cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introduction of Gynecological Radio Frequency Therapy Instrument and its Industry Standard

This article introduces Gynecological Radio Frequency Therapy Instrument and its product standard,YY0650-2008.The contents of this paper is about the applicable disease,make up and working principle of the Gynecological radio frequency therapy instruments,and the main requirements of its product standard of our country.According to the product standard,this paper introduces the requirements of the temperature control function,impedance monitoring function,the electrode using for operation,and requirements of electrical safety.The purpose of this paper is giving a guide to the producer to improve the quality of their products,giving a help to the doctor to become familiar with this equipment,also giving a help to understand the product standard better during test,registration and supervision.
The effects of large beach debris on nesting sea turtles

Abstract A field experiment was conducted to understand the effects of large beach debris on sea turtle nesting behavior as well as the effectiveness of large debris removal for habitat restoration. Large natural and anthropogenic debris were removed from one of three sections of a sea turtle nesting beach and distributions of nests and false crawls (non-nesting crawls) in pre- (2011–2012) and post- (2013–2014) removal years in the three sections were compared. The number of nests increased 200% and the number of false crawls increased 55% in the experimental section, whereas a corresponding increase in number of nests and false crawls was not observed in the other two sections where debris removal was not conducted. The proportion of nest and false crawl abundance in all three beach sections was significantly different between pre- and post-removal years. The nesting success, the percent of successful nests in total nesting attempts (number of nests + false crawls), also increased from 24% to 38%; however the magnitude of the increase was comparably small because both the number of nests and false crawls increased, and thus the proportion of the nesting success in the experimental beach in pre- and post-removal years was not significantly different. The substantial increase in sea turtle nesting activities after the removal of large debris indicates that large debris may have an adverse impact on sea turtle nesting behavior. Removal of large debris could be an effective restoration strategy to improve sea turtle nesting.
Exploration from Demonstration for Interactive Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement Learning (RL) has been effectively used to solve complex problems given careful design of the problem and algorithm parameters. However standard RL approaches do not scale particularly well with the size of the problem and often require extensive engineering on the part of the designer to minimize the search space. To alleviate this problem, we present a model-free policy-based approach called Exploration from Demonstration (EfD) that uses human demonstrations to guide search space exploration. We use statistical measures of RL algorithms to provide feedback to the user about the agent's uncertainty and use this to solicit targeted demonstrations useful from the agent's perspective. The demonstrations are used to learn an exploration policy that actively guides the agent towards important aspects of the problem. We instantiate our approach in a gridworld and a popular arcade game and validate its performance under different experimental conditions. We show how EfD scales to large problems and provides convergence speed-ups over traditional exploration and interactive learning methods.
The special nature of psychoanalytic facts.

Psychoanalytic facts are almost always capable of being put into words and they include things the patient tells us, things we tell the patient, and things we tell our colleagues. They include various combinations of observation and theory, evidence and hearsay, dream and reality. In contrast to the more usual facts of the everyday world, a psychoianalytic fact is almost never based on pure observation and it is partly for this reason that a dispute over facts frequently conceals a dispute over theory.
Can Simulated Team Tasks be Used to Improve Nontechnical Skills in the Operating Room

Objective The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of a team-based surgical skills intervention on the technical and nontechnical skills of surgery residents. Design This was a prospective cohort study with pretesting or posttesting. We designed basic tasks for the assessment and learning of nontechnical skills in the operating room (OR). A total of 15 postgraduate year 1 residents performed an open gastrojejunostomy in a simulated OR setting (pretest), followed by training in the 3 team-based tasks designed to teach communication and teamwork, followed by performance of a gastrojejunostomy in the simulated OR (posttest). Setting Tertiary care, university-based teaching institution. Participants A total of 15 general surgery residents at the intern level. Results The mean nontechnical skills for surgeons (NOTSS) score improved postteam task training (10.04 ± 0.33 vs. 12.14 ± 1.33). There was a concomitant increase in the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) score (18.56 ± 0.86 vs. 22.86 ± 0.15, p = 0.006). The percentage increases in OSATS and NOTSS score for each resident was similar (19.49 ± 4.8 % for NOTSS vs. 21.22 ± 4.92 % for OSATS, p = 0.502). Conclusion Nontechnical skills positively correlate with the technical performance of a surgeon. Simple, easily designed tasks can be used to improve NOTSS in the OR. These team tasks and development of curricula based on them can be used to explicitly address one of the most important components of ACGME core competencies for surgical residents, namely interpersonal skills and communication.
UHF lumped element model of a fully-inkjet-printed single-wall-carbon-nanotube-based inter-digitated electrodes breath sensor

