cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An echocardiogram-based 16-segment model for predicting left ventricular ejection fraction improvement.

Abstract An important goal of cardiac revascularization is to improve the left ventricular ejection fraction, which is an important clinical determinant of the long-term outcome for patients with coronary artery disease. Regional myocardium function improvement may be expected from revascularization when viable myocardium is detected using non-invasive cardiac imaging. However, the quantitative relation between regional myocardial function recovery and global heart function improvement has not been determined and there is no tool to predict the amount of ejection fraction improvement prior to revascularization. A 16 segment biomechanical model of the left ventricle is proposed to establish the relationship between the ejection fraction improvement and the viable segments detected by echocardiography. With the assumption that the viable segments would potentially improve contractility after revascularization, the ejection fraction improvement is estimated for all possible wall motion score improvement in viable segments. The model shows that the ejection fraction improvement is linearly related to the contractility in the normal segments and a weighted sum of the numbers of viable segments that recover to normal or hypokinetic contractility. The predictive value of the model is illustrated for a group of patients reported in the literature. The model predictions of the post-revascularization ejection fraction are very close to the follow-up data with a very strong correlation ( R 2 =0.92). By predicting the ejection fraction improvement, the model may provide a tool for evaluating the efficacy of revascularization and for selecting patients who would benefit from revascularization.
Origins and Biogeography of Gypsophily in The Chihuahuan Desert Plant Group Tiquilia Subg. Eddya (Boraginaceae)

Abstract The gypsophilic flora of the Chihuahuan Desert forms a large and potentially old edaphic assemblage. We examine the age and biogeography of gypsophily in Tiquilia subg. Eddya, a Chihuahuan Desert plant group entirely composed of gypsophiles (restricted to gypsum) and gypsovags (growing on and off gypsum). A strongly supported phylogeny of the subgenus was generated using sequence data from matK, ndhF, rps16, ITS, and waxy. Combined analyses of these data suggest that the most recent common ancestor of subg. Eddya was a gypsovag and that gypsophily has evolved twice. Individual DNA sequence region analyses that include a broad geographic sampling of all species in the subgenus reveal a complex evolutionary history shared among the narrowly distributed gypsophiles T. tuberculata and T. turneri and the gypsovags T. gossypina and T. mexicana, including putative hybridization. They also reveal a high level of geographically correlated intraspecific variation in the widespread gypsophile T. hispidissim...
Structure simulations for the 0.22 and 1 molar aqueous dimethylammonium chloride solutions

Monte Carlo simulations have been performed for characterizing the 0.22 and 1 molar aqueous dimethylammonium chloride solutions at p = 1 atm and T = 310 K. On the basis of potential of mean force curves for the two systems with increasing concentrations, the N⋯N separations of about 8.7 and 7.5 A correspond to a vague and a more pronounced minimum, respectively. Nitrogen separations at the minima are considerably smaller than those what the cations would take if the solutes comprised uniform local solute density on a microscale. The derived N by N coordination numbers predict non-negligible cation association and concomitant inhomogeneity for the studied systems. The calculated N⋯N distance distribution in the molar solution indicates that about 12% of the N⋯N separations are shorter than 8.5 A compared with R(N⋯N) = 11.84 A corresponding to the closest distance in a uniform cation local density. Despite a global minimum of −1.79 ± 0.63 kcal mol−1 at N⋯Cl separation of 3.24 A, obtained from the pmf for the 0.22 molar model, the N by Cl coordination number is only 0.14 in the first coordination shell, suggesting frequent disruption of an N–H+⋯Cl+hydrogen bond in a relatively dilute solution. The expression for the chemical potential of a solute includes a concentration-dependent activity coefficient, whose varying values are expected to reflect the different degrees of solute association in the 0.2–1 molar range. Theoretical follow-up of the changes in the activity coefficient values is difficult, thus calculation of the Kc equilibrium constant has been proposed by considering 1 molar solutions as the standard state.
Nitric Oxide-dependent Negative Feedback of PARP-1 trans-Activation of the Inducible Nitric-oxide Synthase Gene

