cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Boundary Separating the Seismically Active Reelfoot Rift from the Sparsely Seismic Rough Creek Graben, Kentucky and Illinois

The Reelfoot rift is the most active of six Iapetan rifts and grabens in central and eastern North America. In contrast, the Rough Creek graben is one of the least active, being seismically indistinguishable from the central craton of North America. Yet the rift and graben adjoin. Hazard assessment in the rift and graben would be aided by identification of a boundary between them. Changes in the strikes of single large faults, the location of a Cambrian transfer zone, and the geographic extent of alkaline igneous rocks provide three independent estimates of the location of a structural boundary between the rift and the graben. The boundary trends north-northwest through the northeastern part of the Fluorspar Area Fault Complex of Kentucky and Illinois, and has no obvious surface expression. The boundary involves the largest faults, which are the most likely to penetrate to hypocentral depths, and the boundary coincides with the geographic change from abundant seismicity in the rift to sparse seismicity in the graben. Because the structural boundary was defined by geologic variables that are expected to be causally associated with seismicity, it may continue to bound the Reelfoot rift seismicity in the future.
The Nuclear Dynamo — can a Nuclear Tornado Annihilate Nations?

This paper reports on the development of the hypothesis of a nuclear dynamo for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor. This dynamo hypothesis suggests properties for a nuclear tornado that could annihilate nations if accidentally triggered by a single high yield to weight nuclear weapon detonation. The formerly classified reports on ignition of the atmosphere, the properties of a nuclear dynamo, methods to achieve a nuclear dynamo in the laboratory, and the analogy of a nuclear dynamo to a nuclear tornado are discussed. An unclassified international study of this question is urged.
El poshumanismo apocalíptico en la novela negra argentina contemporánea: Ciudad santa y 77

El fin del mundo es un arquetipo milenario, el cual se ha acentuado en tiempos recientes. La obsesion actual con la destruccion del planeta tambien se evidencia en el genero negro. Gran parte de la novela negra hispanoamericana del siglo XXI presenta una vision poshumanista y apocaliptica que revela la descentralizacion del individuo y manifiesta el caos, el miedo y el enfrentamiento de fuerzas opuestas que conllevan a la destruccion del genero humano. Para demostrar mi tesis analizo dos novelas argentinas y ganadoras del Premio Hammett: Ciudad santa (2010) de Guillermo Orsi y 77 (2009) de Guillermo Saccomanno. De cada texto, presento un resumen general, extraigo las particularidades estructurales de la novela negra y revelo la tendencia poshumanista y apocaliptica inherente a los mismos, junto con sus implicaciones sociales.
Estimation of parallel conductance by dual-frequency conductance catheter in mice.

The conductance catheter method has substantially enhanced the characterization of in vivo cardiovascular function in mice. Absolute volume determination requires assessment of parallel conductance...
Single-shot THz pulse characterization with dual echelons

Dual echelon optics is implemented to enable single-shot terahertz pulse characterization. This reported embodiment produces sequentially delayed multi-beamlets allowing two-dimensional electro-optic imaging with a time window of >10 ps and <25 fs temporal step size.
Streamlining the Federal Trademark Dilution Act to Apply to Truly Famous Marks

This Note presents and discusses the differing views of courts and of commentators regarding the rapidly evolving issue of trademark fame under the Federal Trademark Dilution Act (FTDA). It attempts to determine how famous a mark needs to be to qualify for the FTDA's protection. The Note begins by introducing important background information on trademark dilution. It discusses the goals, purposes, and history behind the FTDA and the FTDA's eight-factor fame test. Further, the Note discusses and scrutinizes how courts have determined whether trademarks are famous enough to qualify for the FTDA's protection. The Note recommends an amendment to the FTDA that incorporates and expands upon the "fame" caselaw and upon some recent suggestions made by dilution scholars. This would most likely increase the likelihood that only "truly" famous marks will qualify for the FTDA's protection. This would also serve to prevent trademark law from becoming the rights-in-gross system that both courts and commentators fear. The Note recommends that Congress implement the amendment, or that courts interpret the FTDA according to the amendment, in order to provide a consistently rigorous approach to trademark fame analysis.
Effect of insulin on rate of hepatic uptake of NEFA.

