cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why model malaria

The past 30 years have seen little tangible progress in alleviating the worldwide burden of malaria. Ellis McKenzie here discusses some of the history, problems and prospects of mathematical models of malaria, and the contributions that models might make towards progress. He argues that models can be powerful tools for integrating information from different disciplines, and that advances in computer modeling can complement and extend classic approaches.
Benzocaine Diffusion from Polyethylene Glycol through Human Stratum Corneum

The diffusion, penetration, and surface effects of benzocaine incorporated in various polyethylene glycol ointment bases through human stratum corneum were studied. Benzocaine diffusion was measured by following the benzocaine concentration in the receiving compartment of a diffusion cell. The ointment was placed in the other cell compartment and was separated from the receiving compartment by sheets of human stratum corneum. Surface effects were monitored by scanning electron micrographs of the stratum corneum. Results showed a decrease in drug diffusion in the presence of relatively high amounts of the lower molecular weight portions of polyethylene glycol. Scanning electron microscope studies showed that both benzocaine and polyethylene glycol affect the surface structure of the stratum corneum. Thermal analysis indicated that benzocaine dissolves in polyethylene glycol.
The Importance of Relationship Timing for Diffusion

Relationship timing can have dramatic effects on diffusion through a network, as relationship order determines transmission routes. Though past research has modeled diffusion through static networks or developed methods for modeling change in network patterns, none has combined these factors to show how relationship change channels diffusion. This article formalizes the diffusion problem in networks with changing relations, identifies minimal bounds needed to measure diffusion potential in such networks, and provides a method for identifying who is at risk for diffusion. The effect of timing for diffusion potential is demonstrated with potential flow of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in an adolescent romantic network.
Associations among Selection Logging History, Brook Trout, Macroinvertebrates, and Habitat in Northern Michigan Headwater Streams

Abstract Selection logging is a dominant forest management technique in mixed-hardwood forests of the Laurentian Great Lakes region, yet little is known about its potential effects on neighboring streams and their communities. We surveyed nine headwater streams of the Otter River watershed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for which the adjacent forest had undergone selection logging in the previous 2 to 30 years to examine whether the abundance of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis was related to the logging history, stream habitat conditions, or aquatic macroinvertebrate composition. Mean abundances of age-1 and older brook trout were estimated by electrofishing replicate 100-m sections of each stream in 1999 and 2000. Aquatic macroinvertebrates were surveyed in 1999, and stream habitat was surveyed in 2000. Correlation models showed that brook trout density and biomass were substantially lower in streams bordering more recently logged forests. Brook trout abundance was also positively correlated with the re...
The spectrum of extrahepatic manifestations in hepatitis C virus infection

Infection with the hepatitis C virus affects not only the liver but also non-hepatic tissues and may combine with many unrelated diseases and morbid conditions. A number of extrahepatic manifestations have already been recognized. For some of the extrahepatic disorders their association with HCV infection is well established while for others it remains probable or weak. Here, emphasis is given to the well-established extrahepatic manifestations of mixed cryoglobulinaemia, thyroid abnormalities and lichen planus as well as to the newly recognized association with diabetes mellitus, thrombocytopenia and the antiphospholipid syndrome. Pathogenetic mechanisms of extrahepatic and autoimmune features in HCV infection are still unclear and therapeutic decisions in such conditions are difficult. Data on the efficacy and side-effects of therapy with interferon-alpha and corticosteroids are reviewed and some practical guidelines for treatment are given.
Discrete-event simulation on the World Wide Web using Java

This paper introduces Simkit, a small set of Java classes for creating discrete event simulation models. Simkit may be used to either implement stand-alone models or Web page applets. Exploiting network capabilities of Java, the lingua franca of the World Wide Web (WWW), Simkit models can easily be implemented as applets and executed in a Web browser. Java's graphical capabilities enable the rapid development of intuitive user interfaces. Java's use of in terpreted bytecodes, while imposing a performance penalty, enable development of platform-independent models. The language's inherent internet-awareness make other possibilities, such as distributed simulation, much easier to implement.
Multidetector-row computed tomography to detect coronary artery disease: the importance of heart rate

