cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards electroformed nanostructured aluminum alloys with high strength and ductility

Nanostructured Al–Mn alloys are proposed as high-strength low-density materials, which can be electroformed (i.e., produced electrolytically and removed from the substrate) from ionic liquid. A variety of current waveforms, including direct current (DC) and pulsed current (PC), are used to electrodeposit nanostructured Al–Mn alloys, with some PC methods producing significant improvements in film ductility. Transmission electron microscopy observations point to a number of structural advantages induced by PC that apparently ductilize the Al–Mn alloys: (i) grain refinement to the nanocrystalline range without the introduction of a competing amorphous phase, (ii) unimodal nanocrystalline grain size distribution, and (iii) more homogeneous structure. The significant increase in apparent ductility in the PC alloys is also apparently related to stress- or deformation-induced grain growth, which leads to alloys with unique combinations of specific hardness and film ductility.
Silencing of Apoptosis-Inducing factor and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase reveals novel roles in breast cancer cell death after chemotherapy

Cell death induced by poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) and mediated by apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) is well-characterized in models of ischemic tissue injury, but their roles in cancer cell death after chemotherapy are less understood. Here we investigated the roles of PAR and AIF by RNA interference (RNAi) in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells after chemotherapy. Differences in effects were statistically tested by analysis-of-variance and unpaired student’s t-test. Silencing of AIF by RNAi led to decreased MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell death after chemotherapy, which demonstrates a critical role for AIF. RNAi silencing of PAR glycohydrolase (PARG), the primary enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of PAR, led to increased PAR levels but decreased cell death. Further investigation into the possible role of PAR in apoptosis revealed decreased caspase-3/7/8/9 activity in PARG-null cells. Interestingly, the pharmacologic inhibition of caspase activity in PARG-silenced breast cancer cells led to increased cell death after chemotherapy, which indicates that an alternative cell death pathway is activated due to elevated PAR levels and caspase inhibition. AIF silencing in these cells led to profound protection from chemotherapy, which demonstrates that the increased cell death after PARG silencing and caspase inhibition was mediated by AIF. The results show a role for AIF in breast cancer cell death after chemotherapy, the ability of PAR to regulate caspase activity, and the ability of AIF to substitute as a primary mediator of breast cancer cell death in the absence of caspases. Thus, the induction of cell death by PAR/AIF may represent a novel strategy to optimize the eradication of breast tumors by activating an alternative cell death pathway.
Update on mechanisms of ischemic acute kidney injury.

Acute renal failure (ARF), classically defined as an abrupt decrease in kidney function that leads to accumulation of nitrogenous wastes such as blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, is a common clinical problem with increasing incidence, serious consequences, unsatisfactory therapeutic options, and
Distribution of holothurian larvae determined with species-specific genetic probes

Identification of marine invertebrate larvae to the species level is often difficult due to morphological similarity and phenotypic plasticity. To study dispersal of morphologically indistinguishable holothurian larvae, we developed a simple detection protocol that uses a series of oligonucleotide probes for the 16S rRNA portion of the mitochondrial DNA genome; this protocol may be feasible for use onboard research vessels. Using our technique, we analyzed > 1,800 larvae from collections made during spring 1993 in the western Gulf of Maine. Of the three species present in the plankton, Cucumaria frondosa larvae dominated the samples, often comprising >90% of the larval pool and 95% of new recruits. Temporal differences in planktonic distribution suggest the southward transport of C. frondosa. The vertical distribution of larvae over time suggests that larvae arc located primarily in the upper coastal waters. The presence of C. frondosa larvae in the coastal waters of New Hampshire represents a loss to recruitment because C. frondosa adults are extremely rare in this area.
The WS-policy standard pattern

When using web services, it is important to define in advance policies that will apply to interactions with a given web service. These policies can define requirements such as security protocols to be used, expected degree of security or reliability, or other business rules that apply to the specific web service. The WS-Policy standard from W3C provides architecture to define policies and structures, and means to enforce them. This is a complex standard and we express it as a pattern to facilitate its use by designers and users of web services. This pattern is part of a catalog of patterns for web services standards being currently developed.
The Genesis of the Victorian Organ Sonata

In the English mid-nineteenth century, organist-composers sought an idealistic course that created an alliance between the unimpeachable musical language of the Classical era and the much celebrated ‘Victorian’ organ. As a result, we witness the birth of a new musical genre with the ‘English organ sonata’ that was to provide a model for organ composition into the twentieth century. However, the works in question were not merely pastiche compositions, despite some bold illusions, but rather pieces based on revered models, restyled for an age that was familiar with transcriptions of orchestral repertoire on the organ. Further, the English organist-composers adhered to both an old model in a continuance of the ‘lesson-sonata’ tradition as well as developing a new one, here styled the ‘portfolio sonata’ whereby the purpose of the sonata would serve multiple ends. In an age of prestige and betterment, the sonatas that emerged were a testament to a profession that was determined to be seen anew.
Evaluation of an Optical Microbiological Method for Rapidly Estimating Populations of Aerobic Bacteria, Coliforms, and Escherichia coli from Ground Pork