SummaryConcentrations of NEFA in plasma of blood obtained from splenic artery, portal and hepatic veins were measured in un-anesthetized dogs together with hepatic plasma flow. Rates of hepatic and non-hepatic splanchnic uptake or output of NEFA were calculated before and after insulin administration. A marked increase in rate of hepatic uptake of NEFA was observed after insulin administration. No significant change in rate of NEFA output from non-hepatic splanchnie area was found.
Simulation and Analysis of Control of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

A Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) spread model based on System Dynamics (SD)approach is implemented to do the quantitative analysis of the critical importance of control policies such as early report, early quarantine, and early hospitalization to control further SARS epidemic spread. Using this model, a case study on Beijing SARS epidemic situation is conducted. The simulation results show that the onset-to -hospitalization interval and effective quarantine are two key factors in SARS transmission. Furthermore, the shortening of onset-to-hospitalization interval should be given the highest priority. In addition, a period based simulation is carried out to analyze SARS spread and control effectiveness in Beijing. The simulation outcome demonstrates that various control measures after April 20,2003 in Beijing and the public holidays starting from May lst to May 5th have a significant impact on containing the epidemic situation. The most dangerous days, around April 27, when the number of uncontrolled SARS patients in the society reached at its peak, can also be calculated. The SARS infectiousness number newly reported in Beijing has been at a low level since May 20. But simulation experiments describe that it may fluctuate with import of SARS infectiousness from outside Beijing, weakening of quarantine, more social activities, and so on.
Survey on Reproductive Health Status of Female Bank Employees in Jiangmen City

[Objective]To understand the reproductive health status of professional women,provide the scientific basis for further implementation of health education and women health care. [Methods]With cluster random sampling,209 female employees from all branches of a bank in Jiangmen city received conventional gynecologic examination,cervical smear examination and breast examination,and were asked to fill the questionnaire. [Results]The total detection rate of gynecologic diseases was 73.7%(154/209).The detection rate of breast diseases,cervicitis and vaginitis was 37.8%,25.8% and 20.6%,respectively.There were significant differences in the detection rates among different age groups(P0.05). [Conclusion]The reproductive health status of professional women is not optimistic,and the relevant officers and departments should pay attention to this problem.It is necessary to strengthen the education of reproductive health to enhance their self-health care consciousness,and implement the comprehensive service for reproductive health to maintain and promote women' health.
Orthotic devices in running injuries.

The running injuries most helped by orthotic devices are the posterior tibial syndrome and pes planovalgum. In these situations, the orthotic device actually controls the subtalar joints and prevents increased stress on the arch of the foot and the posterior tibial tendon. Orthotic devices are also very helpful for metarsalgia and calcaneal spurs.
Sudden Jumps in the Logistic Map with Periodic Modulation: Theory and Experiment

When the logistic map is augmented with a periodic modulation, bistability as well as sudden jumps occur in response to changes of the control parameters λ and μ. Using the inverse-curve method for graphical iterations of one-dimensional maps, we are able to specify the conditions for bistability and identify three basic mechanisms for the bifurcation discontinuities. These mechanisms are (1) basin crossing, (2) curve separation, and (3) transfer crisis. In order to verify experimentally the findings from computer iterations, we use an anharmonic electrical oscillator circuit with a junction diode as the nonlinear element, driven with a superposition of sinusoidal and square-wave signals of amplitudes λ and μ, respectively. The experiments confirm, on a qualitative level, our theoretical predictions.
On the maximally-permissive range control problem in partially-observed discrete event systems

We investigate the supervisor synthesis problem for centralized partially-observed discrete event systems subject to safety specifications. It is well known that this problem does not have a unique supremal solution in general. Instead, there may be several incomparable locally maximal solutions. One then needs a mechanism to select one locally maximal solution. Our approach in this paper is to consider a lower bound specification on the controlled behavior, in addition to the upper bound for the safety specification. This leads to a generalized supervisory control problem called the range control problem. While the upper bound captures the (prefix-closed) legal behavior, the lower bound captures the (prefix-closed) minimum required behavior. We provide a synthesis algorithm that solves this problem by effectively constructing a maximally-permissive safe supervisor that contains the required lower bound behavior. This is the first algorithm with such properties, as previous works solve either the maximally-permissive safety problem (with no lower bound), or the lower bound containment problem (without maximal permissiveness).
The achievability of budget targets in profit centers: a field study

This paper reports the findings of a field study aimed at providing a better understanding of how and why managers of corporations with multiple divisions set the levels of achievability of annual profit center budget targets. The data, gathered from 54 profit centers in 12 corporations, show that most budget targets are set to be achievable an average of eight or nine years out to ten. This finding contrasts with the prescription made in most management accounting textbooks suggesting that for optimum motivation budget targets should be achievable less than 50 percent of the time. Managers maintain, however, that these highly achievable targets provide considerable challenge, and the high achievability actually provides many advantages, including improved corporate reporting, resource planning, control, and, combined with other control system elements, even motivation.
Multistability in Nanosystems

Multistability is a common phenomenon in nonlinear dynamical systems. It can also arise in nanoscale systems. This review paper presents three such systems exhibiting multistability: an electrically driven nanowire, a semiconductor superlattice, and a coupled system of ferromagnet and topological insulator. Potential applications are discussed.
Cultural Implications of Natural Disasters: Historical Reports of the Volcano Eruption of July, 1256 CE