Nitric oxide (NO) participates in a variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in diverse tissues, including the kidney. Although mechanisms for cytokine induction of inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) have been increasingly clarified, the controls for termination of NO production remain unclear. Because excessive NO production can be cytotoxic to host cells, feedback inhibition of iNOS transcription would represent a means of cytoprotection. Many of the cGMP-independent functions of NO are mediated by S-nitrosylation of cysteine thiols of target proteins. We hypothesized that NO-mediated S-nitrosylation of transcription factors might serve to feedback inhibit their trans-activation potential and deactivate iNOS gene transcription. Transient transfection of murine mesangial cells with iNOS promoter deletion-luciferase constructs revealed the region –915 to –849 to be NO sensitive with respect to IL-1β-induced promoter activity. In vitro DNase I footprinting identified a footprint at –865/–842 in the absence of NO, but not in the presence of endogenous or exogenously delivered NO. Southwestern blotting using this probe coupled with partial peptide sequencing of the protein bands revealed that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase isoform 1 (PARP-1) bound the probe in a sequence-specific manner. Gel shift/supershift experiments and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay analysis confirmed this binding in vitro and in vivo. Functionally, mutation of the –859/–850 site to prevent PARP-1 binding or PARP-1 knockdown by RNA interference relieved the inhibitory effects of NO on iNOS promoter activity. Biotin-switch assays and co-immunoprecipitation with an anti-nitrocysteine antibody indicated that PARP-1 was S-nitrosylated. We conclude that NO feedback inhibits iNOS gene transcription by S-nitrosylating the trans-activator PARP-1 and decreasing its binding and/or action at the iNOS promoter.
A Semantic Tool for Historical Events

I present a set of functional requirements for a speculative tool informing users about events in historical discourse, in order to demonstrate what these requirements imply about how we should define and represent historical events. The functions include individuation, selection, and contextualization of events. I conclude that a tool providing these functions would need events to be defined and represented as features of discourses about the world rather than objectively existing things in the world.
Thermal face recognition over time using sparse representation approach

Thermal Face Recognition over time is a difficult challenge due to faces varies with different factor such as metabolism or ambient conditions. Thus, the aim of this work is to improve recognition rates of thermal faces acquired in time lapse mode, since the results available in other articles are not entirely satisfactory in this modality, which is mainly due to the large variation in the thermal characteristics of the faces in time lapses. To improve the recognition rates the approach called ”Sparse Representation” was chosen. This method represents an input image as a linear combination of a dictionary composed of images of different subjects and a vector of sparse coefficients. The results are obtained using the two sets of UCHThermalFace database. The method shows high performance in the time lapse for thermal images.
The impact of physical book displays on business e-book use

ABSTRACTThis study examined the effectiveness of a physical display for increasing use of business e-books. The authors created three topical displays and compared the average use of the display titles to the average use of titles in the general collection. The overall rate of use for display e-books (12.3%) was lower than the average rate of use for nondisplay e-books (14.4%), suggesting that displays are not effective tools for increasing business e-book use. However, one display had a significantly higher average rate of e-book use (26.6%), suggesting that factors other than visibility may affect e-book use.
Baseband Filters: Active RC Filters

In telecommunications, voice transmission is a primary service, where human voice occupies a spectrum from 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz. A baseband filter is used to pass this frequency band and reject all others. To realize these filters, the traditional networks used inductors, capacitors and resistors to perform analog functions. In this frequency region, the inductors are heavy and expensive. Efforts have been made to replace them by networks consisting of active elements, capacitors and resistors. This development was very successful and active RC networks are now widely used by industry. This chapter provides a brief overview of network elements and their attributes including the following specific topics: Transconductances as filter building blocks Grounded and floating inductors based on transconductance models Active filter design from LC prototype filters Higher Order Active Filters Based on Simulated Inductors
Large-Scale Urban Riots and Residential Segregation: A Case Study of the 1960s U.S. Riots

Despite a well-established literature investigating race-related predictors of riot incidence, the racial aftermath of riots remains unexamined. In this study, I use the 1960s U.S. race riots to investigate trends in black residential segregation levels following large-scale riot activity in seven major U.S. cities. I use a novel approach—namely, synthetic control matching—to select a group of cities against which segregation trends can be compared. I find that levels of black segregation rose in 1970 for four of the seven cities, but these increases disappeared in 1980 and 1990 except in Detroit. These results mask differential trends at lower geographic levels: suburban neighborhoods in affected areas experienced larger and longer-term increases in segregation, particularly in traditionally hypersegregated cities in the Midwest and Northeast.
1454 Impact of a Cham Jam Intervention on Physical Fitness in Elementary School Students

Background and Aims CHAM JAM, a classroom-based physical activity intervention, has been effective in increasing physical activity levels in elementary school students. The objective if this study was to determine the impact of CHAM JAM on physical fitness. Design and methods A cluster-randomized wait-listed controlled study at 6 Bronx, NY elementary schools. Two schools received CHAM JAM. We randomly selected a subset of 3rd grade students from intervention and control schools to measure physical fitness. Physical fitness testing included heart rate (HR) response to submaximal exercise assessed with a modified step test at baseline and 3-months post-intervention. Students stepped up and down on step of calculated height for 3 minutes at a step cadence of 22 ascents/minute. We measured HR pre-exercise, at peak exercise, and at 1-, 2-, and 3-min recovery period. Hierarchical linear models were used to evaluate differences in mean HR between and within the groups. Models controlled for gender, age, and BMI. Results A total of 378 students participated (intervention, 176; control, 202). Between-group difference in HR change revealed that intervention group achieved significantly greater decrease in HR than control group. Conclusions The CHAM JAM intervention improved physical fitness.
Impact of the Experience of Academic Surgical Chairpersons on Departmental Research Funding