The BioSys optical methods for estimating populations of aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli from ground pork were evaluated. Ground pork samples were analyzed immediately, after temperature abuse at 25 degrees C for various periods of time, or after temperature abuse and dilution by mixing with pork that was prepared by grinding whole muscles that had the outer portion excised using a sterile scalpel. Each ground pork sample was tested using standard methods such as aerobic plate counts (APC), violet red bile (VRB) agar plate counts (coliforms), and three-tube most probable numbers (MPN--E. coli). Each sample was tested using the BioSys for total viable counts (TVC) by placing 2 ml of ground pork homogenate (25 g into 225 ml of sterile 1% buffered peptone water) into 8 ml of nutrient medium containing brom-cresol purple in a test vial and monitoring at 35 degrees C. Coliforms were enumerated by placing 5 ml of ground pork homogenate into 5 ml of coliform medium (CM) in a test vial and monitoring at 35 degrees C. E. coli were enumerated by placing 5 ml of ground pork homogenate into 5 ml of double-strength CM with 2% dextrose in a test vial and monitoring at 42 degrees C. The correlation coefficients for the regression lines comparing APC to BioSys TVC detection times (DT), VRB to BioSys coliform DT, and MPN to BioSys E. coli DT were -0.95, -0.94, and -0.93, and the line equations were logl0 CFU/ml = 8.94 - 0.40(DT), log10 CFU/ml = 8.77 - 0.43(DT), and log10 CFU/ml = 8.96 - 0.81(DT), respectively. These methods may allow pork producers to monitor equipment surfaces and products in less than 16 h and obtain microbiological results prior to shipment.
Multi-sensor generalized sequential probability ratio test using level-triggered sampling

This paper investigates the generalized sequential probability ratio test (GSPRT) with multiple sensors. Focusing on the communication-constrained scenario, where sensors transmit one-bit messages to the fusion center, we propose a decentralized GSRPT based on level-triggered sampling scheme (LTS-GSPRT). The proposed LTS-GSPRT amounts to the algorithm where each sensor successively reports the decisions of local GSPRTs to the fusion center. Interestingly, with significantly lower communication overhead, LTS-GSPRT preserves the same asymptotic performance of the centralized GSPRT as the local thresholds and global thresholds grow large at different rates.
Polarimetry for Stored Polarized Hadron Beams

Feasibility studies using 0.97-GeV/c polarized deuterons to determine the suitability of storage rings in the search for intrinsic electric dipole moments have led to new developments in storage ring polarimeters. Efficiency has increased with the use of thick carbon targets. The calibration of the effects of geometric and rate-dependent errors has made possible the subtraction of these systematic errors, resulting in sensitivities at or below 10−5 to polarization changes during the time of the store. Tagging polarimeter events with the clock time had made available the turn number for each event, making possible longitudinal profile and horizontal polarization measurements. These have been used to explore the correction of second-order contributions to decoherence using sextupole fields, yielding horizontal polarization lifetimes as long as 20 minutes. Such studies may be extended to protons and 3He.
Voronoi Splines

We introduce a framework for construction of non-separable multivariate splines that are geometrically tailored for general sampling lattices. Voronoi splines are B-spline-like elements that inherit the geometry of a sampling lattice from its Voronoi cell and generate a lattice-shift-invariant spline space for approximation in Rd. The spline spaces associated with Voronoi splines have guaranteed approximation order and degree of continuity. By exploiting the geometric properties of Voronoi polytopes and zonotopes, we establish the relationship between Voronoi splines and box splines which are used for a closed-form characterization of the former. For Cartesian lattices, Voronoi splines coincide with tensor-product B-splines and for the 2-D hexagonal lattice, the proposed approach offers a reformulation of hex-splines in terms of multi-box splines. While the construction is for general multidimensional lattices, we particularly characterize bivariate and trivariate Voronoi splines for all 2-D and 3-D lattices and specifically study them for body centered cubic and face centered cubic lattices.
WOM-Code Solutions for Low Latency and High Endurance in Phase Change Memory