This paper surveys historical reports related to a volcanic eruption that took place in the year 654 AH/1256 CE, in the vicinity of the city of Medina in Arabia. The paper deconstructs those reports in order to reveal the social, political, and religious reactions that were generated by that disastrous eruption. Fully driven by textual considerations of reports written after the fact—although some lived contemporaneously—this article tries to sort myth from fact, the rhetorical from the literal, the religious from the political, and finally the theoretical juridical from the devotional and practical, when the first was deemed counterfactual. It concludes by highlighting the manner in which religious rituals—like communal prayers, congregating at a holy place, and reminding political authorities of their religious duties—could be manipulated during times of disasters to produce political change and improve the social conditions of the community afflicted by such disasters. This article also examines the extent to which such disasters were used as vivid images of the Day of Judgment, thereby urging individuals to higher compliance with religious observance.
The utility of SDHB and FH immunohistochemistry in patients evaluated for hereditary paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma syndromes

A significant portion of paragangliomas (PGL) and pheochromocytomas (PCC) occur in patients with hereditary PGL/PCC syndromes, including those with germline mutations in succinate dehydrogenase (SDHx) subunit genes. Recently, germline fumarate hydratase (FH) mutations have been identified in a subset of PGL/PCC, and patients with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC) may have an increased risk of developing PGL/PCC. SDHB immunohistochemistry (IHC) has previously been shown to be useful for identifying SDHx-deficient PGL/PCC, however, FH IHC has never been explored in these tumors. Thus, we characterized SDHB and FH IHC in a large cohort of PGL/PCC patients (n = 41) at our institution who were evaluated for hereditary PGL/PCC syndromes. Overall, there was strong, positive correlation between germline SDHx subunit gene mutation status and SDHB IHC status (rφ = 0.77; P < .0001), with high corresponding sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value (95.0%, 81.8%, 82.6%, and 94.7%, respectively). Although SDHB loss by IHC was highly correlated with germline SDHx gene mutations, its utility in this population was dependent on clinicopathologic context: while all head and neck PGL patients with SDHB-deficient tumors had germline SDHx gene mutations, only a small subset (25.0%) of PCC patients with SDHB-deficient tumors harbored a germline SDHx gene mutation. Finally, although our cohort contained only one HLRCC patient, their tumor was FH-deficient by IHC, and all other PGL/PCC showed retained FH IHC. Thus, in the appropriate clinical setting, SDHB and FH IHC may be useful for identifying PGL/PCC patients for Medical Genetics evaluation.
Honderich on Freedom, Determinism, and Meaning in Life

Ted Honderich has made a very significant contribution to the debate about free will and determinism, in particular in his important book, A Theory of Determinism (Honderich, A Theory of Determinism, Oxford University Press, 1988). I share his general perspective on this issue, which, like mine, is in the Spinozist camp (Spinoza, The Collected Works of Spinoza, Princeton University Press, 1677/1985), and I also agree with many of its specific features. His account of the aspects of our practice of holding moral responsibility that would have to be given up and which can be retained is nuanced and powerful. This is the part of the project that I have addressed in past works (Pereboom, Living without Free Will, Cambridge University Press, 2001; Free Will, Agency, and Meaning in Life, Oxford University Press, 2014). Here, I will recount and expand on what I said there.
Physical Systems and Mass

Chapter 5 examined the history of Newtonian mass and Ernst Mach’s critique of quantity of matter. Leaving aside the gravitational role of mass, the concept of mass carries two significant connotations: the quantity of matter and the inertial mass. Newton first conceived of matter as impenetrable places. He then dubbed the size of the impenetrable place as the quantity of matter, and took it to represent the amount of “stuff” there is in a body, in analogy to the volume that bodies occupy. Today such a conception seems outdated. First, particles such as electrons are structureless particles, and carry distinct mass parameters while only occupying a single point in spacetime. The notion of mass as an impenetrable region of space does not make sense if the mass parameter is assigned to a dimensionless object. Second, Mach’s critique of Newtonian mass had a lasting influence on interpretations of Newtonian physics. Mach’s overall strategy of emphasizing the inertial role of mass over its role as quantity of matter is widely accepted. The essential character of the concept of mass is said to be determined by Newton’s Second Law of Motion. According to this approach, mass relates the force impressed on the body to the acceleration it experiences.
Ultrasound Phantoms/Animals Experiments

As previously mentioned, two of the advantages of ultrasound are its short wavelength in tissue and the small acoustic impedence differences between various soft tissues. This means that reflections, standing waves, and refraction effects are minimized (especially compared to microwave applications)--facts which make the task of characterizing the SAR pattern in tissues considerably easier. In particular, this means that the shape of the intensity pattern often remains approximately the same in tissue as it is in a homogeneous liquid media (Fig. 1. This allows the primary calibration of a transducer to be performed in either a non-absorbing water media, and the correction for attenuation done later (a procedure similar to that used in radiation treatment planning), or in an absorbing media with an attenuation coeffecient similar to tissue. Of course, if significant bone or air surfaces are present these are more difficult to account for. Phantom work for ultrasound then primarily occurs in homogeneous liquid media for static phantoms, while dynamic phantoms can be useful in testing feedback control systems, and a variety of animal preparations are useful for in vivo testing.
Behavior change in America: public health, medicine, and individual counseling.

