cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The recycled pots and potsherds of Spain

The Romans and their cultural heirs, the Byzantines, devised a method for using discarded amphorae in vaulting large buildings, which they each followed in eastern and southern Spain as well as in Italy. In the same Iberian regions, Spanish medieval masons continued incorporating used earthenwares into some edifices, but the reasoning behind the practice, the way in which it was executed, and the kinds of ceramics greatly changed through time, due in part to different architectural styles. Through artifact and archival evidence, the method now has been confirmed also to have been current in Andalusia at the time the Spanish American colonies were being established and to have diffused overseas as Sevillian masons migrated to the Caribbean. There reused whole vessels and potsherds have been recovered from numerous 16th to 18th century vault haunches. Apparently Indian builders of colonial Mexico did not, however, adopt the procedure.
Learning Alternative Access Approaches for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Implications for New Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Centers

Background Smaller transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) delivery systems have increased the number of patients eligible for transfemoral procedures while decreasing the need for transaortic (TAo) or transapical (TA) access. As a result, newer TAVR centers are likely to have less exposure to these alternative access techniques, making it harder to achieve proficiency. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the learning curve for TAVR approaches and compare perioperative outcomes. Methods From January 2008 to December 2014, 400 patients underwent TAVR (transfemoral, n = 179; TA, n = 120; and TAo, n = 101)). Learning curves were constructed using metrics of contrast utilization, procedural, and fluoroscopy times. Outcomes during the learning curve were compared with after proficiency was achieved. Results Depending on the metric, learning curves for all three routes differed slightly but all demonstrated proficiency by the 50th case. There were no significant differences in procedural times whereas improvements in contrast use were most notable for TA (69 ± 40 mL versus 50 ± 23 mL, p = 0.002). For both TA and TAo, fewer patients received transfusions once proficiency was reached (62% versus 34%, p = 0.003, and 42% versus 14%, p = 0.002, respectively). No differences in 30-day or 1-year mortality were seen before or after proficiency was reached for any approach. Conclusions The learning curves for TA and TAo are distinct but technical proficiency begins to develop by 25 cases and becomes complete by 50 cases for both approaches. Given the relatively low volume of alternative access, achieving technical proficiency may take significant time. However, technical proficiency had no effect on 30-day or 1-year mortality for any access approach.
Raman spectroscopy and its applications in Earth and planetary science

Advancements in lasers, spectrographs, and holographic optical components have made Raman spectroscopy an effective tool for non-destructive analysis of natural and synthetic materials. These advances have led to the development of both micro-Raman and remote Raman instrumentation for a lander or rover for planetary exploration. At the University of Hawaii (UH), we have developed remote Raman spectroscopic systems capable of measuring Raman spectra of minerals, inorganic and organic chemicals, and biogenic materials during daytime and nighttime to radial distances in the range 1 to 120 m. In this work, the authors review the current status of time-resolved remote Raman (TR3) spectroscopic instrumentation and its applications in Earth and planetary science.
Reproduction: The genetic basis of heterostyly

Two recent studies revealed the genetic architecture of the long fascinating heterostyly in Primula and that the absence of a CYPT gene determines the long style morph.
Integrative Literature Review of Adolescent Risk and Health Compromising Behaviors Guided by the Problem Behavior Theory

Twenty percent of the world’s population is adolescents. Although generally healthy, risky behaviors result in premature death from injury and establish lifestyle choices which may give rise to poor health and disability during adult life. This integrative review presents the state of the literature related to adolescent health risk behaviors as framed by the problem behavior theory. The key word search using the databases of ERIC, CINAHL Plus with full text, PsycARTICLES, and PsycINFO yielded an internationally representative group of articles consistent with the guiding framework. Fifteen articles related to risk factors, protective factors, risk behaviors, and health-compromising behaviors of adolescents were retained from the past five years. Although the literature is replete with research involving adolescents, gaps are identified, and recommendations for future research are considered.
A Review of Pediatric Marijuana Exposure in the Setting of Increasing Legalization

Abstract Pediatric marijuana poisonings are increasing in the United States. Signs and symptoms of marijuana exposure in pediatric patients differ throughout the pediatric age spectrum, and it is important for clinicians to be familiar with the profound lethargy or altered mental status that can occur in pediatrics, particularly in toddlers. This article reviews the clinical effects and treatment of pediatric marijuana exposure, as well as issues around legalization and prevention.
Women’s Rights versus the Protection of Fetuses

The claim that human fetuses have rights once served primarily to underpin opposition to abortion. However, some of the newer fetal rights claims are neutral with respect to the morality of abortion. These involve the rights of fetuses which will not be aborted, but whose future well-being is thought to be endangered by the behavior of the pregnant woman. Fetal rights advocates argue that when the actions or nonactions of pregnant women endanger the health of the unborn child, coercive interventions of various kinds may be justified. John Robertson makes a useful distinction between two forms of coercion at issue here, i.e., prebirth seizures and postbirth sanctions.1 Prebirth seizures include court-ordered cesareans or other medical interventions performed against the will of the pregnant woman, as well as the involuntary confinement of pregnant women to prevent their using alcohol or illegal drugs, or otherwise adversely affecting fetal development. Postbirth sanctions include criminal penalties for women whose infants are born with illnesses or injuries due to the woman’s behavior during her pregnancy. I shall argue that these forms of coercion are unjustified.
ESTABLISHING THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE across Cultural BARRIERS

