cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coccidioidomycosis Meningitis With Massive Dural and Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Tissue Arthroconidia

To our knowledge we report the first case of meningitis from Coccidioides immitis associated with massive dural and cerebral venous thrombosis and with mycelial forms of the organism in brain tissue. The patient was a 43-year-old man with late-stage acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) whose premortem and postmortem cultures confirmed C immitis as the only central nervous system pathogenic organism. Death was attributable to multiple hemorrhagic venous infarctions with cerebral edema and herniation. Although phlebitis has been noted parenthetically to occur in C immitis meningitis in the past, it has been overshadowed by the arteritic complications of the disease. This patient's severe C immitis ventriculitis with adjacent venulitis appeared to be the cause of the widespread venous thrombosis. AIDS-related coagulation defects may have contributed to his thrombotic tendency.
Summer Roosting by Adult Male Seminole Bats in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas

ABSTRACT We used radiotelemetry to locate 51 diurnal roosts for 17 male Seminole bats (Lasiurus seminolus) during late spring and early summer, 2000–2005. We quantified characteristics of roost trees and sites surrounding roosts and compared those measurements with random trees and random locations. All but two roosts were located in the foliage of large overstory pines (Pinus sp.). All roosts were in trees ≥21.7 cm dbh and roost trees were taller and greater in diameter than random trees. A conditional logistic regression model differentiating roost sites from random locations indicated Seminole bats were more likely to roost at sites with more pines 25.0–49.9 cm dbh, fewer pines 10.0–24.9 cm dbh, lower overstory hardwood basal areas (BA) and more recently cut stumps than random; bats selected open forest sites dominated by large (>20.0 cm dbh) pines. Eighty-four percent of roosts were located in stands that were recently partially harvested or thinned but retained large overstory pines. Relatively open ...
Industrial Symbiosis: Operational Impact and Firms’ Willingness to Implement

Industrial Symbiosis or By-Product Synergy is defined as a resource-sharing strategy that engages traditionally separate industries in a collective approach that involves a physical exchange of materials, water, energy, and by-products. Inspired by a real-world example of a paper-sugar symbiotic complex, we study the impact of competition on a firm’s willingness to implement an industrial symbiotic system. Sugar and paper firms are symbiotically connected, in the sense that the waste from the manufacture of one product is used as a raw material for the second product, and vice-versa. We characterize the firm’s operational optimal/equilibrium decisions for its two products – both in the presence and absence of a symbiotic system – under monopoly as well as under competition. Our models capture the supply-side (e.g., a fixed production cost and changes in the variable production costs) as well as the demand-side (“green” consumers who value the nature-friendly production process) impact of implementing industrial symbiosis. Our results indicate that firms are more willing to implement industrial symbiosis when (a) the proportion of the green consumers is high; or (b) consumers’ appreciation for the green variants is high; or (c) variable production costs after implementation are lower. For a firm, competition from firms that only produce regular products encourages implementation of industrial symbiosis, whereas competition from firms that produce both regular and green products discourages it.
Counting Beans is not as Simple as 1-2-3: Illuminating Goals, Consequences, and Tradeoffs of Teaching MBA Level Accounting as a Measurement System

Accounting with its arcane language and rules is a subject often dreaded and disliked by MBA students. While the arduous process of producing accounting information might indeed contribute to this reputation, framed differently, MBA students can easily see the role accounting plays in achieving strategic goals and managing stakeholder tensions. After all, MBA students are expected to be future business leaders, not accountants. Using this assumption to design an accounting course results in less emphasis on computation and more emphasis on the consequences that choices made in the process of accounting measurement have on strategic direction, stakeholder commitments and performance expectations. Students can then understand that accounting is also a measurement system that lays the foundation for enlightened decision making.
Sequencing algorithm with multiple-input genetic operators: Application to disaster resilience

Abstract A novel evolutionary optimization methodology called “ Algorithm with Multiple-Input Genetic Operators ” ( AMIGO ) for scheduling independent tasks considering resource and time constraints is presented. AMIGO is characterized by new genetic operators enriched with complementary information, including auxiliary variables computed by the fitness function, as well as the global parameters of the problem. The application of AMIGO to multi-phase optimal resilience restoration scheduling of highway bridges is presented and discussed. To this purpose, enhancements have been made also to the bridge network resilience analysis (a new performance metric and restoration model). The quality of the solution and efficiency of AMIGO are demonstrated through the application to a large transportation network subjected to earthquake.
Some new esters of strophanthidin.

