleothems to forcing factors on intrannual and interannual time scales. The weighted monthly mean rainwater δ18O and δ2H range from −1.2 to −6.4 (‰ V-SMOW) and −4 to −41.6 (‰ V-SMOW), respectively, and show modest interannual variation. D-excess values exhibit a large intrannual contrast suggesting a primary control by sub-cloud evaporation processes. Coeval drip-water δ18O and δ2H vary from −3.1 to −5.3 (‰ V-SMOW) and −9.9 to −30.5 (‰ V-SMOW), respectively, and exhibit interannual negative trends from the 2012 dry/warm year to the 2013 relatively wet/cool year. Substantial attenuation of drip-water isotope amplitudes, relative to its rainwater source, is likely caused by mixing of fresh with residual evaporated-water in the epikarst zone. Drip-water Ca, Mg, Sr and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios exhibit an inverse relation with respect to the contrasting hydroclimate years such that lower values and higher ratios occur during the dry/warm year and higher values and lower ratios occur during the wet/cool year. We assert that interannual rainfall variability exerts a dominant control on the elemental concentrations and their ratios of the drips through changes of biomass productivity in the soils overlying the cave, and prior aragonite precipitation in the epikarst. The distribution coefficients of Mg (DMg = 3.49 × 10−3 ± 1.06 × 10−3) and Sr (DSr = 1.12 ± 0.041) between drips and aragonite speleothems estimated in this study are in broad agreement with aragonite-solute experimental values. Coeval changes of trace elements and δ18O in response to interannual rainfall variability confirm their usefulness to better constrain the controlling hydroclimate drivers.
ASSESSMENT OF CORONARY ARTERY PLAQUE CHARACTERISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION IN PATIENTS OF SOUTH ASIAN DESCENT USING CORONARY COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC ANGIOGRAPHY

South Asian patients have a high prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to other ethnic groups, with an earlier age of onset, increased severity of disease, and higher mortality. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) patterns may account for these differences. In this study we used
Impact of Aging on the Viscoelastic Properties and Cracking Behavior of Asphalt Mixtures

Aging can significantly affect the viscoelastic properties and cracking behavior of asphalt mixtures, causing increase in stiffness, reduction in relaxation capability, and increase in brittleness....
Medical education using minimal technology: achieving professional development

Background: Traditional journal clubs have been limited by the geography of participants. Web based modalities and social media platforms are now being used to bridge this barrier. Medical education journal club, given the diversity of its community would lend well to these platforms. To date there is very little published regarding online medical education journal clubs. Objective: To bridge geographical barriers; enhance interdisciplinary and interprofessional discussion and collaboration; and to provide opportunities for continuing medical education and faculty development; a monthly synchronous medical education journal club was created for faculty. Design/Methods: From April 2015 to November 2016, 11 online journal clubs were held for the faculty at Northwell Health and the Barbara and Donald Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (Zucker SOM). All articles picked were relevant to medical education and participants were from multiple disciplines. Results: 74% of respondent participants agreed that the content covered during the sessions would positively impact personal and/or professional life and 58% of respondents reported that their overall knowledge/skill level changed positively. Conclusions: On-line medical education journal club can provide a valuable opportunity for continuing education and faculty development for both the participant and the presenter.
Carbon and nitrogen properties of particulate organic matter fractions in an Alfisol in the mid-Southern, USA

Abstract Improved understanding of mechanisms for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stabilization is needed to develop new management systems that enhance agricultural sustainability for the intensively cultivated loessial and alluvial soils in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. The distribution of C and N among particulate organic matter (POM) fractions may be key to improving the long-term sustainability of agricultural soils with extensive cultivation histories. The objective of this field study was to evaluate the effects of alternative and conventional agricultural management practices on C and N associated with various POM fractions. In the top 10 cm, following 14 years of consistent management in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), double-crop (WSDC) system on a loessial soil (Glossaquic Fraglossudalf) in eastern Arkansas, averaged across tillage and burn treatments, the coarse-light-fraction C content of the soil was 20.3% greater (P
Progress in the Field of Gerontology

Blindness among older persons is of progressively increasing concern as longevity and consequent numbers of older blind persons increase. On the “large map of the world of the aging” which Dr. Shoc...
Decreased radiation exposure using pulsed fluoroscopy and a detachable pedicle marker and probe to place pedicle screws: a comparison to current fluoroscopy techniques and CT navigation.