1. The therapeutic alliance is a mutually defined helping relationship that encompasses mutual respect and acceptance of ethnocultural variance, predicated upon empathic rapport. 2. Sensitivity to two psycholinguistic phenomena may help establish a transcultural relationship: the detachment effect (limited expression of affect and reduced access to developmental events between languages) and code switching (a complete or partial change of language or dialect within a single utterance or conversation). 3. Issues related to differing sociocultural expectations of nurses and clients will be increasingly encountered as ease of travel combines with economic and political unrest to produce increasing numbers of displaced persons.
The Influence of Judgments of Learning on Long-Term Learning and Short-Term Performance

Students must retain information they learn in class over the long term because it may be foundational for upper-level classes or for use in their field. Recently, researchers have demonstrated that making judgments of learning (JOLs) can enhance students’ short-term performance; however, it is unclear how they influence long-term learning. We evaluated this issue in three experiments. Participants studied related word pairs (e.g., castle–king). Half of the participants made a JOL for each pair and half did not. Participants took a cued-recall test after either a long retention interval (2 days) or short retention interval (3 min). Participants who made JOLs outperformed participants who did not, which was evident on long-term learning as well as short-term performance. Continuously cumulating meta-analyses revealed that these effects were strong (long-term learning, d = .66; short-term performance, d = .71). Thus, making JOLs appears to be an effective strategy to increase long-term retention of related information.
Molecular Biology of Erythropoiesis

Red cells, comprising the most abundant cell type in the body, are uniquely designed to withstand the vicissitudes of the microcirculation to deliver oxygen to the tissues. Red cells are produced in the bone marrow where they undergo progressive maturation from unilineage progenitors to morphologically defined precursors to enucleated erythrocytes. Two distinct erythroid lineages exist during mammalian ontogeny. The first “primitive” erythroid lineage originates during early embryogenesis in the yolk sac and generates a transient wave of maturing erythroid cells. The second “definitive” erythroid lineage exists in the fetus and throughout postnatal life. Erythropoietin is the primary cytokine regulating erythroid cell maturation by signaling through its receptor to activate multiple intracellular signaling cascades. Erythropoiesis is also regulated by transcriptional complexes containing GATA-1, SCL, EKLF, and multiple other factors. These complexes assist in the creation of transcriptionally active chromatin regions and upregulate erythroid-specific genes. MicroRNAs have recently been found in erythroid cells and raise the possibility that gene downregulation is also important for lineage maturation. A better understanding of the regulation of the globin genes expressed in the embryo, fetus, and adult will ultimately lead to improved therapies for people with hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Lysosomal degradation of heparin and heparan sulphate.

This review is a limited update of a previous review of enzymes that degrade heparan sulphate (HS) and heparin (Hopwood, 1989). Newly-synthesised HS proteoglycan (HSPG) is internalised from the cell surface and catabolised with a half-time of 4 to 6 h in rat ovarian granulosa cells (Yanagishita and Hascall, 1984), and by more than 28 h in human colon carcinoma cells (Iozzo, 1987). Studies of both cell types have shown the existence of preliminary protease and an initial endoglycosidase activity in non-lysosomal (chloroquine-insensitive compartments) to generate HS intermediates of Mr 10 kDa, and further chloroquine-sensitive endoglycosidic activity to produce HS fragments of Mr 5 kDa which are rapidly degraded in the lysosome by a series of exohydrolases to monosaccharides and sulphate without the generation of intermediates. A number of distinct lysosomal membrane transporters are involved in the efflux of the monomeric products GlcNAc, GlcA and IdoA and sulphate ions from the lysosome (Jonas et al., 1989; Jonas and Jobe, 1990a, 1990b; Mancini et al., 1989) which can be reutilised in biosynthetic pathways (Rome and Hill, 1986).
Comparison of Low-Dose Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis with and without Pharmacomechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Lower Extremity Ischemia.