In this effort, the authors present the first lumped element model for a fully-inkjet-printed single-wall-carbon-nanotube-based (SWCNT) inter-digitated electrode (IDE) breath sensor, in the 500-MHz to 2-GHZ frequency range. Sensible models, one intrinsic to the inkjet-printed SWCNT film, and an extrinsic (for the IDEs) were first assumed and superimposed. The models were then verified through the use of an optimization process which achieved close fitting (less than −30dB difference) with the measured detection and detection-less S-parameters of the breath sensor, while only its intrinsic parameters showing significant detection sensitivity. The suggested model offers a stepping stone for the integration of nanomaterial-based IDE sensors for low cost fully-inkjet-printed UHF sensor implementations of the Internet of Things.
Effect of different aspects of multiple earthquakes on the nonlinear behavior of RC structures

Abstract Observations from field investigations have shown that a structure may be subjected to more than one earthquake in a relatively short period of time. Since after every single earthquake, a structure faces a stiffness and strength degradation, it may not be able to withstand subsequent shaking especially when seismic retrofit is not an option due to the short time intervals between the successive earthquakes. Therefore, it is necessary to consider effects of repeated shaking on the behavior of structures prone to multiple earthquakes. Although many studies have been performed so far, there are some significant deficits which need more attention. Some of the important limitations in most of the recent studies include: (1) the use of ground motion data from uncorrelated events occurring at different locations and times; (2) utilization of simple models that do not contain appropriate damage features; and (3) no proper consideration to the effects of earthquake direction, aftershock polarity, structure irregularity, and the vertical component of the earthquake. The objective of this study is to overcome the aforementioned limitations through using a robust finite element model that simulates the degrading behavior of reinforced concrete structures subjected to as-recorded seismic sequences. For this purpose, the nonlinear response of two eight-story reinforced concrete buildings (both regular and irregular in height) is evaluated. The buildings are subjected to a suite of ground motion records obtained from the recent 2010–2011 Christchurch earthquake sequence. Dynamic response history analyses are conducted to investigate the effects of: 1) damage from previous ground motions; 2) earthquake direction; 3) aftershock polarity; and 4) the vertical component of the earthquake. The results presented in this study indicate that earthquake direction (in the irregular building), structure irregularity, and the vertical earthquake component can have a considerable effect on the response of structures subjected to multiple earthquakes. Findings also show that aftershock polarity can significantly change the response of the irregular structure.
Anything but ringers: early American soccer hotbeds and the 1930 US World Cup team

At the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, a group of American soccer players advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament, securing what remains the best-ever finish by a team representing the United States. As time has passed, this team has largely been dismissed as a group of English and Scottish players brought in to bolster the Americans’ chances at the World Cup. This treatment belies the complex interrelation between immigration, labour and leisure time in the early twentieth century that were at the heart of American success in Uruguay. This article keys in on the four regions from which the roster for the 1930 US World Cup team was selected in order to show that their third-place finish was the culmination of a decade-long process of soccer popularization, proliferation, and professionalization through the immigrant hotbeds of the Atlantic seaboard and Midwest.
Analysis of immune molecule expression in mouse adipose tissue and deep fat

Many recent studies indicate that adipose tissue plays a role in innate immunity and inflammation. This lab has been studying the expression of Basigin gene products and the innate immune receptor ...
An Experimental Study of Implicit Racial Bias in Recognition of Child Abuse.

OBJECTIVES We evaluated whether implicit racial bias influences pediatricians' suspicion of child abuse. METHODS Child abuse experts developed 9 injury vignettes. Pediatricians (N = 342) were randomly assigned one of 2 versions to rate for suspicion of abuse, with the child's race in each vignette varying between white and black. Data were collected online and anonymously. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in suspicion for an abuse-related injury based on the race of the child. We adjusted for pediatrician race/ethnicity, years since graduation, location, and gender and did not find race effects. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated an experimental approach to study the influence of implicit racial bias on recognition of child abuse. Though we failed to find an effect, it is too early to conclude that none exists. The relationship among human cognition, behavior, and healthcare disparities is complex. Studies are needed that incorporate diverse approaches, clinical contexts and scenarios, patient and physician characteristics, and validated measures if we are to understand how it might be used to reduce healthcare disparities.
Necrotizing Autoimmune Myopathy: A Rare Variant of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies:

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are an unusual group of myopathies with annual incidence of 1 in 100 000 people in the United States. Necrotizing autoimmune myopathy comprises only 16% of this g...
Development of reactive force fields using ab initio molecular dynamics simulation minimally biased to experimental data

