cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designing Health Care Facilities to Maximize Productivity and Patient Outcomes

The built environment of health care systems plays a crucial role in factors such as patient safety, staff satisfaction, patient experience, and optimal health. As hospital centers are being renovated or expanded over the past decade or so, the clinical built environment of many of them have not been redesigned to align with today’s evolving clinical roles. Just as medicine has increasingly moved toward “evidence-based medicine,” where clinical choices are informed by research, healthcare design is increasingly guided by rigorous research linking the physical environment of hospitals to patients and staff outcomes and is moving toward “evidence-based design”. The goal of human simulations in the context of architectural builds is to present the workflow (both normal and emergent) in the design of the complex cooperative work environment. The results obtained can be used to change the design process by improving the built environment to support end users to provide optimal health, exceptional experience, a...
Čerenkov radiation imaging as a method for quantitative measurements of beta particles in a microfluidic chip

This work proposes a novel method for quantitative imaging of radioactivity on microfluidic chips by using visible light emission from Cerenkov radiation. Cerenkov radiation is generated when charged particles travel through an optically transparent material with a velocity greater than that of light in that material. It has been observed at UCLA that microfluidic chips used for 18F-related radio-synthesis studies have shown unidentified visible light emissions. In this study, the origin of the light was investigated and its feasibility as a quantitative imaging source was tested.
Extracellular vesicles isolated from the leaf apoplast carry stress-response proteins

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) that play a central role in intercellular signaling in mammals by transporting proteins and small RNAs. Plants are also known to produce EVs, particularly in response to pathogen infection. The contents of plant EVs have not been analyzed, however, and their function is unknown. Here, we describe a method for purifying EVs from the apoplastic fluids of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves. Proteomic analyses of these EVs revealed that they are highly enriched in proteins involved in biotic and abiotic stress responses. Consistent with this finding, EV secretion was enhanced in plants infected with Pseudomonas syringae and in response to treatment with salicylic acid. These findings suggest that EVs may represent an important component of plant immune responses.
Mechanism of membrane fusion induced by vesicular stomatitis virus G protein

The glycoproteins (G proteins) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and related rhabdoviruses (e.g., rabies virus) mediate both cell attachment and membrane fusion. The reversibility of their fusogenic conformational transitions differentiates them from many other low-pH-induced viral fusion proteins. We report single-virion fusion experiments, using methods developed in previous publications to probe fusion of influenza and West Nile viruses. We show that a three-stage model fits VSV single-particle fusion kinetics: (i) reversible, pH-dependent, G-protein conformational change from the known prefusion conformation to an extended, monomeric intermediate; (ii) reversible trimerization and clustering of the G-protein fusion loops, leading to an extended intermediate that inserts the fusion loops into the target-cell membrane; and (iii) folding back of a cluster of extended trimers into their postfusion conformations, bringing together the viral and cellular membranes. From simulations of the kinetic data, we conclude that the critical number of G-protein trimers required to overcome membrane resistance is 3 to 5, within a contact zone between the virus and the target membrane of 30 to 50 trimers. This sequence of conformational events is similar to those shown to describe fusion by influenza virus hemagglutinin (a “class I” fusogen) and West Nile virus envelope protein (“class II”). Our study of VSV now extends this description to “class III” viral fusion proteins, showing that reversibility of the low-pH-induced transition and architectural differences in the fusion proteins themselves do not change the basic mechanism by which they catalyze membrane fusion.
An acceleration framework for synthetic aperture radar algorithms

Algorithms for radar signal processing, such as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are computationally intensive and require considerable execution time on a general purpose processor. Reconfigurable logic can be used to oﬀ-load the primary computational kernel onto a custom computing machine in order to reduce execution time by an order of magnitude as compared to kernel execution on a general purpose processor. Specifically, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can be used to accelerate these kernels using hardware-based custom logic implementations. In this paper, we demonstrate a framework for algorithm acceleration. We used SAR as a case study to illustrate the potential for algorithm acceleration oﬀered by FPGAs. Initially, we profiled the SAR algorithm and implemented a homomorphic filter using a hardware implementation of the natural logarithm. Experimental results show a linear speedup by adding reasonably small processing elements in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as opposed to using a software implementation running on a typical general purpose processor.
“An almost painful exquisiteness of Taste”: Wedgwood’s Pleasure and His Body in Pain