Impact of the Experience of Academic Surgical Chairpersons on Departmental Research Funding Thejus T Jayakrishnan, MBBS; Danielle E Green, BS; Michael Hwang, BS; Anthony J. Zacharias BS; Avishkar Sharma BA; Fabian M. Johnston MD MHS; T. Clark Gamblin MD; MS, Kiran K. Turaga MD, MPH Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin; Milwaukee, WI Type of Study: Cross Sectional Study
Effect of Nozzle-exit Flow Conditions on the Flow and Acoustic Properties of Imperfectly Expanded Supersonic Jets

§** †† The impact of the turbulence level at the nozzle exit on the jet flow and far-field noise level has been investigated using large-eddy simulations (LES) and the Ffowcs Williams & Hawkings (FW-H) surface integral method. The jet exit flow condition is slightly underexpanded. Both the random perturbations inside the nozzle and the nozzle surface roughness are used to increase the turbulence level. Increasing the turbulence level at the nozzle exit increases the shear-layer spreading, reduces the screech intensity and also decreases slightly the far-field noise level. The LES predictions of the shock-cell structures and the jet core lengths agree well with the measurement data. In addition, the impact of grid resolution used in both the jet flow and the near-field acoustic propagation region has also been investigated. It is found that the grid resolution used in the shear layer impacts the numerical predictions more than those used in the other regions. Adding an adequate amount of turbulence level at the nozzle exit greatly improves the predictions using a coarser grid resolution in the shear layer. Furthermore, the far-field noise predictions agrees well with measurement data, and the contribution from the end cap is found small, but it is sensitive to the mesh size used in the integration.
Research on Seismic Response Control over Spherical Tanks

In order to reduce seismic response of spherical tanks,base seismic isolation and additional energy dissipation control were given to them.A finite element model of spherical tanks was established under three conditions-no control,seismic isolation and energy dissipation.The free vibration cycle and frequency were obtained through modal analysis.With three different seismic wave inputs,time history analysis of seismic response was performed for the base seismic isolation and energy dissipation structures.The result showed that base seismic isolation increased the structural cycle,thereby achieving the goal of vibration damping,with acceleration response and relative displacement response reduced by 41.4 %~76.4 % and 50.3 %~77.2 % respectively.On the other hand,deformation of the additional energy dissipation device dissipated seismic energy,thereby reducing the dynamic response of the structure,with acceleration response and relative displacement response reduced by 25.2 %~77.9 % and 71.8 %~76.7 % respectively.As a whole,the base seismic isolation structure is better than the additional energy dissipation structure in terms of vibration damping.
An efficient fusion approach for combining human and machine decisions

A novel approach for the fusion of heterogeneous object classification methods is proposed. In order to effectively integrate the outputs of multiple classifiers, the level of ambiguity in each individual classification score is estimated using the precision/recall relationship of the corresponding classifier. The main contribution of the proposed work is a novel fusion method, referred to as Dynamic Belief Fusion (DBF), which dynamically assigns probabilities to hypotheses (target, non-target, intermediate state (target or non-target) based on confidence levels in the classification results conditioned on the prior performance of individual classifiers. In DBF, a joint basic probability assignment, which is obtained from optimally fusing information from all classifiers, is determined by the Dempster's combination rule, and is easily reduced to a single fused classification score. Experiments on RSVP dataset demonstrates that the recognition accuracy of DBF is considerably greater than that of the conventional naive Bayesian fusion as well as individual classifiers used for the fusion.
Fertility Preservation Strategies in the Male Cancer Patient

Advances in oncology have improved cancer survivor rates to record numbers. The conversation with patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer must include fertility preservation strategies given the possibility of infertility, which they will face as a cancer survivor. In this chapter, barriers to fertility preservation in males considering gonadotoxic therapy, including obstacles unique to the newly diagnosed cancer patient, will be discussed. In addition, we will focus on fertility preservation strategies available prior to chemotherapy or radiation, as well as present options available to the posttreatment cancer survivor. Sperm cryopreservation utilizing ejaculated specimens, penile vibratory stimulation, electroejaculation, microscope assisted surgical sperm retrieval from the epididymis (MESA) and testis (microTESE), and ex vivo sperm retrieval are all viable options for fertility preservation, which will be discussed at length. Finally, special considerations for the pediatric cancer patient and future considerations for the male cancer patient who cryopreserved sperm will be presented.
A Branding Strategy for Business Types

In the course of building a compiler from business rules to a database run-time, we encounter the need for a type system that includes a class hierarchy and subtyping in the presence of complex record operations. Since our starting point is based on structural typing and targets a data-centric language, we develop an approach inspired by Wadler’s work on XML types (Simeon and Wadler 2003). Our proposed type system has strong similarities with branded or tagged objects, combining nominal and structural typing, and is designed to support a rich set of operations on records commonly found in database languages. We show soundness of the type system and illustrate its use on two of the intermediate languages involved in our compiler for business rules: a calculus for pattern matching with aggregation (CAMP) that captures rules semantics, and the nested relational algebra (NRA) used for optimization and code generation. We show type soundness for both languages. The approach and correctness proofs are fully mechanized using the Coq proof-assistant.
Biosimilars: Practical Considerations for Pharmacists.

