cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium, Pacific Northwest, United States.

Nontyphoidal salmonellosis has been characterized by a pattern of dissemination of clonal Salmonella enterica. The most well-known example of this was S. enterica serovar Typhimurium definitive phage type 104 (DT104), a clone that emerged and disseminated globally in the 1990s (1). Other examples of epidemic clones include Salmonella serovar Wien, which spread from North Africa through Europe in the 1970s; S. Typhimurium phage type 10 (DT10), which disseminated across Canada in the 1970s; and other phage types of S. Typhimurium associated with cattle that disseminated widely in Europe during the 1980s (2). More recently, multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. Agona was disseminated in poultry in Belgium; MDR S. Paratyphi B dT+ in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands; and MDR S. Newport that harbors the plasmid-mediated AmpC resistance in the United States (3). Epidemic clones may remain largely restricted to the animal reservoir for years before their incidence rises among human infections: S. Typhimurium phage type 204c disseminated throughout the United Kingdom in cattle from 1980 through 1984, but its proportion among human S. Typhimurium infections was not high during that period (4). Some epidemic clones, for example DT10 and DT104, expanded in the absence of a specific resistance advantage (1). The mechanisms underlying emergence, dissemination, and subsequent decline of novel Salmonella clones are unknown, although some researchers have hypothesized that fitness-associated genetic factors may allow more efficient dissemination in specific hosts and environments (5) and that acquisition of these fitness genes may be phage mediated (6). One approach to understanding clonal replacement events is to conduct prospective surveillance of Salmonella infections in animal and human hosts. We initiated such a study to compare human- and animal-origin Salmonella strains by serovar, antimicrobial drug resistance pattern, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
Response to Letter by Martínez-Sánchez et al

Response: Experimental studies suggest statins might have acute neuroprotective effects and, in addition, could influence poststroke recovery.1 One limitation of our analysis was that we could not separate the effects of pretreatment on the initial severity of the recurrent stroke (ie, “cytoprotection”) from the drug’s possible effects on functional recovery.2 Although there might have been …
Antibody Responses to Combinations of Antigens in White Leghorn Chickens of Different Background Genomes and Major Histocompatibility Complex Genotypes

Abstract Antibody responses in chickens to SRBC, Newcastle disease (NDV), and Brucella abortus (BA) were compared when given singly or in combination. Chickens used in the present experiment originated from a cross and then backcrossing of White Leghorn populations that had been selected for high (HA) or low (LA) antibody response to SRBC antigens. The populations used in the current study were segregating for MHC haplotypes B13 and B21. The experiment had a 2 × 3 × 6 factorial arrangement of treatments (two background genomes: HA and LA; three MHC haplotypes: B13B13, B13B21, and B21B21; and six antigen treatments: SRBC, NDV, or BA only, SRBC plus NDV, SRBC plus BA, and NDV plus BA). Antigens were administered either i.v. (SRBC) or i.m. (NDV and BA) when chicks were 42 days of age. Blood was obtained 27 days later (69 days of age) for antibody determinations. A significant background genome by MHC haplotype interaction for BA antibodies was due to relatively high titers in Line HA chickens of MHC genotypes B13B13 and B13B21. Background genome by MHC genotype interactions were not significant for SRBC or NDV antibodies. Antibody titers to SRBC were higher in background genome HA than LA, and similar among MHC genotypes. Antibodies to NDV were lower in chickens of MHC genotype B21B21, but there were no differences due to background genome. For each of the three antigens, antibody responses were highest when administered singly rather than in combination. Antibody titers were lower for SRBC when given with BA, and for BA titers when given with NDV. For NDV titers, combination with either of the other two antigens caused a reduction in antibody response to NDV antigen.
The impact of data quality on spatial analysis of cancer registry data: the example of missing stage at diagnosis and late-stage colorectal cancer

Most disease surveillance systems currently geocode case data. This, coupled with advances in geographic analysis tools, has led to a rise in epidemiologic studies on distribution of disease that rely on analysis of secondary data, e.g. from cancer registries. However, while the data and tools are available for performing geospatial analyses, there are challenges with which methodologies to apply, how to interpret and translate results, and how results are impacted by data quality. The issue of data quality is the subject of this paper.Mapping cancer rates highlights spatial patterns that can help elucidate environmental, clinical, or social causality pathways that drive differences in disease burden by geographic locations. Locating areas with high rates of cancer incidence or variations by stage at diagnoses can help prioritize cancer control efforts. Once the geographic patterns of cancer are mapped, the ideal action is to follow with effective public health interventions for the high risk communities. However, before using results of spatial research to inform public health response, it is important to consider whether the results are spurious due to methodological issues, such as data quality. Missing or incorrect data can distort research conclusions and result in ineffective public health policy.Using colorectal cancer (CRC) as an example, the impact of missing stage at diagnosis on late-stage at diagnosis cluster detection is evaluated. The impact on cluster detection, area-based modeling, and distance from services analysis is described.
Knowledge Transfers from Multinational to Domestic Firms: Evidence from Worker Mobility

