cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-chain carnitine acyltransferase and the role of acylcarnitine derivatives in the catalytic increase of fatty acid oxidation induced by carnitine

Carnitine-H3 or palmitate-C14 incubated with heart muscle preparations was incorporated into a compound that had chromatographic behavior in several systems identical to that of palmitylcarnitine chemically synthesized from palmityl chloride and carnitine. Palmitylcarnitine biosynthesis from palmitic acid and carnitine was dependent upon ATP and CoA in addition to substrates and an enzyme preparation. In contrast, palmityl carnitine formation from palmityl CoA and carnitine did not require ATP or CoA. The following reaction, catalyzed by palmitylcarnitine transferase, was shown to be reversible: Palmitylcarnitine + CoA ⇌ palmityl CoA + carnitine . General chemical and metabolic properties of palmitylcarnitine were defined. Addition of palmitylcarnitine to heart muscle mitochondria increased respiration more than did addition of palmityl CoA, suggesting that palmitylcarnitine can more readily contribute its acyl group to the fatty acid oxidase system than can exogenous palmityl CoA. Carnitine increased degradation of pa1mityl-l-C14 CoA and steary1-l-C14 CoA to CO2 and increased total oxygen uptake in the absence of ATP if acyl CoA were present. Carnitine did not appreciably enhance respiration or increase conversion of pa1mitate-l-C14 to CO2 in the absence of ATP but did augment palmitate oxidation, as previously reported, when ATP and CoA were added to the system. Results are consonant with the hypothesis that the catalytic stimulation by carnitine of long-chain fatty acid oxidation is mediated via acylcarnitine formation, with subsequent transfer of the acyl group to CoA at the site of the fatty acid oxidase system.
Clinical study on atrophic scar treatment with lattice CO_2 laser

Observe The clinical effect on atrophic scar treated with fractional laser was observed.Methods The atrophic scars was treated with domestic lattice CO2 laser,and the curative effect was evaluated based on effectiveness evaluation standards.Results 36 patients with atrophic scar were involved.The energy for first treatment was 15-20mj,and it was enlarged to 20-40mj for the second time.The graphic shape and size were selected according to scar area.The total effective rate after two course of treatment was 67%,and the efficiency rate was 100%.4 patients had transient hyperpigmentation,which dissipated by symptomatic treatment for a month and no serious complications,such as new scar formation occurred.Conclusion The treatment of atrophic scar by domestic lattice CO2 laser treatment is effective,and it has merits of good patient compliance,satisfaction,and cheap cost.Suitable selection for patients,energy control and disposing complication was the key step for the treatment of atrophic scar.
Structural Reforms and Choosing a Development Strategy for the Mining Industry in China

Mining activities should be categorized as primary industries and considered as an exclusive industry. There are two goals for development of the mining industry: First is to harness material and energy; second is to create opportunities for employment. The current development strategy of the Chinese mining industry involves considering the domestic mining industry first and foremost, followed by an emphasis on the development of domestic mining industry and utilization of resources beyond the boundaries of China. The paper proceeds to discuss some thoughts for structural reforms of the mining industry.
Small Airway Parameters of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Correlation between Quantitative CT and Pulmonary Functional Tests

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between COPD quantitative CT pulmonary function parameters and PFT parameters. Methods: 28 cases of COPD patients, using the maximal inspiratory and maximum expiratory phase spiral CT scanning to analysis the correlation between quantitative CT parameters and pulmonary function test(PFT) parameters. Results: The correlation between COPD quantitative CT pulmonary function parameters of inspiratory phase average lung density, expiratory phase average lung density, inspiratory phase emphysema volume, expiratory phase emphysema volume, inspiratory phase emphysema pixel index, expiratory phase emphysema pixel index and pulmonary function of FEV1/FVC is best(r value respectively 0.44, 0.64, 0.50,0.66, 0.57, 0.64, P 0.01). The correlation between maximum expiratory phase lung volume and lung function FEV1%(P) is best(r = 0.48, P 0.01). The correlation between expiratory phase average lung density and lung function PEF(% P) is best(r = 0.40, P 0.05). The correlation between maximum expiratory phase lung volume, expiratory phase average lung volume density, expiratory phase emphysema and pulmonary function best FEF25% FVC%(P) is best(r value respectively 0.40, 0.44, 0.44, P 0.05). The correlation between expiratory phase average lung density, expiratory phase emphysema pixel index and pulmonary function MMEF is best(r value respectively-0.57, 0.50, P 0.01). Conclusion: The quantitative parameters with maximal inspiratory phase and maximum expiratory phase helical CT scanning have a correlation with small airway PFT parameters, and expiratory phase is better than that of inspiratory phase.
Blank Design for the Fiber Perform in RTM