In this chapter examines Wedgwood’s mostly unpublished textual remains—letters, journals, essay drafts, notes—to reconstruct the metaphysical system that his contemporaries treated as revolutionary. Wedgwood’s metaphysics were directly shaped by his chronic and increasingly excruciating illness. He structured his theories around pleasure and pain, which he understood as categories of both sensation and emotion, and explored how works of art, the natural world, human encounters, and the mind itself may elicit embodied feeling. Wedgwood was intensely attuned to the pleasures of the local and ordinary; was sensitive to the complex associative properties of pain; and advocated the mutability of feeling, and with it aesthetic taste. The chapter considers Wedgwood’s metaphysics in relation to authors including David Hartley, and also in relation to other thinkers of the Wordsworth-Coleridge circle who held Wedgwood in high regard. In particular, I would argue that Wedgwood’s conceptions of pleasure and pain likely had a profound influence on such key Romantic texts as the ‘Preface’ to Lyrical Ballads and Coleridge’s ‘Frost at Midnight’.
A Survey of Tick Species in a Recently Reintroduced Elk (Cervus canadensis) Population in Southeastern Kentucky, USA, with Potential Implications for Interstate Translocation of Zoonotic Disease Vectors

In the late 20th century, elk (Cervus canadensis) were reintroduced into southeastern Kentucky, US. This population has since been used as a stock population for additional elk reintroductions in other eastern states. Although reintroduction and translocation practices are effective, they can disseminate vectors and pathogens. Therefore, we surveyed tick species residing on elk hosts a decade after elk reintroduction in Kentucky by examining 263 captured individuals (female=86; male=177) from 2011 to 2013. A total of 1,617 ticks were collected from 255 elk. We found five tick species: American dog (Dermacentor variabilis), Gulf Coast (Amblyomma maculatum), winter (Dermacentor albipictus), deer (Ixodes scapularis), and Lone Star (Amblyomma americanum). The most prevalent ticks were winter tick (52.3%) and American dog tick (42.1%). We found no difference between female and male elk in mean intensity of American dog tick (mean=2.6, 95% confidence limits: −2.6, 2.7; P=0.701) or winter tick (mean=3.28, 95% confidence limits: −2.21, 2.07; P=0.274). Our findings demonstrated that the elk population acts as host to a diversity of tick species, suggested a broader distribution of tick species than previously reported in Kentucky, and highlighted the potential for inadvertent spread of ticks through translocation and reintroduction efforts, even on a local scale.
Small Instantons in $CP^1$ and $CP^2$ Sigma Models

The anomalous scaling behavior of the topological susceptibility ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{t}$ in two-dimensional $C{P}^{N\ensuremath{-}1}$ sigma models for $N\ensuremath{\le}3$ is studied using the overlap Dirac operator construction of the lattice topological charge density. The divergence of ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{t}$ in these models is traced to the presence of small instantons with a radius of order $a(=\mathrm{\text{lattice spacing}})$, which are directly observed on the lattice. The observation of these small instantons provides detailed confirmation of L\"uscher's argument that such short-distance excitations, with quantized topological charge, should be the dominant topological fluctuations in $C{P}^{1}$ and $C{P}^{2}$, leading to a divergent topological susceptibility in the continuum limit. For the $C{P}^{N\ensuremath{-}1}$ models with $Ng3$ the topological susceptibility is observed to scale properly with the mass gap. These larger $N$ models are not dominated by instantons, but rather by coherent, one-dimensional regions of topological charge which can be interpreted as domain wall or Wilson line excitations and are analogous to D-brane or ``Wilson bag'' excitations in QCD. In Lorentz gauge, the small instantons and Wilson line excitations can be described, respectively, in terms of poles and cuts of an analytic gauge potential.
The eukaryotic CMG helicase at the replication fork: Emerging architecture reveals an unexpected mechanism

The eukaryotic helicase is an 11-subunit machine containing an Mcm2-7 motor ring that encircles DNA, Cdc45 and the GINS tetramer, referred to as CMG (Cdc45, Mcm2-7, GINS). CMG is "built" on DNA at origins in two steps. First, two Mcm2-7 rings are assembled around duplex DNA at origins in G1 phase, forming the Mcm2-7 "double hexamer." In a second step, in S phase Cdc45 and GINS are assembled onto each Mcm2-7 ring, hence producing two CMGs that ultimately form two replication forks that travel in opposite directions. Here, we review recent findings about CMG structure and function. The CMG unwinds the parental duplex and is also the organizing center of the replisome: it binds DNA polymerases and other factors. EM studies reveal a 20-subunit core replisome with the leading Pol ϵ and lagging Pol α-primase on opposite faces of CMG, forming a fundamentally asymmetric architecture. Structural studies of CMG at a replication fork reveal unexpected details of how CMG engages the DNA fork. The structures of CMG and the Mcm2-7 double hexamer on DNA suggest a completely unanticipated process for formation of bidirectional replication forks at origins.
‘Ready to migrate’: The field museum exodus of 1907–1908*

In an eighteen-month period between 1907 and 1908, the Field Museum of Natural History experienced a small exodus of qualified assistants and museum leaders to more palatable and supportive positio...
Attentional Changes in Either Criterion or Sensitivity Are Associated with Robust Modulations in Lateral Prefrontal Cortex.