Atherosclerosis resulting in coronary heart disease is a potentially preventable cause of death. Early non-invasive detection of unstable plaques in the coronary arteries may identify patients at risk for myocardial infarction, who can be aggressively treated to prevent cardiac events. The recent development of high-resolution 64-row CT scanners allows non-invasive high-quality visualization of � 90% of the segments of coronary arteries within a few seconds. In addition, calcified, fibrous, and lipid-laden plaques can be differentiated. Strategies to optimize multidetectorrow computed tomography (MDCT) imaging include careful choice of the reconstruction time point in the cardiac cycle, optimum contrast enhancement, and control of heart rate. When heart rate is .65 b.p.m., motion artifacts may compromise image quality. Thus, use of beta-blockers is recommended to control heart rate. Heart rate may also be slower and more consistent when a non-ionic, dimeric, iso-osmolar contrast medium (CM) rather than a hyper-osmolar ionic CM is used for image enhancement. When properly performed, advantages of MDCT for assessing coronary arteries include speed, information on the composition of atherosclerotic plaques, and no need for arterial access or hospitalization. Moreover, unlike angiography, MDCT can assess multiple potential causes of chest pain (heart attack, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection) simultaneously.
A 1.8 A resolution potential function for protein folding.

SYNOPSIS A general method is presented for constructing a potential function for approximate conformational calculations on globular proteins. The method involves solving a nonlinear program that seeks to adjust the potential's parameters in such a way that a minimum near the native remains a minimum and does not move far away, while any alternative minima shift so as to remain local minima hut eventually rise higher than the level of the near-native minimum. Although the potential trades computational speed for detail by representing each amino acid residue as only a single point, correct secondary structural preferences and reasonable tertiary folding can be built into the potential in an entirely routine way. The potential has been parameterized to agree with the crystal structure of avian pancreatic polypeptide (having 36 residues) in the sense that the lowest minimum found (-407 arbitrary units) is reasonably close to the native ( 1.8 f% rms interresidue distance deviation ) . In contrast, the lowest nonnative conformation found after extensive searches by a variety of methods was -399 units and 7.5 f% away. Such potentials may prove to be useful in predicting approximate tertiary structure from amino acid sequence, if they can be generalized to apply to more than one protein.
Tribe: Chimeric or Polymorphic?

The essay is an attempt to circumscribe the commonly used concept of tribe by anthropologists. History has shown that, either through conquest or contact, the term has been equivalent to "The Other." The most satisfactory approach to the concept has been offered by Morton H. Fried. His perspective is that all tribes are creations of a more politically powerful entity, viz., the state. However, Fried himself has not succeeded in finding a suitable substitute for "tribe," which is essentially a derisive term, in that he concludes that all such units are "secondary tribes."
Mechanisms of vasoactive intestinal peptide release in short-term culture of vasoactive intestinal peptide-producing tumor.

Abstract Vasoactive intestinal peptide-producing tumor tissue fragments obtained at surgery were maintained in short-term culture. Functional cellular integrity of vasoactive intestinal peptide-producing tumor tissue was reflected by progressive protein synthesis and the ability of tumor tissue to release vasoactive intestinal peptide when stimulated by the intracellular second messengers cyclic adenosine monophosphate and calcium. Studies with verapamil and ethyleneglycol- bis (β-aminoethyrether)- N,N′ -tetraacetic acid suggest that cyclic nucleotide- and ionophore A23187-mediated vasoactive intestinal peptide release are dependent, at least in part, upon the availability and transmembrane transport of extracellular calcium.
Nuclear Imaging in Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in men and women accounting for 34.3% (1 of every 2.9) deaths in the US in 2006 [1]. Noninvasive imaging techniques of echocardiography, nuclear imaging, cardiac CT, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging have played a major role in the evaluation and management of patients with ischemic heart disease. This chapter will focus on the role of nuclear imaging techniques in the evaluation of ischemic heart disease. We will discuss the clinical applications of the most commonly used nuclear imaging techniques of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected stable coronary artery disease (CAD), acute chest pain and acute coronary syndromes (ACS) (NSTEMI and STEMI), and chronic heart failure.
Dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI measures of relative cerebral blood volume continue to show promise as an early response marker in the setting of bevacizumab treatment

We read with interest Whitney Pope's recent editorial1 in Neuro-Oncology on the paper by Kickingereder et al2 addressing the utility of relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) derived from susceptibility-contrast perfusion-weighted MRI for determining therapeutic response in bevacizumab-treated recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Kickingereder and Pope contend that although pretreatment rCBV may be a predictive marker of overall survival (OS), there is no evidence supporting post-bevacizumab change in rCBV from baseline as an early response marker. We caution against premature dismissal of rCBV change as an early predictor of treatment response.
Managing in Crises: “Legitimacy” in Business and Academic Corporations