Resin transfer modeling(RTM) is the process related to the close moulding and one of the most important manufacture methods for low cost fiber reinforced composites.For the forming defects such as wrinkles occurred in the stamping,the ideal forming theory is used to calculate the materials deformation.Based on the strain distribution,it can identify where is large deformation area and the directions of maximum compression.Then cuts should be applied in the direction perpendicular to the maximum compression direction,so that the restrictions will be freed.The ideal forming analysis will be again carried out so that the optimum blank shape is obtained.Through practical application,the effectiveness and usefulness of this approach are evaluated,and the development result is more reasonable.
Sales Control Systems: An Exploratory Study

This paper studies salesforce control techniques utilizing information obtained from a series of focus group sessions with salespeople and sales managers. Recommendations are then condeveloped from a systhesis of this information which reflects an extension of current theoretical approaches.
Mass Fragmentography as Applied to Some Organophosphate Insecticides

Analysis of pesticides in environmental samples poses difficult problems for the chemist because he is looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. Although the use of gas-liquid chromatography in conjunction with sensitive detectors specific to certain atoms has been of considerable help, there are many samples which require rigorous cleanup to prevent interference with the analysis. Furthermore, there are many instances where the absolute presence of the material under analysis is open to question because there is not even enough material for a mass spectral confirmation. A relatively new technique, mass fragmentography, shows considerable promise as a sensitive, selective, and confirmative means of handling picogram quantities of pesticides (as well as other environmental pollutants).
The Influence of Televised Food Commercials on Children's Food Choices: Evidence from Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activations.

Objective To investigate how food commercials influence children's food choices. Study design Twenty-three children ages 8-14 years provided taste and health ratings for 60 food items. Subsequently, these children were scanned with the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging while making food choices (ie, "eat" or "not eat") after watching food and nonfood television commercials. Results Our results show that watching food commercials changes the way children consider the importance of taste when making food choices. Children did not use health values for their food choices, indicating children's decisions were largely driven by hedonic, immediate rewards (ie, "tastiness"); however, children placed significantly more importance on taste after watching food commercials compared with nonfood commercials. This change was accompanied by faster decision times during food commercial trials. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a reward valuation brain region, showed increased activity during food choices after watching food commercials compared with after watching nonfood commercials. Conclusion Overall, our results suggest watching food commercials before making food choices may bias children's decisions based solely on taste, and that food marketing may systematically alter the psychological and neurobiologic mechanisms of children's food decisions.
Imposing Constitutionality: The 2009 Bundestag Election

Electoral systems cater to constitutional demands and political goals, and to procedural rules and practical manageability. The diverse requirements are exemplified by the 2009 election of the German Bundestag. The Federal Election Law provides citizens with two votes: a first vote to elect a constituency representative by plurality, and a second vote to mirror the electorate’s division along party lines by proportionality. As Germany is a federation of sixteen states, the federal subdivision is also incorporated. The Bundestag electoral system illustrates the five electoral principles that underlie Europe’s electoral heritage: to elect the members of parliament by direct and universal suffrage in a free, equal, and secret ballot.
Ecology and Mormon Settlement in Northeastern Arizona

The process of colonization has been important in the ecological understanding of evolution since Darwin’s observation of the radiation of finch species as they colonized new island habitats. Human colonization processes, however, though historically documented, have rarely been interpreted using ecological concepts and models. Abruzzi provides a start in filling this gap with a reinterpretation of the history of Mormon colonization of northeastern Arizona in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Like other modern human ecologists, he takes great care to delineate details of local differences in environment and economy among the different settlements. In this arid region, perhaps the most critical variable is water availability, through rainfall as well as surface and groundwater, which are partially dependent on rainfall and also affected by geological features such as landform and soil characteristics. While drought was a periodic problem, flooding, which caused dam failures, was a significant problem that varied among communities. The physical environment, while directly affecting the potential and the limitations of human settlement, provides only part of its context here. The other significant factor is the social environment, both locally and at a distance. The relationship between the colonists and their home base in Salt Lake City is significant both in that the Mormon Church provided subsidies for the colonies and in that it laid down directives for local community interaction and interdependence. When individual communities suffered from crop failure or the destruction of a dam, they could acquire resources from their neighboring communities, which had been obliged by the church to set aside part of their production for tithes, and to share with their needy brethren. This interdependence provided for viability of vulnerable local communities over the long run. Other cooperative enterprises were also established among the settlements, though each eventually failed after initially prospering, perhaps because, unlike tithing, they did not incorporate all the settlements and hence were too small and too subject to local environmental problems. Eventually, other social and environmental conditions altered the context of Mormon colonization, as non-Mormons migrated into the area in numbers.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with elevated PCSK9 levels in young women