Summary Visual attention is associated with neuronal changes across the brain, and these widespread signals are generally assumed to underlie a unitary mechanism of attention. However, using signal detection theory, attention-related effects on performance can be partitioned into changes in either the subject's criterion or sensitivity. Neuronal modulations associated with only sensitivity changes were previously observed in visual cortex, raising questions about which structures mediate attention-related changes in criterion and whether individual neurons are involved in multiple components of attention. Here, we recorded from monkey lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and found that, in contrast to visual cortex, neurons in LPFC changed their firing rates, pairwise correlation, and Fano factor when subjects changed either their criterion or their sensitivity. These results indicate that attention-related neuronal modulations in separate brain regions are not a monolithic signal and instead can be linked to distinct behavioral changes.
Consensus, Moral Witness and Health-Care Issues: A Dialogue with J. Bryan Hehir.

As always, Bryan Hehir’s paper is packed; there is hardly a wasted word; the argumentation is at once as rigorous and flexible as the man himself; and there is a discouraging absence of weak spots where a commentator might call him to logical or theological account.
Unraveling the Mechanical Unfolding Pathways of a Multidomain Protein: Phosphoglycerate Kinase

Phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) is a highly conserved enzyme that is crucial for glycolysis. PGK is a monomeric protein composed of two similar domains and has been the focus of many studies for investigating interdomain interactions within the native state and during folding. Previous studies used traditional biophysical methods (such as circular dichroism, tryptophan fluorescence, and NMR) to measure signals over a large ensemble of molecules, which made it difficult to observe transient changes in stability or structure during unfolding and refolding of single molecules. Here, we unfold single molecules of PGK using atomic force spectroscopy and steered molecular dynamic computer simulations to examine the conformational dynamics of PGK during its unfolding process. Our results show that after the initial forced separation of its domains, yeast PGK (yPGK) does not follow a single mechanical unfolding pathway; instead, it stochastically follows two distinct pathways: unfolding from the N-terminal domain or unfolding from the C-terminal domain. The truncated yPGK N-terminal domain unfolds via a transient intermediate, whereas the structurally similar isolated C-terminal domain has no detectable intermediates throughout its mechanical unfolding process. The N-terminal domain in the full-length yPGK displays a strong unfolding intermediate 13% of the time, whereas the truncated domain (yPGKNT) transitions through the intermediate 81% of the time. This effect indicates that the mechanical properties of yPGK cannot be simply deduced from the mechanical properties of its constituents. We also find that Escherichia coli PGK is significantly less mechanically stable as compared to yPGK, contrary to bulk unfolding measurements. Our results support the growing body of observations that the folding behavior of multidomain proteins is difficult to predict based solely on the studies of isolated domains.
Cognitive archaeology: a symmetry/symmetry-breaking model for the analysis of societies

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the role of symmetry in social relationships. Research from experimental psychology and neuroscience suggests that symmetry is a conceptual property that mediates betwee...
SECOND GENERATION PHOTOVOLTAIC CONCENTRATING SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT If solar energy is to compete with more conventional forms, improved second generation, concentrating systems must be developed. This paper considers the theoretical efficiencies of two such systems: A thermophotovoltaic and a luminescent concentrating system.
Connections between the vestibular nuclei and brain stem regions that mediate autonomic function in the rat

Clinical observations have long indicated a vestibular influence on autonomic function. Neuroanatomical studies in the rabbit and in the cat have identified descending vestibulo-autonomic pathways from the caudal portion of the medial vestibular nucleus and the inferior vestibular nucleus to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve, the nucleus of the solitary tract, and some brain stem medullary sympathetic regions. This study describes vestibulo-autonomic pathways in rats. One group of Long-Evans rats received injections of tetramethylrhodamine dextran into the caudal aspect of the vestibular nuclear complex. Anterogradely labeled descending fibers were traced bilaterally to lateral, ventrolateral, and intermediate subnuclei of the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve. A small number of axons also projected bilaterally to the nucleus ambiguus, the ventrolateral medulla, and the nucleus raphe magnus. Finally, anterogradely labeled ascending fibers were traced from the caudal medial vestibular nucleus and the inferior vestibular nucleus to the medial, lateral, ventrolateral, and Kolliker-Fuse regions of parabrachial nucleus. A second group of rats received iontophoretic injections of Fluoro-gold into the nucleus of the solitary tract to identify the cells of origin of the vestibulo-solitary projection. Similar to findings in the rabbit (Balaban and Beryozkin, 1994), retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the caudal medial vestibular nucleus and the inferior vestibular nucleus. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a common pattern of vestibular nuclear projections to autonomic regions is shared by rabbits, cats, and rats.
Photochemical Holeburning and Stark Spectroscopy of Photosynthetic Reaction Centers