SummaryEight derivatives of 3-acetyl strophanthidin have been synthesized and studied pharmacologically in cats. None of the new compounds is as active as 3-acetyl strophanthidin, although 2 of them approach the parent aglycone, strophanthidin, in potency. The significance of certain structural changes against cardiac activity has been pointed out.
Gaseous Nitrogen Elimination Test to Determine Pulmonary Efficiency

SummaryAn improved method for determining the nitrogen washout time with measurement of the various subdivisions of the pulmonary volume is described. The method is proving helpful in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary disease and in estimating the functional changes produced by intrathoracic operations.
Pro-apoptotic effect of the c-Abl tyrosine kinase in the cellular response to 1-β- D -arabinofuranosylcytosine

Treatment of cells with the antimetabolite 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) and other genotoxic agents is associated with activation of the c-Abl protein tyrosine kinase. The functional role of c-Abl in the response to DNA damage, however, remains unclear. The present studies demonstrate that cells expressing a dominant negative, kinase-inactive c-Abl (K-R) are resistant to killing by ara-C. The expression of c-Abl (K-R) blocked ara-C-induced apoptosis by a mechanism that is at least in part independent of the p53 tumor suppressor. Cells null for c-Abl also exhibited resistance to induction of apoptosis. These findings provide support for a pro-apoptotic function of c-Abl in the response to certain genotoxic drugs.
Management of Upper Ureteral Calculi with Extracorporeal Shock wave Lithotripsy

AbstractThe results of 471 extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy treatments in 465 patients with solitary ureteral stones managed by several different techniques are reported. In situ treatment was performed in 123 cases without instrumentation and in 47 after placement of a ureteral catheter. Retrograde stone manipulation was performed in 245 cases immediately before extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and an additional 56 were manipulated with ureteral stent placement at least 1 week before extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. The success rate was significantly greater if the stone was manipulated into the kidney before extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Significantly less energy (p less than 0.0001) was required for complete disintegration if the stone was free floating in the kidney. The need for subsequent procedures was significantly less (p less than 0.0001) for stones manipulated successfully before treatment. More than 85 per cent of the ureteral calculi were manipulated successfully into...
Entwicklung eines Modells zur Analyse der freiwilligen Zahlungsbereitschaft unter internetbasierten Pay-What-You-Want Bedingungen

Dieses Kapitel zielt darauf ab, ein Modell zur Analyse der freiwilligen Zahlungsbereitschaft unter internetbasierten PWYW-Konditionen zu entwickeln. Dazu werden, basierend auf den in Kapitel 2.3 gewonnen theoretischen Erkenntnissen und unter Einbeziehung bisheriger empirischer Studienergebnisse, forschungsleitende Hypothesen fur das dieser Arbeit zugrundeliegende Untersuchungsmodell formuliert. Eine abschliesende Darstellung aller sich aus den Hypothesen ergebenden Wirkungszusammenhange schafft ein einheitliches, dem besseren Verstandnis dienliches Gesamtbild der Untersuchung.
Economies of Scope and Tying Agreements

This article broadens the concept of cost in tie-in agreements. It is shown that the relevant economic criterion to be used in evaluating the tie-in agreements is not the price of the tied goods. Instead, where multiproduct buying is involved, it is the total acquisition costs of tied-in products which should be used as the relevant economic criterion.
Isolation of leucogenenol from bovine and human liver.

A compound has been isolated from both bovine and human liver that on intravenous or intraperitoneal injection into animals induces in 4–12h an increase in the number of peripheral neutrophils, and in 12–24h an increase in the number of peripheral lymphocytes. At 24h after injection there is also a two- to three-fold increase in the relative number of myeloblasts in the bone marrow. The procedure for isolation and the physical and chemical properties identify the compound as leucogenenol, isolated from the metabolic products of Penicillium gilmanii by Rice (1966).
Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of a Library of Human Milk Oligosaccharides.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a family of diverse unconjugated glycans that exist in human milk as one of the major components. Characterization, quantification, and biofunctional studies of HMOs remain a great challenge due to their diversity and complexity. The accessibility of a homogeneous HMO library is essential to solve these issues which have beset academia for several decades. In this study, an efficient chemoenzymatic strategy, namely core synthesis/enzymatic extension (CSEE), for rapid production of diverse HMOs was reported. On the basis of 3 versatile building blocks, 3 core structures were chemically synthesized via consistent use of oligosaccharyl thioether and oligosaccharyl bromide as glycosylation donors in a convergent fragment coupling strategy. Each of these core structures was then extended to up to 11 HMOs by 4 robust glycosyltransferases. A library of 31 HMOs were chemoenzymatically synthesized and characterized by MS and NMR. CSEE indeed provides a practical approach to h...
Improvement in quality of life after lung transplantation: a preliminary study. The University of Washington Medical Center Lung Transplant Study Group

Background : Lung transplantation is an expensive therapeutic option for a number of end-stage pulmonary conditions. Improving health-related quality of life is an important objective of transplantation. Methods : We report quality of life measurements in 21 waiting list patients and 23 patients after transplantation with seven different pulmonary conditions using two standardized instruments : the Sickness Impact Profile and the standard gamble. Results and Conclusions : This cross-sectional study indicates the following : (1) overall quality of life improves significantly after transplantation ; (2) although most dimensions of functional disability improve after transplantation, some aspects may suffer ; (3) quality of life gains after transplantation may not be equal for all pretransplantation conditions.
Assessment of attitudes and perceptions about complementary and alternative medicines by health professional faculty