Background Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a key regulator of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk, and is an emerging therapeutic target. Objective We compared serum PCSK9 levels in young adults, with and without type 2 diabetes. Subjects and methods Cross-sectional analysis was conducted in a cohort, aged 15 to 26 years, in Cincinnati, OH, from 2005 to 2010. Serum PCSK9 levels were measured in 94 youth with type 2 diabetes, 93 obese control subjects, and 99 lean control subjects. Correlative analyses were conducted to determine significant covariates of PCSK9 by group and sex, and multivariate linear regression models were used to study the independent determinants of PCSK9. Results In females, PCSK9 levels were significantly increased in the obese and type 2 diabetes subjects relative to the lean controls (P < .01). Moreover, PCSK9 was positively correlated with multiple metabolic parameters in females: body mass index, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and C-reactive protein levels (P ≤ .02). In males, PCSK9 levels were decreased overall compared with females (P = .03), and did not differ between the lean, obese, or type 2 diabetes groups. Conclusions Obesity and type 2 diabetes were associated with significantly higher levels of PCSK9 in young women, but not in young men. These data suggest that sex could modify the effects of obesity and diabetes on PCSK9 in young adults.
Lamprey IGF-Binding Protein-3 Has IGF-Dependent and -Independent Actions

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are multi-functional proteins that possess IGF-dependent and -independent actions. Recent studies suggest that its IGF-independent action appeared early and the IGF binding function may have been acquired later in evolution. The timing of the emergence of IGF-dependent actions is unclear. Here, we identified and characterized an igfbp gene from sea lamprey, an agnathan, which were separated from the jawed vertebrates 450 million years ago. Phylogenetic and structural analyses suggested the encoded protein belongs to the IGFBP-3 clade in the IGFBP family. Lamprey IGFBP-3 contains an IGF binding domain (IBD), nuclear localization signal, and transactivation (TA) domain. Biochemical and functional analyses showed that these domains are all functional. Lamprey IGFBP-3 can bind IGFs and modulate IGF signaling when tested in mammalian cells. Lamprey IGFBP-3 also has the capacity to enter the nucleus and has strong TA activity. Forced expression of lamprey IGFBP-3 but not its IBD mutant in zebrafish embryos decreased body growth and developmental speed. Lamprey IGFBP-3 inhibited BMP2 signaling in cultured cells and in zebrafish embryos and this action is independent of its IGF binding function. These results suggest that lamprey IGFBP-3 has both IGF-dependent and -independent actions and provide new insights into the functional evolution of the IGFBP family.
Introduction: The Origins of an Intellectual Taboo

Farrell traces the modernist beginnings of twentieth-century suspicion toward authorial intention, noting the contrast with the visual arts where artists’ intentions acquired new prominence. Literary critics, hoping to avoid the “intentional fallacy,” established one of their own—that the meaning of a work depends on the text alone. Among the trends contributing to this fallacy were the reaction against Romantic expressive psychology, the mid-century vogue of positivism, the religiously tinged traditionalism of C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, and the New Critics, and hopes for the arrival of a new, transindividual, anti-bourgeois culture that animated the poststructuralist prophecies of Barthes, Derrida, and Foucault.
Minimizing total weighted tardiness and overtime costs for single machine preemptive scheduling

We study the single machine preemptive scheduling problem with both regular and overtime modes.The objective is to minimize the total tardiness and overtime costs.We propose a heuristic solution methodology for the problem.The efficiency of the heuristic is tested with upper bounds generated by the mathematical model. This paper studies the scheduling of a finite set of jobs on a single resource that operates under both regular and overtime capacity modes. Jobs, which can be preempted, have associated release and due dates. Limited overtime capacity can be utilized to reduce tardiness. However, since overtime is costly, justification of the overtime use depends on the trade-off between the tardiness and the overtime costs. The overall objective is to minimize the total cost of tardiness and overtime. To achieve this objective, we develop a holistic method composed of three-stages. We first provide a heuristic based on an effective priority rule for the base case where no overtime capacity is considered. This heuristic is later employed in the first-stage to produce a compact non-delay schedule built based on the assumption that overtime capacity incurs no additional cost. In the second stage, the overtime usage is reduced by shifting workload and generating a full-delay schedule without altering the tardiness of jobs produced in the first stage. The third stage improves the total costs by altering the tardiness of jobs in return for savings in overtime utilization. Using computational tests, we compare the performance of our heuristics to the upper bounds generated by the exact mixed-integer programming formulation. The results show that the proposed method is efficient in obtaining solutions that are considerably better than the generated upper bounds in significantly short times and as such, it can be quite useful as an effective solution approach especially for large size problems.
Effects of Fermented Milk Products on Bone