The initial step in photosynthesis involves photoexcitation of a primary electron donor and electron transfer to a primary electron acceptor. These processes take place in a membrane-protein complex called the photosynthetic reaction center (RC). The best characterized RCs have been isolated from the photosynthetic bacteria R. spheroides (R-26 mutant) and R. viridis. In both species, the complexes consist of three proteins each of approximate molecular weight 25–30kDa, four bacteriochlorophylls (BChls), two bacteriopheophytins (BPheo, BChl in which two H atoms replace the central Mg atom), two quinones and one non-heme iron [1]. In R. spheroides the pigments are a-type BChl, whereas in R. viridis the pigments are b-type. The prosthetic groups are embedded in the RC protein in vectorial fashion across the membrane, as shown by x-ray crystallography (Fig. 1) [2–4]. Combined with extensive earlier spectroscopic studies, the x-ray structure identifies the functional components with specific structural elements: the primary electron donor, often called P or the special pair, is identified as the strongly-coupled BChl dimer; the intermediate acceptor, often called I, is identified as the BPheo on the L-side; and the primary quinone (0A, ubiquinone in R. Spheroides, menaquinone in R. Viridis) is the quinone on the L-side. The function of the BChl situated between the dimeric electron donor and the BPheo acceptor is uncertain, though it is certainly involved in mediating electron transfer from the excited state of P to I. The role of the chromophores on the M-side of the RC, which are related to those on the functional L-side by a C2 axis running vertically through the Fe, is unknown. Recent structural work on the R. spheroides RC suggests that the gross features of its structure are very similar to those of R. viridis [5,6].
A Cloud Middleware Enabling Natural Speech Analysis for IoT Policy Enforcement in Smart Home Environments

In this paper, we present a solution for enhancing the IoT-enabled smart home experience by means of natural speech analysis in lieu of specific voice commands. Our proposed cloud middleware detects phrases and analyzes the semantic and syntactic makeup of the phrases to generate appropriate tags to trigger an action for provisioned objects with binary power choices (e.g. lights, fans, locks, etc.). It then sends these tags to our policy-based controller, CoMPES, for execution. Thus, the novelty of this paper lies in natural language processing for IoT policy selection and enforcement. We applied a method for measuring the similarity between short phrases based on synonyms and word order information to determine if a spoken phrase can be mapped to a predefined provisioned phrase with a minimum threshold of 75% similarity. Our experimental results demonstrate the viability of the proposed system for real-time IoT policy enforcement.
Robots without borders

The US is mulling controls on its AI technology, but this restrictive approach may do more harm than good, says Mark Riedl
Proceedings of the Nineteenth International Workshop on Quality of Service

It is my great pleasure and distinct honor to welcome you to the 19th International Workshop on Quality of Service (IWQoS)! IWQoS is the premier annual workshop dedicated to all aspects of Quality of Service in the areas of networking and communications. This workshop provides an international forum for the presentation and discussion of cutting edge research in this field. This year, we are introducing a number of "firsts" to IWQoS. For the first time, IWQoS is being co-sponsored by both IEEE and ACM. This is indeed appropriate since IWQoS has long had interdisciplinary technical contributions from both electrical engineering and computer science communities. Also for the first time, IWQoS is being held as part of the Federated Computer Research Conference (FCRC), which allows the attendees from our workshop to mingle with the attendees from other FCRC conferences and workshops. Finally, new this year, we are organizing a special section in the IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management (TNSM) to provide a fast-tracking of high-quality papers from this forum for journal publication.
Enhancement the Frequency of a New Oscillating Thermomagnetic Generator

In this study, we try to improve the performance of an oscillating thermomagnetic generator by increasing its frequency. The generator operates due to magnetic materials losing their susceptibility and becoming paramagnetic when they reach their Curie temperature (TC). The generator consists of a ferromagnetic material moving under the influence of opposing forces. A permanent magnet (PM) and a spring generate the opposing variable forces to ensure the sustainability of the movement. The generator was designed to dissipate heat from a source as well as generate an induced electric pulse. What limits this generator is the relatively time-consuming delay during the cooling of the metal, restoring its magnetic susceptibility and restoring the PM force. This study shows the effect of shifting the spring equilibrium position to help the PM force to improve the frequency. COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2a software is used to simulate the system and display the results.
Carbon and nitrogen storage of constructed and natural freshwater wetlands in southern California