A spate of books on universities and the late sixties have served well to remind us of the innumerable issues the joinings of which culminated, by 1968, in very militant demonstrations that rocked campuses from Berkeley to Cambridge. A few issues at Columbia, a subject of this paper, were local—the proposed construction of a segregated gymnasium in Morningside Park in West Harlem that would admit only Columbia’s tenants several hundred feet above the park, on Morningside Drive, marked a particularly touchy version of “town and gown problems.” Most of a congeries of other issues involving our horrors in Vietnam, defense-related research, wider-ranging interracial matters, “the draft,” “sexism,” the patronizing attitudes toward students concerned with the “relevance” of established curricula by universities’ leaders, and the “commodification” of educational credentials, were among the common controversial topics over which angry and clamorous debates were organized on many campuses. The radicals’ buzzword of the times was “the system” and its dominance by the “elites” in Big Business, Big Labor, and Big Government.
Advances in Blood Cell Labeling: Pretargeting

The high sensitivity and specificity of the 111In labeled WBC method make it the “gold standard” against which all the new methods must be measured. However the 111In WBC method requires laborious separation, labeling and reinjection of 111In oxine labeled autologous leukocytes. With the increasing incidence of AIDS there is now the possibility of misadministration of HIV infected cells with disastrous consequences. Radiation exposure from a diagnostic misadministration pales into insignificance by comparison. There is also a small but finite chance of self-infection from a needle stick. These reasons, along with simplicity, are all persuasive arguments for the continued development of kit preparations wherever possible. Thus new approaches amenable to kit formulations, such as human polyclonal immuno-globulin and anti-leukocyte MABsa labeled with either 99mTc or 111In are very attractive alternatives.
IRRATIONALITY AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL LOCUS OF CONTROL

Correlations between irrationality as measured by the Common Belief Survey, and locus of control, as measured by Levenson's locus of control scale, were small though significant among 49 male and 89 female college students. The Common Belief Survey was also correlated with sex. The need for further validation of the Common Belief Survey was discussed.
Triple catheter aortoiliac angioplasty in a patient with a horseshoe kidney: technical note.

A method is described for protecting a nonstenotic anomalous artery to the left-lower pole of a horseshoe kidney that originated from a stenotic left common iliac artery. Using a triple catheter technique, injury to this anomalous renal artery was prevented while using “kissing balloons” to dilate bilateral proximal common iliac artery stenoses.
Automating a Massive Online Course with Cluster Computing

Before massive numbers of students can take online courses for college credit, the challenges of providing tutoring support, answers to student-posed questions, and the control of cheating will need to be addressed. These challenges are taken up here by developing an online course delivery system that runs in a cluster computing environment and is designed to support the delivery of a course having 10K or more students. This delivery system enhances synchronous and asynchronous lectures, provides an online intelligent tutoring system, and detects plagiarism. The free software system is shown to provide fast response times when run on a mid-range cluster computer. The system's automatic plagiarism detection system is shown to be able to detect multiple authors of course assignments when used to analyze the work of actual online students. Use of this system on a large scale would allow most colleges to reduce their faculty size by 20 to 40%.
Ultrafiltration fouling reduction with the pilot-scale application of ozone preceding coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation for surface water treatment

AbstractAn ultrafiltration (UF) membrane process integrating ozone oxidation prior to a coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation (CFS) pretreatment configuration processing surface water has been evaluated at the pilot-scale. Unlike prior research limited to short-term bench-scale evaluations, this current study provides information regarding the application of ozone oxidation prior to a CFS-UF pilot process operating over a four-month period (2,800 pilot runtime hours). In this work, changes in the long-term fouling behavior of the UF membrane process in response to the application of ozone prior to CFS pretreatment were characterized using fouling indices. When an average of 2.5 mg L−1 of ozone was applied prior to coagulation requiring 27 mg L−1 of polyaluminum chloride and a UF operating water flux of 85 L h−1 m−2, the chemically reversible and hydraulically irreversible fouling indices increased by 59 and 40%, respectively. A reduction of chemically irreversible fouling concomitant with a continu...
Characteristics and High Yield Cultivation Techniques by Machine Transplantation of Super Rice Yangjing 4227

The characteristics of super rice Yangjing 4227 were described,high yield cultivation techniques were summarized from sowing,wheat straw returning to field,transplant,watering,fertilizer application,pest control etc,so as to promote the promotion of the variety.
The investigation of pathogenic bacteria in diarrhea patients in Beijing in Summer and Autumn