Fermented milk products like yogurt or soft cheese provide calcium, phosphorus, and protein. All these nutrients influence bone growth and bone loss. In addition, fermented milk products may contain prebiotics like inulin which may be added to yogurt, and provide probiotics which are capable of modifying intestinal calcium absorption and/or bone metabolism. On the other hand, yogurt consumption may ensure a more regular ingestion of milk products and higher compliance, because of various flavors and sweetness. Bone mass accrual, bone homeostasis, and attenuation of sex hormone deficiency-induced bone loss seem to benefit from calcium, protein, pre-, or probiotics ingestion, which may modify gut microbiota composition and metabolism. Fermented milk products might also represent a marker of lifestyle promoting healthy bone health.
A Comparison of System Performance on a Private OpenStack Cloud and Amazon EC2

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly pervasive and is being adopted even for high performance computing and mission critical applications. As cloud computing extends its usage, understanding of its performance becomes more important. In this paper, we present the system performance using Amazon EC2, representing a large public cloud platform, and OpenStack, representing the most popular open-source infrastructure-as-a-service cloud platform that can be used to implement both private and public clouds. Our study covers the performance of all significant cloud infrastructure resources - CPU, memory, storage, and network. We compare the performance of the public Amazon EC2 and a private OpenStack platform with similar configurations using several benchmarks. We compare and analyze diverse performance aspects based on different hypervisor, storage, and/or network configurations. For the OpenStack platform, we measure virtualization overhead for each resource. We also investigated the performance impact of more advanced features of each cloud, including faster storage options of AWS and the Infiniband network fabric with the Chameleon OpenStack platform.
Cognitive Computing – the new Paradigm of the Digital World

Cognitive systems like IBM Watson understand at scale, reason with a purpose, learn with each new interaction, and interact naturally with humans, augmenting human intelligence – but before discerning the significance of cognitive computing, it is firstly important to place it within historical context. To date, there have been three distinct eras of computing: 1) The Tabulating Era which helped revolutionize the way in which we were able manage large volumes of structured data like the census; 2) The Programmatic Era which ushered in the computer revolution allowing us to apply rules and logic revolutionizing the ways in which large and complex transactions were automated (e. g. financial systems, travel systems, etc.); and 3) The Cognitive Era which is extending our ability to work with information of all types, structured and unstructured (e. g. text, pictures, video), with natural conversational interaction, exploration not simple search, decision optimization based on evidence and confidence, all in a time frame that allows us to achieve better results.
Hepatitis C Virus and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Narrative Review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of liver-related death worldwide. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of advanced hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis, with significantly increased risk for development of HCC. The morbidity and mortality of HCV-related HCC remains high, as rates of HCV cirrhosis continue to increase. The long-term goal of antiviral therapy for chronic HCV is to reduce complications from cirrhosis, including HCC. The advent of new direct-acting antivirals with high rates of virological clearance has revolutionized cure of HCV infection. While the development of HCC in HCV patients who achieve disease sustained virologic response is reduced, these patients remain at risk for HCC, particularly those patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. This review outlines the epidemiology of HCC in chronic HCV, various mechanisms, risk factors and pathophysiology that contribute to this disease process, screening recommendations, and the available data on the impact of new direct-acting antiviral treatment on the development on HCC.
Racial Disparities in Medical Spending: Healthcare Expenditures for Black and White Households (2013–2015)

Medical expenditures represent a major financial burden that can hinder families’ ability to acquire other goods and services. How patterns of out-of-pocket medical expenditures vary across black and white households, however, remains unclear. Because blacks have poorer health than whites on average, one could assume that black households experience greater medical spending burdens than socioeconomically similar white households. Research on racial disparities in access to health services, however, suggests that blacks are less likely to receive medical care than whites with similar medical needs. Barriers to healthcare access and utilization could entail lower out-of-pocket medical spending for black households, despite their greater medical needs. Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, this paper examines patterns of out-of-pocket healthcare spending for black and white households. By comparing households across socioeconomic status, insurance status, and age, we demonstrate that black households consistently spend less on medical care than white households do. These trends are consistent with pervasive barriers to healthcare access and utilization for blacks relative to whites and suggest that policy interventions aimed at alleviating health inequality should not focus on subsidies and monetary incentives alone.
Balanced Steady-State Free Precession Sequence (CISS/FIESTA/3D Driven Equilibrium Radiofrequency Reset Pulse) Increases the Diagnostic Yield for Spinal Drop Metastases in Children with Brain Tumors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Identification of spinal drop metastases is important in the staging and management of pediatric patients with primary brain tumors. Our aim was to assess the diagnostic utility of the balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) sequence (CISS/FIESTA/3D driven equilibrium radiofrequency reset pulse) for the detection of spinal drop metastases in pediatric patients with primary intracranial tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 44 pediatric patients with primary intracranial tumors undergoing MR imaging spine evaluation for drop metastases before radiation treatment. All patients underwent a whole-spine MRI with both bSSFP and postcontrast T1WI sequences. Two neuroradiologists independently reviewed only the bSSFP sequence, then 1 week later only the postcontrast T1WI sequence. RESULTS: Patients ranged from 1 to 18 years of age (mean, 7.1 ± 4.2 years) with 27 males and 17 females. The number of lesions per patient ranged from 1 to 13 and from 2 to 11 mm in size. Lesions suspicious for drop metastases were seen in 8 patients on the postcontrast T1WI (18%) compared with 10 patients on the bSSFP sequence (23%). Twenty-two drop metastases seen on the bSSFP sequence were not visible on the postcontrast T1WI, including nonenhancing drop metastases and multiple nodules of CONCLUSIONS: The bSSFP sequence increased the diagnostic yield for the detection of drop metastases in pediatric patients with primary intracranial tumors and was particularly advantageous for small drop metastases (
Primary High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening in the United States: Is It Time?