Abstract Artificial wetlands are often constructed to replace degraded natural wetlands; however, it is unclear whether constructed wetlands can become functionally equivalent to natural wetlands. We used measurements of soil and plant nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) storage as indicators of initial function in an artificial wetland in southern California, and compared them to the C and N stocks of local naturally occurring wetlands. We hypothesized that C and N stocks would be significantly lower in the constructed wetland. Soil and vegetation C and N stocks of the constructed wetland increased rapidly but plateaued after 6 years, and soil C and N stocks of the constructed wetland were higher than, or comparable to, local natural wetlands. Limited comparisons between constructed and natural freshwater wetlands reported in the literature illustrated high variability in ecosystem C and N storage, but soil C and N stocks in artificial wetlands were significantly lower than in natural wetlands. Southern California wetlands had lower soil C and N storage compared to other temperate zone wetlands, which may be due to the highly variable rainfall and flow regimes of semi-arid wetlands in southern California.
Three Bermudagrass-suppression techniques have little effect on soil-nutrient availability and microbial communities 200 days after application

Abstract Cynodon dactylon (Bermudagrass) is a highly competitive invasive plant dominating many southern grasslands. Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is often used in conjunction with other herbicides and land-management practices to remove Bermudagrass in preparation for native-grassland restoration projects. Studies evaluating glyphosate-induced effects on soil ecology, however, often disregard potential for herbicide × or herbicide × mechanical treatment interactions. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate three chemical Bermudagrass-removal methods (i.e., repeated glyphosate application, repeated glyphosate application + imidazolinone herbicide use, repeated glyphosate application + mechanical above-ground biomass removal), previously described by Farthing et al. (2018), at research sites in Stephenville and McGregor, TX USA. We sought to determine if inter-treatment differences in soil pH, multiple element concentrations, and microbial diversity existed. We applied treatments to 355-m2 plots throughout summer 2015 and collected soil samples in April–July 2016 (216–249 and 218–259 days following final herbicide applications in Stephenville, and McGregor, respectively). We observed differences (P ≤ 0.05) in soil pH and NO3-N relative to untreated controls at the McGregor site, however, we were unable to observe differences directly related to treatments. Microbial communities differed (P ≤ 0.05) between locations, but treatments had no effect on soil-bacteria or archaea species richness and Shannon diversity. We did find that ≈1% of Operational Taxonomic Units appeared to be differentially abundant following treatments, but it is unclear whether differences are connected to glyphosate application. Our findings were generally consistent with previous research indicating herbicide use induces few-to-no long-term shifts in soil microbial communities, but our results highlight the necessity for microbiological field-study designs to include multiple locations.
Meniere’s Disease and Concurrent BPPV in an Older Adult: A Case Report

Introduction: Meniere’s disease (MD) is an inner ear disorder which frequently predisposes someone to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The purpose of this case report was to explore the...
Fighting COVID-19: Enabling Graduating Students to Start Internship Early at Their Own Medical School.

This perspective proposes one way to ensure enough doctors, nurses, and pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic: Enable graduating students to start internship early at their own medical school.
Integrated Microfluidic Systems for DNA Analysis

The potential utility of genome-related research in terms of evolving basic discoveries in biology has generated widespread use of DNA diagnostics and DNA forensics and driven the accelerated development of fully integrated microfluidic systems for genome processing. To produce a microsystem with favorable performance characteristics for genetic-based analyses, several key operational elements must be strategically chosen, including device substrate material, temperature control, fluidic control, and reaction product readout. As a matter of definition, a microdevice is a chip that performs a single processing step, for example microchip electrophoresis. Several microdevices can be integrated to a single wafer, or combined on a control board as separate devices to form a microsystem. A microsystem is defined as a chip composed of at least two microdevices. Among the many documented analytical microdevices, those focused on the ability to perform the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been reported extensively due to the importance of this processing step in most genetic-based assays. Other microdevices that have been detailed in the literature include those for solid-phase extractions, microchip electrophoresis, and devices composed of DNA microarrays used for interrogating DNA primary structure. Great progress has also been made in the areas of chip fabrication, bonding and sealing to enclose fluidic networks, evaluation of different chip substrate materials, surface chemistries, and the architecture of reaction conduits for basic processing steps such as mixing. Other important elements that have been developed to realize functional systems include miniaturized readout formats comprising optical or electrochemical transduction and interconnect technologies. These discoveries have led to the development of fully autonomous and functional integrated systems for genome processing that can supply “sample in/answer out” capabilities. In this chapter, we focus on microfluidic systems that are composed of two or more microdevices directed toward DNA analyses. Our discussions will primarily be focused on the integration of various processing steps with microcapillary electrophoresis (μCE) or microarrays. The advantages afforded by fully integrated microfluidic systems to enable challenging applications, such as single-copy DNA sequencing, single-cell gene expression analysis, pathogen detection, and forensic DNA analysis in formats that provide high throughput and point-of-analysis capabilities will be discussed as well.
Performance studies of evolutionary transfer learning for end-to-end QoT estimation in multi-domain optical networks [Invited]

This paper proposes an evolutionary transfer learning approach (Evol-TL) for scalable quality-of-transmission (QoT) estimation in multi-domain elastic optical networks (MD-EONs). Evol-TL exploits a broker-based MD-EON architecture that enables cooperative learning between the broker plane (end-to-end) and domain-level (local) machine learning functions while securing the autonomy of each domain. We designed a genetic algorithm to optimize the neural network architectures and the sets of weights to be transferred between the source and destination tasks. We evaluated the performance of Evol-TL with three case studies considering the QoT estimation task for lightpaths with (i) different path lengths (in terms of the numbers of fiber links traversed), (ii) different modulation formats, and (iii) different device conditions (emulated by introducing different levels of wavelength-specific attenuation to the amplifiers). The results show that the proposed approach can reduce the average amount of required training data by up to $13 \times$13× while achieving an estimation accuracy above 95%.
Machine Learning Algorithms Predict Functional Improvement After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome in Athletes.