Objective: To review the scientific and regulatory aspects of biosimilar development and practical considerations for the use of biosimilars that are relevant to pharmacists. Data Sources: Literature searches of PubMed and congress abstracts for publications pertaining to biosimilars were conducted from January 2016 to January 2017. Individual drug company web pages and governmental, regulatory, and other agency websites were also reviewed. Study Selection/Data Extraction: Published articles, regulatory guidelines, and other sources covering biologic/biosimilar development and approval, reporting results of biosimilar studies or survey research, and/or identifying biosimilars in development or approved for use in Europe or the United States were reviewed and included. Data Synthesis: Biologic therapies have revolutionized the treatment of serious diseases, including hematological or autoimmune disorders and cancers. A biosimilar is highly similar to a licensed biologic (ie, reference or originator) and ha...
Genetic Testing in Pediatric Epilepsy.

This article summarizes the emerging landscape of pediatric epilepsy, highlighting genetic contributions, and reviews approaches to genetic evaluation for pediatric epilepsy in this context. Advances in understanding the genetic basis for epilepsy over the last several years have been due in large part to the identification of de novo genetic variation underlying sporadic severe epilepsy in children; the genetic underpinnings of the more common epilepsies remain largely unknown. Next-generation sequencing approaches have been added to the repertoire of clinical tests for the evaluation of pediatric epilepsy, improving our ability to make positive diagnoses. Yields of over 50% are now being reported in selected groups of patients. Genetic variation contributing to the risk for pediatric epilepsy spans continua of scale and influence. The highest yield of genetic testing is currently in children with sporadic severe epilepsy caused by de novo variation. The approach to genetic evaluation and interpretation of results requires an understanding of (1) the epilepsy phenotype and (2) the particular advantages and limitations of the different genetic tests available. Our understanding of genetic variation will continue to improve over time and “negative” results are best conceptualized as “unresolved” or “negative for now.”
MANAGEMENT OF GENETIC DISORDERS DURING PREGNANCY

SUMMARY Using several specific genetic diseases as examples, this article has illustrated basic genetic principles that can be applied to many clinical situations. Practicing obstetricians must be aware that advances are being made daily in the care of patients with inherited disorders and in prenatal diagnosis. A fundamental understanding of human genetics is essential in order to offer optimal care for patients during their reproductive years.
Physical, Chemical and Optical Properties of Atmospheric Aerosols

Atmospheric aerosols are complicated suspensions of multicomponent particles of different sizes in air. This section provides an overview of the fundamental physical, chemical and optical properties of these particles. We begin with the discussion of the aerosol shape and density and we then focus on the ability of these particles to deliquesce, that is to absorb moisture from the atmosphere and grow from solid particles to aqueous droplets. The effect of the aerosol chemical composition and temperature on this hygroscopic behavior is outlined based on first thermodynamic principles. The ability of a lot of these particles to act as cloud condensation nuclei and form cloud droplets is also discussed. Aerosol particles can be viewed as atmospheric micro-reactors, that is as the medium where heterogeneous chemical reactions can take place. Our present understanding of these heterogeneous reactions is reviewed. Finally the fundamental principles governing atmospheric aerosol scattering and absorption of radiation are reviewed, including a brief description of the instrumentation used to measure these optical properties.
Near-Infrared Photothermal Release of siRNA from the Surface of Colloidal Gold–Silver–Gold Core–Shell–Shell Nanoparticles Studied with Second-Harmonic Generation

Photothermal release of oligonucleotides from the surface of plasmonic nanoparticles represents a promising platform for spatiotemporal controlled drug delivery. Here we demonstrate the use of novel gold–silver–gold core–shell–shell (CSS) nanoparticles to study the photothermal cleaving and release of micro-RNA (miRNA) mimics or small interfering RNA (siRNA) under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The furan–maleimide-based Diels–Alder adduct cleaves thermally above 60 °C and is used to bind siRNA to the colloidal nanoparticle surface in water. We investigate the photothermal cleaving kinetics of siRNA under different NIR laser powers using surface-sensitive time-dependent second-harmonic generation (SHG) spectroscopy. The photothermal release of siRNA from the surface of CSS nanoparticles is significantly higher than that from the surface of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) under similar experimental conditions. These results demonstrate that plasmonic CSS nanoparticles with photothermal cleaving linkers have imp...
Establishment of a medical student elective on the oncology consult service using the seven principles of teaching.

