cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rituximab therapy for membranous nephropathy: a systematic review.

Background and objectives: The treatment of membranous nephropathy (MN) remains controversial. Rituximab, which selectively targets B cells, has emerged as a possible alternative treatment option with limited toxicity. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: The available data on rituximab therapy for MN were reviewed using the MEDLINE database (inception to August 1, 2008), Google Scholar, and selected reference lists. English-language studies investigating the use of rituximab in idiopathic and secondary MN, in native and transplanted kidneys, were included. Study design, subject number, clinical characteristics (diagnosis, previous and concomitant treatment courses, baseline proteinuria, baseline renal function), rituximab protocol, follow-up period, achievement of complete or partial remission, changes in proteinuria and renal function, and adverse effects of therapy were extracted. Results: Twenty-one articles were included for review; all were either case reports or case series without controls. More than half of the published cases (50 of 85) came from one center where rituximab was used as primary immunosuppression for idiopathic MN. The available data suggest that rituximab, dosed either as 375 mg/m2 once weekly for 4 wk or as 1 g on days 1 and 15, achieves a 15 to 20% rate of complete remission and a 35 to 40% rate of partial remission. The drug was well tolerated with minimal adverse events. Conclusions: Although rituximab may prove to be a better treatment option for MN than alkylating agents or calcineurin inhibitors, the current literature only supports using the drug in research protocols. Whether, when, how, and why to use rituximab in MN remains to be determined.
Consumer Preferences and Trade-Offs for Locally Grown and Genetically Modified Apples: A Conjoint Analysis Approach

Using conjoint analysis methodology, this study used an online survey to measure consumers’ preferences for the apple attributes as place of production, method of production, and price. The results of the conjoint analysis indicate that consumers are willing to make trade offs between the studied attributes. Segment analysis indicates Place-oriented consumers may be willing to pay 60% to 70% premiums for locally grown apples. The high consumer preferences for locally grown products combined with environmental benefits transferred through genetic modification provide an opportunity for producers to capture and build their markets, especially within certain market segments.
The relationship between cell phone use, physical and sedentary activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness in a sample of U.S. college students

Today’s cell phones increase opportunities for activities traditionally defined as sedentary behaviors (e.g., surfing the internet, playing video games). People who participate in large amounts of sedentary behaviors, relative to those who do not, tend to be less physically active, less physically fit, and at greater risk for health problems. However, cell phone use does not have to be a sedentary behavior as these devices are portable. It can occur while standing or during mild-to-moderate intensity physical activity. Thus, the relationship between cell phone use, physical and sedentary activity, and physical fitness is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate these relationships among a sample of healthy college students. Participants were first interviewed about their physical activity behavior and cell phone use. Then body composition was assessed and the validated self-efficacy survey for exercise behaviors completed. This was followed by a progressive exercise test on a treadmill to exhaustion. Peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) during exercise was used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness. Hierarchical regression was used to assess the relationship between cell phone use and cardiorespiratory fitness after controlling for sex, self-efficacy, and percent body fat. Interview data was transcribed, coded, and Chi-square analysis was used to compare the responses of low and high frequency cell phone users. Cell phone use was significantly (p = 0.047) and negatively (β = −0.25) related to cardio respiratory fitness independent of sex, self-efficacy, and percent fat which were also significant predictors (p < 0.05). Interview data offered several possible explanations for this relationship. First, high frequency users were more likely than low frequency users to report forgoing opportunities for physical activity in order to use their cell phones for sedentary behaviors. Second, low frequency users were more likely to report being connected to active peer groups through their cell phones and to cite this as a motivation for physical activity. Third, high levels of cell phone use indicated a broader pattern of sedentary behaviors apart from cell phone use, such as watching television. Cell phone use, like traditional sedentary behaviors, may disrupt physical activity and reduce cardiorespiratory fitness.
Telemedicine for Neonatal Resuscitation