Abstract Labor turnover is a commonly cited mechanism for the transmission of technology from multinational to domestic firms. Using a matched establishment-worker database from Brazil, I present evidence consistent with positive multinational wage spillovers through worker mobility. When workers leave multinationals and are rehired at domestic establishments, continuing-workers' wages increase. To my knowledge, this avenue for wage spillovers has not previously been explored. The paper also investigates where spillovers occur and how they are absorbed to demonstrate heterogeneous impacts. Higher-skilled former multinational workers are better able to transfer information, and higher-skilled incumbent domestic workers are better able to absorb information.
Instability of the Elbow Treated with Semiconstrained Total Elbow Arthroplasty

The results of nineteen semiconstrained modified Coonrad-Morrey total elbow arthroplasties performed in nineteen patients to treat instability were evaluated at an average of seventy-two months (range, twenty-five to 128 months) postoperatively. Preoperatively, all patients had either a flail elbow or gross instability of the elbow that prevented useful function of the extremity. The instability of sixteen elbows was the result of a traumatic injury or of the treatment of such an injury. The most recent result was satisfactory for sixteen elbows and unsatisfactory for three. The average overall Mayo elbow performance score increased from 44 points preoperatively to 86 points postoperatively. At the most recent follow-up examination, no elbow was unstable. The average arc of flexion was from 25 degrees (range, 0 to 60 degrees) to 128 degrees (range, 30 to 142 degrees), which represented a 58-degree increase from the preoperative average arc. Sixteen patients had little or no pain after the arthroplasty. There were four complications in four patients. Three complications (loosening of the humeral component in one patient and a fracture of the ulnar component in two) occurred postoperatively; all three were treated with a revision procedure. The other complication (a fracture of the olecranon) occurred intraoperatively and was treated with tension-band fixation; the most recent outcome was not affected. Radiographically, one patient had complete (type-V) radiolucency about the humeral component. None of the nine patients for whom true anteroposterior radiographs were available had evidence of wear of the bushings. The bone graft behind the anterior flange of the humeral prosthesis was mature in fourteen elbows, incomplete in two, and resorbed in two. One patient was excluded from this analysis because radiographs were not available. Instability of the elbow resulting in the inability to use the extremity is a challenging clinical situation. However, in patients who are more than sixty years old and in selected patients who are less than sixty years old but who have extensive loss of bone as a result of severe injury, have had multiple operations, or have rheumatoid arthritis, total elbow arthroplasty with a linked, semiconstrained prosthesis reestablishes a mobile, stable joint without premature loosening or failure of the components. In our experience, the use of customized implants, maintenance of the muscular attachments to the epicondyles, and reconstruction of the epicondyles to the implant were unnecessary.
Use of sea stars to study basic reproductive processes.

Echinoderms are closely related to chordates and comprise a major group of invertebrate deuterostomes. They are broadcast spawners and as such, each female accumulates millions of eggs and oocytes. These cells are readily isolated, and are often large, clear, and surrounded by accessory cells and extracellular coverings that do not prevent access to the oocyte. Sea star oocytes are stored in prophase of meiosis, and since the natural meiotic stimulus has been identified as 1-methyladenine, these cells can be induced to complete meiotic maturation as individuals, or synchronously en masse. Microinjection and culture of these cells is feasible using quantitative or repetitive methods so that hundreds of oocytes and eggs can be modified each hour. Experimentation on this organism is extensive over a rich history of reproductive and developmental biology so that new investigators can easily incorporate this organism into their repertoire of research. This review will highlight the fundamental protocols to ena...
Relationship between oxidative stress, varicocele and infertility: a meta-analysis.

Varicocele is one of the leading causes of male infertility, and is present in almost 40% of infertile males. Recent understanding of the role of oxidative stress in male reproduction has led some researchers to postulate oxidative stress as the possible cause of sperm dysfunction in varicocele patients. The objective of the present study was to examine the published literature on the role of oxidative stress in patients with varicocele as the aetiology of their infertility. Twenty-three human studies were identifi ed after an extensive search dealing with the role of oxidative stress in varicocele-associated infertility. Out of these studies, four were selected that measured similar types of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by a similar method of measurement. The data were then entered in the RevMan software for analysis. The overall estimate showed that patients have signifi cantly higher concentrations of ROS than controls, with the mean difference being 0.73 (95% CI 0.40, 1.06, P < 0.0001). This translated to an ROS concentration of 4.37 × 10 4 cpm/20 × 10 6 spermatozoa/ml on the linear scale. Total antioxidant capacity levels were found to be signifi cantly lower in the infertile varicocele patients, with 386 fewer trolox equivalents than the controls (95% CI −556.56−216.96, P < 0.00001). From the results, it can be concluded that there is increased oxidative stress in varicocele patients; however, more studies are needed to confi rm this fi nding.
Plant Characteristics Associated with Natural Enemy Abundance at Michigan Native Plants