This paper describes a write-once-memory-code phase change memory (WOM-code PCM) architecture for next-generation non-volatile memory applications. Specifically, we address the long latency of the write operation in PCM—attributed to PCM SET—by proposing a novel PCM memory architecture that integrates the $\langle 2^2\rangle ^2/3$ WOM-code at the memory organization and memory controller levels. To further improve the write latency of WOM-code PCM, we propose a PCM-refresh approach that uses idle cycles to preemptively set PCM rows to the initial WOM-code state. Finally, to balance write latency improvements against WOM-code PCM overhead, we propose a WOM-code cached PCM (WCPCM) architecture that uses WOM-code PCM as the cache alongside conventional PCM main memory. Since WOM-code techniques inherently impact PCM endurance by increasing the number of bit-writes in comparison to unencoded PCM, we incorporate additional transitions from the $\langle 2^2\rangle ^2/3$ WOM-code transition graph to realize endurance-WOM-code (e-WOM-code) architectures. Transitions between the e-WOM-code states on writes to memory are integrated into an incremental coding for endurance (ICE) approach that exploits redundancies in the conventional WOM-code to reduce the number of bit-writes over unencoded PCM. Simulation results show that the proposed e-WOM-code PCM architecture is able to reduce memory write (read) latency by 19.8 percent (14.7 percent) and the number of bit-writes over unencoded PCM without (with) data-comparison write (DCW), a read-modify-write process that only updates changed cells, by 83.0 percent (22.1 percent) on average across general-purpose (SPEC CPU2006), embedded (MiBench), and high-performance (SPLASH-2) benchmarks. Further, e-WOM-code PCM with PCM-refresh can reduce memory write (read) latency by 51.5 percent (44.1 percent) and the number of bit-writes over unencoded PCM without DCW by 76.5 percent on average across the benchmarks; there is, however, an increase of 19 percent in the number of bit-writes over unencoded PCM with DCW. Finally, for just 4.7 percent memory overhead, the e-WOM-code cached PCM (e-WCPCM) architecture reduces memory write (read) latency by 47.5 percent (41.6 percent) and the number of bit-writes over unencoded PCM without DCW by 68.1 percent on average across the benchmarks; again, there is a 49 percent increase in the number of bit-writes over unencoded PCM with DCW.
Microbial Induced Ethylene Synthesis as a Possible Factor of Square Abscission and Stunting in Cotton Infested by Cotton Fleahopper

Excised terminal buds of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Stoneville 7A, infested with cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae), produced considerably more ethylene than noninfested controls. The insect itself did not produce any ethylene. A bacterium and 3 fungi were isolated from fleahopper-infested buds which were producing ethylene. Terminals inoculated with these micro-organisms in the absence of insects produced ethylene at rates equivalent to those obtained with a fleahopper infestation. It is postulated that the cotton fleahopper inoculates the buds with micro-organisms which promote ethylene production by the tissue, or produce ethylene themselves, or both. The ethylene so produced might contribute to the inhibition of internode elongation and the abscission of small flower buds which are associated with fleahoppers.
A falling sphere method for studying clotting in systems of purified blood components.

Summary1. To study the coagulation of the fibrinogen-thrombin system, a simple rapid method has been developed which measures the time required for the developing coagulum to stop the fall of a plastic bead in a glass tube containing the fibrinogen-thrombin mixture.2. The “clotting time” thus obtained, increases somewhat with the age of the thrombin and fibrinogen solutions.3. Kinetic studies of the coagulation process indicate that there is no change in viscosity for a considerable time after the mixing of thrombin and fibrinogen, but that this phase is followed by an abrupt increase in viscosity signifying coagulation of the system.4. The rate of clotting varies with thrombin concentration in a roughly linear fashion.
Colorimetric Detection of Azidothymidine Using an Alkyne-Modified Dextran Substrate

Monitoring the adherence of patients taking highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is a key step in treating an HIV infection, especially in resource-limited settings in the developing world. For most regimens, when patients are not at least 95% adherent to their drug schedule, there is a loss of effectiveness in treatment resulting in increases in health care costs, increases in the rate of transmission, and reduction of positive patient outcomes. Currently, subjective methods such as pill counting, electronic drug monitoring, and patient self-reporting are the only ways clinicians can track adherence and intervene in cases of noncompliance. We address this issue by developing a dipstick-based point-of-care azide–alkyne click chemistry assay with colorimetric read-out that directly tests for the presence of one common HAART drug in patient urine. An alkyne-modified dextran was synthesized and characterized by NMR and then used to colorimetrically report the presence of azidothymidine, an azide-cont...
Early Pregnancy Diagnosis with A-Mode Ultrasound

This study was designed to evaluate the A-mode technique and instrument for the purpose of diagnosing early pregnancy. The instrument used is an ultrasonic A-scope modified to emphasize larger differences in acoustical impedance. The modification was accomplished by altering the receiver amplification to present an exponential response. Previous animal work using a similar instrument has shown that in the non-pregnant animal a single echo is reflected from what is thought to be the uterine wall whereas in the pregnant animal, a large double echo, depending upon the duration of pregnancy, is recorded. 102 patients were examined. 77 were known to be pregnant, 25 were nonpregnant. Of the 77 known pregnant patients, 70 or 91% were diagnosed correctly as being pregnant, 7 were diagnosed as nonpregnant. Of the 25 nonpregnant patients, 19 or 76% were diagnosed correctly as nonpregnant and 6 were diagnosed incorrectly. The procedure is simple, easy, and not painful to the patient.
Java-based Multi-thread Application

Java provided the class and interface of the multi-thread, it can make the program parallel proceed, and improve the efficiency of executing program. This article describes the Java multi-thread knowledge and the method by the example, and give some items which must be noticed by user.The article provides some good advice for Java programmers.
Acceptance Test Measurements method of Air-Cooled Condensers Under Vacuum in the VGB Guideline