Background Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) and/or pharmacomechanical thrombectomy (PMT) can dissolve/remove thrombus; PMT alone, however, may require the adjunctive use of CDT. The aim of this study was to compare the use of CDT with and without PMT for the treatment of acute lower extremity ischemia (ALI). Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients with ALI who underwent CDT with or without PMT between January 2008 and April 2014 ( n = 99). Patients with incomplete medical charts were excluded ( n = 16). Remaining patients were divided into 2 cohorts: group 1 included patients who underwent PMT + CDT ( n = 54); group 2 included those who underwent CDT alone ( n = 29). Lesions were further characterized by anatomic location: iliac disease ( n = 14), femoropopliteal disease ( n = 53), tibial disease ( n = 2), and multilevel disease ( n = 14). Data collection included patient and limb characteristics, duration of treatment, complications, clinical outcomes, adjunctive interventions, and follow-up. Results No significant differences were seen between treatment groups in terms of patient characteristics, occlusion length and location, Rutherford class, median duration of ischemia time ( P = 0.22), or mean lysis time ( P = 0.58). Treatment groups were also similar with regard to outcomes, including periprocedure complications, patency, reintervention, limb salvage, and amputation-free survival. Conclusions There was no different between PMT + CDT and CDT alone in terms of periprocedural complications or outcomes. In the quest to resolve ALI, initial thrombus extraction with PMT may not reduce the need, duration, or efficacy of CDT.
Hamilton’s Principle and Action Integrals

Here we show that for systems of particles subject to holonomic constraints and forces derivable from a generalized potential, Lagrange’s equations can also be obtained by finding the stationary values of a functional, called the “action.” By doing so, we convert the problem of finding the equations of motion to a problem in the calculus of variations. We also introduce the Hamiltonian for a system of particles, which can be obtained from the Lagrangian by performing a Legendre transformation. This process leads to Hamilton’s equations of motion, which are 1st-order differential equations for the generalized coordinates and momenta. The Hamiltonian formulation is particularly well-suited for illustrating the intimate connection between continuous symmetries of the system and conserved quantities.
Nanoemulsion adjuvant-driven redirection of TH2 immunity inhibits allergic reactions in murine models of peanut allergy.

Background Immunotherapy for food allergies involves progressive increased exposures to food that result in desensitization to food allergens in some subjects but not tolerance to the food. Therefore new approaches to suppress allergic immunity to food are necessary. Previously, we demonstrated that intranasal immunization with a nanoemulsion (NE) adjuvant induces robust mucosal antibody and T H 17-polarized immunity, as well as systemic T H 1-biased cellular immunity with suppression of pre-existing T H 2-biased immunity. Objective We hypothesized that immunization with food in conjunction with the nanoemulsion adjuvant could lead to modulation of allergic reactions in food allergy by altering pre-existing allergic immunity and enhancing mucosal immunity. Methods Mice were sensitized to peanut with aluminum hydroxide or cholera toxin. The animals were then administered 3 monthly intranasal immunizations with peanut in the nanoemulsion adjuvant or saline. Mice were then challenged with peanut to examine allergen reactivity. Results The NE intranasal immunizations resulted in marked decreases in T H 2 cytokine, IgG 1 , and IgE levels, whereas T H 1 and mucosal T H 17 immune responses were increased. After allergen challenge, these mice showed significant reductions in allergic hypersensitivity. Additionally, the NE immunizations significantly increased antigen-specific IL-10 production and regulatory T-cell counts, and the protection induced by NE was dependent in part on IL-10. Control animals immunized with intranasal peanut in saline had no modulation of their allergic response. Conclusions NE adjuvant–mediated induction of mucosal T H 17 and systemic T H 1-biased immunity can suppress T H 2-mediated allergy through multiple mechanisms and protect against anaphylaxis. These results suggest the potential therapeutic utility of this approach in the setting of food allergy.
MURPAR: a fast heuristic for inferring parsimonious phylogenetic networks from multiple gene trees

Phylogenetic networks provide a graphical representation of evolutionary histories that involve non-treelike evolutionary events, such as horizontal gene transfer (HGT). One approach for inferring phylogenetic networks is based on reconciling gene trees, assuming all incongruence among the gene trees is due to HGT. Several mathematical results and algorithms, both exact and heuristic, have been introduced to construct and analyze phylogenetic networks. Here, we address the computational problem of inferring phylogenetic networks with minimum reticulations from a collection of gene trees. As this problem is known to be NP-hard even for a pair of gene trees, the problem at hand is very hard. In this paper, we present an efficient heuristic, MURPAR, for inferring a phylogenetic network from a collection of gene trees by using pairwise reconciliations of trees in the collection. Given the development of efficient and accurate methods for pairwise gene tree reconciliations, MURPAR inherits this efficiency and accuracy. Further, the method includes a formulation for combining pairwise reconciliations that is naturally amenable to an efficient integer linear programming (ILP) solution. We show that MURPAR produces more accurate results than other methods and is at least as fast, when run on synthetic and biological data. We believe that our method is especially important for rapidly obtaining estimates of genome-scale evolutionary histories that can be further refined by more detailed and compute-intensive methods.
Community Practice, Fostering Participation, and Human Rights

This chapter reviews key themes made in the first four chapters, each of which urged community social workers to consider the consonance of social work values with human rights. The authors reaffirm the importance of applying key human rights principles to community practice, including respect for dignity, autonomy, and agency; non-discrimination and equality; transparency and access to information; accountability; and empowerment. The authors highlight other proactive arenas for rights-based mobilization, looking beyond health care, housing, and food as human rights concerns. In particular, they emphasize the importance of fostering participation of community groups and building familiarity with human rights norms and standards as critical to promoting human rights in community practice.
Considerations when evaluating microprocessor platforms