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Maintaining high levels of readiness for neonatal resuscitation in settings with low‐risk maternity services is challenging. Use of the American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) algorithm is a community standard in the United States; however, training is often only required every 2 years, and few staff receive enough exposure to these critical events to be proficient at timely implementation of the algorithm and advanced procedures such as umbilical vein access and endotracheal intubation. Birth centers may not have a practitioner immediately available to lead neonatal resuscitation. Even when staff is trained in advanced procedures, the skills needed for full resuscitation are not performed regularly, and low levels of comfort with these skills are reported. Additionally, task saturation occurs when team leaders are expected to perform advanced procedures while leading the resuscitation team. There are reports that errors in neonatal resuscitation continue to occur related to team skill level, including problems with effective training, muscle memory building, communication, and task saturation. At sites where there is limited exposure to emergency events because of low volumes of high‐risk deliveries, staff may never build up the experience needed to efficiently and effectively resuscitate a premature or ill newborn. Proposed Change To develop a Telemedicine Resuscitation Program that links a remote NRP leader in an neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to low‐risk maternity centers. There is evidence to support the value of hands‐free leadership to help prevent task saturation and the benefits of communication to promote patient safety. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation We implemented the program between a Level‐ IV NICU and three Level‐I nursery sites within our system. Every patient event was tracked, debriefed, and analyzed. Our outcomes data show an improvement in team support and improved communication, which have led to more effective, consistent adherence to NRP principles and a positive effect on time‐to‐transfer initiation and time‐to‐initiation of neuroprotective cooling. Implications for Nursing Practice This novel use of telemedicine for remote neonatal resuscitation leadership could support perinatal teams at community hospitals by tertiary care centers. Furthermore, it could improve medical care in remote and low‐resource birthing centers throughout the United States and around the world.
Alteration of Cholesterol Metabolism in the Rat with Linoleic Acid

When linoleic acid is added to the diet of the rat there is an average increase in incorporation of radiocarbon into liver cholesterol of 259 per cent. By contrast, the addition of coconut oil to the diet does not increase the incorporation of radiocarbon into liver cholesterol. The addition of linoleic acid to a stock diet is associated with an increased fecal excretion of Liberman-Burchard chromogens, 3-β-hydroxy sterols and bile acids.
Determination of Unconfined Aquifer Characteristics

The various methods that have been proposed to solve the nonlinear differential equation for unsteady radial flow toward a well in an unconfined aquifer are divided into three categories. Each category is characterized by a particular assumption made on the h multiplier of the equation. A comparison is made as to the origin, characteristic assumption, and applicability in solving for the hydraulic conductivity and specific yield of an unconfined aquifer. The methods of Category I linearize the nonlinear differential equation and thus should be utilized for drawdown ratios of approximately 5%, or less. Adjustment of the field data or the confined aquifer type curve is characteristic of methods described in Category II. These methods should be restricted to drawdown ratios of 25%, or less. The reduction in flow thickness in the aquifer is directly taken into account by the method in Category III. Therefore, this method applies to all drawdown ratios of less than approximately 75%.
Shot in the Heart.

A 25-year-old male was brought in by ambulance to the emergency department (ED) after sustaining a gunshot wound to his chin and left shoulder. Upon arrival to the ED, his airway was intact without evidence of blood in the oropharynx. He was found to have slightly diminished breath sounds on the left side, with respirations at 34 breaths per minute, a blood pressure of 72/50mmHg, and a heart rate of 76 beats per minute with cool extremities and poor peripheral pulses. His focused abdominal sonography in trauma exam showed a foreign body within the right ventricle without a pericardial effusion (Figure 1 and Video). An upright portable chest radiograph performed immediately thereafter showed blunting of the left costophrenic angle with a bullet fragment overlying the cardiac shadow (Figure 2). Figure 1 Parasternal long axis view demonstrating a bullet fragment within the right ventricle. Figure 2 Anteroposteior chest x-ray demonstrating bullet fragment overlying the cardiac shadow. Video Parasternal long axis clip demonstrating a bullet fragment within the right ventricle.
A Prototype Fiber Optic Rheometer For Industrial Process Control