TPS11021Background: A busy academic oncology consult service has challenges for effective student teaching. The aim of this research is to establish an academic oncology elective through signature ...
Bayesian Semiparametric ROC surface estimation under verification bias

Abstract The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) surface is a generalization of the ROC curve and is widely used for assessment of the accuracy of diagnostic tests on three categories. Verification bias occurs when not all subjects have their labels observed. This is a common problem in disease diagnosis since the gold standard test to get labels, i.e., the true disease status, can be invasive and expensive. The same situation happens in the evaluation of semi-supervised learning, where the unlabeled data are incorporated. A Bayesian approach for estimating the ROC surface is proposed based on continuous data under a semi-parametric trinormality assumption. The proposed method is then extended to situations in the presence of verification bias. The posterior distribution is computed under the trinormality assumption using a rank-based likelihood. The consistency of the posterior under a mild condition is also established. The proposed method is compared with existing methods for estimating an ROC surface. Simulation results show that it performs well in terms of accuracy. The method is applied to evaluate the performance of CA125 and HE4 in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) as a demonstration.
Social Media as Social Transition Machinery

Social media, and people's online self-presentations and social networks, add complexity to people's experiences managing changing identities during life transitions. I use gender transition as a case study to understand how people experience liminality on social media. I qualitatively analyzed data from transition blogs on Tumblr (n=240), a social media blogging site on which people document their gender transitions, and in-depth interviews with transgender bloggers (n=20). I apply ethnographer van Gennep's liminality framework to a social media context and contribute a new understanding of liminality by arguing that reconstructing one's online identity during life transitions is a rite of passage. During life transitions, people present multiple identities simultaneously on different social media sites that together comprise what I call social transition machinery. Social transition machinery describes the ways that, for people facing life transitions, multiple social media sites and networks o"en remain separate, yet work together to facilitate life transitions.
Visualization, Feature Selection, Machine Learning: Identifying the Responsible Group for Extreme Acts of Violence

The toll of human casualties and psychological impacts on societies make any study on violent extremism worthwhile, let alone attempting to detect patterns among them. This paper is an effort to predict which violent extremist organization (VEO), among 14 currently active ones throughout the world, is responsible for a violent act based on 14 features, including its human and structural tolls, its target type and value, intelligence, and weapons utilized in the attack. Three main steps in our paper include: 1) the visualization of the violent acts through linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction techniques; 2) sequential forward feature selection based on the generalization accuracy of three machine learning models–decision tree, and linear and nonlinear SVM; and 3) employing multilayer perceptron to predict the VEO based on the selected features of a violent act. Top-ranked selected features were related to the target type and plan and the multilayer perceptron achieved up to 40% test accuracy.
Universal Polar Coding for Asymmetric Channels

We present a universal coding scheme, based on polar codes, that can achieve the compound capacity of any finite set of binary-input asymmetric channels. The scheme is a hybrid combination of Honda and Yamamoto’s polar coding scheme for asymmetric channels and a universal polar coding scheme for symmetric channels proposed by Hassani and Urbanke. In the proposed universal construction for the asymmetric setting, we exploit the staircase structure in the universal scheme for symmetric channels to define a coding strategy that requires neither storage-intensive shared boolean functions nor a side-channel between encoder and decoder in order to transmit bits corresponding to bit-channels that are not completely polarized.
What is the preferred powertrain of the future

Energy availability, environmental impact, fuel price and legislation combined with shifts in customer buying preferences are driving significant interest in the development of fuel-efficient power train technologies. Advanced propulsion technologies are cri tical to developing sustainable transportation options for the future. The General Motors strategy for advanced powertrains involves multiple technologies to deliver the ex pected fuel economy and customer experience.
Anatomical Analysis of the Vagoaccessory Triangle and the Triangles Within: The Suprahypoglossal, Infrahypoglossal, and Hypoglossal-Hypoglossal Triangles.

Background Rootlets of the lower cranial nerves create a web that limits microsurgical maneuverability in the cerebellomedullary cistern (CMC). The vagoaccessory triangle (VAT) and 2 triangles within it were defined to identify surgical routes to aneurysms of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). Dividing the VAT into 2 triangles (suprahypoglossal [SHT] and infrahypoglossal [IHT]), although elegant, oversimplifies CMC anatomy. The triangle formed by the superior and inferior hypoglossal rootlets (hypoglossal–hypoglossal triangle [HHT]) needs consideration as well. Methods Far-lateral craniotomy was performed on 10 cadaveric heads bilaterally. Areas of CMC triangles were calculated. Relationships between the PICA origin and the adjacent triangles were analyzed. Vertebral artery (VA) exposure and clipping lengths were recorded for each triangle. Results The area of SHT was almost twice those of IHT and HHT. The average VA depth relative to VAT increased significantly when moving distally from proximal VA (P Conclusions Based on this study, VAT should be divided into 3 triangles, not 2. Splayed rootlets of cranial nerve XII and multiple outlet foramina create an important space different from the previously recognized SHT and IHT. These triangles provide corridors to vascular pathologies. V4 subsegments may be approximated from imaging studies and may help with preoperative planning.
Remarks on the solid and bulk responses of fluid-filled porous rock

ABSTRACT The volumetric response of fluid-saturated and linearly elastic rock due to a change of either mean stress or pore pressure is characterized by three independent material parameters. The u...
Malignant Hyperthermia During Translabyrinthine Acoustic Neuroma Surgery After Previous Uneventful Surgery.