Habitat management is a type of conservation biological control that focuses on increasing natural enemy populations by providing them with plant resources such as pollen and nectar. Insects are known to respond to a variety of plant characteristics in their search for plant-provided resources. A better understanding of the specific characteristics used by natural enemy insects in selecting these resources could greatly improve efficiency in screening plants for habitat management. We examined 5 previously tested and widely recommended resource plants and 43 candidate plants to test whether the number and type of natural enemies and herbivores at each plant were predicted by plant characteristics including: period of peak bloom, floral area, maximum flower height, hue, chroma, and corolla size. Natural enemy abundance increased with week of peak bloom and greater floral area across all plants tested. Ordination of plant characteristics indicated that increasing floral area, period of peak bloom, maximum flower height, and decreasing corolla width grouped together into a single principal component. Both natural enemy and herbivore abundance increased significantly with the principal component for this set of characteristics, but the relationship with herbivore abundance was weaker. These results indicate that, for a given time of the season, selection of plants with the largest floral area has potential to increase natural enemy abundance in habitat management plantings and streamline plant selection for habitat management.
Influence of propagule flotation longevity and light availability on establishment of introduced mangrove species in Hawai'i

ABSTRACT Although no mangrove species are native to the Hawaiian Archipelago, both Rhizophora mangle and Bruguiera sexangula were introduced and have become naturalized. Rhizophora mangle has spread to almost every major Hawaiian island, but B. sexangula has established only on O‘ahu, where it was intentionally introduced. To examine the possibility that differences in propagule characteristics maintain these patterns of distribution, we first reviewed the literature on surface currents around the Hawaiian Islands, which suggest that propagules ought to disperse frequently from one island to another within 60 days. We then tested the ability of propagules of the two species to float for periods of up to 63 days and to establish under two light intensities. On average, R. mangle propagules floated for longer periods than those of B. sexangula, but at least some propagules of both species floated for a full 60 days and then rooted and grew for 4 months under relatively dense shade. A large percentage (~83%)...
Quantitative Easing and US Stock Prices

Conventional wisdom is that unconventional monetary policy a.k.a. Quantitative Easing (QE) pursued by the Federal Reserve has helped sustain and even boost U.S. stock market prices in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. By design, QE has supported long-term Treasury bond prices and put downward pressure on long term rates; however the link to stock prices is more complicated because other factors operate as well, e.g., the performance of stock markets in the rest of the world, US dollar performance, virtually zero fed funds rate via conventional monetary policy (independent of policies such as QE), and changes in the interaction between economic activity and credit conditions – as measured for instance by the high yield spread along the lines of the financial accelerator theory. This paper presents evidence that these other factors explain most of the variation in stock returns before and after the financial crisis with stable coefficients and that the different rounds of QE explain significantly some of the remaining variation in stock prices. A vector autoregression provides further evidence of the effects of QE on stock returns and its relative importance vis-a-vis other variables via a Pesaran-Shin generalized impulse-response analysis (invariant to the causality ordering). The evidence in this paper is consistent with the boost in stock prices after the Fed actually started tapering in January 2014 because the “fundamentals” were supportive of the stock market. Furthermore, if the positive effects of QE on the stock market are less strong than commonly believed, the negative effects from a gradual shrinking of the Fed’s balance sheet may not be as bad as commonly feared.
Tics, Tourette Syndrome, Seizures, and Headaches

Neurological disorders that sometimes complicate the syndrome of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder include tics and Tourette syndrome, seizures and headaches. Causes underlying the ADHD may also be responsible for these disorders or, alternatively, drugs used in the treatment of ADHD may result in neurological side-effects. Special tests, including an EEG and CT or MRI, may be necessary to uncover the cause and determine the appropriate therapy. The recognition and diagnosis of associated neurological disorders is important for the optimal management of ADHD.
Videostroboscopy, Laryngopharyngeal Reflux, and Dysphonia: A Complex Relationship

The role of laryngoscopic examination in the diagnosis of reflux disease is controversial. Though some studies support exam findings such as laryngeal edema and erythema as supportive of a reflux diagnosis, and though many otolaryngologists continue to use these exam findings to establish a clinical diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), critical review of laryngoscopic exam has called this approach into question. The role of laryngoscopic exam as related to reflux may not be in establishing a reflux diagnosis, but instead in evaluating for other causes of the patient’s complaints. This is particularly important when the chief complaint is dysphonia, where videostroboscopy has been demonstrated to be a more effective approach in addressing dysphonia than anti-reflux medication prescribed on the basis of non-stroboscopic laryngeal exam. This article aims to critically analyze the association of LPR with dysphonia, examine how videostroboscopy interfaces with this association of LPR/dysphonia, and review current practice patterns in order to improve management of patients with dysphonia.
New Angles on an Old Game