This paper reports the work done at the Naval Research Laboratory in support of a joint effort with the Design and Manufacturing Institute (DMI) of Stevens Institute of Technology to develop a fiber optic rheometer for on-line control of injection molding machines.
Photoreactivity of Unfunctionalized Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Involving Hydroxyl Radical: Chiral Dependency and Surface Coating Effect

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have a variety of potential and demonstrated applications, and their production rates are increasing rapidly. This increase in production has motivated researc...
Another laboratory test utilization program: our approach to reducing unnecessary 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D orders with a simple intervention.

To the Editor We were very interested in the report by Jeffrey Warren1 outlining a comprehensive laboratory test utilization program in a large academic medical center. The report highlighted the implementation of an interdisciplinary committee to review utilization patterns, appropriateness, and new test requests in combination with significant information technology (IT) resources dedicated to computerized provider order entry decision tools. Over 5 years, they decreased send-out testing expenses normalized to clinical laboratory expenses. We implemented a similar laboratory test utilization program in a 250-bed pediatric hospital that processes approximately 1,000 requisitions daily. Send-out expenses are a proportionally large burden on clinical laboratory and hospital budgets.2 We developed a strategy to manage “flagged” test requests with minimal IT resources. Our utilization committee operates similarly to the committee …
Broker's Centrality and NPD performance in Horizontal Networks.

Increasingly, firms are engaging in networks or inter-firm collaborations to innovate in new technologies, products and services, yet, the success of NPD performance in such networks depends on sev...
Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Hybrid Nano Building Blocks via Self-Collapse of Polymer Single Chains

Nano building blocks (NBBs) decorated with well-defined polymer tethers have emerged as a promising type of building blocks for constructing hierarchical materials through programmable self-assembly. We present a general and facile strategy for preparing hybrid NBBs composed of silica-like heads decorated with well-defined polymer tethers by the self-collapse of polymer single chains. Using amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-[poly(methyl methacrylate)-co-poly(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate)] (PEO-b-P(MMA-co-TMSPMA)), the intramolecular hydrolysis and polycondensation of silane moieties led to the formation of hybrid NBBs with silica-like heads and PEO tethers. The formation of hybrid NBBs was carefully characterized by gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and static/dynamic light scattering. In a mixed solvent of THF/water, amphiphilic NBBs could assemble into spherical micelles, vesicles, and large...
Persistence and existence of stationary measures for a logistic growth model with predation

ABSTRACTWe consider a stochastic logistic growth model with a predation term, and a diffusive stochastic part with a power-type coefficient. We provide criteria for the persistence of the population and for the existence and uniqueness of a stationary measure. Furthermore, we perform a detailed study of the densities of the stationary measures resorting to the forward Kolmogorov equation. We compile our results in a stochastic bifurcation diagram, drawing comparisons with the corresponding deterministic model.
Application of Intelligent Fire-Related Technologies in Social Fire Management

This paper explains the weak link and disaster causes of fire safety management in social unit, introduces and analyzes the trend and characteristics of networking and wisdom city technology, introduces several application for ms in social units on f ire control safety management, aiming to expand the f ire application space of such technologies, and explore the new way of improving the management levels on social units fire control safety.
Clinical evaluation of primary peripheral cysts of the iris.