Background Despite previous reports of improvements for athletes following hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), many do not achieve clinically relevant outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop machine learning algorithms capable of providing patient-specific predictions of which athletes will derive clinically relevant improvement in sports-specific function after undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAIS. Methods A registry was queried for patients who had participated in a formal sports program or athletic activities before undergoing primary hip arthroscopy between January 2012 and February 2018. The primary outcome was achieving the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the Hip Outcome Score-Sports Subscale (HOS-SS) at a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. Recursive feature selection was used to identify the combination of variables, from an initial pool of 26 features, that optimized model performance. Six machine learning algorithms (stochastic gradient boosting, random forest, adaptive gradient boosting, neural network, support vector machine, and elastic-net penalized logistic regression [ENPLR]) were trained using 10-fold cross-validation 3 times and applied to an independent testing set of patients. Models were evaluated using discrimination, decision-curve analysis, calibration, and the Brier score. Results A total of 1,118 athletes were included, and 76.9% of them achieved the MCID for the HOS-SS. A combination of 6 variables optimized algorithm performance, and specific cutoffs were found to decrease the likelihood of achieving the MCID: preoperative HOS-SS score of ≥58.3, Tonnis grade of 1, alpha angle of ≥67.1°, body mass index (BMI) of >26.6 kg/m2, Tonnis angle of >9.7°, and age of >40 years. The ENPLR model demonstrated the best performance (c-statistic: 0.77, calibration intercept: 0.07, calibration slope: 1.22, and Brier score: 0.14). This model was transformed into an online application as an educational tool to demonstrate machine learning capabilities. Conclusions The ENPLR machine learning algorithm demonstrated the best performance for predicting clinically relevant sports-specific improvement in athletes who underwent hip arthroscopy for FAIS. In our population, older athletes with more degenerative changes, high preoperative HOS-SS scores, abnormal acetabular inclination, and an alpha angle of ≥67.1° achieved the MCID less frequently. Following external validation, the online application of this model may allow enhanced shared decision-making.
IEX Group, Inc.

At the start of 2018, Brad Katsuyama and his leadership team at the Investors Exchange (IEX) had much to be proud of - and much to worry about - as they contemplated the rollout of their latest innovation in equity trading. In a trading landscape increasingly defined by issues related to speed, IEX was building a reputation as a thoughtful innovator trying to level the playing field for its clients. In many ways, the short history of IEX and the longer history of its founders were at the center of the often baffling and complex repercussions associated with the advent of electronic trading. Now, IEX was about to implement a “Crumbling Quote Remove Fee” that would help protect clients from predatory trading strategies designed to exploit speed-induced market distortions. Katsuyama and his colleagues hoped this would increase fairness in the market, but at the same time were concerned about copycats, potentially negative reactions from market participants, and whether the new Remove Fee would actually accomplish its goal of creating fairer markets. Excerpt UVA-F-1876 Sept. 13, 2019 IEX Group, Inc. The U.S. stock market was now a class system, rooted in speed, of haves and have-nots. The haves paid for nanoseconds; the have-nots had no idea that a nanosecond had value. The haves enjoyed a perfect view of the market; the have-nots never saw the market at all. —Michael Lewis Innovate or die. . . .
Chemistry Under Shock Conditions

Shock loading takes materials from ambient conditions to extreme conditions of temperature and nonhydrostatic stress on picosecond timescales. In molecular materials the fast loading results in tem...
Effects of host plant resistance and fungicide applications on Ascochyta blight symptomology and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Ascochyta blight (AB), caused by the pathogen Ascochyta rabiei, is a major threat to chickpea production worldwide causing major yield losses and decreasing quality. Control of AB requires integrating pest management options including resistant cultivars and fungicide applications. To address this, fungicides with different modes of action were evaluated on three chickpea cultivars with differing levels of susceptibility to AB under irrigated and dryland conditions in 2015 to 2017. The fungicides were applied once or twice and compared to a no fungicide application control on AB score and yield. The mean grain yields across locations and years were 1753, 1283 and 981 kg/ha, with a corresponding AB mean score of 2.6, 3.2, and 3.3 on 0 to 7 scale (where 0 is no disease and 7 is completely dead) for the moderately resistant, moderately susceptible, and susceptible chickpea cultivars, respectively. Fungicide application was not enough to control disease throughout the season. The use of AB resistant cultivars had the most significant impact on minimizing the disease and maximizing yield, irrespective of year and location. This study supports previous research indicating that planting AB resistant chickpea cultivars is essential for disease control, regardless of the fungicides applied.
Wages and Employment under Trade Unionism: Microeconomic Models and Macroeconomic Applications