Context.— The most recent update to cervical cancer screening guidelines offers interim guidance on the use of primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening, with algorithms for management of results. After decades of screening with pure cytology and a shorter time with adjunctive HPV or cotesting with Papanicolaou (Pap) test and HPV, this is a significant change to our screening methods. Objective.— To briefly review the history of cervical cancer screening, the evidence upon which these interim guidelines were based, the arguments for and against primary HPV testing, and the current state of the field. Data Sources.— Primary studies, review articles, and commentaries were reviewed. Conclusions.— While there is evidence both for and against primary HPV testing, there are a growing number of countries adopting the practice. It would be worthwhile to be informed and prepared for such a change in the United States as well.
Extracapsular Dissection And Limited Parotidectomy

Parotid surgery has evolved over the last century. Many of the long-held principles have been questioned and consequently modified. The basic tenets of parotid surgery for benign disease have been identifying and preserving the facial nerve and complete excision of the tumor with an adequate cuff of normal tissue. This can be safely accomplished by extracapsular dissection or limited and/or partial parotidectomy. Extracapsular dissection implies no attempt at finding the facial nerve, while limited or partial parotidectomy includes finding one (or more) branch of the facial nerve and then dissecting that branch in a retrograde fashion. Indications for extracapsular dissection or limited parotidectomy are similar to superficial parotidectomy. There is some evidence that this technique can be used safely without compromising oncological principles with low-grade cancers. Extracapsular dissection or limited parotidectomy should not be performed for large tumors, anatomically difficult to reach tumors, and high-grade cancers. When compared to superficial parotidectomy, extracapsular dissection had similar recurrence rates. Extracapsular dissection had lower transient and permanent facial paralysis rates. Frey syndrome was also reported less frequently following extracapsular dissection. Sialoceles may be more frequent postoperatively but are easily treated and rarely last longer than 3 weeks.
Blood and Liver Markers in the Estimation of Alcohol Consumption

Despite their high rates of prevalence, problems related to alcohol consumption remain underdiagnosed. The failure to recognize these problems appears to be a mixture of low index of suspicion, uncertainty, inadequate training regarding diagnostic criteria, discouragement over treatment prospects should an alcohol-related diagnosis be rendered, and patient concealment of drinking patterns. The routine inclusion of accurate biochemical tests of recent alcohol consumption in medical exams should, however, result in increased precision in recognition of such problems. Major desirable characteristics of blood markers are sensitivity, specificity, and reliability. Other important features of markers include reproducibility, stability, ease of handling, and suitability for automation.
A Decentralized Multi-Agent System for Management of En Route Electric Vehicles

Being energy producers and consumers (prosumers), electric vehicles introduce new challenges to the operation of the electricity grid. With the anticipated increase of the market for electric vehicles in the near future, systems that set rules to manage and organize their large-scale penetration into the power grid are needed. As the Internet of Things (IoT) vision evolves, the Internet of Electric Vehicles (IoEV) shall be a stepping-stone for establishing a link between the well-known hierarchical smart grid control architecture (primary, secondary, and tertiary control) and the emerging layer of the EVs as dynamic and mobile energy prosumers. Against this background, this paper proposes a decentralized multi-agent system designed for the management of en route connected electric vehicles. In this framework, each electric vehicle and electric vehicle park is equipped with an intelligent agent. These agents interact with a higher-level agent responsible for managing charging requests within their geographical area. The importance of this multiagent framework is demonstrated in a case study, where electric vehicles are routed to the most suitable electric vehicle charging parks in their vicinity in a manner that satisfies the charging preferences of customers, with the lowest cost possible, while ensuring that the generation-load balance at the EV parks is not violated.
Numerical parameter optimizations of the Ignition and Growth model for a HMX plastic bonded explosive