OBJECTIVE Review current literature and guidelines for malignant hyperthermia in the context of neurotologic surgery. PATIENT A case of malignant hyperthermia during vestibular schwannoma surgery, in a patient previously exposed to anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS Excision of vestibular schwannoma, acute management of malignant hyperthermia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Knowledge of the basic pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment protocols for malignant hyperthermia. RESULTS Rapid termination of the procedure and appropriate modifications in surgical technique permitted expeditious treatment of malignant hyperthermia and prevented its lethality. CONCLUSIONS Malignant hyperthermia is a rare and lethal condition that may arise in neurotologic surgery, even in patients who have previously received general anesthesia. The neurotologic surgeon has a role in early recognition and expeditious termination of surgery to help reduce its mortality.
Distribution and outcomes of infection of Mycobacterium avium complex species in cystic fibrosis

Abstract Background The majority of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) species. Data on MAC species distribution and outcomes of infection in CF are lacking. Methods This was a single center, retrospective study. MAC isolates had species identification with MLSA of rpoB and the 16S23S ITS region. Clinical data were compared between species. Results Twenty-three people with CF and 57 MAC isolates were included. Infection with M. avium was the most common (65.2%). M. intracellulare was associated with higher rates of NTM disease, younger age, and steeper decline in lung function prior to infection. Conclusions We observed worse clinical outcomes in people with M. intracellulare infection relative to other MAC species. Further investigation of clinical outcomes of MAC infection among CF patients is warranted to better define the utility of species-level identification of MAC isolates in CF.
Heat set creases in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets to enable origami-based applications

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets show promise for application in origami-based engineering design. Origami-based engineering provides advantages that are not readily available in traditional engineering design methods. Several processing methods were examined to identify trends and determine the effect of processing of PET sheets on the crease properties of origami mechanisms in PET. Various annealing times, temperatures, and cooling rates were evaluated and data collected for over 1000 samples. It was determined that annealing temperature plays the largest role in crease response. An increase in the crystallinity of a PET sheet while in the folded state likely increases the force response of the crease in PET sheets. An annealing time of at least 60 min at 160-180 C with a quick cooling results in a high force response in the crease. The effectiveness of the processing methods was demonstrated in several origami patterns of various complexities.
What are Russian Scholars Writing about the Czech Republic? A View from the Russian Electronic Library

We may not think of Russia as an advanced information society with open access to its scholarship, but it is. The Russian Electronic Library at elibrary.ru offers us twenty-eight million academic j...
Influence of 2,4-D, dicamba, and glyphosate on clethodim efficacy of volunteer glyphosate-resistant corn

Management of volunteer glyphosate-resistant (GR) corn may be problematic in soybean resistant to glyphosate and 2,4-D or dicamba, as auxinic herbicides often antagonize graminicide efficacy. Field and greenhouse trials were conducted using mixtures of 2,4-D or dicamba in combination with glyphosate and clethodim-A (formulated without an adjuvant) or clethodim-SM (adjuvant-inclusive formulation) to determine the effect on volunteer GR corn control. Neither auxinic herbicide reduced clethodim efficacy, regardless of clethodim rate or formulation in field trials. However, the addition of glyphosate to these mixtures at the 35 g ai ha−1 clethodim dose reduced control from clethodim-A and clethodim-SM by 62% to 75% and 27% to 47%, respectively. Increasing the clethodim dose to 105 g ha−1 or greater in combination with glyphosate and either auxinic herbicide generally restored clethodim efficacy (74% to 98% control); in one site-year, the addition of glyphosate plus dicamba to clethodim-A at 140 g ha−1 still reduced control by 34%. In greenhouse experiments, clethodim-A efficacy was reduced by 17% and 28% when applied with glyphosate plus 420 and 1,680 g ae ha−1 2,4-D, respectively, in the absence of crop oil concentrate (COC). Increasing the dose of dicamba in a similar mixture had a negligible effect. Irrespective of auxinic herbicide dose, the inclusion of COC to clethodim-A mixtures with glyphosate plus 2,4-D or dicamba resulted in ≥ 90% control. These results specify an enhanced risk of reduced clethodim efficacy on volunteer GR corn when glyphosate is added to mixtures containing 2,4-D or dicamba. To optimize control from these mixtures, clethodim should be applied at ≥ 105 g ha−1 and should include an activator adjuvant in the form of COC and/or an adjuvant-inclusive clethodim formulation. This recommendation contrasts with several labels of clethodim that do not require COC when applied with adjuvant-loaded glyphosate products.
Accelerating a continuous-time analog SAT solver using GPUs