BACKGROUND Peripheral primary cyst of the iris is an uncommon benign condition that may masquerade as a tumor of the ciliary body. Careful examination utilizing the slit lamp and gonioscopy is necessary to successfully differentiate the two. CONCLUSIONS Given their uncommon occurrence and the importance of ruling out melanoma or other malignancies, this review is a guide in the evaluation and diagnosis of patients with this condition.
γ-Carboxyglutamate excretion and warfarin therapy

The urinary excretion of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla), the amino acid involved in the vitamin K-dependent calcium binding of prothrombin and clotting factors VII, IX, and X, was studied in warfarin-anticoagulated patients. An isotope dilution procedure was developed for the measurement of free urinary Gla with the use of prior anion-exchange chromatography to separate and concentrate the free Gla from whole urine and subsequent automated amino acid analysis. Eight subjects on stable warfarin anticoagulant therapy and 11 comparable control subjects with normal coagulation were examined. Urinary Gla excretion was reduced in patients on warfarin anticoagulant therapy (p = 0.001) and the urinary Gla level correlated (r = -0.73, p = 0.001) with plasma prothrombin time. It is concluded that decreased urinary Gla in warfarin-treated patients is related to coagulation status and may be a clinically useful parameter.
Ethnic variation in red cell glutathione peroxidase activity

Glutathione peroxidase activity was measured in blood and cultured fibroblasts from healthy persons of several different population groups. Individuals of Jewish ancestry and others of Mediterranean origin were found to manifest a decrease of red cell but not of leukocyte or fibroblast enzyme activity. Oriental populations differed in that the scatter in red cell enzyme activity was significantly lower than in Occidental populations. The erythrocyte enzyme of individuals with low activity was found to be less stable to heating than was the enzyme from persons with high activity. As a possible explanation for these data, a provisional genetic model is presented: a low GSH Px allele with a frequency of 0.556 in the Jewish population and of only 0.181 in the United States-Northern European population. Our results suggest that an association between GSH Px deficiency and hemolytic anemia need not represent a cause-and-effect relationship.
A Concept of a Rock Imaging System for an Underground Computer-Controlled Drilling Machine

An innovative and novel concept of an underground drilling machine based on the existing jumbo-type rock drilling machine is presented. The focus is on the computer control using feedback from drill sensors and nonintrusive imaging of the rock beyond the working face. The degree of computer control may be selected by an onboard operator in one configuration or by a remote operator in a second version.
Flexible sulfur wires (Flex-SWs)—A new versatile platform for lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract A simple electrospinning methodology is described for generating novel fiber configurations of sulfur with the potential of yielding high performance sulfur electrodes for use in lithium-sulfur batteries. The unique fiber morphology derived by electrospinning has the capability of generating flexible sulfur yarns for the first time rendering them a highly attractive platform for small-scale mobile device applications such as textile-batteries. The electrospinning methodology reported herein also allows for the formation of a polymer-sulfur interface which acts as a physical barrier to liquid lithium electrolyte facilitating the reduction of polysulfide dissolution, a primary barrier to the progress of Li-S systems. Such flexible sulfur wire materials when converted into pellet sulfur electrodes, exhibit very stable capacities over 135 cycles with high areal capacities (∼2.5 mAh cm −2 ). Coating the electrodes with an inorganic lithium ion conductor coating results in further improvement of cycling behavior with electrodes of ∼650 mAh g −1 capacity and an impressive low fade rate of ∼0.003% fade cycle −1 demonstrating the promise of this unique platform.
Everyday Support to Aging Parents: Links to Middle-Aged Children's Diurnal Cortisol and Daily Mood.

Purpose of the Study Middle-aged adults are often called upon to support aging parents. However, providing support to an aging parent with health problems and disability may be a stressful experience. This study asked whether giving everyday support to parents in the context of health problems and disability has implications for middle-aged children's diurnal cortisol and daily mood. Design and Methods During four consecutive days, 148 middle-aged adults (mean age = 55) reported the support they gave to their parents and provided saliva 4 times a day (wake, 30 min post-wake, lunchtime, and bedtime). Multilevel models estimated within-person differences in positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), cortisol awakening response and area under the curve with respect to ground (AUC-G) as a function of giving same-day and previous-day support. We examined whether these associations are exacerbated when a parent has health problems or activities of daily living (ADL) needs. Results Middle-aged children had significantly higher next-day AUC-G on days after they gave support to parents with ADL needs. When participants gave support to parents with ADL needs, they had significantly greater same-day PA and lower next-day NA. Giving support to parents with health problems was associated with significantly higher next-day NA. Implications Giving support to parents is an ambiguous experience with implications for biological stress and daily mood. A biopsychosocial approach reveals under what conditions giving support to parents may become detrimental to health and well-being; this knowledge is essential for the development and implementation of interventions.
Introduction to Research in Group Work: A Renewed Focus on Exemplary Methods, Part II