Abstract Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use amongst Americans is increasingly widespread. Recent data shows that 33% of Americans have used CAM therapy in the past 12 months. The prevalence of CAM use highlights the need for pharmacists and health care providers and their respective students to be knowledgeable regarding these therapies. Objective In order to assess attitudes and perceptions of health professional faculty regarding CAM modalities, an on-line survey was developed and distributed by e-mail in 2010 to targeted participants. This study aimed to: (1) describe attitudes and perceptions of faculty regarding CAM use, and (2) assess changes in these markers since the initial 2002 survey. Design A Qualtrics ® anonymous survey link was sent to health sciences faculty listservs in 2002 and 2010. Survey questions assessed frequency of subject CAM self-use, referral frequency and CAM modalities that they felt were essential for health care education today. Results Faculty had significant increase in self-use of CAM and increased likelihood to refer for most CAM modalities (mind–body interventions (17% vs. 41%), p p p = 0.002, and energy therapies (4% vs. 9%), p = 0.03). They also considered teaching about mind–body, biologically based, and manipulative and body-based modalities an essential component of curricula. Future implications Survey data will inform research, education, and practice gaps, and be utilized to educate health professionals about CAM resources in patient care, research, and to develop didactic and experiential teaching.
Soft Robotic Micro-Tentacle : A Case Study

Previous chapters have reviewed the motivations towards microscale soft robots, or S3 robots, and the technological advances leading to their practical realizations. Now the survey of the current progress in the field is in order. It begins with a case study on a representative S3 robot in this chapter and then introduces top-of-the-line outcomes from the mainstream research efforts in recent years in the following one.
Rethinking the polar cap: Eccentric dipole structuring of ULF power at the highest corrected geomagnetic latitudes

The day-to-day evolution and statistical features of Pc3-Pc7 band ultralow frequency (ULF) power throughout the southern polar cap suggest that the corrected geomagnetic (CGM) coordinates do not adequately organize the observed hydromagnetic spatial structure. It is shown that that the local-time distribution of ULF power at sites along CGM latitudinal parallels exhibit fundamental differences and that the CGM latitude of a site in general is not indicative of the site's projection into the magnetosphere. Thus, ULF characteristics observed at a single site in the polar cap cannot be freely generalized to other sites of similar CGM latitude but separated in magnetic local time, and the inadequacy of CGM coordinates in the polar cap has implications for conjugacy/mapping studies in general. In seeking alternative, observationally motivated systems of “polar cap latitudes,” it is found that eccentric dipole (ED) coordinates have several strengths in organizing the hydromagnetic spatial structure in the polar cap region. ED latitudes appear to better classify the local-time ULF power in both magnitude and morphology and better differentiate the “deep polar cap” (where the ULF power is largely UT dependent and nearly free of local-time structure) from the “peripheral polar cap” (where near-magnetic noon pulsations dominate at lower and lower frequencies as one increases in ED latitude). Eccentric local time is shown to better align the local-time profiles in the magnetic east component over several PcX bands but worsen in the magnetic north component. It is suggested that a hybrid ED-CGM coordinate system might capture the strengths of both CGM and ED coordinates. It is shown that the local-time morphology of median ULF power at high-latitude sites is dominantly driven by where they project into the magnetosphere, which is best quantified by their proximity to the low-altitude cusp on the dayside (which is not necessarily quantified by a site's CGM latitude), and that variations in the local-time morphology at sites similar in ED latitude are due to both geographic local-time control (relative amplification or dampening by the diurnal variation in the local ionospheric conductivity) and geomagnetic coastal effects (enhanced power in a coastally mediated direction). Regardless of cause, it is emphasized that the application of CGM latitudes in the polar cap region is not entirely meaningful and likely should be dispensed with in favor of a scheme that is in better accord with the observed hydromagnetic spatial structure.
Drug loaded poly(glycerol sebacate) as a local drug delivery system for the treatment of periodontal disease

Periodontal disease is a widely distributed disease worldwide. It affects life quality and causes many health problems. The cause of periodontal disease is bacterial infection. The key to treating periodontal disease is killing bacteria and thus using a local antibiotic agent is a good way of treating periodontal disease. In our work, we loaded berberine and chlorhexidine into biodegradable elastomer poly(glycerol-sebacate) (PGS) using a swell drug loading method. Drug(s) showed sustained release properties in vitro. Mechanical testing showed that neither drug loading method nor loaded drug(s) changed the Young's modulus and maximum strain of PGS. Loaded drugs changed the surface wettability and cell compatibility. The general antimicrobial test showed that chlorhexidine loaded PGS groups were good against typical Gram positive bacteria, Gram negative bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Berberine loaded PGS groups showed good antibacterial ability against periodontal disease pathogens. These results indicate that our drug loaded PGS can be used in the treatment of periodontal disease.
North and South American Haplotypes of Drepanocephalus auritus (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) Are Released from Biomphalaria havanensis (Mollusca: Planorbidae) Inhabiting Catfish Aquaculture Ponds in Mississippi, U.S.A.