The first part of this paper is a critical survey of microeconomic research into behavioural models of trade unionism. Although certain formulations of union objectives and models of wage and employment determination in unionized markets have found favor with economists, unfortunately only a little is known about their empirical relevance. The second part of this paper deals with the daunting problems of applying these models at the macroeconomic level. One such model is estimated with data from Sweden’s mining and manufacturing sector from 1968 to 1982.
Evidence for Noachian flood volcanism in Noachis Terra, Mars, and the possible role of Hellas impact basin tectonics

[1] Spectral and imaging data sets from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, as well as spectral and topographic data from Mars Global Surveyor, are used to understand the origin of in-place rock units found in the intercrater plains and Hellas circumferential graben floors of Noachis Terra, Mars. The rocky units are interpreted as effusive volcanic plains on the basis of broad areal extent, structural competence, association with topographic lows, distinct mineralogy from regolith, and lack of sedimentary textures or minerals associated with aqueous processes. Some rocky expanses contain at least two compositionally distinct units. The relatively light-toned unit exhibits a higher plagioclase/pyroxene ratio than the lower, dark-toned unit. Both units exhibit ~10% olivine enrichment compared to surrounding regolith. These units are heavily degraded and exhibit crater model ages between ~3.80 and 4.0 Ga, making these some of the oldest preserved volcanic plains accessible by remote sensing. They are found in association with Hellas ring structures, where the westward extent of these rocky units is limited to the outermost ring structure. Fracturing associated with the Hellas impact may have enabled magmas to ascend from the base of the crust in the circum-Hellas region. Identification of these units as volcanic materials extends previous estimates for volume of outgassed volatiles. Though the estimated volcanic volume increase is minor, the local effects could have been significant. The role of multi-ring impact basins in providing a spatial control on Martian highlands volcanism and subsurface mineralization may have been underestimated in the past.
Assessment and Prediction of Impacts of Effluents on Communities of Benthic Stream Macroinvertebrates

Diversity indexes, particularly those based on information theory, have been widely promoted as the best method for assessing the impact of effluents on macroinvertebrate communities. Despite their superiority, neither the Shannon-Weaver index (SWI) nor the Brillouin index (BI) is universally applicable. The SWI is preferred where effluents are selective (for example, organics) and BI preferred where effluents are nonselective (for example, heavy metals). Despite their simplicity, it should be remembered that diversity indexes supplement, not replace, community analyses based on species richness and population densities. Covariance analyses and more tightly defined stratified sampling programs are discussed as ways of improving the accuracy of density estimates. Impact prediction depends on models predicting changes in species richness and population densities. A mechanistic model predicting changes in species richness as a function of oxygen supply and demand is offered as a step in this direction. Despite its accuracy in undisturbed streams, the applicability of the model to organic and thermal pollution awaits testing. Implications of the model for impact prediction are discussed.
Continuing Medical Education: Incision and Grafting for Severe Peyronie's Disease (CME)