Incorporation of quantum mechanical electronic structure data is necessary to properly capture the physics of many chemical processes. Proton hopping in water, which involves rearrangement of chemical and hydrogen bonds, is one such example of an inherently quantum mechanical process. Standard ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) methods, however, do not yet accurately predict the structure of water and are therefore less than optimal for developing force fields. We have instead utilized a recently developed method which minimally biases AIMD simulations to match limited experimental data to develop novel multiscale reactive molecular dynamics (MS-RMD) force fields by using relative entropy minimization. In this paper, we present two new MS-RMD models using such a parameterization: one which employs water with harmonic internal vibrations and another which uses anharmonic water. We show that the newly developed MS-RMD models very closely reproduce the solvation structure of the hydrated excess proton in the target AIMD data. We also find that the use of anharmonic water increases proton hopping, thereby increasing the proton diffusion constant.
Family Secrets: The Roles of Family Communication Patterns and Conflict Styles between Parents and Young Adult Children

This study seeks to add to previous research regarding family secrets by exploring intrafamily and individual family secrets from a family communication pattern and parent–young adult child conflict style perspective. Results showed conversation orientation, conformity orientation, or conflict styles did not predict disclosure separately. However, the use of a collaborating conflict style did indirectly mediate the relationship between conversation orientation and disclosure, but only for those individuals whose families have a low level of conformity orientation.
TCT-240 Pre-operative risk and its effect on total costs after transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Recent advances in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) have led to the adoption of the technology in patients with lower surgical risk. The present study aims to analyze direct costs associated with TAVR in patients with different pre-operative risks. Data were drawn from a prospectively
Hyperasymptotic Perturbation Theory

The standard definition of “asymptotic series”, inventedby Poincaree a century ago, is all about powers of ∈:
Expanding first-line therapy options for children with partial seizures.

Article abstract-Carbamazepine and phenytoin are considered first-line therapies for children with partial seizures on the basis of the adult Veterans Administration studies, open-label controlled and uncontrolled pediatric studies, and clinical experience. Although many new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have demonstrated efficacy in controlled trials in adults with partial seizures, additional issues must be examined before these new AEDs are considered as first-line therapy for children with partial seizures. This article proposes three criteria for assessing the suitability of a new AED as first-line therapy for pediatric partial seizures: (a) demonstrated efficacy against pediatric partial seizures in two or more randomized, double-blind controlled trials involving patients less than 12 years old (with at least one of the trials utilizing a monotherapy design); (b) a favorable safety profile in monotherapy trials and no severe idiosyncratic reactions; and (c) ease of use in children across a wide range of ages. On the basis of these criteria, two new AEDs, oxcarbazepine (OXC) and topiramate (TPM), are suitable for consideration. OXC has demonstrated efficacy in monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in pediatric partial seizures, along with good tolerability and the ability to be titrated rapidly. TPM has also demonstrated efficacy and tolerability in pediatric partial seizures but should be titrated slowly. In addition, gabapentin (GBP) can be considered as first-line therapy for pediatric partial seizures if the preliminary analysis of a monotherapy trial is confirmed. There are not yet enough data on efficacy to support consideration of lamotrigine, tiagabine, felbamate, levetiracetam, or zonisamide as first-line therapy for pediatric partial seizures.
Young Children and “Tweens”

Publisher Summary Children are especially susceptible to road traffic injury, and morbidity, and mortality rates throughout the world reflect this vulnerability. Children interact with roadways in a number of ways. In most low- and middle-income countries, the majority of road users are not vehicle occupants but, rather, vulnerable road users without a protective shell around them. These include pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycle passengers, and passengers loading and unloading from public transport. Often, transport projects are not designed with the unique safety needs of children and other vulnerable road users in mind. Children may be required to walk alongside or weave in and out of traffic during their daily routines as they walk to school, complete their chores, and seek open areas to play. This, coupled with children's limitations in development, is a recipe for disaster. In addition to the risk stemming from the manner in which children interact with the roadway environment, children possess a number of unique developmental characteristics that play into their susceptibility to roadway injuries. Children's bodies are small and still developing and thus are less able to withstand crash forces. The interplay of a dangerous roadway environment and children's developmental limitations has led to road traffic injury being one of children's greatest threats to health and well being.
THE ASYMMETRIC α -CARBON ATOM

This chapter discusses the polypeptide model construction of the asymmetric α-carbon atom. The α-carbon atom is asymmetric in all amino acids except glycine. If naturally occurring amino acids were racemates, the side chain could be attached to either of the two remaining arms of the α-carbon atom. However, most naturally occurring amino acids exist in only one stereoisomeric form—the L-configuration. Therefore, only one arm is appropriate for bonding to the side chain. The chapter illustrates the correct bonding arm for L-amino acids. As one proceeds onward from the oxygen atom of one peptide unit to the C–C α bond and toward the nitrogen atom of the C α –N bond of another peptide unit, the α-carbon is located at the top of a bridge. In this configuration, the bonding arm used for L-amino acid side chain is located on the left.
Hypomethylating agents in combination with venetoclax for acute myeloid leukemia: Update on clinical trial data and practical considerations for use