Trematodes of the subclass Digenea are a major impediment to catfish aquaculture in the southeastern United States. Catfish production ponds are ideal feeding grounds for piscivorous birds, and given the variety of aquatic snails that inhabit these ponds, they offer a prime environment for the propagation of digenetic life cycles. In July 2014, snails morphologically consistent with Biomphalaria havanensis L. Pfeiffer, 1839, were collected from 2 different catfish production ponds in the catfish farming region of eastern Mississippi. These snails were refractory to Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907, infection, and phylogenetic analyses based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 and ITS2 fragments placed the snails within the B. havanensis/obstructa complex. Some (1.5%) of these snails shed cercariae morphologically and molecularly consistent with Drepanocephalus auritus Kudlai, Kostadinova, Pulis, and Tkach, 2015 (formerly reported as Drepanocephalus spathans Dietz, 1909), an echinostomatid parasite of the double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Lesson, 1831, and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque, 1818. Juvenile channel catfish were challenged individually with ∼275 cercariae of D. auritus per fish, resulting in limited mortality (2 out of 10 fish). Surviving fish were euthanatized 7 d postchallenge, and the presence of metacercariae was confirmed histologically. Parasite-associated pathology was consistent with previous studies. Subsequent molecular analysis of 5 different gene targets confirmed morphological identifications. Previous research has suggested the existence of discrete North American and South American haplotypes of D. auritus. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 sequences demonstrated that both haplotypes were released by snails in this study, suggesting a broader distribution of these genetic variants than previously thought. Along with Planorbella trivolvis Say, 1817, this work identifies a second snail species common to catfish aquaculture ponds that releases D. auritus infective to juvenile channel catfish and is the first report of B. havanensis as an intermediate host for D. auritus in North America.
The Use of the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale in a Primary Care Setting

Research has indicated that as many as 10% to 15% of primary care patients have symptoms that are not well explained medically. These patients could be labeled as "somatizers." This study assessed the extent to which underlying psychological characteristics contribute to a person's level of somatization and service utilization. The Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method (SCORS-G; Stein, Hilsenroth, Slavin-Mulford, & Pinsker, 2011; Westen, 1995) was used to rate early memory narratives of 100 patients in a suburban primary care setting. Using principal axis factoring, the SCORS-G was divided into 2 components and these components (cognitive and affective) were used in subsequent analyses. The affective component was significantly negatively correlated with 2 measures of somatization and positively related to physician ratings of global health. The affective component also showed a trend toward significance on overnight hospital stays and patient-rated health. The cognitive component showed a trend toward significance with both measures of somatization, but it was not correlated with other measures of health. This study demonstrates the value of assessing underlying processes (via SCORS-G ratings of early memory narratives) that contribute to increased rates of somatization and health care utilization. Clinical implications for the relationship between affect and physical health are explored.
The Miguel map revisited

The Miguel map was drawn by a native of Kansas in 1602 at the behest of Spanish officials in Mexico City. The map shows native settlements, rivers, trails, and two salt marshes in the Southern Plains and a spot from which gold was obtained. Previous attempts to decipher the map have not used all of the ancillary documents and have depended on early translations with errors of both transcription and translation. Information from eyewitness accounts from the 1601 Onate expedition show that the place called Etzanoa and the great settlement is located at Arkansas City, Kansas. The map also shows the location of other ancestral Wichita communities and camps of the nomadic Escanxaque. Finally, it shows a place labeled Encuche, where gold was smelted, the location of which turns out to be in South America.
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LONG CHAIN CERAMIDE LEVELS AND HEART FAILURE PHENOTYPES IN STABLE CARDIAC PATIENTS

Ceramides are a class of sphingolipids implicated in cellular signaling and may be involved in systolic heart failure. The relationship between ceramide levels and heart failure phenotypes has not been carefully investigated. We analyzed circulating sphingolipid levels in 1,131 patients undergoing
Moderate perinatal thyroid hormone insufficiency alters visual system function in adult rats.