Objective:To learn about the composition of pathogenic bacteria in intestinal disease in Beijing,and improve the prevention and control of intestinal disease.Methods: The stool specimens of diarrhea patients that meet the definition of diarrhea were collected from Diarrhoeal diseases outpatient service of 13 hospitals above grade II in 6 districts during April to October in 2010 for pathogen detection and statistical description and analysis.Results: There were 2024 specimens involved in the laboratory experiments and the positive rate was 22.0%(445/2024).Shigella was the main bacterial strain whose proportion was 42.2%(188/445),the second was Vibrio parahemolyticus whose proportion was 30.6%(136/445).The positive rate of Vibrio parahemolyticus in outskirts was high.The incidence peak months of Vibrio parahemolyticus and Shigella were August and September,and the children and young and middle-aged people were more susceptible to intestinal disease.Conclusion: Shigella and Vibrio parahemolyticus were the main pathogens of diarrhea in Beijing in 2010.One of the most important methods to reduce the outbreak of diarrhea is to strengthen the health supervision of marine food products and omophagia in summer and autumn and popularize the health diet knowledge.
TheoryOn: Designing a Construct-Based Search Engine to Reduce Information Overload for Behavioral Science Research

The accumulated literature base in the behavioral sciences represents a great source of knowledge on human behaviors, and yet the same literature has grown beyond human comprehension. We address this information overload problem by proposing a novel IT artifact --- TheoryOn. Based on the design science paradigm, we identify five design requirements. We first adapt the ontology learning layer cake framework to develop a four-step process --- hypothesis extraction, construct extraction, construct relationship extraction and theory extraction --- to automatically extract integral "parts" of behavioral theories. We then design four functionalities allowing researchers to quickly access synonymous constructs, construct relationships and theoretically related constructs e.g. antecedents and consequents, as well as integrate related theories. To illustrate the applicability and usefulness, we use a dataset of all the relevant behavioral studies from three top journals in Information Systems and Psychology and conduct an A/B test between the prototype TheoryOn system and the EBSCOhost full-text search engine.
A Few Transparent Liars Explaining 54% Accuracy in Deception Detection Experiments

Deception detection experiments consistently find that people are statistically significantly, but only slightly, better than chance. The stability of this finding and the lack of variance in judge ability are at odds with current and classic deception theory that explains accuracy in terms of message recipient’s ability to spot leaked deception cues. An alternative explanation based on limited variance in message source transparency provides a more coherent account of deception detection findings and has important implications for past and future deception theory.
Antibody depletion strategy for the treatment of suspected antibody‐mediated rejection in lung transplant recipients: Does it work?

Background Donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) after lung transplantation correlate with poor outcomes. The ideal treatment strategy for antibody-mediated rejection AMR is not defined. Our institution implemented an aggressive multimodality protocol for the treatment of suspected AMR. Methods Lung transplant recipients with suspected AMR were treated with a standardized protocol of plasma exchange, steroids, bortezomib, rituximab, and intravenous immune globulin. Primary outcome was DSA clearance at 6 months in those alive. Secondary endpoints included preserved allograft function at 6 months, survival at 6 and 12 months and complications due to the protocol. Results Sixteen lung transplant recipients with documented DSA and allograft dysfunction were included in the analysis. Of the 16 patients, 11 survived to 6 months. Three of those 11 patients (27%) cleared all DSAs within 6 months of the protocol. Four of the 11 patients (36%) had preserved allograft function at 6 months. Overall 12-month patient survival was 56%. Complications included thrombocytopenia (50%) and abdominal pain or gastrointestinal discomfort (18.7%). Conclusions This multimodality protocol resulted in clearance of DSAs and preserved lung function in a minority of lung transplant recipients with suspected AMR surviving to 6 months after therapy. There were significant side effects of the protocol.
Optimal gestational weight gain: prepregnancy BMI specific influences on adverse pregnancy and infant health outcomes

Optimal gestational weight gain: prepregnancy BMI specific influences on adverse pregnancy and infant health outcomes
Protein biomarkers associated with primary graft dysfunction following lung transplantation.

Severe primary graft dysfunction affects 15–20% of lung transplant recipients and carries a high mortality risk. In addition to known donor, recipient, and perioperative clinical risk factors, numerous biologic factors are thought to contribute to primary graft dysfunction. Our current understanding of the pathogenesis of lung injury and primary graft dysfunction emphasizes multiple pathways leading to lung endothelial and epithelial injury. Protein biomarkers specific to these pathways can be measured in the plasma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and lung tissue. Clarification of the pathophysiology and timing of primary graft dysfunction could illuminate predictors of dysfunction, allowing for better risk stratification, earlier identification of susceptible recipients, and development of targeted therapies. Here, we review much of what has been learned about the association of protein biomarkers with primary graft dysfunction and evaluate this association at different measurement time points.
Why You Can't Teach United States History without American Indians. Edited by Susan Sleeper-Smith, Juliana Barr, Jean M. O’Brien, Nancy Shoemaker, and Scott Manning Stevens. (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2015. Pp. xii, 335. $29.95.)