We are a profoundly individualistic society that lives comfortably with the idea that we each determine our own health, despite decades of public health research showing that the circumstances in which people make choices profoundly influences them.
Review and update on extracorporeal septoplasty.

Purpose of review To examine the recent literature on extracorporeal septoplasty. Recent findings The literature suggests that extracorporeal septoplasty is an effective approach for both functional and cosmetic treatment of moderate to severe deformities of the caudal and dorsal septum. The procedure can be performed via an endonasal or external approach based on the nature of the deformity and the experience of the surgeon, although recent literature highlights various advantages of an external approach. The use of polydioxanone foil as a scaffold for septal reconstruction is widely accepted, and can enhance the technical performance of this technique. Although reported complication rates are low, tip deprojection and rotation have been observed in cases where extracorporeal septoplasty is performed without simultaneous rhinoplasty. Summary Extracorporeal septoplasty is a useful technique in the armamentarium of surgeons addressing deviations of the dorsal and caudal septum.
Enriching User Experience in Online Health Communities Through Thread Recommendations and Heterogeneous Information Network Mining

Online health communities (OHCs) provide health consumers with platforms for discussing medical conditions and sharing a personal experience. Although a wealth of healthcare information is available in OHCs, consumers find it challenging to locate information of interest efficiently due to the information overload. The lack of medical knowledge and searching skills makes it even harder for consumers to retrieve demanded information from a popular OHC with hundreds of thousands of threads. Therefore, effective thread recommendation is critical for OHCs to enhance user experience and engage the users in the community. In this paper, we proposed to recommend threads to users in OHCs by exploiting heterogeneous healthcare information network mining. We first constructed a heterogeneous healthcare information network from OHCs data. Unlike bipartite graphs studied in most existing works, which only consider user nodes and item nodes, a heterogeneous healthcare information network retains the rich context information of users and threads. We extracted features from the network to capture basic network metrics, thread–thread relationship, and user–user relationship, and utilize the features to train a binary classification model for thread recommendation. Experiments were conducted using a data set collected from MedHelp. The proposed approach was proven to be effective in measuring user interests in online discussion threads. In addition, by testing our approaches using different settings, we found that the local similarity achieved better performance than the global similarity in heterogeneous information network. By incorporating thread–thread relationship and user–user relationship, it can achieve the best performance.
Equation of state of boron nitride combining computation, modeling, and experiment

The equation of state (EOS) of materials at warm dense conditions poses significant challenges to both theory and experiment. We report a combined computational, modeling, and experimental investigation leveraging new theoretical and experimental capabilities to investigate warm-dense boron nitride (BN). The simulation methodologies include path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC), several density functional theory (DFT) molecular dynamics methods [plane-wave pseudopotential, Fermi operator expansion (FOE), and spectral quadrature (SQ)], activity expansion (actex), and all-electron Green's function Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (mecca), and compute the pressure and internal energy of BN over a broad range of densities and temperatures. Our experiments were conducted at the Omega laser facility and the Hugoniot response of BN to unprecedented pressures (1200--2650 GPa). The EOSs computed using different methods cross validate one another in the warm-dense matter regime, and the experimental Hugoniot data are in good agreement with our theoretical predictions. By comparing the EOS results from different methods, we assess that the largest discrepancies between theoretical predictions are $\ensuremath{\lesssim}4%$ in pressure and $\ensuremath{\lesssim}3%$ in energy and occur at ${10}^{6}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, slightly below the peak compression that corresponds to the $K$-shell ionization regime. At these conditions, we find remarkable consistency between the EOS from DFT calculations performed on different platforms and using different exchange-correlation functionals and those from PIMC using free-particle nodes. This provides strong evidence for the accuracy of both PIMC and DFT in the high-pressure, high-temperature regime. Moreover, the recently developed SQ and FOE methods produce EOS data that have significantly smaller statistical error bars than PIMC, and so represent significant advances for efficient computation at high temperatures. The shock Hugoniot predicted by PIMC, actex, and mecca shows a maximum compression ratio of $4.55\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05$ for an initial density of $2.26\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$, higher than the Thomas-Fermi predictions by about 5%. In addition, we construct tabular EOS models that are consistent with the first-principles simulations and the experimental data. Our findings clarify the ionic and electronic structure of BN over a broad range of temperatures and densities and quantify their roles in the EOS and properties of this material. The tabular models may be utilized for future simulations of laser-driven experiments that include BN as a candidate ablator material.
SCUBA Medicine for Otolaryngologists: Part II. Diagnostic, Treatment, and Dive Fitness Recommendations.