Motivated by recent papers comparing CPU and GPU performance, this paper explores the questions: Why do we compare microprocessors and by what means should we compare them? We distinguish two distinct perspectives from which to make comparisons: application developers and computer architecture researchers. We survey the distinct concerns of these groups, identifying essential information each group expects when interpreting comparisons. We believe the needs of both groups should be addressed separately, as the goals of application developers are quite different from those of computer architects. Reproducibility of results is widely acknowledged as the foundation of scientific investigation. Accordingly, it is imperative that platform comparisons supply enough detail for others to reproduce and contextualize results. As parallel processing continues to increase in importance, and parallel microprocessor architectures continue to proliferate, the importance of conducting and publishing reproducible microprocessor platform comparisons will also increase. We seek to add our voice to the discussion about how these comparisons should be conducted.
Biodegradation of starch and α-glycan polymers

Glucose is one of the most abundant, readily utilizable carbon sources found in different carbohydrate polymers. Starch and cellulose are the major glucose-containing carbohydrate polymers used as energy sources by many microbes. Of these two polymers, cellulose is linked by β-1,4 glucosidic linkages and is a linear crystalline substrate that is more slowly degraded by microbes. On the other hand, starch is a branched polymer comprised of an α-1,4 linked backbone and α-1,6 linked branches and it is more readily degraded by microbes. Amylosaccharidases, the starch-degrading enzymes, are ubiquitous in nature and they cleave α-1,4 and α-1,6 linkages of starch and related polymers to form a mixture of smaller saccharides ranging from glucose to maltodextrins with an average degree of polymerization of 10 glucose units.
Pregnancy in multiple sclerosis: Data from an administrative claims database.

The influence of pregnancy on the course of multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been a topic of considerable interest to patients and health care practitioners because MS strikes most often in women of childbearing age. Until a few decades ago, women were discouraged from having a baby, fearing that pregnancy would worsen the course of disease. Since then, numerous studies have shown a reduced risk of relapse during pregnancy, followed by an increased risk of disease reactivation after delivery, most clearly revealed in a large prospective study published in 1998.1 Subsequently, the advent of the “treatment era” for MS has introduced complexity into family planning counseling and decision processes, which require additional consideration for numerous disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) before and after pregnancy. To support family planning decisions and to improve available health care services, there remains a great need for a better understanding of the natural history of MS and pregnancy in the context of an ever-expanding number of DMDs.2
Determination of pressure-viscosity relation of 2,2,4-trimethylhexane by all-atom molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract The Newtonian viscosity of 2,2,4-trimethylhexane at 293 K is determined at pressures from 0.1 MPa to 1000 MPa. Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations are performed using AIREBO-M, an all-atom potential for hydrocarbons especially parameterized for high pressures. The steady-state shear stress and viscosity are determined from simple shear simulations at rates between 10 7 and 5 ⋅ 10 9 s − 1 . At low pressures, simulation rates are low enough to reach the Newtonian regime. At high pressures, results are extrapolated to the Newtonian limit by fitting rate-dependent viscosities to Eyring theory. The variation of viscosity with pressure has an inflection point that is common for small molecules. Deviations from experiment are less than 40%.
Cytological studies on a polyhaploid ofCritesion iranicum obtained after hybridization withC. bulbosum

One polyhaploid (2n=3x=21) ofCritesion iranicum (von Bothmer) A. Love (6x=42) was obtained following interspecific hybridization with tetraploidC. bulbosum (L.) A. Love, presumably through chromosome elimination. Meiotic pairing in pollen mother cells averaged 2.43 univalents, 0.12 rod bivalents, 2.37 ring bivalents, and 4.53 trivalents. The data indicate that the three genomes fromC. iranicum are homologous with equal affinity. This confirms thatC. iranicum is an autohexaploid.
A Retrospective Review of the Outcomes and Utility of Percutaneous Radiofrequency Rhizotomy for Trigeminal Neuralgia Using Anatomic Landmark Guidance in Asleep Patients.

BACKGROUND Radiofrequency rhizotomy is a percutaneous procedure for trigeminal neuralgia frequently performed with intermittent awakening, although the utility and accuracy of this procedure in continuously sedated patients have not yet been evaluated. OBJECTIVE To evaluate pain relief in patients with trigeminal neuralgia undergoing radiofrequency rhizotomy under continuous sedation. METHODS Patients from 2012 to 2017 who underwent radiofrequency rhizotomy for trigeminal neuralgia were evaluated retrospectively. Barrow Neurological Institute Pain Intensity scores were assigned to determine relapse at 1 mo, 1 yr, 3 yr, and 5 yr. Descriptive relapse rates for patients with multiple sclerosis and those undergoing repeat procedures are also reported. RESULTS A total of 90.8% of procedures reported Barrow Neurological Institute I-III score at 1 mo (P < .0001), 66.3% at 1 yr (P = .0012), and 71.1% at 3 yr (P = .0003). Duration to relapse was 3.0 and 6.0 at 1 and 3 yr, respectively. Procedures in patients with multiple sclerosis reported 100% relief at 1 mo and 87.5% relief at 1 yr (P = .0099). The presence of numbness and postoperative medication changes were not associated with pain relief (P = .0063, P = .1338). CONCLUSION The use of continuous sedation in radiofrequency rhizotomy for trigeminal neuralgia provides pain relief comparable to the recorded literature rate for procedures with intermittent awakening.
Perspectives on the draft ICH-M10 guidance: an interview with Boris Gorovits.