Thyroid hormone (TH) is critical for many aspects of neurodevelopment and can be disrupted by a variety of environmental contaminants. Sensory systems, including audition and vision are vulnerable to TH insufficiencies, but little data are available on visual system development at less than severe levels of TH deprivation. The goal of the current experiments was to explore dose-response relations between graded levels of TH insufficiency during development and the visual function of adult offspring. Pregnant Long Evans rats received 0 or 3 ppm (Experiment 1), or 0, 1, 2, or 3 ppm (Experiment 2) of propylthiouracil (PTU), an inhibitor of thyroid hormone synthesis, in drinking water from gestation day (GD) 6 to postnatal day (PN) 21. Treatment with PTU caused dose-related reductions of serum T4, with recovery on termination of exposure, and euthyroidism by the time of visual function testing. Tests of retinal (electroretinograms; ERGs) and visual cortex (visual evoked potentials; VEPs) function were assessed in adult offspring. Dark-adapted ERG a-waves, reflecting rod photoreceptors, were increased in amplitude by PTU. Light-adapted green flicker ERGs, reflecting M-cone photoreceptors, were reduced by PTU exposure. UV-flicker ERGs, reflecting S-cones, were not altered. Pattern-elicited VEPs were significantly reduced by 2 and 3 ppm PTU across a range of stimulus contrast values. The slope of VEP amplitude-log contrast functions was reduced by PTU, suggesting impaired visual contrast gain. Visual contrast gain primarily reflects function of visual cortex, and is responsible for adjusting sensitivity of perceptual mechanisms in response to changing visual scenes. The results indicate that moderate levels of pre-and post-natal TH insufficiency led to alterations in visual function of adult rats, including both retinal and visual cortex sites of dysfunction.
Variability of urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations during pregnancy in the MARBLES Study

Abstract Background Variability of short-lived urinary pesticide metabolites during pregnancy raises challenges for exposure assessment. Objectives For urinary metabolite concentrations 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy), we assessed: (1) temporal variability; (2) variation of two urine specimens within a trimester; (3) reliability for pesticide concentrations from a single urine specimen to classify participants into exposure tertiles; and (4) seasonal or year variations. Methods Pregnant mothers (N = 166) in the MARBLES (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies-Learning Early Signs) Study provided urine specimens (n = 528). First morning void (FMV), pooled, and 24-h specimens were analyzed for 3-PBA and TCPy. For 9 mothers (n = 88 specimens), each urine specimen was analyzed separately (not pooled) to estimate within- and between-person variance components expressed as intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Pesticide concentrations from two specimens within a trimester were also assessed using ICC's. Agreement for exposure classifications was assessed with weighted Cohen's kappa statistics. Longitudinal mixed effect models were used to assess seasonal or year variations. Results Urinary pesticide metabolites were detected in ≥ 93% of specimens analyzed. The highest ICC from repeated individual specimens was from specific gravity-corrected FMV specimens for 3-PBA (ICC=0.13). Despite high within-person variability, the median concentrations did not differ across trimesters. Concentrations from pooled specimens had substantial agreement predicting exposure categories for TCPy (K = 0.67, 95% CI (0.59, 0.76)) and moderate agreement for 3-PBA (K = 0.59, 95% CI (0.49, 0.69)). TCPy concentrations significantly decreased from 2007 to 2014. Conclusions Pooled specimens may improve exposure classification and reduce laboratory costs for compounds with short biological half-lives in epidemiological studies.
Context-Aware Data Cleaning for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks: A Diversified Trust Approach

In mobile wireless sensor networks (MWSN), data imprecision is a common problem. Decision making in real time applications may be greatly affected by a minor error. Even though there are many existing techniques that take advantage of the spatio-temporal characteristics exhibited in mobile environments, few measure the trustworthiness of sensor data accuracy. We propose a unique online context-aware data cleaning method that measures trustworthiness by employing an initial candidate reduction through the analysis of trust parameters used in financial markets theory. Sensors with similar trajectory behaviors are assigned trust scores estimated through the calculation of “betas” for finding the most accurate data to trust. Instead of devoting all the trust into a single candidate sensor’s data to perform the cleaning, a Diversified Trust Portfolio (DTP) is generated based on the selected set of spatially autocorrelated candidate sensors. Our results show that samples cleaned by the proposed method exhibit lower percent error when compared to two well-known and effective data cleaning algorithms in tested outdoor and indoor scenarios.
The structure of extracellular phosphorylated galactans from Sporobolomyces yeasts.

Two strains of Sporobolomyces species, NRRL Y-6493 and NRRL Y-6502, produce extracellular, lightly acetylated, phosphorylated galactans when grown on media containing glucose as the carbon source. d -Galactose and d -galactose 6-phosphate were the only carbohydrate components present in strong acid hydrolysates. α- d -Galactose 1-phosphate was isolated after vigorous alkaline hydrolysis. Periodate oxidation analyses of intact and deacetylated polymers indicate that approximately equal proportions of α-1,6- and α-1,3-galactosyl linkages are present. Polymer phosphate occurs exclusively in the form of α- d -galactopyranosyl-1-phospho-6'-galactosyl phosphodiester end groups.
GIS APPLICATIONS TO HISTORICAL CARTOGRAPHIC METHODS TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING AND VISUALIZATION OF CONTOURS