This paper introduces the VGB-R131Me guideline of accepting direct air-cooled condenser on test objective, boundary condition and measurement method. Taking the test of direct air-cooled condenser in Zhenhai turbine unit as example, the test method is explained in the paper. The VGB-R131Me specifications of testing procedure can instruct the testing technologists to evaluate the performance of the direct air-cooled system objective.
Design(ing) 'Here' and 'There': Tech Entrepreneurs, Global Markets, and Reflexivity in Design Processes

HCI shapes in important ways dominant notions of what counts as innovation and where (good) design is located. In this paper, we argue for the continuous expansion of the body of critical and reflexive work that asks both researcher and designer to reflect on their values of design in the world. Drawing from ethnographic research in Accra, Ghana and Shenzhen, China, we illustrate how design is as much about making artifacts as it is about producing national identity, reputation, and economic gain. Technology entrepreneurs take from and resist the discourse of their cities as emerging sites of Silicon-Valley type innovation. They render the narrative of "catching up with the west" overly simplistic, ahistorical and blind to situated practices of design. This view, we argue, is critical for interrogating our views of design especially as it becomes more central in the contemporary global economy.
Facial Expression Analysis as a Means for Additional Biometric Security in Recognition Systems

In the well explored domain of facial biometrics, methods which forgo traditional models of intruder detection can lead to a more robust system. One such method, which is outlined in this paper, is to utilize the movement of feature points over the course of an expression to make user authentication systems more secure. To do this, we developed a new algorithm, and used the process known as ranking, to describe facial expressions in a computationally cheap way. In our experiments, we performed 309,210 authentication attempts on 33 user profiles and achieved at best an error of only 3.4 %, with an average error of 33.28 %. Although such a system is not as accurate as common face biometric systems, we believe that this method can augment those systems to make them impervious to common attacks.
The Hemodynamics of Vacuum Constriction Erections: Assessment by Color Doppler Ultrasound

Duplex ultrasound with pulsed Doppler and color flow sonography were used to image the penis and conduct blood flow velocity studies in 5 patients. Cavernous body cross sectional area, cavernous artery diameters and peak systolic velocities were measured in the flaccid shaft, after transient exposure to negative pressure in a vacuum constriction device, and with a vacuum constriction device band applied to the tumescent shaft. We found that exposure to vacuum transiently increased central cavernous arterial blood flow velocities compared to baseline values in all patients. After a trial of a vacuum constriction device and application of the constricting band cavernous body cross sectional areas doubled. Despite increased cavernous arterial diameters in 4 of 5 patients and increased blood flow in all patients after vacuum-induced tumescence alone, we could not visualize arterial inflow in the penile shaft once the constricting band was in place. Color Doppler ultrasound can detect cavernous artery systolic flow as low as 2 to 9 cm. per second. Our data suggest that the erectile state maintained distal to the vacuum constriction device band is low flow and relatively ischemic.
Mechanism of the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase in vivo by disulfiram and diethyldithiocarbamate.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase in rat liver mitochondria and supernatant fluid has been assayed by following the rate of NADH production from NAD and aldehyde. Although it is known that disulfiram is a much more potent inhibitor in vitro of aldehyde dehydrogenase than diethyldithiocarbamate, the administration of either compound to rats brings about a decrease in enzyme activity in the livers of such animals. Very similar dose-response curves are obtained if it is assumed that diethyldithiocarbamate undergoes reoxidation to disulfiram in vivo . The decrease and return of activity of the supernatant and mitochondrial enzymes after disulfiram administration are identical in time course. The return of activity can be blocked by cycloheximide. These results indicate that disulfiram is an irreversible inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase in vivo .
Facts and fictions about megavitamin therapy.

An American physician wrote, “Quackery kills a large number of U.S. citizens each year than all the diseases it pretends to cure.” One might expect that this commentary of the times was written yesterday, but it wasn’t. It appeared in an 1861 issue of National Quarterly Review. Today, we are still inundated with health misinformation, quackery, gimmicks, Laetriles, and the latest rage—vitamin megadoses.
Avoidance of Dialysis in an End-Stage Renal Disease Patient Status-post Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Certain benefits are clearly associated with the use of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as compared with the on-pump CABG. The superiority is more evident in patients with multiple co morbidities including renal failure.We reviewed the medical records of a 67-year-old male with a past medical history that was significant for multiple cardiovascular diseases and new-onset end-stage renal disease. The case was suffering from dyspnea and work-up was suggestive of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure.During the hospital course, he developed end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis. Further cardiac evaluation presented three-vessel coronary artery disease. The patient underwent off-pump CABG. Post-operatively, the patient had minimal complications and did not receive hemodialysis for 53 days.Off-pump CABG has evident short-term benefits for patients with the end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, including possible improvement in cardiac function and avoidance of hemodialysis
Orbital order drives magnetic order in 5 d 1 and 5 d 2 double perovskite Mott insulators