One of the most promising developments in therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in recent years has been the combination of hypomethylating agents (HMA, either decitabine or 5-azacytidine) with the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN). Although both classes of drugs have single-agent activity in AML, the combination has resulted in high rates of complete remission (CR) both in the frontline and relapsed settings suggesting synergy between these two agents. Recent data have suggested that CR + CR with incomplete count recovery rate may exceed 70% for frontline VEN-HMA. Moreover, this activity has been observed across various genetic subtypes of AML including those known to have very poor response to conventional chemotherapy. Although VEN has only recently obtained FDA approval for treatment of AML, there has been increasing on and off-label use of this combination given its striking efficacy and excellent toxicity profile. In this article, we summarize the current available data on this combination and offer practical guidelines for management of patients receiving VEN-HMA. Our recommendations are based on protocol guidelines, published data from clinical trials as well as from analysis of real world evidence from patients treated with this combination.
Destination personality: how to make the metaphor simpler?

A well-established destination personality facilitates differentiation of destinations and helps to create emotional loyalty and increase repeat visitors. Although destination personality and brand...
Assessing American Thyroid Association Guidelines for Total Thyroidectomy in Graves' Disease.

Abstract Background The American Thyroid Association (ATA) issued specific preoperative preparatory guidelines for patients undergoing thyroidectomy for treatment of Graves' disease. Our goal is to determine if compliance with these guidelines is associated with better outcomes. Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database identified 228 patients with Graves' disease who underwent total thyroidectomy between August 2007 and May 2015. Patients treated in compliance with ATA guidelines were compared with those not in full compliance with the current preparatory guidelines. Results At the time of surgery, 52% of all patients followed ATA guidelines. Patients who were prepped per ATA guidelines had fewer episodes of intraoperative tachycardia (0.3 versus 4.5, P = 0.04) but had no difference in peak systolic blood pressure or in number of episodes of systolic blood pressure > 180 mmHg. ATA prepped and nonprepped patients had similar mean operating room time and length of stay. ATA prepped and nonprepped patients had similar complication rates, including transient hypocalcemia (30.4% versus 25.5%, P = 0.45), prolonged hypoparathyroidism (0.98% versus 4.3%, P = 0.15), hoarse voice (10.8% versus 7.5%, P = 0.42), permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (2.9% versus 2.1%, P = 0.71), and hematoma (2.9% versus 0%, P = 0.09). Conclusions Our data suggest that compliance with ATA guidelines for thyroidectomy preparation is not essential for a successful surgical outcome. Although preparation per the guidelines decreased the frequency of intraoperative tachycardia, it did not impact intraoperative hypertension, operating room time, or postoperative complications.
Sickle Cell Trait, European Ancestry, and Longitudinal Tracking of HbA1c Among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

Studies of differences in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) have defined race/ethnicity as a social construct (1,2), not using objective biological parameters, and thus comparisons may have been confounded (3). Among blacks without diabetes, we investigated whether the proportion of European genetic ancestry (PEA) mediates the sickle cell trait (SCT) and HbA1c relation and whether PEA tracks HbA1c levels over time accounting for SCT. We used data from three Jackson Heart Study (JHS) visits (2000–2004, 2005–2008, and 2009–2013), occurring at 4-year intervals. We excluded participants with diabetes (use of glucose-lowering medication or fasting blood glucose [FBG] ≥126 mg/dL) or prediabetes (FBG ≥100 mg/dL) at visit 1. We estimated PEA using 1,444 ancestry-informative markers. The rs334 variant defined SCT, and rs1050828 indicated glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. HbA1c was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography (Tosoh analyzer; assays coefficient of variation 1.4–1.9%). Using visit 1 data, we estimated three relations (Fig. 1 A ) corresponding to regressions of 1 ) SCT on HbA1c ( c ), 2 ) SCT on PEA ( a ), and 3 ) both SCT and PEA on HbA1c levels ( c′ ). The indirect effect of PEA on HbA1c was estimated using the difference between c and c′. Complete mediation is observed when c′ = 0 and partial mediation when c − c′ ≠ 0 (Fig. 1 A ). Figure 1 A : Schematic conceptual framework …
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY LUNG VOLUME DIFFERS BETWEEN VERTICAL AND INVERTED POSITIONING FOR EGYPTIAN FRUIT BATS (ROUSETTUS AEGYPTIACUS)