Biography Boris Gorovits is a Senior Director of the Bioanalytical lab at Pfizer. Boris earned his PhD in Enzymology from the Moscow State University and later completed postdoctoral research studi...
On Selecting Channel Parameters for Public Safety Network Applications in LTE D2D Communications

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines various pre-configured channel parameters for the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Device-to-Device (D2D) communications with Physical Sidelink (SL) Channels. In this paper, we investigate the impacts of channel parameter settings on the performance of content deliveries for Public Safety Network (PSN) applications in Out-of-Coverage (OOC) scenario. We first measure the reliability of the SL channels under various sets of channel parameters using Monte Carlo simulations. Then, for a given PSN application, the acquired reliability results are utilized to help determining the amount of delay that is to be introduced to the system, such that the throughput requirement for the application is assured during the transmissions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first LTE D2D work that focuses on OOC mission-critical communications performance in group traffic settings. Our results are valuable to both network operators, for using them as references in selecting a best set of channel parameters, and to future studies on more complex transmission patterns and network scenarios using D2D communications in PSNs.
Electrolyte Competition Controls Surface Binding of CO Intermediates to CO2 Reduction Catalysts

Adsorbed CO is a critical intermediate in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to fuels. Directed design of CO2RR electrocatalysts have centered on strategies to understand and optimize the differences in CO adsorption enthalpy across surfaces. Yet, this approach has largely ignored the role of competitive electrolyte adsorption in defining the CO surface population relevant for catalysis. Using in situ infrared spectroelectrochemistry, we disclose the contrasting influence of electrolyte competition on reversible CO binding to Au and Cu catalysts. Whereas reversible CO binding to Au surfaces is driven by substitution and reorientation of adsorbed water, CO binding to Cu surfaces requires the reductive displacement of adsorbed carbonate anions. The divergent role of electrolyte competition for CO adsorption on Au vs. Cu leads to a ~600 mV difference in the potential region where CO accumulates on the two surfaces. The contrasting CO adsorption stoichiometry on Au and Cu also explains their disparate reactivity: water adsorption drives CO liberation from Au surfaces, impeding further reduction, whereas carbonate desorption drives CO accumulation on Cu surfaces, allowing for further reduction to hydrocarbons. These studies provide direct insight into how electrolyte constituents can serve as powerful design parameters for fine-tuning of CO surface populations and, thereby, CO2-to-fuels reactivity.
Difficulty and help with activities of daily living among older adults living alone with cognitive impairment.

Introduction There is limited research on difficulties with activities of daily living (I/ADLs) among older adults living alone with cognitive impairment, including differences by race/ethnicity. Methods For U.S. Health and Retirement Study (2000-2014) participants aged 55+ living alone with cognitive impairment (4,666 individuals; 9,091 observations), we evaluated I/ADL difficulty and help. Results Among 4.3 million adults aged 55+ living alone with cognitive impairment, an estimated 46% reported an I/ADL difficulty; 72% reported not receiving help with an I/ADL. Women reported more difficulty than men. Compared to white women, black women were 22% more likely to report a difficulty without help, and Latina women were 36% more likely to report a difficulty with help. Among men, racial/ethnic differences in outcomes were not significant. Patterns of difficulty without help by race/ethnicity were similar among Medicaid beneficiaries. Discussion Findings call for targeted efforts to support older adults living alone with cognitive impairment.
Seven-Year Case-Control Study in California of Risk Factors for Infant Botulism.

Objective To ascertain possible risk factors for infant botulism, the intestinal infectious form of human botulism, in the years immediately following its initial recognition in California in 1976. Study design Parents of 159 California laboratory-confirmed cases of infant botulism from 1976 to 1983 and 318 healthy controls were interviewed using a comprehensive (>300 factors) questionnaire. “Neighborhood controls” (n = 184) were matched on date of birth, sex, race/ethnicity, and neighborhood of residence. “County controls” (n = 134) were matched only on date of birth, sex, and county of residence. Age-stratified bivariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses were performed using SAS. Results All cases required hospitalization. Bivariate analyses identified several risk factors that in multivariate analyses were not significant. In multivariate analyses, risk factors differed with stratification by age. For the ≤2 month-old neighborhood controls comparison, birth order >1, cesarean delivery, ≤1 bowel movements (BMs) per day, and windy residence area were associated with illness hospitalization, and for the county controls comparison, only pacifier use was associated. For the 1, and windy residence area were associated with illness hospitalization, and for the county controls comparison, pets in the home was an additional risk factor. Conclusions With the exception of the ≤2-month-old county controls group, slower intestinal transit time (≤1 BM/d) was associated with illness. Otherwise, our case–control investigation identified few physiologic, environmental, and maternal factors associated with infant botulism hospitalization in California.
Orbital Cellulitis Following Uncomplicated Glaucoma Drainage Device Surgery: Case Report and Review of Literature