This issue is the second of a three-part special issue exploring exemplary methods in group work research. As noted in Part I (The Journal for Specialists in Group Work [JSGW], Volume 42, Number 1,...
Evolutionary Constraints Shaping Streptococcus pyogenes–Host Interactions

Research on the Gram-positive human-restricted pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) has long focused on invasive illness, the most severe manifestations of GAS infection. Recent advances in descriptions of molecular mechanisms of GAS virulence, coupled with massive sequencing efforts to isolate genomes, have allowed the field to better understand the molecular and evolutionary changes leading to pandemic strains. These findings suggest that it is necessary to rethink the dogma involving GAS pathogenesis, and that the most productive avenues for research going forward may be investigations into GAS in its ‘normal’ habitat, the nasopharynx, and its ability to either live with its host in an asymptomatic lifestyle or as an agent of superficial infections. This review will consider these advances, focusing on the natural history of GAS, the evolution of pandemic strains, and novel roles for several key virulence factors that may allow the field to better understand their physiological role.
Utility of Single-Phase Computed Tomography in Identifying Parathyroid Adenomas: A Feasibility Study.

Abstract Objective We tested the hypothesis that a single-phase neck computed tomography (CT) is not inferior to multiphase neck CT (MPNCT), ultrasound, or nuclear medicine sestamibi scan in identifying parathyroid adenomas (PAs). Methods A total of 29 patients who had an MPNCT for the evaluation of a PA were identified; 11 patients met the inclusion criteria. During the 30-second arterial phase CT (APNCT), a normalized Hounsfield unit of suspected PA was compared to Hounsfield unit of a normal-appearing level I and a level II lymph node. A PA was defined as a lesion with a ratio of greater than 1.4 when compared to the level I and level II lymph node. This cutoff was determined based on the normalized ratios between level II and level I lymph nodes. Results of intraoperative parathyroid hormone assays and surgical pathology were used to validate the accuracy of this technique. Results The sensitivity of this method in APNCT is 90.9% whereas positive predictive value is 100%. The sensitivity or positive predictive value of ultrasound and nuclear medicine are 60% or 100% and 90% or 100%, respectively. Conclusion The sensitivity of APNCT is equivalent to that of MPNCT in identifying PA.
Myocardial infarction: A cumulative meta-analysis

Source Citation Lau J, Antman EM, Jimenez-Silva J, et al. Cumulative meta-analysis of therapeutic trials for myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. Jul
SLC30A10 Deficiency: A Novel Cause of Polycythemia and Hepcidin Deficiency

Like iron, manganese is an essential yet potentially toxic metal. While inherited forms of iron excess were discovered long ago, the first disease of inherited manganese excess was only recently reported in 2012. Mutations in a metal transport protein, SLC30A10, were described in patients with manganese excess, polycythemia, liver failure and Parkinsonism. Manganese excess in these patients is attributed to an essential role for SLC30A10 in hepatobiliary manganese excretion. Polycythemia, liver failure and Parkinsonism are attributed to manganese excess although the underlying mechanisms have yet to be established. To explore the role of SLC30A10 in metal biology and disease, we have generated Slc30a10-deficient mice. Characterization of these mice indicates that murine Slc30a10 deficiency recapitulates the human disease. Given that manganese and iron share some transport pathways, we interrogated iron homeostasis in these mutant mice. Intriguingly, mice display hepcidin deficiency and tissue iron excess. While hepcidin deficiency may explain the tissue iron excess, the cause of hepcidin deficiency is unclear. Based on expression profiling of hypoxia-regulated genes, we propose that hepcidin deficiency reflects aberrant activation of hypoxia signaling by manganese excess in the absence of true hypoxia. Overall, this data suggests novel interactions between iron and manganese with implications for our understanding of the mechanisms by which aberrant metal homeostasis leads to human disease. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Determining the Remaining Prestress Force in a Prestressed Concrete Crosstie