This article illustrates applications of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to two alternative contouring methods published in English in 1932 and 1950 by the Japanese cartographer Kitiro Tanaka. Both of these methods have the potential to help students better understand and visualize contours. Inclined contour traces are defined by the intersection of topography with a series of evenly spaced, inclined planes, as opposed to the traditional horizontal planes used for most contours. This method has the potential to help students understand the concept of contour lines and profiles, aid students in the visualization of topography, and introduce students to the cartographic concept of analytical hillshading. Illuminated contours use black and white contours of varying thickness on a gray background to give the impression of an obliquely lit 3-dimensional surface. This method could help students visualize topography and introduce students to the concepts of aspect, slope and analytical hillshading.
Identification of Nonlinear System with Feedback Structure

Many studies have been made in the identification of nonlinear system by Volterra-Wiener kernels based on the input-output data or the black box method. This pa-per is aimed to develop a method of identification that will reach into the internal structure of the system including feedback, where each one of the blocks can be individually identified. We shall first present a number of new theorems to model the nonlinear system into a system of Chapaullel-cascaded structure, as long as the system satisfies the Volterra-Wiener condition. This structure is then transformed into a number of different types of feedback structures which have nonlinear blocks either in the feedback or feedforward path. A sufficient condition for the convergence of these types of feedback system is given and a numerical example is presented to illustrate the validity of this method. Many physiological feedback systems that have adaptation behavior, such as the retinal cells or auditory nerve fibers, could be represented by this method. It would therefore greatly extend our knowledge in the understanding of the complex control dynamic structure of physiological systems, as demonstrated in its application to various sensory and neural systems.
Colonic Interposition for Esophageal Replacement

In cancer of the gastroesophageal junction or thoracic esophagus, the use of a gastric tube may be convenient in replacing the removed esophagus with an esophagogastric anastomosis if a sufficient length of stomach can be procured after cancer resection. When the stomach is not available, however, a colon bypass may be used if prior colonoscopic evaluation shows no evidence of intrinsic or extrinsic lesions in the wall of the colon. At the time of the operation, the colon is explored carefully to rule out the presence of any lesions that would compromise its suitability as bypass.
Body Size and Sexual Dimorphism

Males and females of many species differ dramatically in traits such as body size, coloration, ornamentation, and weaponry. These sexual dimorphisms are typically associated with sex differences in other aspects of the phenotype, such as physiology, life history, and behavior. The ubiquity of sexual dimorphism prompted Charles Darwin to develop his theory of sexual selection, but he also recognized the role of natural selection in shaping sexual dimorphism. Current research focuses on understanding both the evolutionary forces that favor sexual dimorphism and the underlying genetic and hormonal mechanisms that allow the sexes to express different phenotypes from their shared genome.
Benchtop magnetic particle relaxometer for detection, characterization and analysis of magnetic nanoparticles

This paper presents the design, construction, and testing of a magnetic particle relaxometer (MPR) to assess magnetic nanoparticle response to dynamic magnetic fields while subjected to a bias field. The designed MPR can characterize magnetic particles for use as tracers in magnetic particle imaging (MPI), with the variation of an applied bias field emulating the scan of the MPI field free point. The system applies a high-frequency time-varying excitation field (up to 45 mT at 30 kHz), while slowly ramping a bias field (±100 mT in 1 s). The time-resolved response of the sample is measured using an inductive sensing coil system, made of a pick-up coil and a rotating and translating balancing coil to finely cancel the induction feed-through from the excitation field. A post-processing algorithm is presented to extract the tracer response related to the point spread function for MPI applications, and the performance of the MPR is demonstrated using superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (ferucarbotran).
Splenectomy in patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia: Indications, histopathological findings and clinical outcomes in a single institutional series of thirty‐nine patients

In a 28-year period, 39 (7%) patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) (median age 66 years, 64% male) underwent a splenectomy at our institution. Primary indications for splenectomy were refractory thrombocytopenia (36%), progressive spleen related symptoms (33%), emergent splenectomy for splenic rupture (21%), refractory anemia (8%), and prior to allogeneic stem cell transplant (3%). Eleven (28%) patients had anemia at the time of splenectomy, of which 3 (27%) were autoimmune. The median time to splenectomy from CMML diagnosis was 6 months (0-40); perioperative morbidity and mortality rates were 43% and 13%, while the median postsplenectomy survival was 25 months (11-38). Durable remission in spleen related symptoms, thrombocytopenia, complications from splenic rupture, and anemia were achieved in 85%, 50%, 62%, and 21% of patients, respectively. Perioperative morbidity (n = 30) included infections/sepsis in 6 (20%), intraabdominal bleeding in 4 (13%), venous thromboembolism (VTE) in 3 (10%), and acute lung injury in 2 (7%) patients. The median duration of hospital stay was 6 days (1-25), with 5 deaths occurring secondary to respiratory failure (n = 2), multiorgan dysfunction (n = 2) and hemorrhagic shock (n = 1). There was no difference in overall survival between CMML patients that underwent splenectomy, in comparison to those that did not. Unlike in myelofibrosis, portal hypertension was not an indication for splenectomy and no patients developed post-splenectomy thrombocytosis. In conclusion, apart from being a lifesaving emergent modality in the event of splenic rupture, splenectomy has an important palliative role in patients with CMML, with significant and durable improvements in spleen related symptoms and refractory cytopenias.
When Tissue Is No Longer the Issue: Tissue-Agnostic Cancer Therapy Comes of Age