Purpose: Orbital cellulitis (OC) is a rare postoperative complication of glaucoma drainage device (GDD) implantation. To date, there have only been 10 reported cases of OC following GDD implantation. Case Report: Here, we report a case of OC in a 57-year-old man who developed pain, proptosis, and limited extraocular motility two days after uneventful Ahmed FP7 implantation in the right eye. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the orbits demonstrated fat stranding and a small fluid collection, consistent with OC. He had minimal improvement with intravenous antibiotics and ultimately underwent GDD explantation. A systematic review of the literature showed that the development of OC following GDD implantation can occur in the early or late postoperative period. Immediate hospitalization with intravenous administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics is recommended. Explantation of the infected GDD is often required for source control. Conclusion: OC is a rare postoperative complication of GDD implantation. Prompt evaluation and treatment are required, often combined with GDD explantation.
Accounting for Domain Shift in Neural Network Ultrasound Beamforming

Many advanced beamforming methods have been proposed to improve ultrasound image quality compared to that generated with delay-and-sum (DAS), with increased interest in using deep learning methods. With deep learning, beamforming is typically framed as a regression problem, where clean, ground-truth data are known and usually simulated. However, it is difficult to collect ground truth information in vivo, and deep networks trained on simulated data underperform when applied to in vivo data due to a shift between simulated and in vivo domains. To address this, we propose a novel domain adaptation scheme that leverages both simulated and unlabeled in vivo data to train an in vivo beamformer. We demonstrate qualitative and quantitative improvements in in vivo image quality compared to conventional DAS as well as other advanced beamformers.
Synthesis and characterization of ethylenediamine platinum(II) complexes containing thiourea derivatives. X-ray crystal structures of [Pt(en)(2-imidazolidinethione)2](NO3)2 and [Pt(en)(1-phenyl-2-thiourea)2](NO3)2

Abstract Reactions of ethylenediamineplatinum(II) nitrate with thiourea derivatives afford new complexes of the form [Pt(en)L2](NO3)2 [en = ethylenediamine, L = 1-benzyl-2-thiourea (bztu), 1-cyclohexyl-2-thiourea (chtu), 1,3-diethyl-2-thiourea (detu), 1,3-diisopropyl-2-thiourea (diptu), 1-ethyl-2-thiourea (etu), 1-heptyl-2-thiourea (htu), 2-imidazolidinethione (imt), 1-isopropyl-2-thiourea (iptu), 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (phtu), 1-(3-pyridyl)-2-thiourea (pytu), and 1-tert-butyl-2-thiourea (tbtu)]. These complexes are soluble in high polarity solvents and have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy. IR analyses reveal the characteristic vibrations of the functional groups and the nitrate counter ions. NMR studies show that the chemical shifts of proton and carbon signals of the bonded en are about the same, indicating the bonding of thioureas to the platinum(II) center exert limited trans effect on the en ligand. The observation that thioamide proton signals shift downfield and the thiocarbonyl carbon signals shift upfield as compared to the free thioureas suggests a decrease in thiocarbonyl bond order and an increase in thiocarbonyl carbon-amide nitrogen bond order upon coordination to the platinum(II) center. Good quality single crystals of [Pt(en)(2-imidazolidinethione)2](NO3)2 (7) and [Pt(en)(1-phenyl-2-thiourea)2](NO3)2 (9) are grown by slow evaporation of methanol solution at room temperature. Their molecular structures have been identified by the single crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 7 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn whereas 9 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n. X-ray crystallographic analysis indicates that the geometry about the platinum atom is square-planar and the crystal packings are dominated by intermolecular en N H⋯O (NO3) and thioureas N H⋯O (NO3) hydrogen bonds. The two imidazole rings in 7 and the two phenyl rings in 9 are oriented above and below the PtN2S2 plane, respectively, to minimize the steric interaction.
Function of exosomes in neurological disorders and brain tumors

Exosomes are a subtype of extracellular vesicles released from different cell types including those in the nervous system, and are enriched in a variety of bioactive molecules such as RNAs, proteins and lipids. Numerous studies have indicated that exosomes play a critical role in many physiological and pathological activities by facilitating intercellular communication and modulating cells' responses to external environments. Particularly in the central nervous system, exosomes have been implicated to play a role in many neurological disorders such as abnormal neuronal development, neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, mental disorders, stroke, brain injury and brain cancer. Since exosomes recapitulate the characteristics of the parental cells and have the capacity to cross the blood-brain barrier, their cargo can serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and clinical assessment of disease treatment. In this review, we describe the latest findings and current knowledge of the roles exosomes play in various neurological disorders and brain cancer, as well as their application as promising biomarkers. The potential use of exosomes to deliver therapeutic molecules to treat diseases of the central nervous system is also discussed.
Prior use of medications for opioid use disorder in ED patients with opioid overdose: prevalence, misuse and overdose severity.