(1981). New Angles on an Old Game. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 88, No. 4, pp. 285-286.
Testing the Phonological Permeability Hypothesis: L3 phonological effects on L1 versus L2 systems:

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions:We investigate the extent to which L1 versus adult L2 phonological systems resist influence from an L3. We test the Phonological Permeability Hypothes...
Longitudinal Observations of Low Back Pain Recovery

Most low back pain recovery studies evaluate one outcome measure at one point in time. Return to work, symptoms, activities of daily living and functional performance have been commonly used outcome measures. The goal of this project was to evaluate all four previously used outcome measures at several points in time. The second goal of the project was to predict outcome as a function of time and recovery measure. The outcome measures of working status, symptoms, and activities of daily living were measured using questionnaires. Functional performance outcome was evaluated using the lumbar motion monitor. These outcome measures were evaluated every two weeks for three months. Psychological factors, psychosocial factors, physical job demands and personal factors that may influence recovery were also evaluated. Discriminant function analysis was used to predict outcome at a specific visit given the confounding factors and any previous conditions. The cross-validation error rate for the discriminant function ...
A generalization of hooke's law in muscle elasticity

Experimental data concerning stress-strain relations of biological substances, including single muscle fibers, are reviewed in the literature. A reconsideration of the conclusions reached from these data is made. Thus, the experiments indicate that prima facie a linear theory of elasticity such as Hooke's law does not obtain because of the complicated form of the stress-strain curves. It is then shown that from a consideration oftrue stress at a point, where true stress is the force per unitactual area at the point, Hooke's law may be so generalized as to predict qualitatively and semi-quantitatively the complicated experimental curves. This complication arises from the long range “elasticity” of biological substances in general and muscle fibers in particular. Thus, substitutingtrue stress for stress, the stress-strain relation of muscle fibers remains linear. In the case of “small” strains, the true stress reduces to the usual stress concept in which the force is considered per unitinitial area at the point.
Analysis of System Optimization for 660 MW Supercritical Unit

The theoretical feasibility and safety analysis were investigated for the 660 MW supercritical unit, combined with the actual situation of equipment installation in power plants. The designs of flue gas system, start-up system, steam-water system and drainage system were optimized. The trial operation results show that all indexes of units have achieved good results, and the optimization designs have reached the purpose of improving the unit operation's stability and economy.
Characterization of Tensile Deformation in AZ91D Mg Alloy Castings

AZ91 cast Mg alloy specimens in T4 and T6 tempers have been tested in tension. True stress — true plastic strain relationship has been characterized by evaluating the fits to four constitutive equations. Moreover, work hardening behavior in both tempers has been investigated and how well the four constitutive equation can model this behavior has been tested. The effects of temper and structural quality on tensile properties and work hardening are discussed in the paper.
Water Resources and Business — Supply, Demand and Security

Political and business leaders in the global economy have been gradually awakening to the increasing role that water plays in shaping decisions in all sectors of society. It is now widely perceived that population growth coupled with economic development means accelerating growth in global demand for freshwater, and that the world is reaching a point where local solutions may no longer be sufficient to meet that demand. Water management has traditionally been seen as a local matter, which means that water related information has tended to remain in the hands of local, regional or national agencies. As a result, it may be difficult for firms with worldwide operations and markets to effectively integrate water in their strategic planning. Nevertheless it is in the best interest of all firms to give serious consideration to how water could affect their business in the twenty-first century.
Wetland Birds: Spatial and structural patterns

Wetlands are especially known for their abundance of some species or groups of birds as well as for their diversity of species not found elsewhere. The major reason for this abundance presumably is the availability of resources produced by the great primary productivity of wetlands. The diversity of species undoubtedly is linked to diversity of resources produced in the many microhabitats resulting from water-depth gradients and fluctuations. The range of spatial scales we can examine was outlined above, but I would like here to focus on factors that influence bird use within and among wetlands. Although the emphasis is on geographical, and physical or structural patterns in wetlands, this includes structural aspects of live components such as plants (Table 8.1). Plants vary in life form or physical stature, which, with water distribution, creates visual patterns useful to us as indicators of wetland types and conspicuous to birds as indicators of various essential resources. We will first consider the range from homogeneity to heterogeneity that can exist in certain wetland types, forming within-wetland variation of habitats (microhabitats), and then consider larger-scale relationships among wetlands or wetland complexes or regimes, which can best be appreciated by first understanding the patterns found in individual wetlands. Vegetation life form Wetland types differ in the height, diameter, and robustness of dominant plants as well as in the range of plant species diversity, which with variation in water regimes can result in highly variable and sometime quite complex patterns of habitat diversity.
Device physics origin and solutions to threshold voltage fluctuations in sub 130 nm CMOS incorporating halo implant