Abstract Recently, a continuous-time, deterministic analog solver based on ordinary differential equations (CTDS) was introduced, to solve Boolean satisfiability (SAT), a family of discrete constraint satisfaction problems. Since SAT is NP-complete, efficient algorithms would benefit solving a large number of decision type problems, both within industry and the sciences. Here we present a graphics processing units (GPU) based implementation of the CTDS and its variants and show that one can achieve significantly improved performance within a wide range of SAT problems. We present and discuss three versions of our GPU implementation and compare their performance to CPU implementations, showing an improvement factor of up to two orders of magnitude. We illustrate the performance of our GPU-based solver on random SAT problems and a notoriously difficult graph coloring problem, the Ramsey number problem R ( 3 , 3 , 3 , 3 ) , and compare it with the state-of-the-art SAT solver MiniSAT’s performances on CPUs.
Early life factors of schizotypal personality disorder in adolescents: A systematic review.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The complexity and high prevalence of schizotypal personality disorders (SPD) pose serious challenges for mental health practice in its management, and also bring severe consequences for the patients. The identification of the specific early life factors (ELFs) that confer risk to SPD has become a major focus of clinical research on schizophrenia-spectrum disorders which aligns well with the mental health nursing's responsibility in health promotion, prevention and treatment. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Adolescents may experience certain ELFs, which contribute to the occurrence of SPD, but no systematic review has been conducted to identify ELF among them. And nursing literature addressing modifiable ELF is very limited. Two clusters of ELF and SPD in adolescents were identified: prenatal and early postnatal factors; childhood trauma and parental factors. The findings also show that more research is needed to determine the specificity and cumulative effects of ELF on the development of SPD by using rigorous and comprehensive measurements and a longitudinal design. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Mental health nurses, especially nurses in the primary care, should be aware of potentially modifiable ELFs and incorporate more comprehensive and valid instrument for assessing cumulative ELF and SPD. These findings may serve to inform possible future interventions for SPD, such as parent education and support to mitigate these risk factors. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) affects 4% of the general population in the United States. The identification of early life factors (ELFs) that confer risk to SPD in adolescents (ages 10-24 years old) has become a major focus of clinical research on schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. AIM This systematic review aims to determine what ELFs contribute to the onset of SPD in the adolescent population. METHODS A systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Psychiatry online, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE and CINAHL databases was conducted using relevant keywords. Data were extracted using a standardized form following PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS Twenty-four studies met the criteria for inclusion. ELFs in the development of SPD were grouped into two important clusters: (a) prenatal and early postnatal factors; (b) childhood trauma and parental factors. CONCLUSION Mental health nurses, especially nurses in primary care, should be aware of potentially modifiable ELF. Longitudinal research is needed to determine the causative roles of these ELF play in the occurrence of SPD by using rigorous measurements. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE These findings call for awareness of the modifiable ELF for SPD and also inform possible future interventions to reduce these risks, such as parent-training or environmental enrichment programmes.
Volume-related structures predict UIP pathology in those with a non-IPF pattern on CT

To determine if a quantitative imaging variable (vessel-related structures [VRS]) could identify subjects with a non-IPF diagnosis CT pattern who were highly likely to have UIP histologically. Subjects with a multidisciplinary diagnosis of interstitial lung disease including surgical lung biopsy and chest CT within 1 year of each other were included in the study. Non-contrast CT scans were analyzed using the Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating (CALIPER) program, which quantifies the amount of various abnormal CT patterns on chest CT. Quantitative data were analyzed relative to pathological diagnosis as well as the qualitative CT pattern. CALIPER-derived volumes of reticulation (p = 0.012), honeycombing (p = 0.017), and VRS (p < 0.001) were associated with a UIP pattern on pathology on univariate analysis but only VRS was associated with a UIP pathology on multivariable analysis (p = 0.013). Using a VRS cut-off of 173 cm3, the sensitivity and specificity for pathological UIP were similar to those for standard qualitative CT assessment (55.9% and 80.4% compared to 60.6% and 80.4%, respectively). VRS differentiated pathological UIP cases in those with a non-IPF diagnosis CT category (p < 0.001) but not in other qualitative CT patterns (typical UIP, probable UIP, and indeterminate for UIP). The rate of pathological UIP in those with VRS greater than 173 cm3 (84.2%) was nearly identical to those who had a qualitative CT pattern of probable UIP (88.9%). VRS may be an adjunct to CT in predicting pathology in patients with interstitial lung disease. • Volume of vessel-related structures (VRS) was associated with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) on pathology. • This differentiation arose from those with CT scans with a non-IPF diagnosis imaging pattern. • Higher VRS has similar diagnostic ramifications for UIP as probable UIP, transitively suggesting in patients with high VRS, pathology may be obviated.
Tardive Dyskinesia: Spotlight on Current Approaches to Treatment