Thirty years ago, the D'Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian at the Newberry Library sponsored three conferences focusing on ways to help instructors incorporate Native Ameri...
Energizing Community Health Improvement: The Promise of Microgrants

BACKGROUND The Healthy Carolinians community microgrants project provided microgrants to community-based organizations (CBOs) across North Carolina. These grants were made to serve as a catalyst to engage the CBOs in health promotion activities that addressed Healthy People 2010 objectives. The purpose of this initiative was to increase the awareness of Healthy People 2010 objectives, mobilize resources, and create new partners in community health improvement. CONTEXT In 1993, Healthy Carolinians, a statewide network of public-private partnerships, was established at the county level to address North Carolina's health objectives that aligned with national Healthy People 2010 objectives. This network of Healthy Carolinians partnerships provided the vehicle for distributing the microgrants. METHODS Funding was distributed to 32 Healthy Carolinians partnerships that, in turn, awarded 199 microgrants (2010 dollars each) to CBOs to address state and national health objectives. Each CBO selected its own objectives based on Healthy People 2010 objectives and designed its own interventions. Surveys of the CBO project managers and final reports were used for evaluation. A survey of the Healthy Carolinians partnership coordinators provided additional insight. CONSEQUENCES Of the 199 surveys mailed to CBOs, 153 (77%) responded. Nearly half (43.7%) of the microgrants were used to focus on three major health risk factors: 27.1% on physical activity and fitness, 13.1% on nutrition and overweight, and 3.5% on tobacco use. At the end of the project, 96.1% of the respondents reported that they were familiar with the Healthy People 2010 objectives. Final reports showed that an estimated 52,739 hours of CBO staff and volunteer time were contributed to microgrant programs. All Healthy Carolinians partnership coordinators responded to a survey; 100% stated that they had new access to priority populations within their community. INTERPRETATION The Healthy Carolinians microgrant project demonstrated a cost-effective, alternative approach to funding community-based health promotion and injury control activities. This model was decentralized, so it empowered communities and CBOs to be responsible for community health improvement. Public health professionals with limited funds should consider this alternative approach, which mobilized existing community organizations and effectively addressed national and state health objectives.
Stokes flow for a shrinking pore

We consider a sphere with a circular pore embedded in an unbounded viscous fluid, where the rim of the pore moves in such a way that the radius of the sphere is constant. Away from the pore, the surface area stretches or compresses uniformly. An exact form for the axisymmetric velocity field which describes the quasi-static motion of the bulk fluid is calculated. The resulting dissipation function yields an analytical value for the aqueous drag coefficient for the sphere with a shrinking pore. Additionally, we examine the small hole and small angle limits, which converge to the unsteady flow for the expansion of a hole in a plane wall, and for the contraction of a circular disk.
False memories for morphologically simple versus complex words in English

In tasks such as lexical decision, people respond differently to morphologically complex words compared to morphologically simple ones (e.g. in English, lies vs. rise ). These divergent responses could conceivably arise from differences in activation levels, or alternatively, from the additional steps required to decompose complex words. To investigate this issue, we used the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, which probes activation of lexical representations by measuring the probability of recalling or recognizing a word (such as lies ) after listening to a list of its phonological neighbors (such as wise , lose, lime , etc.). Our results showed a significant false memory effect for complex words, which demonstrates that similar-sounding words can activate representations for stem-plus-affix combinations. Our results also showed no significant difference between false memory rates for complex versus simple words, which suggests that complex stem-plus-affix representations activate at levels equivalent to those of simple stem representations. These findings indicate that differences in activation level probably do not lie at the source of divergent responses to complex and simple words, and that decomposition is the more likely origin.
Impact of 4 weeks of interval training on resting metabolic rate, fitness, and health-related outcomes.

Resting metabolic rate (RMR) and substrate oxidation (respiratory exchange ratio; RER) are important indicators of health. The effects of interval training on RMR have not been thoroughly investiga...
High-precision, accurate optical frequency reference using a Fabry-Perót diode laser

We show that the optical output of a temperature and current-tuned Fabry–Perot diode laser system, with no external optical feedback and in which the frequency is locked to Doppler-free hyperfine resonances of the 87Rb D2 line, can achieve high frequency stability and accuracy. Experimental results are presented for the spectral linewidth, frequency stability, and frequency accuracy of the source. Although our optical source is limited by a short-term spectral linewidth greater than 2 MHz, beat signal measurements from two such sources demonstrate a frequency stability of 1.1 kHz, or minimum Allan deviation of 4×10−12, at an integration time τ=15 s and with a frequency accuracy of 60 kHz at τ=300 s. We demonstrate the use of the optical source for the precision measurement of hyperfine level frequency spacings in the 5P3∕2 excited state of 87Rb and provide an accurate frequency scale for optical spectroscopy.
Cost-Utility of Evaluation for Posterior Vitreous Detachment and Prophylaxis of Retinal Detachment