ABSTRACT Background Peyronie's Disease is a wound healing disorder involving growth of fibrous plaques in the tunica albuginea, and often results in abnormal penile curvature and subsequent development of erectile dysfunction. A 59-year-old man with a history of untreated penile trauma who presented with a 6-year history of worsening penile curvature that interfered with sexual functioning and resulted in associated erectile dysfunction. Methods The patient's Peyronie's Disease was evaluated in clinic with a focused physical exam and a penile vasculature study using a color duplex Doppler ultrasound. Since the patient did not have proper insurance coverage for an inflatable penile prosthesis, but did have normal arterial flow with only boderline veno-occlusive disease, he instead underwent an incision and grafting procedure. After degloving the penis, a lateral approach parallel to the corpus spongiosum was used to enter Buck's fascia and isolate the neurovascular bundles. The fibrous plaque was incised with a residual tunical defect of 4 × 5 cm, and covered with a pericardial graft. Results Preoperatively, artificially induced erection during the patient's Doppler study demonstrated dorsal curvature greater than 80 degrees. Intraoperatively, after completing the incision and grafting procedure, artificial erection demonstrated minimal (less than 15 degrees) residual curvature. At his 1-week postoperative visit, he reported spontaneous erections and minimal pain. One month postoperatively, his incisions were well healed and an artificially induced erection continued to demonstrate minimal curvature. Discussion Management of severe Peyronie's Disease with significant penile curvature is a challenging clinical problem. In extreme cases, placement of an inflatable penile prosthesis with ancillary techniques usually gives the best clinical outcome. Although more difficult to execute in severe cases, incision and grafting represents an acceptable alternative in the appropriately selected patient. Richardson B, Pinsky MR, and Hellstrom WJG. Incision and grafting for severe peyronie's disease. J Sex Med 2009;6:2084–2087.
Lotus Effect: Roughness-Induced Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Superhydrophobic surfaces have considerable technological potential for various applications due to their extreme water-repellent properties. These surfaces with high contact angle and low contact angle hysteresis also exhibit a self-cleaning effect and low drag for fluid flow. These surfaces are of interest in various applications, including self-cleaning windows, exterior paints for buildings, navigation ships, textiles, and applications requiring a reduction in fluid flow, e.g., in micro/nanochannels. Superhydrophobic surfaces prevent formation of menisci at a contacting interfaces and can be used to minimize high adhesion and stiction. Certain plant leaves, notably lotus leaves, are known to be superhydrophobic due to their roughness and the presence of a thin wax film on the leaf surface, and the phenomenon is known as the “Lotus effect.” Extremely water-repellent superhydrophobic surfaces can be produced by using roughness combined with hydrophobic coatings. In this chapter, the theory of roughness-induced superhydrophobicity is presented followed by the characterization data of natural leaf surfaces and artificial superhydrophobic surfaces. Wetting is studied as a multiscale process involving the macroscale (water droplet size), microscale (surface texture size), and nanoscale (molecular size). This includes fundamental physical mechanisms of wetting, responsible for the transition between various wetting regimes, contact angle and contact angle hysteresis. Practical aspects of design of superhydrophobic surfaces are also discussed.
BiP Acts as a Molecular Ratchet during Posttranslational Transport of Prepro-α Factor across the ER Membrane

Abstract We have addressed the mechanism by which proteins are posttranslationally transported across the membrane of the yeast endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We demonstrate that BiP (Kar2p), a member of the Hsp70 family resident in the ER lumen, acts as a molecular ratchet during translocation of the secretory protein prepro-α factor through the channel formed by the Sec complex. Multiple BiP molecules associate with each translocation substrate following interaction with the J domain of the Sec63p component of the Sec complex. Bound BiP minimizes passive backward movements of the substrate through the channel, and BiP's subsequent dissociation results in a free polypeptide in the ER lumen. Antibodies against the substrate can replace BiP, indicating that a Brownian ratchet is sufficient to achieve translocation.
Dickite and Kaolinite in Pennsylvanian Limestones of Southeastern Kansas

Dickite and kaolinite are polymorphs of Al4(Si4O10)(OH)8. Dickite traditionally is regarded as hydrothermal, based on field and laboratory evidence. Dickite and kaolinite occur in cavities in phylloid algal limestones, in interstices of biocalcarenites and sandstones, and along joints, fractures, and stylolites, in Pennsylvanian rocks exposed throughout 9600 square miles of southeastern Kansas. The stratigraphic interval of approximately 1100 ft extends from the Fort Scott Limestone (Desmoinesian) through the Lecompton Limestone (Virgilian). The best crystallized dickites are found in porous algal limestones as pockets of glistening white powder composed of well developed pseudohexagonal plates up to 40 µ across. Very well crystallized kaolinites occur similarly, except the crystals are much smaller. Less well crystallized dickites and b-axis disordered kaolinites occur in less porous rocks. Variations in crystal size and morphological development are genetically significant. Dickite-kaolinite distribution is related to: (1) stratigraphic alternation of limestones and impervious shales; (2) gentle, westward regional dip; (3) thick, mound-like buildups of highly porous algal limestones, miles in length and width; (4) igneous intrusions (early Tertiary?) in Woodson and Wilson counties. Dickite is confined to an elliptical area 125 miles long northeast-southwest, extending 60 miles eastward from the intrusions. Dickite is associated preferentially with porous algal mounds. Kaolinite occurs in less porous rocks within the dickite area, and also is abundant well beyond. Heated groundwaters, possibly mixed with magmatic waters, moved readily up-dip and along strike outward from the intrusions through the conduit-like algal mounds; dickite was deposited from such solutions. Where water movement was restricted or where water had travelled tens of miles from the intrusions, water temperature fell below the limit for dickite crystallization, and kaolinite precipitated instead. Kansas dickite, unlike most other reported dickites, formed in rocks that were neither deeply buried nor extensively altered hydrothermally.
The computerized tomographic appearance of patchy liver congestion due to irradiation

Abstract A case of patchy liver congestion due to radiation therapy is presented. Nuclear liver scan and computerized tomography (CT) demonstrates multiple nodular changes undistinguishable from metastatic liver nodules.