Objectives Challenge current practices and misconceptions in treating recreational SCUBA (Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) divers. Differentiate patients who are fit to dive and those with relative and absolute contraindications. Redefine the standard of care for fitness to dive parameters based on the most up-to-date evidence. Methods We conducted a review of the available medical and diving literature in English, German, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, and French to determine the degree of evidence or lack thereof behind recommendations for treating SCUBA divers. The databases of PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Cochrane library, as well as available textbooks, were queried for relevant data. Results Current recommendations regarding fitness to dive are overly prohibitive given the available evidence. Insufficient evidence currently exists to justify the level of certainty with which some recommendations have been made previously. This is particularly true with regard to postsurgical patients, including those who have undergone stapedectomy or skull base repairs. Updated treatment guidelines, particularly those regarding the timely differentiation of barotrauma and decompression sickness, as well as clearance for return to diving following surgery or trauma, are presented herein. Conclusion Current guidelines for otorhinolaryngologists governing the diagnosis and treatment of SCUBA divers are lacking and in some instances founded on insufficient evidence. We present an up-to-date, comprehensive guide for otorhinolaryngologists to utilize going forward. Laryngoscope, 130:59-64, 2020.
Progressive ossification of the bone marrow vasculature with advancing age corresponds with reduced red blood cell count and percentage of circulating lymphocytes in male Fischer-344 rats.

Objective Assess the link between bone marrow blood vessel ossification, Tb. and cortical bone, and hematological parameters across the lifespan in rats. Methods Right femora and whole blood samples were taken from male Fischer-344 rats at 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Femora were scanned by micro-computed tomography (MicroCT) to determine bone marrow blood vessel ossification (ie, ossified vessel volume [OsVV], ossified vessel thickness (OsV.Th), ossified vessel density (OsV density), and structural model index [SMI]). Bone microarchitecture (ie, bone volume [BV/TV], trabecular thickness, trabecular number, and trabecular separation), density and SMI, and cortical bone parameters (ie, cortical shell thickness, porosity, and density) were also determined by MicroCT. Complete blood counts with differentials were conducted. Results Ossified vessel volume increased throughout the lifespan, coinciding with reduced trabecular BV/TV and cortical shell thickness at 24 months. Many of the hematological parameters were unchanged (ie, white blood cells, lymphocyte number) or increased (monocyte number, percent monocyte, granulocyte number, percent granulocyte, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell distribution width, platelet, mean platelet volume) with advancing age; however, red blood cells (RBC) and percent lymphocytes (LY%) were reduced at 24 months. In addition, OsV density was similar to trabecular bone density. Conclusions Declines in trabecular BV/TV, cortical shell thickness, RBC, and LY% with advanced age coincided with augmented ossification of bone marrow blood vessels.
Dysautonomia in Guillain–Barré Syndrome: Prevalence, Clinical Spectrum, and Outcomes

Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS), when severe, involves the autonomic nervous system; our objective was to assess the spectrum and predictors of dysautonomia, and how it may impact functional outcomes. A retrospective review of patients admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2017, with GBS and dysautonomia was performed. Demographics, comorbidities, parameters of dysautonomia, clinical course, GBS disability score, and Erasmus GBS Outcome Score (EGOS) at discharge were recorded. One hundred eighty seven patients were included with 71 (38%) noted to have at least one manifestation of dysautonomia. There are 72% of patients with a demyelinating form of GBS and 36% of patients with demyelination had dysautonomia. Ileus (42%), hypertension (39%), hypotension (37%), fever (29%), tachycardia or bradycardia (27%), and urinary retention (24%) were the most common features. Quadriparesis, bulbar and neck flexor weakness, and mechanical ventilation were associated with autonomic dysfunction. Patients with dysautonomia more commonly had cardiogenic complications, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, and higher GBS disability score and EGOS. Mortality was 6% in patients with dysautonomia versus 2% in the entire cohort (P = 0.02). Dysautonomia in GBS is a manifestation of more severe involvement of the peripheral nervous system. Accordingly, mortality and functional outcomes are worse. There is a need to investigate if more aggressive treatment is warranted in this category of GBS.
Association Between Postoperative Dexmedetomidine Use and Arrhythmias in Infants After Cardiac Surgery

Background:Dexmedetomidine has been suggested as an arrhythmia prophylactic agent after surgery for congenital heart disease due to its heart rate lowering effect, though studies are conflicting. W...
Brain, Mind, and Soul: Bridging the Gap

The relationship between body (more specifically the brain) and mind is so intimate that it is called as a mind–body unit. The Self and It’s Brain (1977), a famous book by Popper, a philosopher, and Eccles, a neurophysiologist and Noble Prize winner, describes this beautifully. This chapter attempts to integrate neuroscience (specifically, cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, neuropsychology), phenomenology, and the spiritual sciences and attempts to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue. Integrative dialogues of this kind are critical to the advancement of a holistic understanding of the human system and its psychological, biological, social, and spiritual dimensions. A comprehensive understanding has the potential to transition from the dualistic Cartesian mind–body framework into a body–mind–beyond mind system.
In vivo diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) using endobronchial OCT (Conference Presentation)