We report a device physics theory and compact model that predicts the threshold voltage mismatch for CMOS transistors using the halo implant. This model is able to fit CMOS VT mismatch across temperature and device geometry, validating the underlying physical argument. Layout and biasing methods are presented and shown to recover part of the matching degradation due to the halo implant.
Classification and phylogeny of Cenozoic Trissocyclidae (Radiolaria) in the Pacific and Caribbean basins, Part 1

Trissocyclid Radiolaria from 54 samples of Eocene to Quaternary age, including deep sea cores from the Pacific and outcrops in the Antilles, are described and illustrated. The family Trissocyclidae is raised from subfamily rank and emended to include members of the suborder Nassellarina that have sagittal rings. Skeletal morphology is described. Seven evolutionary lineages are arranged in five emended genera. The genera Dendrospyris and Liriospyris are emended and 9 (5 new) and 10 (6 new) species, respectively, described herein.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Parkinson's Disease and Other Synucleinopathies

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is characterized by dream enactment and complex motor behaviors during rapid eye movement sleep and rapid eye movement sleep atonia loss (rapid eye movement sleep without atonia) during polysomnography. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder may be idiopathic or symptomatic and in both settings is highly associated with synucleinopathy neurodegeneration, especially Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder frequently manifests years to decades prior to overt motor, cognitive, or autonomic impairments as the presenting manifestation of synucleinopathy, along with other subtler prodromal "soft" signs of hyposmia, constipation, and orthostatic hypotension. Between 35% and 91.9% of patients initially diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder at a sleep center later develop a defined neurodegenerative disease. Less is known about the long-term prognosis of community-dwelling younger patients, especially women, and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder associated with antidepressant medications. Patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder are frequently prone to sleep-related injuries and should be treated to prevent injury with either melatonin 3-12 mg or clonazepam 0.5-2.0 mg to limit injury potential. Further evidence-based studies about rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder are greatly needed, both to enable accurate prognostic prediction of end synucleinopathy phenotypes for individual patients and to support the application of symptomatic and neuroprotective therapies. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder as a prodromal synucleinopathy represents a defined time point at which neuroprotective therapies could potentially be applied for the prevention of Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Adaptation towards scale-free dynamics improves cortical stimulus discrimination at the cost of reduced detection

Fundamental to the function of nervous systems is the ability to reorganize to cope with changing sensory input. Although well-studied in single neurons, how such adaptive versatility manifests in the collective population dynamics and function of cerebral cortex remains unknown. Here we measured population neural activity with microelectrode arrays in turtle visual cortex while visually stimulating the retina. First, we found that, following the onset of stimulation, adaptation tunes the collective population dynamics towards a special regime with scale-free spatiotemporal activity, after an initial large-scale transient response. Concurrently, we observed an adaptive tradeoff between two important aspects of population coding-sensory detection and discrimination. As adaptation tuned the cortex toward scale-free dynamics, stimulus discrimination was enhanced, while stimulus detection was reduced. Finally, we used a network-level computational model to show that short-term synaptic depression was sufficient to mechanistically explain our experimental results. In the model, scale-free dynamics emerge only when the model operates near a special regime called criticality. Together our model and experimental results suggest unanticipated functional benefits and costs of adaptation near criticality in visual cortex.
Reactivity of (1-methoxycarbonylpentadienyl)iron(1+) cations with hydride, methyl, and nitrogen nucleophiles.

Abstract The reaction of tricarbonyl and (dicarbonyl)triphenylphosphine (1-methoxycarbonyl-pentadientyl)iron(1+) cations 7 and 8 with methyl lithium, NaBH 3 CN, or potassium phthalimide affords (pentenediyl)iron complexes 9a - c and 11a - b , while reaction with dimethylcuprate, gave ( E , Z -diene)iron complexes 10 and 12 . Oxidatively induced-reductive elimination of 9a - c gave vinylcyclopropanecarboxylates 17a - c . The optically active vinylcyclopropane (+)- 17a , prepared from (1 S )- 7 , undergoes olefin cross-metathesis with excess (+)- 18 to yield (+)- 19 , a C9 C16 synthon for the antifungal agent ambruticin. Alternatively reaction of 7 with methanesulfonamide or trimethylsilylazide gave ( E , E -diene)iron complexes 14d and e . Huisgen [3 + 2] cyclization of the (azidodienyl)iron complex 14e with alkynes afforded triazoles 25a - e .
Lipid changes 8 years post gastric bypass in adolescents with severe obesity (FABS-5+ study).