This prospective study characterizes the impact of positioning on the pulmonary volume and pulmonary atelectasis in Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus). The soft tissue appearance of atelectactic pulmonary parenchyma can obscure or mask pulmonary pathology. Soft tissue within healthy lung parenchyma caused by atelectasis can efface the margins of pathology, such as pulmonary metastasis or pneumonia, due to overlapping attenuation profiles. Pulmonary atelectasis is an unwanted side effect of anesthesia resulting from muscle relaxation and is exacerbated by high (80-100%) inspired oxygen supplementation during general anesthesia. Positioning can help minimize pulmonary atelectasis. Seven R. aegyptiacus received computed tomography imaging in suspended vertical (head-up) and inverted (head-down) positions that generated images in the dorsoventral plane. Vertically positioned bats had a significantly greater lung volume compared to inverted positioning (P = 0.0053). The nondependent portion of the lung apices in the vertically positioned bats had significantly more negative Hounsfield units (i.e. less dense tissue) than the dependent portions of the lung and was also less dense than both portions of the lungs in inverted positioned bats. Although not an intuitive positioning for bats, a vertical orientation generates less pulmonary atelectasis and a greater lung volume compared to bats positioned in a more natural inverted position. Despite physiologic adaptations to hang in an inverted position when not in flight, avoidance of inverted positioning during anesthesia and anesthetic recovery is recommended based on these findings.
Improved P2P Botnet Community Detection: Combining Modularity and Strong Community

Large botnets have enormous combined computation and network resources which can be used to launch powerful attacks. Botnets that use peer-to-peer (P2P) command & control (C&C) overlay networks have emerged to make themselves resilient against detection and disabling of individual bots. In a communication graph with network nodes represented by vertices and network traffic between the nodes represented by edges, the P2P botnet C&C traffic can reveal community structures. Detecting communities in a graph is a well studied problem in literature, and several algorithms have been proposed based on various approaches. Previous works have proposed detecting P2P botnets using various community detection algorithms, though in general they suffer from low precision. We propose BotCLAM, an algorithm to detect P2P botnet community structures in a communication graph, based on the differing definitions of community offered by modularity and strong community. Combining the speed and coverage of modularity optimization algorithms with label propagation approach that finds smaller but strong communities, our algorithm detects P2P communities with improved precision (65% - 75%) while matching the recall (>98%) of modularity optimization.
Feasibility of Assessing Economic and Sexual Risk Behaviors Using Text Message Surveys in African-American Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness and Unemployment: Single-Group Study.

Background: Text messages offer the potential to better evaluate HIV behavioral interventions using repeated longitudinal measures at a lower cost and research burden. However, they have been underused in US minority settings. Objective: This study aims to examine the feasibility of assessing economic and sexual risk behaviors using text message surveys. Methods: We conducted a single-group study with 17 African-American young adults, aged 18-24 years, who were economically disadvantaged and reported prior unprotected sex. Participants received a text message survey once each week for 5 weeks. The survey contained 14 questions with yes-no and numeric responses on sexual risk behaviors (ie, condomless sex, sex while high or drunk, and sex exchange) and economic behaviors (ie, income, employment, and money spent on HIV services or products). Feasibility measures were the number of participants who responded to the survey in a given week, the number of questions to which a participant responded in each survey, and the number of hours spent from sending a survey to participants to receiving their response in a given week. One discussion group was used to obtain feedback. Results: Overall, 65% (n=11/17) of the participants responded to at least one text message survey compared with 35% (n=6/17) of the participants who did not respond. The majority (n=7/11, 64%) of the responders were women. The majority (n=4/6, 67%) of nonresponders were men. An average of 7.6 participants (69%) responded in a given week. Response rates among ever responders ranged from 64% to 82% across the study period. The mean number of questions answered each week was 12.6 (SD 2.7; 90% of all questions), ranging from 72% to 100%. An average of 6.4 participants (84%) answered all 14 text message questions in a given week, ranging from 57% to 100%. Participants responded approximately 8.7 hours (SD 10.3) after receiving the survey. Participants were more likely to answer questions related to employment, condomless sex, and discussions with sex partners. Nonresponse or skip was more often used for questions at the end of the survey relating to sex exchange and money spent on HIV prevention services or products. Strengths of the text message survey were convenience, readability, short completion time, having repeated measures over time, and having incentives. Conclusions: Longitudinal text message surveys may be a valuable tool for assessing HIV-related economic and sexual risk behaviors. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03237871; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03237871
Research advances on epidemiological characteristics and clinical features of tuberculosis among European children

Childhood tuberculosis can cause severe outcome, and has become a serious public health problem. Although overall incidence of tuberculosis is relatively low in Europe, outbreaks of tuberculosis in some congregate settings and influxes of migrants and refugees to Europe result in spread of tuberculosis. Recent research advances on epidemiological characteristics and clinical features of tuberculosis in European children are reviewed in this paper. Key words: Tuberculosis; Child; Epidemiological characteristics; Clinical feature
Inventor mobility and productivity: a long-run perspective