Purpose To evaluate the costs and cost-utility of examination for posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and treatment of associated pathology, and of managing various other peripheral retinal disorders to prevent retinal detachment (RD). Design A decision analysis model of cost-utility. Participants There were no participants. Methods Published retrospective data on the natural course of PVD, retinal tears, and lattice degeneration were used to quantitate the visual benefits of examination and treatment. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services data were used to calculate associated modeled costs in a hospital/facility–based and nonfacility/ambulatory surgical center (ASC)–based setting. Published standards of utility for a given level of visual acuity were used to derive costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Main Outcome Measures Cost of evaluation and treatment, utility of defined health states, QALY, and cost per QALY. Results The modeled cost of evaluation of a patient with PVD and treatment of associated pathology in the facility/hospital (nonfacility/ASC)–based setting was $65 to $190 ($25–$71) depending on whether a single or 2-examination protocol was used. The cost per QALY saved was $255 to $638/QALY ($100–$239/QALY). Treatment of a symptomatic horseshoe tear resulted in a net cost savings of $1749 ($1314) and improved utility, whereas treatment of an asymptomatic horseshoe tear resulted in $2981/QALY ($1436/QALY). Treatment of asymptomatic lattice degeneration in an eye in which the fellow eye had a history of RD resulted in $4414/QALY ($2187/QALY). Conclusions Evaluation and management of incident acute PVD (and symptomatic horseshoe tears) offer a low cost and a favorable cost-utility (low $/QALY) as a result of the minimization of the cost and morbidity associated with the development of RD, thus justifying current practice standards.
The Compressive Strengths of Some Technical Metals Between 4.2° and 300°K

A hydraulic press (see Figure 1) which was constructed for high pressure work in the liquid helium temperature region has been utilized to obtain compressive testing data as a function of temperature for hot rolled 1020 steel, a pure iron, and several stainless steels.1 The lower end of the press could be placed in baths of liquid helium or nitrogen, or by using a special cryostat, the temperature of the sample could be held as long as desired at any temperature between 4.2 K and room temperature. The set-up was more convenient when used as a dead-weight tester since the pressure in the low friction hydraulic head was determined directly by using a free piston gauge, and pressures were varied by changing the weights on the piston of the gauge. Changes in sample length were obtained from the motion of a hairline on the room temperature end of the press piston using a micrometer telescope. Corrections were applied for the stretch of the support members and for the friction in the hydraulic head.
Catalytically Initiated Gel-in-Gel Printing of Composite Hydrogels.

Herein, we describe a method to 3D print robust hydrogels and hydrogel composites via gel-in-gel 3D printing with catalytically activated polymerization to induce cross-linking. A polymerizable shear-thinning hydrogel ink with tetramethylethylenediamine as catalyst was directly extruded into a shear-thinning hydrogel support bath with ammonium persulfate as initiator in a pattern-wise manner. When the two gels came into contact, the free radicals generated by the catalyst initiated the free-radical polymerization of the hydrogel ink. Unlike photocuring, a catalyst-initiated polymerization is suitable for printing hydrogel composites of varying opacity, since it does not depend upon light penetration through the sample. The hydrogel support bath also exhibited a temperature-responsive behavior in which the gel “melted” upon cooling below 16 °C. Therefore, the printed object was easily removed by cooling the gel to a liquid state. Hydrogel composites with graphene oxide and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWC...
Paradoxical Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Trust in Inpatient and Community Adolescents

Research suggests that oxytocin, a neuropeptide implicated in attachment, is a promising clinical tool because it increases affiliation and attachment behaviors, which are reduced in a range of psy...
Highly conductive metal gate fill integration solution for extremely scaled RMG stack for 5 nm & beyond

This paper describes replacement-metal-gate (RMG) fill integration solutions with a cobalt-reflow process combined with a thin barrier layer for future node FinFET and gate-all-around technology. As CMOS scaling continues, the conventional tungsten CVD for RMG runs out of room to fill in a scaled gate trench. The lack of low resistivity W fill causes gate conductance degradation and negatively impacts CMOS performance. A unique Co-fill process combined with scaled barrier thickness is proposed as a new RMG solution. The Co fill significantly improves gate conductance at sub-15nm CD by seam-free gap fill and low resistivity, while achieving target threshold voltage.
Another Definition of Independence