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive form of interstitial lung disease (ILD). High-resolution CT (HRCT) is currently used to identify macroscopic IPF features. However, for 50% of patients, ultimate diagnosis relies on microscopic features from invasive, high-risk surgical biopsies (SLBX). We conducted a pilot study to assess endobronchial OCT (EB-OCT) for in vivo diagnosis of IPF, enrolling ILD patients with nondiagnostic HRCT undergoing SLBX. EB-OCT visualized salient IPF features, including microscopic features not visible on HRCT, and accurately diagnosed IPF and non-IPF ILD as compared with SLBX. EB-OCT has the potential for in vivo microscopic diagnosis of IPF.
Oceanic possibilities for Communication Studies

Communication scholars have examined how colonialism is rhetorically maintained, and how discourse excludes Indigenous perspectives. Yet, seldom has the field addressed rhetorical phenomena from Oc...
A pathway to synthesizing single-crystal Fe and FeCr films

Abstract Nuclear reactor environments provide a unique scientific and engineering challenge wherein materials must tolerate prolonged exposure to concurrent irradiation, elevated temperatures, and corrosive media. However, uncontrolled variability in material composition and structure often prohibits truly single-variable experiments that can reveal basic aspects of environmental damage. Magnetron sputtering is used here to provide a more controlled model system for these fundamental studies, yielding reproducible single-crystal Fe and FeCr thin films containing 8 and 18 at.% Cr. Electron microscopy is used to determine the systematic correlations between growth conditions and the resulting film microstructure and surface morphology. It is found that the substrate temperature and applied radio frequency (RF) bias can be tuned to obtain consistent homogeneous and single crystal films with a minimal amount of Ar impurities from the RF bias process. Epitaxial, single-crystal Fe films are obtained on MgO substrates at 500 °C with 10 Watt (W) RF bias deposition. However, when Cr is alloyed with Fe, higher substrate temperatures (600 °C) and applied RF biases (15 W) are required to achieve a similar epitaxial single-crystal FeCr film. Accelerated molecular dynamics simulations reveal that Cr impedes surface transport, explaining the need for higher temperature and bias during the growth of the Cr-bearing films.
Gamma Knife Treatment of Vestibular Schwannoma Planned With Computed Tomography Cisternography

Abstract Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for treatment of vestibular schwannoma (VS) is usually planned with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with and without contrast. This report describes a case of a patient with vestibular schwannoma with contraindications to MRI and intravascular contrast who underwent successful SRS using computed tomography (CT) cisternography for planning. The patient is a 76-year-old female with a complicated medical history including an MRI-incompatible cardiac pacemaker, prior severe anaphylactic reaction to intravascular iodinated contrast, and an enlarging left-sided cerebellopontine angle (CPA) neoplasm, presumed to be a VS. Due to her imaging limitations, CT cisternography was used in the planning of her Gamma Knife® SRS. She ultimately underwent successful Gamma Knife® treatment of her VS. CT cisternography for planning of SRS is a novel strategy for VS treatment that may be considered in patients with contraindications to MRI and intravascular iodinated contrast.
Accessory abductor digiti minimi muscle, less muscular than thought: an update on prevalence, morphology, and review of the literature

To update the prevalence and morphology of the accessory abductor digiti minimi muscle using 3T MRI. A retrospective study of 3T wrist MRI was performed. Presence and morphology of the accessory abductor digiti minimi were evaluated in addition to its relationship to the ulnar nerve. Charts were reviewed for demographics, EMG, neuropathic symptoms, and initial MRI interpretation. Analysis of 396 wrist MRI studies yielded 25% prevalence of the accessory abductor digiti minimi, of which the majority (69%) demonstrated fascial-type morphology proximal to Guyon’s canal. A minority (31%) demonstrated a contiguous muscle belly throughout its course. Overall, prevalence of a muscular type was only 8%. All patients were asymptomatic with normal EMG, unremarkable ulnar nerve, and no significant nerve compression. Anterior-posterior muscle dimension was larger in males. Only 1 of 98 accessory abductor digiti minimi muscles was prospectively identified. The accessory abductor digiti minimi is not uncommon; however, patients are usually asymptomatic without neuropathic symptoms. The most common anatomic variant is a small muscle belly at the level of the pisiform with fascial morphology proximal to Guyon’s canal and origin from the distal antebrachial fascia. A contiguous muscle belly extending from the distal forearm through the wrist occurs much less frequently. Clinicians should be familiar with these anatomic variants to enhance its recognition, understanding that a muscular variant is rarer than previously reported, but historically can serve as a potential source of clinical symptomatology and could be encountered during physical examination or wrist surgery.
A Rejoinder to Kwoka's Response to Vita/Osinski's Review of Kwoka's Book

This is a brief rejoinder to Kwoka’s response to a review of his 2015 book. I address a few of Kwoka’s responses that warrant brief clarification, followed by a proposed path forward that calls for transparency.
Body composition predictors of outcome in patients with COVID-19.