We derive spin-orbital Hamiltonians for cubic double perovskite ${A}_{2}M{M}^{\ensuremath{'}}{\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ Mott insulators with $5{d}^{1}$ or $5{d}^{2}$ magnetic ${M}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ ions and nonmagnetic $M$ ions. We find that with strong spin-orbit coupling, exchange and intersite Coulomb repulsion lead to orbital order at a temperature ${T}_{o}$ higher than the magnetic ${T}_{c}$. Orbital order produces a $T$-dependent moment below ${T}_{o}$ and stabilizes canted ferromagnetic (FM) and noncollinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) states below ${T}_{c}$. We explain many experimental puzzles including loss of entropy above ${T}_{c}$, deviations from a Curie-Weiss susceptibility, a negative Curie-Weiss intercept for FM systems, and why FM order is common in cubic $5{d}^{1}$ materials but all $5{d}^{2}$ systems are AFM.
Book Review of ‘National Security and Double Government’

Michael Glennon has identified important and powerful truths about the structures and incentives of our national security institutions today. But his theory is (deliberately, one senses) stylized and, as a result, only partly correct. Agencies surely have wide powers, including certain responsibilities that Congress has assigned to them in statute. But the president has ample power and control as well. Recent policy developments implicating Iran, Israel, and Cuba have been led (in both appearance and reality) by the White House. Yet Glennon’s ability and willingness to put a sharp point on the difficulty of maintaining a balance of control between these institutional actors are refreshing, as is his honesty about the challenges of making changes to today’s technocratic U.S. government and re-energizing the body politic.
Commensal microbiota modulate gene expression in the skin

The skin harbors complex communities of resident microorganisms, yet little is known of their physiological roles and the molecular mechanisms that mediate cutaneous host-microbe interactions. Here, we profiled skin transcriptomes of mice reared in the presence and absence of microbiota to elucidate the range of pathways and functions modulated in the skin by the microbiota. A total of 2820 genes were differentially regulated in response to microbial colonization and were enriched in gene ontology (GO) terms related to the host-immune response and epidermal differentiation. Innate immune response genes and genes involved in cytokine activity were generally upregulated in response to microbiota and included genes encoding toll-like receptors, antimicrobial peptides, the complement cascade, and genes involved in IL-1 family cytokine signaling and homing of T cells. Our results also reveal a role for the microbiota in modulating epidermal differentiation and development, with differential expression of genes in the epidermal differentiation complex (EDC). Genes with correlated co-expression patterns were enriched in binding sites for the transcription factors Klf4, AP-1, and SP-1, all implicated as regulators of epidermal differentiation. Finally, we identified transcriptional signatures of microbial regulation common to both the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. With this foundational approach, we establish a critical resource for understanding the genome-wide implications of microbially mediated gene expression in the skin and emphasize prospective ways in which the microbiome contributes to skin health and disease.
Barriers to Providing Prehospital Care to Ischemic Stroke Patients: Predictors and Impact on Care.

IntroductionIschemic stroke treatment is time-sensitive, and barriers to providing prehospital care encountered by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers have been under-studied.Hypothesis/ProblemThis study described barriers to providing prehospital care, identified predictors of these barriers, and assessed the impact of these barriers on EMS on-scene time and administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the emergency department (ED). METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed using the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-S; American Heart Association [AHA]; Dallas, Texas USA) registry at two hospitals to identify ischemic stroke patients arriving by EMS. Variables were abstracted from prehospital and hospital medical records and merged with registry data. Barriers to care were grouped into themes. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of barriers to care, and bi-variate tests were used to assess differences in EMS on-scene time and the proportion of patients receiving tPA between patients with and without barriers. RESULTS Barriers to providing prehospital care were documented for 15.5% of patients: 29.6% related to access, 26.7% communication, 23.0% extrication and transportation, 20.0% refusal, and 14.1% assessment/management. Non-white and non-black race (OR: 3.69; 95% CI, 1.63-8.36) and living alone (OR: 1.53; 95% CI, 1.05-2.23) were associated with greater odds of barriers to providing care. The EMS on-scene time was ≥15 minutes for 70.4% of patients who had a barrier to care, compared with 49.0% of patients who did not (P<.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients who were administered tPA between those with and without barriers to care (14.1% vs 19.2%; P=.159). CONCLUSIONS Barriers to providing prehospital care were documented for a sizable proportion of ischemic stroke patients, with the majority related to patient access and communication, and occurred more frequently among non-white and non-black patients and those living alone. Although EMS on-scene time was longer for patients with barriers to care, the proportion of patients receiving tPA in the ED did not differ. LiT, CushmanJT, ShahMN, KellyAG, RichDQ, JonesCMC. Barriers to providing prehospital care to ischemic stroke patients: predictors and impact on care. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(5):501-507.
Comparative life cycle assessment of biomass utilization for electricity generation in the European Union and the United States