The research presented herein focuses on determining the amount of internal prestressing force and bending resistance that is necessary to provide a durable long-term concrete railroad tie. In order to accomplish this, the researchers conducted a systematic evaluation of existing concrete ties that successfully withstood over 25 years of service in track. An experimental method for determining the remaining prestress force in these existing prestressed concrete railroad ties is currently under development.The ties are first loaded in the upside-down orientation, with supports located at the rail seats, and two point loads applied at the center of the tie. A loading rate of 1,000 lb/min was used to initiate flexural cracking in the center of the tie. Once cracking was observed, the ties underwent 200 cycles of loading to reduce the friction between the prestressing tendons and the concrete. When the cycling was completed, the existing crack was instrumented with an extensometer to measure the Crack Opening Displacement (COD). The ties were loaded once more at 1,000 lb/min to develop a Load vs. COD relation.A systematic method of determining the load required to reopen the crack from the Load vs. COD relation is being developed using ties cast at a manufacturing plant that were instrumented with internal vibrating-wire strain gages. Using the load required to reopen the crack, along with the known cross-sectional properties at the center of the tie, the remaining prestress force is calculated through equilibrium of forces. This method allows for the determination of the remaining prestress force in a member with known section properties to be obtained through load testing.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
Interpretable Predictions of Clinical Outcomes with An Attention-based Recurrent Neural Network

The increasing accumulation of healthcare data provides researchers with ample opportunities to build machine learning approaches for clinical decision support and to improve the quality of health care. Several studies have developed conventional machine learning approaches that rely heavily on manual feature engineering and result in task-specific models for health care. In contrast, healthcare researchers have begun to use deep learning, which has emerged as a revolutionary machine learning technique that obviates manual feature engineering but still achieves impressive results in research fields such as image classification. However, few of them have addressed the lack of the interpretability of deep learning models although interpretability is essential for the successful adoption of machine learning approaches by healthcare communities. In addition, the unique characteristics of healthcare data such as high dimensionality and temporal dependencies pose challenges for building models on healthcare data. To address these challenges, we develop a gated recurrent unit-based recurrent neural network with hierarchical attention for mortality prediction, and then, using the diagnostic codes from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care, we evaluate the model. We find that the prediction accuracy of the model outperforms baseline models and demonstrate the interpretability of the model in visualizations.
An ultra-dense irradiation test structure with a NAND/NOR readout chain for characterizing soft error rates of 14nm combinational logic circuits

This paper describes a 14nm test chip employing a novel NAND/NOR readout chain for characterizing soft error rate (SER) in combinational logic gates. The proposed test structure uses high density standard logic gates as detection circuit for sensing Single Event Transients (SETs) that are then forwarded to a skewed NAND-NOR readout chain which funnels all SET pulses while expanding the pulse width to ensure they reach the final triple modular redundant (TMR) counter. The proposed circuit is compact, has a scalable architecture based on a unit cell layout, and incurs minimal area overhead. Different gate configurations (device size, threshold voltage, fan-out and chain length) were implemented in the 14nm test-chip and irradiated under a neutron beam to collect a massive amount of statistical data. Radiation data captures, for the first time, the impact of various circuit parameters on combinational logic SER in 14nm tri-gate technology.
Deep learning based cone beam CT reconstruction framework using a cascaded neural network architecture (Conference Presentation)