Background/objective Obesity is a strong risk factor for adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, however, the distribution of fat and the amount of muscle mass are more accurate risk factors than BMI. The objective of this study was to assess body composition measures obtained on opportunistic abdominal CTs as predictors of outcome in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We hypothesized that elevated visceral and intermuscular adipose tissue would be associated with adverse outcome. Subjects/methods Our retrospective study was IRB-approved and HIPAA-compliant. The study group comprised 124 patients (median age: 68 years, IQR: 56, 77; 59 weeks, 65 months) who were admitted with COVID-19 to a single hospital and who had undergone abdominal CT for clinical purposes. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT), and paraspinal and abdominal muscle cross-sectional areas (CSA) were assessed. Clinical information including prognostic factors, time of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and time of death within 28 days were obtained. Multivariate time-to-event competing risk models were fitted to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for a composite outcome of ICU admission/mortality associated with a one standard deviation increase in each body compositional measure. Each model was adjusted for age, sex, race, BMI, and cardiometabolic comorbidities. Results There were 50 patients who were admitted to the ICU or deceased over a median time of 1 day [IQR 1, 6] from hospital admission. Higher VAT/SAT ratio (HR of 1.30; 95% CI 1.04-1.62, p = 0.022) and higher IMAT CSA (HR of 1.44; 95% CI 1.10-1.89, p = 0.008) were associated with a reduced time to ICU admission or death in adjusted models. Conclusion VAT/SAT and IMAT are predictors of adverse outcome in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, independent of other established prognostic factors. This suggests that body composition measures may serve as novel biomarkers of outcome in patients with COVID-19.
Patient Informed Domain Adaptation Improves Clinical Drug Response Prediction

In-silico modeling of patient clinical drug response (CDR) promises to revolutionize personalized cancer treatment. State-of-the-art CDR predictions are usually based on cancer cell line drug perturbation profiles. However, prediction performance is limited due to the inherent differences between cancer cell lines and primary tumors. In addition, current computational models generally do not leverage both chemical information of a drug and a gene expression profile of a patient during training, which could boost prediction performance. Here we develop a Patient Adapted with Chemical Embedding (PACE) dual convergence deep learning framework that a) integrates gene expression along with drug chemical structures, and b) is adapted in an unsupervised fashion by primary tumor gene expression. We show that PACE achieves better discrimination between sensitive and resistant patients compared to the state-of-the-art linear regularized method (9/12 VS 3/12 drugs with available clinical outcomes) and alternative methods.
Peptide Signaling Pathways Regulate Plant Vascular Development

Plant small peptides, including CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-RELATED (CLE) and Epidermal Patterning Factor-Like (EPFL) peptides, play pivotal roles in coordinating developmental processes through cell-cell communication. Recent studies have revealed that the phloem-derived CLE peptides, CLE41/44 and CLE42, promote (pro-)cambial cell proliferation and inhibit xylem cell differentiation. The endodermis-derived EPFL peptides, EPFL4 and EPFL6, modulate vascular development in the stem. Further, several other peptide ligands CLE9, CLE10, and CLE45 play crucial roles in regulating vascular development in the root. The peptide signaling pathways interact with each other and crosstalk with plant hormone signals. In this mini-review, we summtarize the recent advances on peptides function in vascular development and discuss future perspectives for the research of the CLE and EPFL peptides.
The impact of social determinants of health and clinical comorbidities on post-tympanotomy tube otorrhea.