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a debilitating, iatrogenic, and potentially severe movement disorder characterized by involuntary, repetitive, purposeless movements that are present throughout the body....
Climate change and the future of western US water governance

Water management in the western United States is rooted in an adversarial system that is highly sensitive to climate change. Reforms are needed to ensure water management is efficient, resilient and equitable moving forward.
Microbial chemolithotrophic oxidation of pyrite in a subsurface shale weathering environment: Geologic considerations and potential mechanisms

Oxidative weathering of pyrite plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of Fe and S in terrestrial environments. While the mechanism and occurrence of biologically accelerated pyrite oxidation under acidic conditions are well established, much less is known about microbially mediated pyrite oxidation at circumneutral pH. Recent work (Percak-Dennett et al., 2017, Geobiology, 15, 690) has demonstrated the ability of aerobic chemolithotrophic microorganisms to accelerate pyrite oxidation at circumneutral pH and proposed two mechanistic models by which this phenomenon might occur. Here, we assess the potential relevance of aerobic microbially catalyzed circumneutral pH pyrite oxidation in relation to subsurface shale weathering at Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) in Pennsylvania, USA. Specimen pyrite mixed with native shale was incubated in groundwater for 3 months at the inferred depth of in situ pyrite oxidation. The colonized materials were used as an inoculum for pyrite-oxidizing enrichment cultures. Microbial activity accelerated the release of sulfate across all conditions. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomic analysis revealed the dominance of a putative chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacterium from the genus Thiobacillus in the enrichment cultures. Previously proposed models for aerobic microbial pyrite oxidation were assessed in terms of physical constraints, enrichment culture geochemistry, and metagenomic analysis. Although we conclude that subsurface pyrite oxidation at SSCHZO is largely abiotic, this work nonetheless yields new insight into the potential pathways by which aerobic microorganisms may accelerate pyrite oxidation at circumneutral pH. We propose a new "direct sulfur oxidation" pathway, whereby sulfhydryl-bearing outer membrane proteins mediate oxidation of pyrite surfaces through a persulfide intermediate, analogous to previously proposed mechanisms for direct microbial oxidation of elemental sulfur. The action of this and other direct microbial pyrite oxidation pathways have major implications for controls on pyrite weathering rates in circumneutral pH sedimentary environments where pore throat sizes permit widespread access of microorganisms to pyrite surfaces.
Evaluating Self-Control Theory Among the Deaf Community.

This study evaluates the generality of self-control theory with a previously untested cultural group rarely studied by criminologists, the Deaf community. Survey data (n = 428) from participants at...
Virtual Clinical Shadowing for Pre-Clinical Medical Students in an Emergency Medicine-Based Leadership Course

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic limited pre-clinical medical students from participating in traditional clinical in-person shadowing. Rather than eliminating clinical shadowing from an established l...
Analysis, Lateral Boundary, and Observation Impacts in a Limited Area Model

Impacts from analysis and lateral boundary updates as well as the assimilation of observations are investigated using the forecast sensitivty to observation impact framework in a limited-area atmospheric model. High temporal frequency estimates of forecast error are produced using aircraft observations for validation. Using these estimates, forecast error reduction between background and analysis trajectories is shown to decrease through the first 24 h of forecast time. The increasing importance of lateral boundary updates in decreasing forecast error with forecast lead time is presented. However, the ability of the adjoint forecast model to attribute forecast error reduction to analysis and lateral boundary updates decreases as forecast length increases. The relative distributions of the largest observation impacts for different lead times are similar. This means that impacts for shorter forecast lengths are a good proxy for impacts on longer forecasts, thereby mitigating some of the problems in long adjoint model integrations. Finally, a metric that measures forecast error against radiosondes is introduced and produces different distributions of observation impact importance.
Adult mental health and child maltreatment: An ecological study across rural-urban and economic continua with implications for post-pandemic human services.

This ecological, county-level, cross-sectional study examines relationships between the mental health of adults (IV) and child maltreatment report rates (DV), as they vary by socioeconomic distress and rurality (n = 3015 counties), using the most recent available data from several linked sources. In a two-way model, maltreatment reports increased 20.1% for each additional half day of poor mental health in metro counties, 11.7% in nonmetro counties, and 13% in rural counties. Our zero-inflated negative binomial model, moderated by rurality and economic distress, showed a significant relationship between the number of poor mental health days and increased child maltreatment report rates in counties (χ2 = 145.52, p < 0.0001). Investment in prevention and treatment of adult mental health concerns is imperative, especially in light of the increase in mental health problems caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and increased tension within national political debate. Our results indicate successful support of adult mental health will prevent child maltreatment and reduce the cyclical financial burden of child maltreatment and mental health concerns.