(1971). Another Definition of Independence. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 196-197.
Cell Wall-Associated Proteinases of Coccidioides Immitis

Coccidioides immitis is the causative agent of a human respiratory disease known as coccidioidomycosis (’cocci’ or valley fever), which is characterized by a multiplicity of clinical forms. Approximately 100,000 cases of this fungal disease are diagnosed annually in the United States, primarily on the basis of serological tests (Cole et al., 1990). Results of clinical studies of coccidioidomycosis have suggested that underlying immunological illnesses are not prerequisite to infection. On the other hand, immunocompromised patients such as those diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who have previously lived or currently reside in endemic areas have been reported to contract symptomatic coccidioidomycosis at an unpredicted high annual frequency (27%; Bronnimann et al., 1987). A large percentage of these cases may represent reactivation of an old infection. C. immitis is apparently able to persist in body organs in the absence of overt illness. The nature of this persistent form of the pathogen in host tissue is not known.
Common genitourinary catheters: a systematic approach for the radiologist

Catheters are commonly used to treat and diagnose urinary tract abnormalities in the pediatric population. This pictorial essay reviews commonly placed genitourinary catheters imaged by radiography, fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US). The purpose of the catheter, how the catheter is placed, and the imaging findings associated with appropriately positioned catheters as well as misplaced and displaced catheters are described. It is important for radiologists to recognize common genitourinary catheters, and be familiar with their normal and abnormal positions as displacement is often first recognized by diagnostic imaging.
Inhibitor of lysyl oxidase improves cardiac function and the collagen/MMP profile in response to volume overload.

Although the primary role of lysyl oxidase (LOX) is to cross-link collagens, we found that elevated LOX during cardiac disease plays a key role in the progression of heart failure. Here, we show th...
Thermodynamic strategies for rational protein and drug design.

The rapidly increasing availability of high-resolution protein structures from X-ray crystallography and multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) opens the possibility of using structural information in the design of proteins and Pharmaceuticals. A prerequisite to structure-based design strategies is understanding which features dictate the energetics of stabilization of that structure. Recently, we have shown that it is possible to predict rather accurately the energetics of folding of a globular protein, if its crystal structure is known, using a semiempirically derived set of structural energetic parameters (Murphy et al., 1992; Murphy and Freire, 1992). This approach also shows promise for predicting the energetics of binding of peptides and proteins (Murphy et al., 1993, 1995). In this chapter we will review the structural energetic analysis and the implications of this analysis regarding the general energetic features of assembly processes that bear upon the rational design of proteins and drugs. A structural energetic analysis can be envisioned as part of an overall scheme of rational protein or drug design as shown schematically in Fig. 1.
Blood-Tissue Exchange Modelling

This chapter provides a description of blood–tissue exchange at the organ level, in particular the elementary steps of transcapillary exchange, transport through the cell membrane, and intracellular metabolism. It is shown that the most suitable experimental technique for quantitation is the multiple indicator dilution technique, which provides tracer data that requires interpretation using model-based techniques. The most important blood–tissue exchange models are distributed parameter models, although in some circumstances lumped, compartmental approaches may be adopted. The two major distributed modelling strategies are reviewed in detail. Issues related to model identification are discussed and a number of applications are outlined.
Implementing an Integrative Survivorship Program at a Comprehensive Cancer Center: A Multimodal Approach to Life After Cancer.

Abstract Background: This article describes the development of an integrative survivorship program at an urban National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with three closely li...
Morpheus: A Vulnerability-Tolerant Secure Architecture Based on Ensembles of Moving Target Defenses with Churn

Attacks often succeed by abusing the gap between program and machine-level semantics-- for example, by locating a sensitive pointer, exploiting a bug to overwrite this sensitive data, and hijacking the victim program's execution. In this work, we take secure system design on the offensive by continuously obfuscating information that attackers need but normal programs do not use, such as representation of code and pointers or the exact location of code and data. Our secure hardware architecture, Morpheus, combines two powerful protections: ensembles of moving target defenses and churn. Ensembles of moving target defenses randomize key program values (e.g., relocating pointers and encrypting code and pointers) which forces attackers to extensively probe the system prior to an attack. To ensure attack probes fail, the architecture incorporates churn to transparently re-randomize program values underneath the running system. With frequent churn, systems quickly become impractically difficult to penetrate. We demonstrate Morpheus through a RISC-V-based prototype designed to stop control-flow attacks. Each moving target defense in Morpheus uses hardware support to individually offer more randomness at a lower cost than previous techniques. When ensembled with churn, Morpheus defenses offer strong protection against control-flow attacks, with our security testing and performance studies revealing: i) high-coverage protection for a broad array of control-flow attacks, including protections for advanced attacks and an attack disclosed after the design of Morpheus, and ii) negligible performance impacts (1%) with churn periods up to 50 ms, which our study estimates to be at least 5000x faster than the time necessary to possibly penetrate Morpheus.
Investigating the correlation between disease burden and symptoms in patients with advanced stage lung cancer.