Abstract Biomass utilization is a strategy to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU) but bioenergy in the United States (US) is currently limited. As a result, biomass is increasingly exported from the US to the EU, but changes to the policy landscape are poised to alter this. This study utilizes Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess impacts of biomass transportation on bioenergy life cycle GHG emissions. Transportation modes considered include truck, train and sea freight and each are assessed at realistic distances expected in bioenergy supply chains. Emissions for biomass firing alone and co-firing with coal using wood chips and pellets are compared to a baseline coal-fired power plant. Results include life cycle emissions for each case, and sensitivity analysis is presented for variation in power plant efficiency and biomass heating value. A generalized model for estimation of bioenergy emissions is presented. In nearly all cases, biomass utilization for electricity production produces lower life cycle GHG emissions compared to the coal baseline, with emission reductions as high as 76%. Utilization in the US and EU have similar overall emissions at long US distances. Policy implications are discussed in the context of current US and EU policies.
‘Philanthropizing’ consent: how a private foundation pushed through national learning standards in Brazil

This article explores how the Base Nacional Comum Curricular (National Learning Standards), entered the policy debate in Brazil and became the most important reform initiative of the Ministry of Ed...
A Fuzzy Logic MPPT For Three-Phase Grid-Connected PV Inverter

This paper suggests an innovative method to control a grid tied PV system and ensure the pursuit tracking the maximum power point (MPPT) under varying irradiance condition. This method applies a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) at DC/DC stage. The various stages of the conception of this method are introduced and computed. The outcomes of this simulation are compared with those acquired by conventional technique which is incremental conductance IncCo. The simulation demonstrated the utility and advantage of FLC over conventional method in term of speed and precision.
The Antecedents of Interactive Loyalty

Brand loyalty towards video game consoles may have several antecedents. Gender, genre of video games and network externality may impact brand loyalty, mediated by perceptions of video game console brand personalities. This study investigated these relationships by conducting a principal component factor analysis and testing a structural equation model. The seventh generation of video game consoles was selected as the focal concept. The video game consoles examined included Nintendo’s Wii, Microsoft’s XBOX 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. The findings suggest that consumers perceive all video game consoles as competent in nature, and that genre has a tremendous impact upon brand loyalty, perceptions of brand personality as well as network externality. For brand managers and industry practitioners, this study provides demonstrates which variables may influence how consumers create brand personalities of video game consoles and cultivate loyalty toward them. This also furthers and introduces the concept of brand relationship theory into the video game industry.
Abstract P297: The Decline in Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption in Response to Dietary Nitrate is Eliminated With Concurrent Caffeine Intake

Introduction: Dietary nitrate has been shown to reduce submaximal oxygen consumption (VO2), but less is known about the changes to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). In contrast, caffe...
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Peanut Skin Extracts on COX-2 in Raw 264.7 Cells

Peanut skins have been regarded as a low economic waste by-product of the peanut industry but they contain high levels of bioactive compounds including catechins and procyanidins, which could benef...
Case 2: Newborn with Hemorrhagic Skin Reaction.

A female infant is born via emergent repeat cesarean section because of a maternal abruption. The mother is a 34-year-old woman whose history includes 3 prior preterm cesarean deliveries and polysubstance abuse with recent use of crack cocaine a few hours before delivery. The infant was born at 27 2/7 weeks weighing 920 g. After delivery, the infant had a spontaneous cry with poor tone, color, and respiratory effort. She was briefly given positive pressure ventilation and supported on continuous positive pressure ventilation. Apgar scores are 3 and 7 at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. Physical examination findings were unremarkable. She was placed in a plastic bag for thermoregulation and reduction of insensible water losses. As per routine procedure, she received erythromycin eye ointment and prophylaxis against hemorrhagic disease of the newborn with an intramuscular injection of 0.5 mg vitamin K in her upper left thigh (vastus lateralis muscle) using a 26-gauge, 5/8” needle approximately 90 minutes after birth. Intravenous access was established, and she was started on treatment with ampicillin and gentamicin for presumed early-onset sepsis. Her respiratory distress worsened, and she underwent endotracheal intubation with a 2.5-mm tube and was given 1 endotracheal dose of surfactant …
Microsurgical Nuances of Clipping a Large Thrombosed Aneurysm with Intraoperative Dome Incision and Ultrasonic Aspiration