Lipid changes 8 years post gastric bypass in adolescents with severe obesity (FABS-5+ study)
Relationship Issues Among College Nursing Students: Associations With Stress, Coping, Sleep, and Mental Disorders

Abstract Maintaining or dissolving a relationship issue among nursing students can add significantly to their overall stress, resulting in a variety of negative consequences, especially when they are unable to cope effectively. The purposes of this study are to examine the associations of relationship issues with stress, coping, sleep, and mental disorders of nursing students. Coping strategies commonly adopted by nursing students to deal with relationship issues are discussed as well.
Detecting Human Thermal Discomfort via Physiological Signals

This paper provides a new approach to the automatic detection of thermal discomfort. We see this research as a step toward the development of an intelligent climate control system that does not require any explicit input from the users. We introduce a novel dataset that simulates different thermal comfort/discomfort levels and we provide a complete analysis of different physiological signals and their capability of discriminating between these levels. Our approach is successful in detecting the thermal sensation of human subjects and it is expected to enable innovative adaptive control scenarios for enclosed environments as well as a significant reduction in energy consumption.
Universal properties of galactic rotation curves and a first principles derivation of the Tully-Fisher relation

Abstract In a recent paper McGaugh, Lelli, and Schombert showed that in an empirical plot of the observed centripetal accelerations in spiral galaxies against those predicted by the Newtonian gravity of the luminous matter in those galaxies the data points occupied a remarkably narrow band. While one could summarize the mean properties of the band by drawing a single mean curve through it, by fitting the band with the illustrative conformal gravity theory with fits that fill out the width of the band we show here that the width of the band is just as physically significant. We show that at very low luminous Newtonian accelerations the plot can become independent of the luminous Newtonian contribution altogether, but still be non-trivial due to the contribution of matter outside of the galaxies (viz. the rest of the visible universe). We present a new empirical plot of the difference between the observed centripetal accelerations and the luminous Newtonian expectations as a function of distance from the centers of galaxies, and show that at distances greater than 10 kpc the plot also occupies a remarkably narrow band, one even close to constant. Using the conformal gravity theory we provide a first principles derivation of the empirical Tully–Fisher relation.
Surface and Interfacial Energies of Mg17Al12–Mg System

For upscale simulation and modeling of magnesium alloys, data of surface and interfacial energies are critical. In this work, we calculated the surface energies of Mg17Al12 β-phase with different surface configurations by using molecular dynamic simulations. Surface terminations were carefully selected to calculate the energy of β-phase. The lowest energy surface for each crystallographic plane was determined by varying the surface termination. The results show that surfaces occupied by higher fraction of magnesium atoms generate lower surface energies. The interfacial energy for Mg17Al12 β-phase and Mg matrix was calculated as well based on the Burger’s orientation relationship. We found that the lowest energy surface of Mg17Al12 does not generate the lowest interfacial energy. The interfacial energy for Mg17Al12 β-phase and a \( \left\{ {10\bar{1}2} \right\} \) twin was also calculated. The interfacial energy increases by ~250 mJ/m2 due to the change in orientation relationship between Mg17Al12 and the matrix after twinning.
AN ALTERNATIVE FOR PACING AND DEFIBRILLATION IN A PATIENT WITH POOR VASCULAR ACCESS

The end-stage renal disease population poses a challenge for obtaining venous access required for life-saving invasive cardiac procedures. The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) represents an extravascular alternative to traditional ICD therapy, its major limitation is the
Jugular dominance is unrelated to isolated unilateral congenital aural atresia in children.

Abstract Objectives The right jugular foramen is usually larger than the left in Homo sapiens, but it is unknown if right-sided jugular dominance is also more common amongst those with unilateral congenital aural atresia. We hypothesized that the dominant (i.e. larger) jugular foramen in children with isolated, non-syndromic, unilateral congenital aural atresia would be contralateral to the atretic ear. Methods We reviewed high-resolution computed tomography scans of the temporal bones of 70 children with isolated, non-syndromic, unilateral congenital aural atresia. Images were viewed in the transverse (axial) plane by a board-certified neuroradiologist and a board-certified otolaryngologist. Consensus opinion was recorded. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the impact of age, sex, and side of aural atresia on jugular dominance. Results Jugular foramen dominance was not associated with the side of aural atresia (P = 0.20), age (P = 0.50) or sex (P = 0.76). Right-sided jugular dominance (46/70, 65.7%) was more common in both left- and right-sided unilateral aural atresia (P = 0.004). Conclusions The side of jugular foramen dominance is not associated with the side of aural atresia in children with isolated, non-syndromic, unilateral congenital aural atresia. Right-sided jugular dominance is more common irrespective of unilateral aural atresia.
Mast Cell Interactions and Crosstalk in Regulating Allergic Inflammation