e19057 Background: Previous studies have shown that lung cancer patients (pts) with higher baseline quality of life (QOL) scores on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Qu...
When my patient died

How do medical students learn to deal with dying patients? In doing so, Allison Barrett discovered more about herself
Electrical Investigations: Case Studies, Common Electrical Safety Mistakes, and Lessons Learned

Electrical equipment failures often result in troubleshooting or root cause investigations that may be undertaken by maintenance personal, electricians, or investigative experts. The training, education and knowledge of safe electrical work practices may vary among these individuals. In our experience, it can happen that individuals conducting the electrical equipment troubleshooting or investigative activities, especially during the troubleshooting phase, make assumptions that not only put themselves in danger but also potentially jeopardize the lives of others that are assisting with the troubleshooting or investigative activity. This paper will present some common and fundamental electrical safety mistakes made by those conducting electrical equipment troubleshooting and failure investigations. Several case studies will be discussed and lessons learned will be presented.
Development of a Model to Predict Portal Vein Thrombosis in Liver Transplant Candidates: The Portal Vein Thrombosis Risk Index.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is associated with inferior pretransplantation and posttransplantation outcomes. We aimed to create a predictive model to risk stratify transplant candidates for PVT. Data on adult transplants in the United States during the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) era through September 2016 were reviewed. We constructed and validated a scoring system composed of routine, readily available clinical information to predict the development of incident PVT at 12 months from transplantation listing. A total of 66,568 liver transplant candidates were dichotomized into 2 groups to construct (n = 34,751) and validate (n = 31,817) a scoring system. In general, the derivation and validation cohorts were clinically similar. Although nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was a significant predictor of incident PVT (hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.54; P < 0.001), age, MELD score, and moderate-to-severe ascites were also associated with increased risk. African American race was associated with decreased risk. A scoring system (PVT risk index [RI]) of these 5 variables had an area under the curve of 0.71 and 0.70 in both derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. By applying the low cutoff score of 2.6, incident PVT could be accurately excluded (negative predictive value 94%). Using the high cutoff score of 4.6 (positive predictive value 85%), PVT could be diagnosed with high accuracy. The PVT-RI predicts which candidates awaiting lifesaving liver transplantation will and will not develop future PVT. Although this scoring system will require prospective validation, it provides a powerful new tool for the clinician when risk stratifying cirrhosis patients prior to liver transplantation for future PVT development.
Medicaid Reimbursement for Common Spine Procedures: Are Compensation Rates Consistent?

STUDY DESIGN Health Services Research. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to determine the variability of Medicaid (MCD) reimbursement for patients who require spine procedures, and to assess how this compares to regional Medicare (MCR) reimbursement as a marker of access to spine surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The current health care environment includes two major forms of government reimbursement: MCD and MCR, which are regulated and funded by the state and federal government, respectively. METHODS MCD reimbursement rates from each state were obtained for eight spine procedures, utilizing online web searches: anterior cervical decompression and fusion, posterior cervical decompression and fusion, posterior lumbar decompression, single-level posterior lumbar fusion, posterior fusion for deformity (less than six levels; six to 12 levels; 13+ levels), and lumbar microdiscectomy. Discrepancy in reimbursement for these procedures on a state-to-state basis, as well as overall differences in MCD versus MCR reimbursement, was determined. Procedures were examined to identify whether certain surgical interventions have greater discrepancy in reimbursement. RESULTS The average MCD reimbursement was 78.4% of that for MCR. However, there was significant variation between states (38.8%-140% of MCR for the combined eight procedures). On average, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Rhode Island provided MCD reimbursements <50% of MCR reimbursements in the region. In total, 20 and 42 states provided <75% and 100% of MCR reimbursements, respectively. Based upon relative reimbursement, MCD appears to value microdiscectomy (84.1% of MCR; P = 0.10) over other elective spine procedures. Microdiscectomy also had the most interstate variation in MCD reimbursement: 39.0% to 207.0% of MCR. CONCLUSION Large disparities were found between MCR and MCD when comparing identical procedures. Further research is necessary to fully understand the effect of these significant differences. However, it is likely that these discrepancies lead to suboptimal access to necessary spine care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4.