Quality improvement evaluation with retrospective analysis. To compare a technique to place pedicle screws (PS) using a novel detachable pedicle marker and probe (DPMP) and pulsed fluoroscopy (PF) vs. conventional technique utilizing PF with standard instruments (SI) and O-arm. Spinal fusion with pedicle screw instrumentation (PSI) is the mainstay in treatment of spinal deformities. Reports suggest that CT navigated (O-arm) PS placement is more accurate than fluoroscopy. However, these studies have not considered the increased radiation exposure associated with CT. Thirty-six patients with spinal deformity had PSI using PF and DPMPs. Accuracy of PS placement and radiation data from 14 dosimeters placed on the patient and around the operating room was analyzed. Results were compared to published data. Mean fluoroscopic time was 13.4 s (range 6.0–32.4), and the mean cumulative dose was 3.1 mGy (range 0.2–16.4). Median estimated effective dose to the patient was 0.22 mSv (range 0.0–0.7). The effective dose of radiation was reduced by 80% (0.22 mSv vs. 1.11 mSv) compared to low-dose O-arm. The surgical team did not receive any detectable radiation. The seconds of PF used to assist and confirm placement of PSs was reduced to 1.2 s/level compared to previous reports of 4.49 s/level using SIs. DPMPs reduced fluoroscopy to 0.84 s/PS compared to 7.36 s/PS using SIs to assist and confirm PS placement. PSs were accurately placed in 561 of 576 (97.4%), which is comparable to O-arm and fluoroscopy with SIs. PS placement using PF and DPMPs to assist and confirm PS placement lowers radiation exposure to the patient and surgical team without compromising accuracy compared to O-arm and fluoroscopy with SIs. Therapeutic, Level IV (Retrospective case series, historical control).
National trends in ventral hernia repairs for patients with intra-abdominal metastases.

Abstract Background Ventral hernias in patients with intra-abdominal metastases may not be addressed owing to other oncologic priorities, but they can affect quality of life and lead to sequelae necessitating an emergency operation. We compared the national trends and perioperative outcomes for elective and nonelective ventral hernia repairs for patients with intra-abdominal metastases. Methods Patients were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (2003−2015). Temporal trends were described using average annual percent change. Perioperative outcomes between elective and nonelective ventral hernia repairs were compared using multivariable regressions. Results An estimated 947,112 ventral hernia repairs were performed nationally, including 5,602 (0.6%) in patients with intra-abdominal metastases. Among patients with intra-abdominal metastases, 40.1% had a nonelective ventral hernia repair, mean (standard deviation) age was 64 (12) years, and 65.1% were women. Between 2003 and 2015, the total number of ventral hernia repairs performed nationally did not change (average annual percent change 0.062, P = .84). For patients with intra-abdominal metastases, although there was no change in the number of elective ventral hernia repairs (average annual percent change 0.65, P = .59), the number of nonelective ventral hernia repairs increased significantly (average annual percent change 2.7, P = .025). By multivariable analyses, patients with intra-abdominal metastases who underwent a nonelective repair were more likely to experience complications (odds ratio 1.76, P = .001), nonroutine discharge (odds ratio 1.93, P Conclusion The number of nonelective ventral hernia repairs, which is associated with substantial perioperative morbidity, has increased significantly among patients with intra-abdominal metastases. Surgeons should consider a nonemergency operation for select patients to mitigate the burden of nonelective ventral hernia repairs.
The effect of cycling shoes and the shoe-pedal interface on maximal mechanical power output during outdoor sprints

Cyclists and industry professionals believe that cycling shoes with pedal attachment and stiff soles improve performance. However, scientific evidence has demonstrated that cycling shoes have no si...
Inverse estimation of thermophysical properties and initial moisture content of cereal grains during deep-bed grain drying

This paper proposes and demonstrates the use of inverse methods to estimate grain properties during deep-bed drying. An inverse analysis was performed to estimate the bulk density, specific heat and initial moisture content of cereal grains, using only grain temperature measurements as inputs. Grain temperature data obtained from numerically solving the direct problem were used to generate the temperature measurements. An iterative procedure, based on minimizing a sum of squares function with the conjugate gradient method and the discrepancy principle, was used to solve the inverse problem. A statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the estimated results. The effects of measurement errors and the sensor location on the inverse solution were also investigated. The close agreement between the exact and the estimated results shows the capability of the proposed method in estimating unknown parameters.
Intratumoral budding and automated CD8-positive T-cell density in pretreatment biopsies can predict response to neoadjuvant therapy in rectal adenocarcinoma