OBJECTIVES Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) reduce opioid overdose (OD) deaths; however, prevalence and misuse of MOUD in ED patients presenting with opioid overdose are unclear, as are any impacts of existing MOUD prescriptions on subsequent OD severity. METHODS This was a prospective observational cohort of ED patients with opioid OD at two tertiary-care hospitals from 2015 to 19. Patients with confirmed opioid OD (via urine toxicology) were included, while patients with alternate diagnoses, insufficient data, age < 18, and prisoners were excluded. OD severity was defined using: (a) hospital LOS (days); and (b) in-hospital mortality. Time trends by calendar year and associations between MOUD and study outcomes were calculated. RESULTS In 2829 ED patients with acute drug OD, 696 with confirmed opioid OD were included. Overall, 120 patients (17%) were previously prescribed any MOUD, and MOUD prevalence was significantly higher in 2018 and 2019 compared to 2016 (20.1% and 27.8% vs. 8.8%, p < 0.05). Odds of MOUD misuse were significantly higher for methadone (OR 3.96 95% CI 2.57-6.12) and lowest for buprenorphine (OR 1.16, p = NS). Mean LOS was over 50% longer for methadone (3.08 days) compared to buprenorphine and naltrexone (both 2.0 days, p = NS). Following adjustment for confounders, buprenorphine use was associated with significantly shorter LOS (IRR -0.44 (95%CI -0.85, -0.04)). Odds of death were 30% lower for patients on any MOUD (OR 0.70, 95%CI 0.09-5.72), but highest in the methadone group (OR 0.82, 95%CI 0.10-6.74). CONCLUSIONS While MOUD prevalence significantly increased over the study period, MOUD misuse occurred for patients taking methadone, and OD LOS overall was lower in patients with any prior buprenorphine prescription.
Bilevel learning of l1-regularizers with closed-form gradients(BLORC)

We present a method for supervised learning of sparsity-promoting regularizers, a key ingredient in many modern signal reconstruction problems. The parameters of the regularizer are learned to minimize the mean squared error of reconstruction on a training set of ground truth signal and measurement pairs. Training involves solving a challenging bilevel optimization problem with a nonsmooth lower-level objective. We derive an expression for the gradient of the training loss using the implicit closed-form solution of the lower-level variational problem given by its dual problem, and provide an accompanying gradient descent algorithm (dubbed BLORC) to minimize the loss. Our experiments on simple natural images and for denoising 1D signals show that the proposed method can learn meaningful operators and the analytical gradients calculated are faster than standard automatic differentiation methods. While the approach we present is applied to denoising, we believe that it can be adapted to a wide-variety of inverse problems with linear measurement models, thus giving it applicability in a wide range of scenarios.
Application of supervisory impulse response interpolation scheme for system identification of flexible structures

The application of a supervisory system identification scheme for flexible structures is considered in this article. The method is based upon quantifying parameterized models which interpolate partial impulse response sequences. This approach always produces a stable system function for rational models, and both minimum phase and nonminimum phase systems are admissible. A supervisory scheme eliminates some of the attainable models through a comparison of their DC-gains, and further reduces the order of the identified system by neglecting the near pole/zero cancellations in regions close to the origin of the unit disk, or with negative real z values. A review of this technique as it applies to flexible structures, and applications of this algorithm to flexible structures are presented.
Impact of wireless channel uncertainty upon M-ary distributed detection systems

We consider a wireless sensor network (WSN), consisting of several sensors and a fusion center (FC), which is tasked with solving an M-ary hypothesis testing problem. Sensors make M-ary decisions and transmit their digitally modulated decisions over orthogonal channels, which are subject to Rayleigh fading and noise, to the FC. Adopting Bayesian optimality criterion, we consider training and non-training based distributed detection systems and investigate the effect of imperfect channel state information (CSI) on the optimal maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) fusion rules and detection performance, when the sum of training and data symbol transmit powers is fixed. Our results show that, when sensors employ M-FSK modulation, the error probability is minimized when training symbol transmit power is zero (regardless of the reception mode at the FC). However, for coherent reception and M-PSK modulation the error probability is minimized when half of transmit power is allocated for training symbol.
MRC training vs. board defect

Using debug experiments to prove the concept, we correlated failures in the MRC training log with board defects and, in doing so, established a new usage model for MRC board defect capture flow/methodology. We helped customers identify board defect locations by conducting PCB cross-sectional analysis at those locations. This resulted in PCB vendor process improvement by avoiding random board defects. Our MRC training analysis for board defect capturing on DDR nets can apply to any DDR relative design, especially those designs with DRAM chips device down. This methodology/flow fits into the validation process during both production and post-production. It helps customers avoid the high cost of product callback and penalty. The main difficulty is in convincing PCB vendors to do PCB cross-sectional analysis themselves to identify defects in their manufacturing process.
IL-6 Stimulates but is not essential for stratum corneum formation and permeability barrier development during gestation