This review summarizes recent findings on mast cell biology with a focus on IgE-independent roles of mast cells in regulating allergic responses. Recent studies have described novel mast cell-derived molecules, both secreted and membrane-bound, that facilitate cross-talk with a variety of immune effector cells to mediate type 2 inflammatory responses. Mast cells are complex and dynamic cells that are persistent in allergy and are capable of providing signals that lead to the initiation and persistence of allergic mechanisms.
A Comparison of Nitrosyl Myoglobin and the Model Compound 14N-Imidazole-Heme-NO: Differences in the Coupling of 14N to its Electronic Environment

ABSTRACT With the use of the nuclear modulation effect in electron spin echoes, we have studied the interaction of the paramagnetic electron with the remote 14 H of the ligated imidazole in myoglobin nitroxide and in a model compound, 14 N-imid-heme-NO. We have shown that the interaction is different in the model and in the protein, demonstrating that the local environment of the 14 N is not the same.
Optimal Importance Sampling of Default Losses

Risk management applications often require estimating the tail distribution of total default losses on a portfolio of credit-sensitive positions such as loans and corporate bonds. This paper develops, analyzes and tests an importance sampling estimator of large-loss probabilities. The estimator is implementable for any reduced-form model of correlated name-by-name default timing. Technical conditions guarantee the asymptotic optimality of the estimator, and numerical results illustrate its performance. The significance of the conditions is studied.
HEPATOBILIARY MALIGNANCIES: Primary Hepatic Malignant Neoplasms

Primary hepatic tumors are epithelial, mesenchymal, or mixed in origin. Of these, epithelial tumors are the most common and include hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, mixed hepatocholangiocarcinoma, hepatoblastoma, and a variety of more rare tumors. Hepatocellular carcinoma, also know as hepatoma or malignant hepatoma, is the most common, followed by cholangiocarcinoma. This article discusses these two malignancies.
Transcriptome Analysis of Small Molecule–Mediated Astrocyte-to-Neuron Reprogramming

Chemical reprogramming of astrocytes into neurons represents a promising approach to regenerate new neurons for brain repair, but the underlying mechanisms driving this trans-differentiation process are not well understood. We have recently identified four small molecules-CHIR99021, DAPT, LDN193189 and SB431542-that can efficiently reprogram cultured human fetal astrocytes into functional neurons. Here we employ the next generation of RNA-sequencing technology to investigate the transcriptome changes during the astrocyte-to-neuron conversion process. We found that the four small molecules can rapidly activate the hedgehog signaling pathway while downregulate many glial genes such as FN1 and MYL9 within 24 hours of treatment. Chemical reprogramming is mediated by several waves of differential gene expression, including upregulation of hedgehog, Wnt/ -catenin, and Notch signaling pathways, together with downregulation of TGF- and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. Our gene network analyses reveal many well-connected hub genes such as RGMA, neuronatin (NNAT), neurogenin 2 (NEUROG2), NPTX2, MOXD1, JAG1, and GAP43, which may coordinate the chemical reprogramming process. Together, these findings provide critical insights into the molecular cascades triggered by a combination of small molecules that eventually leads to chemical conversion of astrocytes into neurons.
Pediatric Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measurement Technology: Intersections between Science, Managed Care, and Clinical Care

The demand for health care outcomes assessment is increasing, driven by the proliferation of managed care as a form of health care financing. Providers, consumers, and payers can use health care outcomes to improve the efficiency and quality of care, spur performance improvement, and demonstrate accountability. This review introduces health outcomes and focuses on one particular outcome—pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL), exemplified by the PedsQL™, a brief, practical, reliable, valid, and responsive measure of pediatric HRQOL. HRQOL measurement has the potential, in pediatric clinical practice, to improve assessment, clinical management, and treatment evaluation if practical, conceptual, and empirical challenges are addressed. These issues are discussed and directions for future research are described that would demonstrate the value of HRQOL measurement in pediatric clinical settings.
Using Technology to Help Humans Perform Difficult Inspections

Inspection of complex, mechanical systems can be costly and require expert inspectors to perform the work. These systems include bridges, power plants, aircraft, and even factories. In many cases these systems are in remote places in the world and are difficult for qualified inspectors to visit. Inspections can be done remotely using sophisticated cameras, setup to take three-dimensional images. However, we showed that LIDAR, along with a three-dimensional, immersive environment can be used successfully for these types of inspections. We used these technologies to successfully inspect composite aircraft components and a composite aircraft. This work was an extension of composite inspection projects we worked with Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company. The Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company's 787 was the first commercial airliner with a large number of its structural components made of composite material. The Airbus A350 followed. Composites have great advantages as a material of construction for aircraft. It has a high strength to weight ratio and the resulting aircraft weighs significantly less, producing a fuel savings. Visual inspection is the primary means of detecting composite damage. However, aircraft can become damaged in a small airport in a remote city and there might not be a qualified inspector to perform the work. We showed that inspecting the aircraft with a LIDAR camera and remotely uploading the point cloud to a three-dimensional, immersive environment allows for successful inspection. This paper discusses aspects of our original work and demonstrates other applications for this combined technology.
Current Challenges and Strategies of Ventricular Assist Device Support in Infants and Small Children