We present a novel method for optimizing parameters of the Ignition and Growth (I&G) reactive flow model for high explosives. The I&G model predicts the shock initiation response of explosives subjected to dynamic loading. However, calibrating the model is a time-consuming process because it has several parameters, typically requires multiple data sets, and there are no direct correlations between parameters and data. In this study, we couple a scalable optimization algorithm to simulations of shock initiation experiments in the multi-physics code ALE3D. We develop four I&G model parameter sets for the HMX (1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane)-based explosive LX-07 [90 wt. % HMX, 10 wt. % Viton A] based on minimizing the difference between calculations and measurements at the embedded pressure gauges in 1D gun shock experiments. Our study shows that a cost function based on both shock time of arrival and pressure pulse shape demonstrates the best agreement with experimental data.
A Prospective Study of Outcomes of Septoplasty with Turbinate Reductions in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

ObjectiveExamine outcomes of septoplasty with turbinate reductions in patients with allergic rhinitis as compared to patients without allergic rhinitis using validated outcome and quality-of-life (...
Let’s get physical: The Ethology of Religious Submissions and Intimidations

The consensus in philosophical and scientific circles is that physicalism is the most warranted position to adopt. With respect to the academic study of religion, physicalism underwrites two complementary approaches, one widely recognized and the other underappreciated in the field at large. While the cognitive science of religion (CSR) enjoys widespread recognition, the ethology of religion does not. This paper employs ethology to explain two submissive behaviours ritual practitioners often perform, that is, ocular aversion and rump presentation. Significantly, the means of submission reflect the practitioner’s perceptions of the intimidating agents’, e.g., deities’, organ of intimidation. As it is in the animal kingdom, so too in the religious imagination, dominant others, especially males, will use their eyes or their phalluses to intimidate.
Increased lymph node ratio predicts poor survival in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma

Abstract Background/Purpose Lymph Node Ratio (LNR) is defined as the number of positive lymph nodes (pLN) divided by total lymph nodes (LN) examined. LNR correlates with recurrence and/or overall survival in many adult cancers but has not previously been described in pediatric oncologic disease. We hypothesized that LNR correlates with worse disease specific survival (DSS) in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Methods Patients Results 188 patients with a mean age at diagnosis of 8.8 ± 6 years and a mean LNR of 0.13 ± 0.27 were identified. Univariate analysis found that alveolar type, positive lymph node (pLN), stage, site, LNR, and age had significantly worse survival. Cox regression analysis identified LNR > 0.75 (HR 4.32, P = 0.015), alveolar histology (HR 4.797, P 0.75 had a 22% 5 year and 0% 10 year survival (P Conclusions LNR is superior to pLN status as an independent prognostic indicator of DSS in pediatric RMS. Level of Evidence Level III.
Impact of the Hydrometeor Vertical Advection Method on HWRF’s Simulated Hurricane Structure

AbstractThe impact of different hydrometeor advection schemes on TC structure and intensity forecasts is examined through the evaluation of HWRF’s simulation of tropical cyclones using the operatio...
Patient Selection for Thyroidectomy and Parathyroidectomy Using the Transoral Endoscopic Vestibular Approach

The transoral endoscopic vestibular approach represents a significant advancement in the field of thyroid and parathyroid surgery. As with any other surgical procedure, there are critical considerations that must be taken into account to achieve safe and effective outcomes. This chapter elucidates the key elements that go into patient selection for this procedure. It highlights anatomical considerations, indications, and contraindications for this surgery based on existing published data.
Deformation behavior and amorphization in icosahedral boron-rich ceramics

Abstract Among hard materials, icosahedra-based boron-rich ceramics are only second to diamond-based structures. This class of ceramics possesses lower density, higher thermal and chemical resistance, and can be easily mass-produced compared to diamond-based materials. The present article reviews contemporary knowledge of atomic structures, mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of a range of boron-rich ceramics, including different allotropes of boron, polymorphs of boron carbide, and futuristic materials such as boron suboxide, “BAM” materials and their derivatives. Despite their high-hardness and strength, many icosahedral boron-rich ceramics are prone to a unique deleterious deformation mechanism under high pressure, called “amorphization”, which causes loss of strength and catastrophic failure. This article presents a critique of established approaches that explain the amorphization phenomena. Main highlights include the demystification of Raman spectrum of amorphized boron carbide using a multi-scale atomistic computational approach and atomistic investigation into connection between high-pressure deformation, such as those in shock conditions and rise in temperature up to melting. We finally probe avenues for enhancing performance of these ceramics well beyond contemporary thresholds, by proposing research pathways using rigorous computational material informatics.
Patient and family experience with chronic transfusion therapy for sickle cell disease: A qualitative study