Tumor budding and CD8-positive (+) T-cells are recognized as prognostic factors in colorectal adenocarcinoma. We assessed CD8+ T-cell density and intratumoral budding in pretreatment rectal cancer biopsies to determine if they are predictive biomarkers for response to neoadjuvant therapy and survival. Pretreatment biopsies of locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma from 117 patients were evaluated for CD8+ T-cell density using automated quantitative digital image analysis and for intratumoral budding and correlated with clinicopathological variables on postneoadjuvant surgical resection specimens, response to neoadjuvant therapy, and survival. Patients with high CD8+ T-cell density (≥157 per mm2) on biopsy were significantly more likely to exhibit complete/near complete response to neoadjuvant therapy (66% vs. 33%, p = 0.001) and low tumor stage (0 or I) on resection (62% vs. 30%, p = 0.001) compared with patients with low CD8+ T-cell density. High CD8+ T-cell density was an independent predictor of response to neoadjuvant therapy with a 2.63 higher likelihood of complete response (95% CI 1.04–6.65, p = 0.04) and a 3.66 higher likelihood of complete/near complete response (95% CI 1.60–8.38, p = 0.002). The presence of intratumoral budding on biopsy was significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of achieving complete/near complete response to neoadjuvant therapy (odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.13–0.97, p = 0.048). Patients with intratumoral budding on biopsy had a significantly reduced disease-free survival compared with patients without intratumoral budding (5-year survival 39% vs 87%, p < 0.001). In the multivariable model, the presence of intratumoral budding on biopsy was associated with a 3.35-fold increased risk of tumor recurrence (95% CI 1.25–8.99, p = 0.02). In conclusion, CD8+ T-cell density and intratumoral budding in pretreatment biopsies of rectal adenocarcinoma are independent predictive biomarkers of response to neoadjuvant therapy and intratumoral budding associates with patient survival. These biomarkers may be helpful in selecting patients who will respond to neoadjuvant therapy and identifying patients at risk for recurrence.
Unbiased integration of single cell multi-omics data

Acquiring accurate single-cell multiomics profiles often requires performing unbiased in silico integration of data matrices generated by different single-cell technologies from the same biological sample. However, both the rows and the columns can represent different entities in different data matrices, making such integration a computational challenge that has only been solved approximately by existing approaches. Here, we present bindSC, a single-cell data integration tool that realizes simultaneous alignment of the rows and the columns between data matrices without making approximations. Using datasets produced by multiomics technologies as gold standard, we show that bindSC generates accurate multimodal co-embeddings that are substantially more accurate than those generated by existing approaches. Particularly, bindSC effectively integrated single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single cell chromatin accessibility sequencing (scATAC-seq) data towards discovering key regulatory elements in cancer cell-lines and mouse cells. It achieved accurate integration of both common and rare cell types (<0.25% abundance) in a novel mouse retina cell atlas generated using the 10x Genomics Multiome ATAC+RNA kit. Further, it achieves unbiased integration of scRNA-seq and 10x Visium spatial transcriptomics data derived from mouse brain cortex samples. Lastly, it demonstrated efficacy in delineating immune cell types via integrating single-cell RNA and protein data. Thus, bindSC, available at https://github.com/KChen-lab/bindSC, can be applied in a broad variety of context to accelerate discovery of complex cellular and biological identities and associated molecular underpinnings in diseases and developing organisms.
Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome.

More than 356 000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States annually. Complications involving post-cardiac arrest syndrome occur because of ischemic-reperfusion injury to the brain, lungs, heart, and kidneys. Post-cardiac arrest syndrome is a clinical state that involves global brain injury, myocardial dysfunction, macrocirculatory dysfunction, increased vulnerability to infection, and persistent precipitating pathology (ie, the cause of the arrest). The severity of outcomes varies and depends on precipitating factors, patient health before cardiac arrest, duration of time to return of spontaneous circulation, and underlying comorbidities. In this article, the pathophysiology and treatment of post-cardiac arrest syndrome are reviewed and potential novel therapies are described.