We present the case of a 64-year-old male with a 5-day history of headaches. Magnetic resonance angiography revealed a 15 mm × 15 mm diameter aneurysm in the left middle cerebral artery arising in the region of the first branch of the middle cerebral artery−second branch of the middle cerebral artery (M2) bifurcation. Angiography revealed the lesion arose from the M2 vessel that contained a large amount of thrombus. Follow-up magnetic resonance angiography at 2 months revealed an enlargement of the lesion (16 mm × 17 mm), while a follow-up angiogram showed a decrease in the filling component of the lesion, suggesting further thrombosis. Given its rapid growth, endovascular and surgical options were considered and microsurgery was decided on. The aneurysm was accessed through the Sylvian fissure, and the M2 vessel was identified at the neck of the lesion where it entered and exited. We performed an intraaneurysmal thrombus evacuation to make the lesion clippable. 1 , 2 We used a No. 11 blade and opened the dome away from the neck. Through this 3- to 4-mm incision, we inserted the tip of the ultrasonic aspirator device and used it to evacuate the thrombus in a circumferential fashion. This allowed for wall-to-wall apposition when deploying the aneurysm clip. A Sugita 15-mm clip (Mizuho America Inc., Los Angeles, California, USA) was used to obliterate the lesion. Both microvascular ultrasound and intraoperative angiography were used to confirm patency and flow distal to the aneurysm. In Video 1 , we narrate the case and essential details of this approach. Neither Institutional Review Board nor patient consent was required to report this case with no identifiable patient information.
Cancer of unknown primary presenting as bone-predominant or lymph node-only disease: a clinicopathologic portrait

BACKGROUND Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) presenting as bone-predominant (BCUP) or lymph node-only disease (LNCUP) represents two clinically distinct subsets of nonvisceral CUP. These present a diagnostic challenge with a large differential of putative primary cancers and defy the "one-treatment-fits-all" approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified patients with BCUP (n = 29) and LNCUP (n = 63) using a prospectively collected CUP database and tumor registry of patients seen at MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2001 to 2017. Clinicopathological characteristics, treatments, and outcomes were abstracted. A control group of non-BCUP/LNCUP cases (n = 443) from the database was used for comparison. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival and compared using log-rank test. RESULTS In this cohort, 64% and 60% patients had disseminated disease at diagnosis and 39% and 23% had Culine poor-risk disease in BCUP and LNCUP, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) for BCUP was 14.5 months and for LNCUP was 32.6 months. For BCUP, gemcitabine plus platinum was the most common initial chemotherapy (54%). For LNCUP, carboplatin plus paclitaxel was the most common initial chemotherapy (38%). Radiation was given to 74% of patients with BCUP and 37% of those with LNCUP. On multivariate analysis, poor-risk Culine group (hazard ratio [HR], 1.76; p < .001) and high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (HR, 2.38, p < .001) were associated with worse OS. CONCLUSION BCUP and LNCUP are rare subsets within CUP with varying prognosis. Poor-risk Culine group and high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are associated with poor survival. Select patients with limited metastases can have long-term survival with aggressive multimodality treatment. Careful clinicopathological review can facilitate chances of site-directed therapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) rarely presents as bone-predominant (BCUP) or lymph node-only (LNCUP) disease. This article describes a cohort of each and compares with a larger CUP cohort. Patients with BCUP have unique issues with fractures and pain, often receiving radiation. Overall survival of 14.5 months was similar to a larger CUP comparison cohort. Patients with LNCUP had improved overall survival at 32.6 months, with longer survival in patients without disseminated disease. Culine poor-risk group and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were associated with worse overall survival. Tips regarding diagnosis and management of these rare malignant subsets are provided.
The Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on Insulin Sensitivity, Insulin Clearance, and Inflammation in Insulin-Resistant Adults: a Randomized Trial.

Aims Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has anti-inflammatory effects often employed in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. Observational studies have shown that patients treated with HCQ have a lower incidence of diabetes mellitus, suggesting metabolic effects that could be repurposed for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetes. However, the mechanism of action of HCQ on glucose metabolism has not been established. We sought to determine the effect of HCQ on skeletal muscle and liver insulin sensitivity, insulin clearance, inflammation, and adipokines. Methods Insulin-resistant adults without rheumatic disease were randomized to 13 weeks of HCQ (400 mg/d PO) vs. placebo (double-blinded). Primary outcomes were changes in skeletal muscle and liver insulin sensitivity assessed by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and stable-isotope tracer methods. Secondary outcomes included insulin clearance, inflammation biomarkers, and adipokines. Results Compared to placebo, HCQ significantly improved skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity by 26% (P=0.019) and enhanced systemic glucose clearance (P=0.025). In contrast, HCQ had no effect on hepatic insulin sensitivity. HCQ did not affect insulin clearance but decreased circulating IL-6 (P=0.01) and increased adiponectin (P=0.045). There were no effects on leptin, RBP-4, FGF-21, or c-reactive protein. Conclusions HCQ selectively enhances insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal in skeletal muscle, without affecting hepatic insulin sensitivity or insulin clearance. These findings offer a mechanistic explanation for the anti-diabetic properties of HCQ and suggest that this medication might be useful in conditions linked to insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Reflections on a Career

There are a number of ways I could give an account of my scholarship over the past thirty-five years. I could discuss the teachers, colleagues, students, and writings that have influenced me. I cou...
Contribution of a virtual magic camp to enhancing self-esteem in children with ADHD: A pilot study.