There is a limited understanding of the patient and family experience of Chronic Transfusion Therapy (CTT) for prevention of complications of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). We sought to understand patient and family experience with CTT using qualitative methods. Fifteen parents of children 1 year were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format, and interviews were analyzed using open coding methods. Four themes created a narrative of the patient and family experience of CTT: 1) Burden of CTT, 2) Coping with CTT, 3) Perceived benefits and risks of CTT, and 4) Decision making regarding CTT. Participants reported substantial burden of CTT, including the impact of CTT on daily life and family, distress about venous access, burden of chelation therapy, and anxiety about CTT complications. Participants described how they coped with CTT. Participants reported increased energy, decreased pain, fewer hospitalizations, and stroke prevention with CTT, but also recognized complications of CTT, though awareness was limited in adolescents. Parents described sharing in the informed decision-making process with their healthcare provider about CTT, but adolescent patient participants reported that they were not involved in this process. CTT is associated with significant patient and family burden. Support from family, healthcare providers and school may help individuals cope with some of this burden. These findings provide the basis for future studies to identify strategies to mitigate the burden of CTT and improve the patient experience with this therapy. Future studies should also systematically assess patient knowledge about the key components of CTT and chelation using quantitative assessments.
DS-FACTO: Doubly Separable Factorization Machines.

Factorization Machines (FM) are powerful class of models that incorporate higher-order interaction among features to add more expressive power to linear models. They have been used successfully in several real-world tasks such as click-prediction, ranking and recommender systems. Despite using a low-rank representation for the pairwise features, the memory overheads of using factorization machines on large-scale real-world datasets can be prohibitively high. For instance on the criteo tera dataset, assuming a modest $128$ dimensional latent representation and $10^{9}$ features, the memory requirement for the model is in the order of $1$ TB. In addition, the data itself occupies $2.1$ TB. Traditional algorithms for FM which work on a single-machine are not equipped to handle this scale and therefore, using a distributed algorithm to parallelize the computation across a cluster is inevitable. In this work, we propose a hybrid-parallel stochastic optimization algorithm DS-FACTO, which partitions both the data as well as parameters of the factorization machine simultaneously. Our solution is fully de-centralized and does not require the use of any parameter servers. We present empirical results to analyze the convergence behavior, predictive power and scalability of DS-FACTO.
CRISPR Challenges and Opportunities for Space Travel

CRISPR gene technology has been scientifically exciting because of its great potential to alter any DNA. There are scientific risks with CRISPR gene editing, but risk assessment is not impossible and is currently in progress. Space travel presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities for CRISPR gene editing. Biomedically, space travel is a major health hazard for astronauts. Research on the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind these biomedical challenges presents opportunities for CRISPR to serve as a biomedical intervention for astronauts. This article gives several examples where such mechanisms have been reported. However, the guidelines regarding CRISPR applications are still very generic and difficult to implement in specific cases. The focus of this paper is on the therapy/enhancement distinction, which many guidelines mention, to help us discern when CRISPR applications are justifiable. I propose a reworking of the definition of normal in order to be able to distinguish therapy from enhancement, where the former is deemed more appropriate for CRISPR applications than the latter. Space travel is a unique and interesting scenario to test the applications of the therapy/enhancement distinction as guidelines for CRISPR gene editing.
Advances in soil moisture retrieval from multispectral remote sensing using unoccupied aircraft systems and machine learning techniques

Abstract. This study investigates the ability of machine learning models to retrieve the surface soil moisture of a grassland area from multispectral remote sensing carried out using an unoccupied aircraft system (UAS). In addition to multispectral images, we use terrain attributes derived from a digital elevation model and hydrological variables of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration as covariates to predict surface soil moisture. We tested four different machine learning algorithms and interrogated the models to rank the importance of different variables and to understand their relationship with surface soil moisture. All the machine learning algorithms we tested were able to predict soil moisture with good accuracy. The boosted regression tree algorithm was marginally the best, with a mean absolute error of 3.8 % volumetric moisture content. Variable importance analysis revealed that the four most important variables were precipitation, reflectance in the red wavelengths, potential evapotranspiration, and topographic position indices (TPI). Our results demonstrate that the dynamics of soil water status across heterogeneous terrain may be adequately described and predicted by UAS remote sensing and machine learning. Our modeling approach and the variable importance and relationships we have assessed in this study should be useful for management and environmental modeling tasks where spatially explicit soil moisture information is important.
Body Mass Index as a Continuous Predictor of Survival after Heart Transplantation