Matching unique features of cancer types with effective therapies is a cornerstone of precision medicine. Clinical success has been seen in inhibiting specific molecular alterations that drive the growth of cancer cells and targeting molecules whose elevated expression is confined to cancer cells. In addition, cancer cells can have vulnerabilities induced by somatic mutations they carry; attacks on these vulnerabilities range from specific molecular alterations pointing to direct drug strategies to harnessing immune recognition of genetically altered epitopes produced by the cancer cells. Recent advances have found that the success of biomarker-driven cancer therapy may be relevant across sites of origin. For example, cancer types that show DNA mismatch repair deficiency, such as colon, biliary, and endometrial cancer, are more sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibition. Several large, ongoing clinical trials with a "basket" design are combining tumor tissue genomics with potential off-the-shelf therapies in drug development, and more tissue-agnostic biomarker therapies are reaching the bedside.
Distributed processes for biomass conversion could aid UN Sustainable Development Goals

Catalysis can contribute in many ways to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Here, the opportunities arising through the interplay of biomass valorization and distributed production approaches are discussed.
A Unified Modeling Framework to Advance Biofuel Production from Microalgae

Modeling efforts to understand the financial implications of microalgal biofuels often assume a static basis for microalgae biomass composition and cost, which has constrained cultivation and downstream conversion process design and limited in-depth understanding of their interdependencies. For this work, a dynamic biological cultivation model was integrated with thermo-chemical/biological unit process models for downstream biorefineries to increase modeling fidelity, to provide mechanistic links among unit operations, and to quantify minimum product selling prices of biofuels via techno-economic analysis. Variability in design, cultivation, and conversion parameters were characterized through Monte Carlo simulation, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify key cost and fuel yield drivers. Cultivating biomass to achieve the minimum biomass selling price or to achieve maximum lipid content were shown to lead to suboptimal fuel production costs. Depending on biomass composition, both hydrothermal...
Intracellular compartment-specific proteasome dysfunction in postmortem cortex in schizophrenia subjects

Protein homeostasis is an emerging component of schizophrenia (SZ) pathophysiology. Proteomic alterations in SZ are well-documented and changes in transcript expression are frequently not associated with changes in protein expression in SZ brain. The underlying mechanism driving these changes remains unknown, though altered expression of ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) components have implicated protein degradation. Previous studies have been limited to protein and transcript expression, however, and do not directly test the function of the proteasome. To address this gap in knowledge, we measured enzymatic activity associated with the proteasome (chymotrypsin-, trypsin-, and caspase-like) in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) of 25 SZ and 25 comparison subjects using flourogenic substrates. As localization regulates which cellular processes the proteasome contributes to, we measured proteasome activity and subunit expression in fractions enriched for nucleus, cytosolic, and membrane compartments. SZ subjects had decreased trypsin-like activity in total homogenate. This finding was specific to the nucleus-enriched fraction and was not associated with changes in proteasome subunit expression. Interestingly, both chymotrypsin-like activity and protein expression of 19S RP subunits, which facilitate ubiquitin-dependent degradation, were decreased in the cytosol-enriched fraction of SZ subjects. Intracellular compartment-specific proteasome dysfunction implicates dysregulation of protein expression both through altered ubiquitin-dependent degradation of cytosolic proteins and regulation of protein synthesis due to degradation of transcription factors and transcription machinery in the nucleus. Together, these findings implicate proteasome dysfunction in SZ, which likely has a broad impact on the proteomic landscape and cellular function in the pathophysiology of this illness.
Optical Scattering of Deterministic Diffractive Elements with Antireflective Structured Surfaces

Diffractive optical elements with complicated multi-layered phase profiles, require the suppression of Fresnel reflections in cascading-component optical systems. Random nanostructures have been shown to reduce Fresnel reflectivity of optical windows, lenses, and linear gratings. To-date, no reports of such antireflective treatments have been reported on deterministic diffractive optics. Random subwavelength structures were implemented on the diffractive phase profiles of a deterministic illumination diffuser. The diffuser was tested before and after the nanostructure addition, and significant reduction of the reflected scatter was measured with a moderate transmission enhancement. The results also show no adverse effects on the target irradiance distribution of the diffractive element.
Future Directions for Incorporating Intersectionality Into Quantitative Population Health Research