The aim of this paper is to explore the influence of mobility on inventor productivity. Unlike most previous literature in this field, we separate the impact of firm mobility from geographical mobi...
New terahertz dielectric spectroscopy for the study of aqueous solutions

We present the development of a high precision, tunable far-infrared (terahertz) frequency-domain dielectric spectrometer for studying the dynamics of biomolecules in aqueous solutions in the gigahertz-to-terahertz frequency. As an important benchmark system, we report on the measurements of the absorption and refractive index for liquid water in the frequency range from 5 GHz to 1.12 THz (0.17–37.36 cm−1 or 0.268–60 mm). The system provides a coherent radiation source with power up to 20 mW in the gigahertz-to-terahertz region. The dynamic range of our instrument reaches 1012 and the system achieves a spectral resolution of less than 100 Hz. The temperature of samples can be controlled precisely with error bars of ±0.02 °C from 0 °C to 90 °C. Given these attributes, our spectrometer provides unique capabilities for the accurate measurement of even very strongly absorbing materials such as aqueous solutions.
Genetic or pharmacological reduction of cholangiocyte senescence improves inflammation and fibrosis in the Mdr2-/- mouse.

Summary Background & Aims Cholangiocyte senescence is important in the pathogenesis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). We found that CDKN2A (p16), a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and mediator of senescence, was increased in cholangiocytes of patients with PSC and from a PSC mouse model (multidrug resistance 2; Mdr2-/-). Given that recent data suggest that a reduction of senescent cells is beneficial in different diseases, we hypothesised that inhibition of cholangiocyte senescence would ameliorate disease in Mdr2-/- mice. Methods We used 2 novel genetic murine models to reduce cholangiocyte senescence: (i) p16Ink4a apoptosis through targeted activation of caspase (INK-ATTAC)xMdr2-/-, in which the dimerizing molecule AP20187 promotes selective apoptotic removal of p16-expressing cells; and (ii) mice deficient in both p16 and Mdr2. Mdr2-/- mice were also treated with fisetin, a flavonoid molecule that selectively kills senescent cells. p16, p21, and inflammatory markers (tumour necrosis factor [TNF]-α, IL-1β, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1]) were measured by PCR, and hepatic fibrosis via a hydroxyproline assay and Sirius red staining. Results AP20187 treatment reduced p16 and p21 expression by ~35% and ~70% (p >0.05), respectively. Expression of inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1) decreased (by 60%, 40%, and 60%, respectively), and fibrosis was reduced by ~60% (p >0.05). Similarly, p16-/-xMdr2-/- mice exhibited reduced p21 expression (70%), decreased expression of TNF-α, IL-1β (60%), and MCP-1 (65%) and reduced fibrosis (~50%) (p >0.05) compared with Mdr2-/- mice. Fisetin treatment reduced expression of p16 and p21 (80% and 90%, respectively), TNF-α (50%), IL-1β (50%), MCP-1 (70%), and fibrosis (60%) (p >0.05). Conclusions Our data support a pathophysiological role of cholangiocyte senescence in the progression of PSC, and that targeted removal of senescent cholangiocytes is a plausible therapeutic approach. Lay summary Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a fibroinflammatory, incurable biliary disease. We previously reported that biliary epithelial cell senescence (cell-cycle arrest and hypersecretion of profibrotic molecules) is an important phenotype in primary sclerosing cholangitis. Herein, we demonstrate that reducing the number of senescent cholangiocytes leads to a reduction in the expression of inflammatory, fibrotic, and senescence markers associated with the disease.
The Potential of Transnational Cinema to Counter Islamic Extremism

U.S. strategists and policy makers recognize that the so-called War on Terror is a “war of ideas” in which the Western world needs to “tell its story better.” Much has been written about the use of new social media such as Twitter to drive and shape political narratives, but history shows the potential “soft” power of propaganda films as well. Today, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that in Western democracies, cinema is the sole province of commercial filmmakers who are driven not by politics but by profits and therefore the appetites of their audiences. This article revisits literature on the propaganda value of cinema and suggests that the emergence of transnational filmmaking presents an opportunity for greater collaboration between U.S. and Middle Eastern filmmakers to produce films designed to unify moderate Muslims against Islamic extremist messages and perhaps even to dissuade some of those extremists from their incorrect interpretations of Islam.
Neocortex and Bridges-2: A High Performance AI+HPC Ecosystem for Science, Discovery, and Societal Good