Purpose Both underweight and overweight recipients have poor outcomes after heart transplant (HT). However, the precise threshold of body mass index (BMI) as a predictor of heightened risk is unclear. We, therefore, examined the effect of BMI on short term survival as a continuous metric. Methods We identified adult patients listed for HT between 2000 and 2018 in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients with recorded BMI at the time of listing. We calculated survival at 30 days and one year after HT and constructed Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for known recipient and donor risks. Recipient BMI was modeled using a restricted cubic spline with knots at 18, 25, 30, and 35 kg/m2 with a value of 22 used as a referent. Results 37,068 adult HT recipients were included: median (25th, 75th percentile) BMI of 27 (23, 30) kg/m2, recipient age 55 (46, 62) years, 27,668 (74.6%) men, and 9,683 (26.1%) with diabetes. After risk-adjustment, Cox proportional hazards regression showed a 3% increase in both 30-day (HR 1.031, 95% CI 1.024-1.037; p Conclusion Increases in recipient BMI was associated with an incremental risk of 30-days and 1-year mortality following HT.
Defining Standards of Care and the Role of Expert Testimony in Jurisprudence

The basis of medical malpractice in the United States is professional negligence. In order to establish that a health care professional was negligent, a plaintiff’s (patient’s) attorney must prove to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the health care provider breached their professional duty, causing damages. Breach of duty, in the case of medical malpractice, is another way to say that the clinician did not provide the standard of care. Standard of care is a complex legal issue, commonly expressed as an expectation that a patient receive the care that would be provided by a reasonable and prudent clinician in the same or similar circumstances. Determining the applicable standard of care usually requires testimony of a medical expert witness, who educates the court regarding the relevant medical information. Improper or unethical expert witness testimony can have negative impacts on the health care community and the expert witness, so proper establishment of the standard of care and honest, accurate testimony is essential.
Review of Pharmacologic Sleep Agents for Critically Ill Patients

Sleep is a dynamic restorative process that is frequently disrupted in critically ill patients. Inadequate sleep can contribute to delirium and impaired healing. The etiology is multifactorial and practitioners often use a combination of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies to promote a healthy sleep cycle. There are many pharmacologic agents that may be used to promote sleep, and they display varying degrees of efficacy and safety. The selection of agent(s) should be based on patient- and disease-specific factors. All members of the treatment team can aid in assessing and optimizing sleep for critically ill patients.
Lie group analysis of the point-reactor neutron kinetics equations for various reactivity models

Abstract This work applies Lie Group Theory to the nonlinear point-reactor neutron kinetics equations for several reactivity feedback and reactivity insertion models. The goal of this work is to connect known analytical solutions to their corresponding Lie groups as well as to obtain new analytical solutions and the circumstances from which they arise. The reactivity models we consider are the Nordheim-Fuchs Model, an arbitrary-order polynomial reactivity insertion model, and the Fuchs Ramp-Insertion Model. In all three models, we generalize the analysis when possible and obtain analytical solutions in every case. For the first two models, we succeed in finding the Lie groups corresponding to classical solutions and find additional solutions that were otherwise unknown. For the final model, we obtain a reduced-order nonlinear kinetics equation which is not analytically solvable, but by applying a second-order truncation, we find a novel closed-form solution and demonstrate its validity with a numerical example.
The Host Mother

U.S. Representative Trent Franks (R, Arizona) was compelled to resign from his House seat due to the fact that he had asked staff members if they would agree to bear a child for him and his infertile wife as a surrogate mother. For those not in the know about this relationship, the father, Mr. Franks in this case, becomes a sperm donor to the host mother who bears the child. In the case of traditional surrogacy, the baby is created through artificial insemination, and biologically, the baby bears the genes of the father and host mother. In gestational surrogacy, the father impregnates the wife, sometimes naturally, sometimes through in vitro fertilization, and then the fetus is transferred to the host mother. In this case, the baby is not genetically related to the latter. It is unclear which of these processes Congressman Franks was proposing to several female members of his staff; all that is apparent is that this request of his made them feel “uncomfortable.” Suppose that the Congressman had asked an employee of his, for extra pay, to wash his car, or clean his house, or pick up his laundry, or get coffee for him—and that his had made her “uncomfortable.” Would he have been drummed out of the lower house of Congress? Far less likely, would be the most probable answer.
Rates of Pediatric Trampoline Fractures are Jumping: A National Report (2008-2017)

Purpose: To estimate changes in the incidence of trampoline-related pediatric fractures that presented to United States emergency departments between 2008 and 2017. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried for all pediatric (0-17 years of age) fractures related to trampoline use between 2008 and 2017. Year, gender, anatomical location, locale of injury (home, sport, etc.), and age were collected. A Poisson regression analysis was used to analyze changes in trampoline fracture incidence over the decade. U.S. census data was used as …
Antihistamines for cancer immunotherapy: More than just treating allergies.

Summary In this issue of Cancer Cell, Li et al. show that histamine released in allergic reactions and from tumor cells attenuates immunotherapy response. Histamine H1-receptor (H1R) signaling induces an M2-like phenotype in tumor-associated macrophages and increases VISTA expression, suppressing CD8+ T cell function. Antihistamines reverse these effects and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.