OBJECTIVES To measure the impact of social determinants of health and clinical comorbidities on the incidence of post-tympanotomy tube otorrhea (PTTO). METHODS Retrospective observational cohort study. All children between the ages of 0 and 17 having tympanotomy tube placement between 2009 and 2019. Between group comparisons entailed the calculation of odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals and associated p-values. RESULTS Among 12,757 patients who underwent myringotomy and tube placement, 2217 (17.4%) presented with PTTO within 1 year. Race and sex did not correlate with the development of PTTO. Non-Hispanic ethnicity had a negative association with PTTO (OR: 0.80 (0.70-0.91), p 2.24, p < .0001). Immunodeficiency had similar impact on PTTO (OR: 2.38 (1.46-3.91), p < .0001). Asthma and prematurity did not significantly correlate with occurrence of PTTO. CONCLUSION Higher rates of PTTO correlated strongest with clinical factors; particularly craniofacial abnormalities and immunodeficiency. Social determinants, including private insurance and non-Hispanic ethnicity, were associated with lower rates of PTTO. Race and sex did not show significant correlations.
The novel phospho-non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, OXT-328, MDC-22 and MDC-917, inhibit adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is limited by their toxicity. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory efficacy and safety of three novel modified NSAIDs, phospho-aspirin, phospho-ibuprofen and phospho-sulindac. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We determined the anti-inflammatory effects and gastrointestinal safety of the phospho-NSAIDs in the rat adjuvant arthritis model and studied their mechanism of action in cultured cells, Cytokines were measured with elisa and activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by immunohistochemistry. KEY RESULTS All three phospho-NSAIDs showed less gastrointestinal toxicity than their parent compounds and demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory effects, essentially reversing joint inflammation and oedema. They have a broad but not uniform effect on the expression of relevant cytokines, in general decreasing IL-6 and IL-1β and increasing IL-10 levels in rat plasma and cultured cells. Phospho-sulindac and phospho-ibuprofen but not phospho-aspirin suppressed PGE2 production in vitro, whereas phospho-aspirin (in contrast to aspirin) showed the same effect in vivo. In joint tissues, phospho-aspirin inhibited NF-κB activation, and suppressed inflammation and bone resorption. Phospho-aspirin also inhibited Jurkat T cell proliferation. In general, phospho-aspirin had greater efficacy but different effects upon inflammatory mediators compared with aspirin. The chemical modification of the parent NSAIDs seems crucial for their safety and efficacy. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Phospho-aspirin, phospho-ibuprofen and phospho-sulindac were safer than their parent NSAIDs, were highly effective in rat adjuvant arthritis and inhibited many key mediators in the pathophysiology of RA. These novel compounds are promising candidate drugs for the treatment of RA and merit further evaluation.
Marine microbial ecology in a molecular world: what does the future hold?

SUMMARY: Advances in genetic and immunological approaches during the last few decades have transformed medicine and biomedical research. The human genome and the genomes of numerous model organisms are now fully sequenced. Initial exploitation of this wealth of genetic information has begun to revolutionize research on these species, and the applications derived from it. Progress in understanding the ecology of microorganisms (including marine taxa) has followed closely on the heels of these advances, owing to the tremendous benefit afforded by major technological advances in biomedicine. Through the application of these novel approaches and new technologies, marine microbial ecology has moved from a minor footnote within marine biology and biological oceanography during the 1950s and ‘60s to the focus of much of our present interest in the ocean. During the intervening half-century we have learned a great deal regarding the overall abundances, distributions and activities of microorganisms in the sea. Recognition of the extraordinary diversity of marine microbes, the predominant role that they play in global biogeochemical processes, and the potential for natural or engineered microbial products to benefit humankind, has placed marine microbes in the spotlight of both scientific and popular attention. Our fascination with these minute denizens of the ocean is not likely to wane anytime soon. Recent studies have indicated that we still know relatively little about the breadth of microbial diversity in marine ecosystems. In addition, many (most?) of the predominant marine microbial forms in nature have not yet been brought into laboratory culture. Thus, our knowledge is still rudimentary with respect to the spectra of biochemical, physiological and behavioral abilities of these species, and the study of marine microbes will remain a major focus of investigations in marine science well into the foreseeable future. As a large cadre of researchers moves headlong into this work, we can expect many new discoveries and more paradigm shifts regarding the composition and function of marine microbial communities.
Vegetation responses to different spatial patterns of soil disturbance in burned and unburned tallgrass prairie

Pocket gopher (Geomyidae) disturbances are created in spatiallypredictable patterns. This may influence resource heterogeneity and affectgrassland vegetation in a unique manner. We attempt to determine the extent towhich density and spatial pattern of soil disturbances influence tallgrassprairie plant community structure and determine how these disturbances interactwith fire. To investigate the effects of explicit disturbance patterns we createdsimulated pocket gopher burrows and mounds in various spatial patterns.Simulated burrows were drilled into the soil at different densities inreplicated plots of burned and unburned prairie. Separate plots of simulatedmounds were created in burned and unburned prairie at low, medium, or high mounddensities in clumped, uniform, or random spatial dispersions. In both burned and unburned plots, increased burrow density decreasedgraminoid biomass and increased forb biomass. Total-plant and graminoid biomasswere higher in burned than unburned plots while forb biomass was higher inunburned plots. Total-plant species richness was not significantly affected byburrow density or burning treatments, but graminoid species richness increasedin unburned plots and forb species richness increased in burned plots. Plant species richness was temporarily reduced directly on mounddisturbances compared to undisturbed prairie. Over time and at larger samplingscales, the interaction of fire and mound disturbance patterns significantlyaffected total-plant and graminoid species richness. The principal effect inburned and unburned prairie was decreased total-plant and graminoid speciesrichness with increased mound disturbance intensity. Although species richness at small patch scales was not increased by anyintensity of disturbance and species composition was not altered by theestablishment of a unique guild of disturbance colonizing plants, our studyrevealed that interactions between soil disturbances and fire alter the plantcommunity dominance structure of North American tallgrass prairie primarily viachanges to graminoids. Moreover, these effects become increasingly pronouncedover time and at larger spatial sampling scales.