# Background Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been reported to experience low self-esteem. Magic, a performing art, when used therapeutically, has been shown to enhance self-esteem in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, there is a paucity of evaluation studies using this intervention applied to children with ADHD. # Purpose This single-group study aims to describe the effectiveness of a virtual summer magic camp program to enhance self-esteem in children and adolescents with ADHD. # Method Six children with ADHD, age 8.6-14.3 years, who participated in a virtual magic camp program for children with disabilities, were included in this study. The camp met 3 days a week, about 45 min to an hour each session, over four consecutive weeks for a total of 9 to 12 hours. Participants completed the assessments before the beginning of the camp and post-camp. In addition, participants and their parents were individually interviewed to explore their camp experience at the post-camp data point. # Results A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at post-magic camp, median=21.5, were significantly higher than the median ranks of the self-esteem scores at baseline, median=19.5, with *z*=2.23, *p*=.026. The effect size of the virtual magic camp on self-esteem was .64, which is considered moderate. Findings were validated by the participants describing gains in self-esteem after participation in the magic camp and by the parents’ statements regarding the positive impact on their child’s psychological well-being. # Discussion This study supported the hypothesis that children with ADHD who participated in a four-week virtual magic camp experienced enhanced self-esteem. Future studies should investigate the holistic impact of magic camps on children and adolescents with ADHD and include measures that tap into other psychosocial attributes such as social functioning, social skills, and self-efficacy.
Heterogeneous Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolution Network for Traffic Forecasting with Missing Values

Accurate traffic prediction is indispensable for intelligent traffic management. The availability of large-scale road sensing data collected by connected wireless sensors and mobile devices have provided unrealized potential for traffic prediction. However, sensory data is often incomplete due to various factors in the process of data acquisition and transmission. The missingness of traffic data brings a key challenge to the traffic prediction task since the state-of-the-art ML-based traffic prediction models (e.g., Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN)) often rely on spatial and temporal completion of the data. Moreover, existing GCN-based methods usually build a static graph based on geographical distances and are limited in their ability to capture the time-evolving relationships amongst road segments. In this paper, we develop a heterogeneous spatio-temporal prediction framework for traffic prediction using incomplete historical data. In the framework, we build multiple graphs to explicitly model the dynamic correlations among road segments from both geographical and historical aspects, and employ recurrent neural networks to capture temporal correlations for each road segment. We impute missing values in a recurrent process, which is seamlessly embedded in the prediction framework so they can be jointly trained. The proposed framework is evaluated on a public dataset of static sensors and a private dataset collected by our roving sensor system. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed framework compared to state-of-the-art methods, and indicate the potential to be deployed into real-world traffic prediction systems.
Incidence of strains producing extended spectrum β-lactamases in Argentina

The incidence of strains producing transferable β-lactamases capable of hydrolyzing third generation cephalosporins or aminothiazole-oximino substituted monobactams in five Buenos Aires hospitals during a four month period was studied. These enzymes were categorized by 1) MIC ≥ 1 mg/l for third generation cephalosporins; 2) MIC < 0.06 mg/l for third generation cephalosporins combined with clavulanic acid or sulbactam; 3) sensitivity to imipenem or cephamycins (excluding permeability mutants); and 4) transferable resistance by conjugation. β-lactamases hydrolyzing aminothiazole-oximino substituted monobactams were produced by 17.2% of Enterobacteriaceae from intensive care unit patients; 3.6% from inpatients of other units and 1.2% from outpatients. Producers were mainlyKlebsiella spp. (45/46) resistant to aminoglycosides (most of them AAC 3′ — AAC 6′ producers). Three strains had a an isoelectric point of 6.0, two of 6.5 and three of 7.7. TEM-1 β-lactamase (isoelectric point 5.4) was detected in 6/8 strains. An inocolum effect was observed in 40/46 strains. AKlebsiella pneumoniae strain preserved since 1982 also produced a transferable β-lactamase hydrolyzing aminothiazole-oximino substituted monobactams.
Parametric Down Conversion

Parametric down conversion, the spontaneous decay of single photons into highly correlated pairs, is the prime example of quantum optics with x-rays. The effect is very weak, with a cross section of the order of 10-9 of the Thomson scattering cross section. A number of experiments to demonstrate the effect and their results are described here.
Echinococcosis: A brief review

Echinococcosis (hydatid disease) is the infection of humans by the larval stages of taeniid cestodes of the genus Echinococcus. Three species of public health importance, Echinococcus granulosus , E. multilocularis, and E. vogeli respectively, cause cystic, alveolar and polycystic echinococcosis respectively, and are the subject of this review. Several studies have shown that these diseases are an increasing public health concern and that both can be regarded as emerging or re-emerging diseases. In this review, we discuss aspects of their biology, life cycle, etiology, distribution, and transmission of the Echinococcus organisms, and the epidemiology, clinical features, treatment, and effect of improved diagnosis of the diseases they cause. New sensitive and specific diagnostic methods and effective therapeutic approaches against echinococcosis have been developed in the last 10 years. Despite some progress in the control of echinococcosis, this zoonosis continues to be a major public health problem in several countries and in several others; it constitutes an emerging and re-emerging disease.