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming research through analysis of massive datasets and accelerating simulations by factors of up to a billion. Such acceleration eclipses the speedups that were made possible though improvements in CPU process and design and other kinds of algorithmic advances. It sets the stage for a new era of discovery in which previously intractable challenges will become surmountable, with applications in fields such as discovering the causes of cancer and rare diseases, developing effective, affordable drugs, improving food sustainability, developing detailed understanding of environmental factors to support protection of biodiversity, and developing alternative energy sources as a step toward reversing climate change. To succeed, the research community requires a high-performance computational ecosystem that seamlessly and efficiently brings together scalable AI, general-purpose computing, and large-scale data management. The authors, at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC), launched a second-generation computational ecosystem to enable AI-enabled research, bringing together carefully designed systems and groundbreaking technologies to provide at no cost a uniquely capable platform to the research community. It consists of two major systems: Neocortex and Bridges-2. Neocortex embodies a revolutionary processor architecture to vastly shorten the time required for deep learning training, foster greater integration of artificial deep learning with scientific workflows, and accelerate graph analytics. Bridges-2 integrates additional scalable AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and high-performance parallel file systems for simulation, data pre- and post-processing, visualization, and Big Data as a Service. Neocortex and Bridges-2 are integrated to form a tightly coupled and highly flexible ecosystem for AI- and data-driven research.
Low-Profile Wearable Wideband Antenna with High Gain Based on Franklin Array for Future 5G Wireless Body Area Networks

A conformal wideband array antenna with low-profile, high gain, and full-backed ground plane is designed based on Franklin array antenna (FAA) for wearable applications. The antenna is designed to operate at the licensed 28-GHz band for 5G wireless networks recommended by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The bandwidth of the designed antenna also covers the 33-GHz band for satellite communication and navigation applications. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed antenna has the widest matching bandwidth amongst reported modified FAAs. Numerical studies are performed on the performance of the designed antenna under structural deformation such as bending and human body integration to corroborate its potential for wearable applications. It was observed that the wideband performance of the antenna is well preserved during structural deformation as well as human body integration with no significant variations. The proposed antenna features a compact size with dimensions of $80\times 22\times 0.25$ mm3 and exhibits a matched bandwidth of 24.43% (27.3 GHz to 34.9 GHz), with a gain value of 14.02 dBi at 28 GHz and 15.2 dBi at 31.4 GHz.
Coalescence of sessile droplets driven by electric field in the jetting-based 3D printing framework

The recent developments revealed droplet jetting technologies, as applied to 3D printing (additive manufacturing), to be a strategic tool in creating biological sensors and wearable, flexible three-dimensional electronic devices. While the typical discretely formed droplets tend to limit throughput, several highlights to the jetting process include an ample choice of ink/substrate combinations and printing with nearly zero waste. From a functional manufacturing perspective, it is important to understand how these discretely formed droplets can be interconnected into digitally patterned lines and films within the limitations of the physics and hardware involved. Here, we investigate the effectiveness of a Coulomb force created by charged electrodes placed either below the substrate or on the printhead. From the physical point of view, the phenomenon of dynamic electrowetting-on-dielectric (DEWOD) is used. It is demonstrated that sessile droplets, placed initially separately with little chance of natural coalescence, can be selectively coerced by the added electric field into the electrically enhanced forced coalescence. Positive results were recorded for both electrode configurations at spacing distances greater than those achieved in literature. These results reveal novel manifestations of electrically driven coalescence, which hold great promise for new manufacturing design opportunities, reduction in raw material use, operation on extremely rough surfaces, and continuous narrow prints in situations where the previous approaches failed. In addition to droplet-into-line coalescence, the first-approximation potential to merge 2D droplet arrays into films is also demonstrated.
Three genes associated with anterior and posterior cruciate ligament injury : a genome-wide association analysis.

Aims The aim of this study was to screen the entire genome for genetic markers associated with risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury. Methods Genome...
COVID-19 Vaccines: Preparing for Vaccination in the Context of Clinical Oncology Care.

BACKGROUND: In the environment of an infectious pandemic, vaccines are a primary public health strategy to prevent the spread of disease. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is heightened interest in safe and effective vaccines and their use in the context of clinical oncology practice. OBJECTIVES: This article provides foundational information about vaccines in general and vaccines developed to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the United States, as well as clinical nurse strategies to apply vaccines in clinical oncology practice. METHODS: The article is based on a review of public health literature and reputable websites about vaccines and their development in clinical care. FINDINGS: This foundational information about vaccines reviews their history and development, as well as the development of COVID-19 vaccines specifically, and discusses COVID-19 vaccines as part of clinical oncology care. Supporting best practices in clinical oncology care, nurses can provide factual, evidence-based information about vaccine safety, effectiveness, and safe administration.
Participation in Biology Education Research Influences Students' Epistemic Development.

Science epistemology is the foundation of how biology constructs knowledge but is often implicit in undergraduate research experiences (UREs). This study describes the development of one student’s ...
The importance of recreation satisfaction and activity participation to the life satisfaction of age-segregated retirees.