Please cite this paper as: IL-6 Stimulates but is not essential for stratum corneum formation and permeability barrier development during gestation. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: e31–e36. Abstract: The regulation of epidermal ontogenesis is a complex process. Previous studies have shown that cytokines (IL-1, TNFα and IL-6) regulate permeability barrier homeostasis in adult mice. Recently, we reported that IL-1 and TNFα accelerate stratum corneum (SC) formation and permeability barrier development in foetal rodents. Here, we determined whether IL-6 also regulates SC formation and permeability barrier development during late gestation. Using a rat skin explant model, we demonstrated that IL-6 accelerates permeability barrier formation in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. This acceleration of barrier formation is attributable to (a) accelerated lamellar membrane maturation, (b) formation of a multi-layer SC and (c) enhanced expression of epidermal differentiation markers. When comparing epidermis of IL-6-deficient (knockout mice) and wild-type foetal mice at days 16–18, we could not detect any abnormalities in either SC formation or the expression of differentiation markers in knockout (KO) mice. In parallel, the basal expression levels of IL-6 mRNA in epidermis and IL-6 protein in amniotic fluid were very low, with only a minimal change in IL-6 receptor mRNA levels in epidermis of days 16–22 foetal mice. These low IL-6 levels may account, at least in part, for the absence of epidermal abnormalities in IL-6 KO mice. In conclusion, exogenous IL-6 accelerates epidermal ontogenesis, but it is not essential for normal epidermal maturation.
CTLA-4: Not All Costimulation Is Stimulatory

To activate a T cell, it was widely accepted, even in the 1960s, that there had to be a “signal one,” namely, receptor recognition of a foreign Ag. That fact did not make it less exciting when, in the early 1980s, Abs to the TCR were generated and the genes that encode it identified ([1][1]). As
Temperature dependence of flatband potentials at semiconductor–electrolyte interfaces

THE possible utilisation of photoelectrolysis for solar energy conversion suggests that the effects of temperatuie on such cells is important. One can envisage these cells being used in solar concentrator systems with a flowing electrolyte cooler. Thus operation at temperatures above ambient is possible and may offer significant advantages. The reaction rates on the surface of the semiconductor will be enhanced at the higher temperatures and there may be improvments in wavelength response and bias requirements of the cell. Thermal effects on the wavelength response of SnO2 electrodes have been observed and attributed to thermal shifts in the bandgap1. Here we explore the effects of temperature on the flatband potential Vfb and hence the bias requirements of a photo-electrolysis cell.
Temperature and Velocity Diagnostics of the Red Rectangle from UV Spectra of CO and C I

The UV spectrum of the Red Rectangle and its central source, HD 44179, was examined using the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Spectra have been obtained of the 0-0, 0-1, and 0-2 vibronic bands of the CO fourth positive system, the 1657 A C I multiplet, and the 1931 A C I line. All of the lines and bands display both absorption and emission components. The components do not display P Cygni profiles, but are nearly symmetrically reversed and show different spreads of radial velocity. The widths and Doppler shifts of each component provide information about the environment of its origin, as do the rotational and vibrational distributions in CO. The 1657 A multiplet is too complex for analysis, but the 1931 A line can be deconvolved into two components: emission with narrow velocity dispersion, 25 km s-1, and absorption with a broad velocity dispersion, 230 km s-1. The radial velocity of these atomic features is consistent with the velocity of the center of mass of this known spectroscopic binary. For the CO bands, we obtained a best fit from a four-component model, consistent for all three bands. There are three emission components and one absorption component. Two emission components display narrow velocity spreads (29 km s-1), and one shows a rotational temperature of 50 K, the other, of about 3000 K. The third emission component has a very wide velocity spread (600 km s-1) and a rotational temperature of about 100 K. The absorption component shows a wide velocity spread (230 km s-1) and a rotational temperature of about 100 K. The high-temperature emission displayed partially-resolved rotational line structure corresponding to levels of J = 50. The Doppler shifts of these features place the narrow, cold emission with one of the binary components and the narrow, hot emission with the center of mass. We discuss these observations with respect to the accretion disk model of this object. We also compare our UV CO observations with the work of others on the IR CO overtone spectra in young stellar objects.
Registration of partially overlapping images using composite filters

A well known paradigm in scene reconstruction is the registration of a series of partially overlapping images into a larger image of the entire scene. A specific example of this paradigm is found in the reconstruction of aerial photography. Traditional correlation using frequency domain multiplication cannot efficiently register such imagery because the correlation requires a known template of the overlapping area, else the correct alignment response is corrupted by high sidelobe responses. We discuss a sophisticated supervised correlation process that makes use of special composite filter response characteristics to suppress these sidelobes. Thus, the detection and orientation estimation become independent of the amount, orientation and location of the overlapping regions. Our discussion will also include variations of this partial overlap paradigm that apply to a wide variety of applications in scene reconstruction.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.