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become a mainstay of advanced heart failure therapy in pediatrics, with outcomes in adolescents that parallel the excellent outcomes in adults. Unfortunately, outcomes for younger children and infants remain suboptimal. This review discusses the patient and device specifics that contribute to this discrepant outcome, highlight current treatment strategies, and suggest areas for future improvement. The field of pediatric mechanical circulatory support (MCS) continues to be driven by advancements in patient selection, timing of VAD implantation, and patient management strategies particularly with regard to anticoagulation. The use of direct thrombin inhibitors, such as bivalirudin, and weight-based antiplatelet therapy has shown promise in reducing the incidence of bleeding and stroke. While the number of devices remains limited, providers continue to leverage current technology and novel cannulation strategies to support smaller and more complex patients. Despite the challenges of supporting infants and small children, it remains a hopeful time for the field of pediatric MCS. While individual centers may only care for small number of VAD patients, the ACTION learning network has sparked collaboration across the field broadly with rapid dissemination of best practices to all centers. This collaboration has led to many advances and holds promise for driving future advancements.
Evidence-Based Psychotherapy with Adolescents: A Primer for New Clinicians

Evidence-Based Psychotherapy with Adolescents: A Primers for New Clinicians, is a practical guide aimed to provide clinicians with a set of tools to work with adolescent clients. It is a broad and ...
Integrating Individual Risk and Social Exposure to Violence: A Multilevel Victimization Perspective:

We test two major hypotheses in this article: (a) macrolevels of school disorganization and individual levels of low self-control will be directly, and positively, linked to victimization and (bi) low self-control will have the largest impact on exposure to victimization (ETV) when it interacts with negative environments consistent with a social enhancement perspective, or (bii) low self-control will have a weaker impact on ETV when it interacts with negative environments consistent with saturation or social push models. The data for the current study were collected as part of the second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-II). A total of 49,685 individuals from 30 countries are nested within 1,427 schools. We use multilevel generalized linear regression models with violent victimization (robbery and assault) regressed on demographic, family, school, and neighborhood variables. Multiplicative interaction terms are included in separate models to examine key moderation effects consistent with expectations drawn from the victimization literature. Analyses reveal that low self-control and perceptions of school disorganization are both associated with an increase in the odds of experiencing victimization. Interactions between low self-control and school disorganization are also found to be consistent with saturation/social push models. Our regulation approach offers a foundation for theorizing about ETV and provides a testable model for future research. However, elements of the regulation model are in need of further refinement and testing before the perspective can be moved toward a broader theory of victimization.
Variation of failure properties, creep response and ultrasonic velocities of sandstone upon injecting CO2-enriched brine

During the past decades, greenhouse gas mitigation techniques such as Carbon dioxide Capturing, Utilization, and Sequestration gained more attention due to the environmental concerns associated with the adverse impacts of global warming. Besides the feasibility of capturing and long-time storage of the CO2, it is of utmost importance to ensure longevity and safety of long-term CO2 storage. To evaluate the effects of CO2 injection into a deep saline reservoir, CO2-enriched brine was injected into the Triassic Peco sandstone in controlled-laboratory experiments. The injection was performed through a core-flooding experiment in which CO2-enriched brine was injected under a very slow rate, to capture the short/long-term chemical reactions between the rock minerals and CO2-enriched brine. The injection experiment was performed under different confining stresses and pore-pressures to mimic reservoir conditions at different depths. The creep, ultrasonic wave (i.e., P- and S-Wave) velocity measurements, and multi-stage failure tests were conducted on intact, and CO2-enriched brine injected Peco Sandstone specimens to capture potential changes in time-dependent deformation, strength properties, and P- and S-Wave velocities. The results indicated a significant increase in the creep response. At the same time, strength properties and ultrasonic wave velocities exhibited significant reductions, due to the dissolution of grain boundaries and cementing minerals, which was caused by the injection of CO2-enriched brine. Results of this study indicate that the potential increase in time-dependent deformation (i.e., creep rate) should be considered at the reservoir scale since the accelerated creep behavior can potentially lead to reservoir compaction, which consequently endangers wellbore stability and caprock integrity. In addition, the significant reduction in cohesion and friction angle can likely increase the slip tendency of the reservoir rock under certain injection scenarios, which consequently increases the possibility of fault reactivation.