Research has been contradictory on the importance of recreation activity participation and recreation satisfaction for life satisfaction in retirement. The purpose of this study was to distinguish ...
Promoting Knowledge Exchange through Diasporas

Officials, economists and others in developing nations worry about the economic impact of losing their best and brightest people to opportunities presented in richer countries. However, increasingly some of the effects of diasporas appear to be positive so that the new focus is on brain gain rather than brain drain. The paper begins with a brief discussion of technical and professional capacity challenges in developing countries, and then reviews recent evidence on the magnitude of brain gain. Findings on knowledge exchange among skilled professionals through diaspora networks are then summarized from case study research on the Philippines and the People's Republic of China (PRC) conducted by ADB, and from selected other work on the Asian experience. Based on these findings, policy recommendations are advanced on how to facilitate and improve knowledge exchange through diasporas.
The degA gene product accelerates degradation of Bacillus subtilis phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase in Escherichia coli.

Abstract A search for genes involved in the inactivation and degradation of enzymes in sporulating Bacillus subtilis led to identification of the B. subtilis degA gene, whose product stimulates degradation of B. subtilis glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase in Escherichia coli cells. degA encodes a 36.7-kDa protein that has sequence similarity to several E. coli and B. subtilis regulatory proteins of the LacI class. B. subtilis degA::cat insertional inactivation mutants had no detectable defect in the inactivation or degradation of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase in glucose- or lysine-starved B. subtilis cells, however. We suggest that degA encodes either a novel protease or, more likely, a gene that stimulates production of such a protease.
Evoked potentials and intersensory information processing

Traditionally, researchers have studied each sensory modality and its effect on human perception as a discrete process. However, every-day perceptual experiences integrate a variety of sensory inputs. Examining each sensory path independently can lead to a partial understanding of their total capabilities and their impact on the cognitive function. Normally, two or more modalities can carry information about the same event or different sensory modalities can be simultaneously stimulated by different events. The effects on interstimulus interval on the bisensory evoked potential are reported for cases when the auditory and visual stimulus are separated by as much as 100 ms. >
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for enumeration of Pneumocystis carinii in vitro and in vivo.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantitate Pneumocystis carinii organisms from culture supernatant and rat lung has been developed. A polyclonal antibody specific to P. carinii was produced in Sprague-Dawley rats by allowing P. carinii-infected animals to recover from infection. This antibody reacted strongly to P. carinii proteins of 50 to 55 kDa and weakly to those of 33 and 116 kDa. The ELISA used this convalescent-phase antibody to quantitate the number of P. carinii organisms in lung homogenates of infected rats and supernatants from infected tissue cultures which were used to screen drugs for P. carinii. The results of the ELISA were compared with those of direct microscopic counting of organisms, and the two methods were highly correlated (r > 0.9). Thus, the ELISA can be used as an alternative method for the quantitation of P. carinii organisms, and it is superior to the conventional microscopic method because it is easier to perform and less labor-intensive. Images
The role of social responsibility, philanthropy and entrepreneurship in the sport industry

This introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Management & Organization on social responsibility, philanthropy and entrepreneurship in the sport industry frames the key issues sport businesses, corporate partners, and related nonprofi t organizations grapple with to ensure that both the organizations and the social causes which are being addressed benefi t in some way. The importance of social responsibility is fi rst examined in the context of corporations and sports. The increasing importance of social issues to sport-related industries and the role of strategic philanthropy is discussed. Next, the connection between social responsibility and philanthropic endeavors is addressed in terms of social entrepreneurship. Finally, the article concludes by highlighting the increased signifi cance of sport in society and how the articles in this special issue contribute to a better understanding of the role of social responsibility, philanthropy and entrepreneurship in sport.
Relationship between lean and safety

To remain profitable, organisations must continue to lower costs while maintaining quality and productivity. Many companies have turned to the lean philosophy for help in achieving this goal. The basic principle of lean is to identify and eliminate all forms of waste. During the focus on lean implementation there is a potential of introducing hazards and changing a process in ways that can result in non-compliance of health and safety regulations. The relationship between lean and safety is not clear; however, they should work in harmony. Money and time spent on accidents and workers' compensation is classified as a waste, which is something that should be avoided based on the lean philosophy. Both lean and safety should have the common goal of reducing accidents and minimising hazards. If lean and safety issues are addressed simultaneously, the result is a more productive and safe working environment. However, anecdotal evidence shows that changes are made to improve productivity at the expense of safety during lean implementation. An online survey was conducted to gauge the affects of lean initiatives on safety. The results show a positive relationship with significant room for improvement. Based on the survey findings, recommendations for improvement are also presented.