Intersectionality, an analytical approach rooted in Black feminist theory and praxis, has become more widely used in population health research. The majority of quantitative population health studies have used intersectionality as a theoretical framework to investigate how multiple social identities rather than social inequalities simultaneously influence health inequities.Although a few researchers have developed methods to assess how multiple forms of interpersonal discrimination shape the health of multiply marginalized groups and others have called for the use of multilevel modeling to examine the role of intersecting dimensions of structural discrimination, critical qualitative, multidisciplinary, and community-based participatory research approaches are needed to more fully incorporate the core ideas of intersectionality-including social inequality, relationality, complexity, power, social context, and social justice-into quantitative population health research studies or programs.By more comprehensively capturing and addressing the influence of intersecting structural factors, social and historical processes, and systems of power and oppression on the health of multiply marginalized individuals, quantitative population health researchers will more fully leverage intersectionality's transformational power and move one step closer to achieving social justice and health equity.
Shift happens: the gender composition in clinical neuropsychology over five decades.

Objective: The current study utilizes five decades of data to demonstrate cohort differences in gender representation in governance, speaking at conferences, serving on editorial boards, and in scholarly productivity in clinical neuropsychology. Broadly examining gender disparities across domains of professional attainment helps illuminate the areas in which inequity in clinical neuropsychology is most pronounced and in need of ameliorative resources.Methods: Data from 1967 to 2017 were coded from publicly available information from the four major professional associations for clinical neuropsychology in the U.S. (i.e. INS, AACN, NAN, & SCN). Gender differences were examined in (1) speaking at a national conference, (2) holding an office in a professional organization, (3) serving on the editorial team for a journal affiliated with a professional organization, and (4) scholarly activity as coded from Google Scholar.Results: The percentage of men in the field significantly declined across time, whereas the percentage of women significantly increased; the number of women exceeded the number of men in approximately 1992. Gender differences in conference speakers, editorial board members, and research citations were greater in the earlier than in more recent cohorts of clinical neuropsychologists but gender inequity in conference speaking and editorial activities is evident in the most recent cohorts.Discussion: Gender differences in conference speakers, editorial board members, and in earning research citations have diminished over time, but early career women still face disadvantages in speaking at conferences and serving on editorial boards. We provide strategies to increase and sustain women's participation in leadership in neuropsychology.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Social Enterprise Sector

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social entrepreneurship are unexplored at this time. However, recent literature argues that social entrepreneurship is a critical tool for addressing issues ...
Sequential Learning of Cryptocurrency Volatility Dynamics: Evidence Based on a Stochastic Volatility Model with Jumps in Returns and Volatility

This paper studies the dynamics of cryptocurrency volatility using a stochastic volatility model with simultaneous and correlated jumps in returns and volatility. We estimate the model using an eff...
Theoretical and contextual considerations for self-management strategies of children and adolescents with chronic diseases: An integrative review.

The primary aim of this integrative review was to critically evaluate and synthesize published, peer-reviewed research to better understand self-management strategies of children and adolescents wi...
Comparison of clinical outcomes between the depot gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist protocol and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol in normal ovarian responders.

The gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol has some advantages, such as a simple method, short medication duration, and low incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, but whether the GnRH antagonist protocol is suitable for normal ovarian responders has been controversial. We compared the clinical outcomes of fresh and frozen-thawed transfer cycles between the depot GnRH agonist protocol and GnRH antagonist protocol in normal ovarian responders. Data of normal ovarian responders who underwent in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) between January 2017 and December 2018 in our hospital were retrospectively analysed. In this study, there were 1119 fresh transfer cycles, including 502 GnRH antagonist cycles (GnRH antagonist group) and 617 depot GnRH agonist cycles (depot GnRH agonist group), as well as 468 frozen-thawed transfer cycles, includng 191 GnRH antagonist cycles (GnRH antagonist group) and 277 depot GnRH agonist cycles (depot GnRH agonist group). The clinical outcomes were compared between the GnRH antagonist group and the depot GnRH agonist group. With the fresh transfer cycles, there were no statistically significant differences in the anti-Mullerian hormone level, number of transferred embryos or high-quality embryo rate between the two groups. The total dosage of gonadotropin (Gn), duration of Gn stimulation, number of oocytes retrieved, clinical pregnancy rate and incidences of moderate and severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) were significantly lower but the abortion rate was significantly higher in the GnRH antagonist group than in the depot GnRH agonist group (all P 0.05). With the fresh transfer cycles, the GnRH antagonist protocol had a lower clinical pregnancy rate and lower incidences of moderate and severe OHSS than the depot GnRH agonist protocol, but with the frozen-thawed transfer cycles, both protocols had similar clinical pregnancy rates. These results remain to be further confirmed through large-sample, prospective, randomized and controlled studies.