In this work, a novel cascaded neural network architecture was developed to perform cone beam CT image reconstruction using the deep learning method. The proposed architecture consists four individual stages: a manifold learning stage to perform projection data pre-processing, a convolutional neural network (CNN) stage to perform data filtration, a fully connected layer with sparse regularization to perform single-view backprojection, and a final fully connected layer with linear activation to generate the target image volume. In manifold learning stage, a novel feature combining technique was proposed to improve noise properties of the final reconstructed images. These 13-layer deep neural network work trained using extensive numerical phantom with noise contaminated projection data and ground truth image in a stage-by-stage pretraining stage. After pretraining with numerical phantom data, the cascaded neural network model was fine tuned using physical phantom data from a diagnostic MDCT scanner. After training, the trained neural network model was used to reconstruct low dose CT images for human subjects from a prospective low dose CT protocol. In these studies, it was found that the proposed cascaded neural network based deep learning method can (1) enable low dose CT reconstruction without noise streaks and with reduced noise amplitude; (2) well maintain reconstruction accuracy at reduced dose levels; and (3) unlike the currently available statistical model based image reconstruction (MBIR) methods, the proposed deep learning reconstruction method can well maintain the similar dose-normalized noise power spectrum (NPS) with that of the FBP reconstructed images.
Lost Letters: Using the Lost-letter Technique to Teach Social Research Methods:

Over 50 years ago, Stanley Milgram and colleagues published a short article detailing an unobtrusive experimental design they called the lost-letter technique. The technique involves placing stampe...
Nucleotide Sequence and Structure Determination of Rabbit 18 S Ribosomal RNA

Ribosomes accomplish their translational role within a highly organized nucleoprotein structure. The specific aim for research on ribosomes, therefore, is to elucidate the architecture and eventually the function of these multi-molecular complexes. Prokaryotic 70 S ribosomes can be dissociated into a small 30 S subunit and a large 50 S subunit. The 30 S subunit contains 16 S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in association with 21 proteins, while the 50 S subunit contains a 5 S rRNA and the 23 S rRNA combined with 31 proteins. Eukaryotic 80 S ribosomes are appreciably larger. Their small 40 S subunit is comprised of 18 S rRNA and approximately 30 proteins, while the large 60 S subunit is much more complex, with one molecule each of 5 S, 5.8 S, and 28 S rRNA and 45–50 proteins.
NOVEL ALGORITHM FOR STRONG ACOUSTO-OPTIC INTERACTION: APPLICATION TO A PHASE- PROFILED SOUND COLUMN

We present a further check of our new algorithm for strong interaction of three-dimensional, arbitrary sound and light fields. After discussion of its structure, we demonstrate its accuracy by applying it to the interaction of a plane wave of light with a two-dimensional sound column of uniform phase curvature and amplitude.
Invariance and Tightness

In one of our heuristic descriptions of stability, in Section 1.3, we outlined a picture of a chain settling down to a stable regime independent of its initial starting point: we will show in Part III that positive Harris chains do precisely this, and one role of π is to describe the final stochastic regime of the chain, as we have seen.
The Tensile Strength of Uniaxially Reinforced Ceramic Fiber Composites

Recent developments in understanding failure mechanisms and in applying fracture mechanics to ceramic fiber composites are reviewed. Direct observations of failure mechanisms in a uniaxially reinforced SiC/glass-ceramic composite are first summarized, thereby establishing a basis for a fracture mechanics analysis. The key observation is that frictional forces exerted by the fibers on the matrix oppose the opening of matrix cracks. The fracture mechanics analysis defines transitions between several failure mechanisms, provides strength/crack-size relations for each mechanism, and relates strength and/or toughness to micro-structural properties of the composite. Implications of the results for designing composites with optimum properties are discussed.
Interleukin-1 inhibits serotonin release from the hypothalamus in vitro

Abstract During a 60-min incubation period, the in vitro release of serotonin (5-HT) from the hypothalami of control male rats decreased by 12.3 ± 3.1%. In contrast, the presence of 25 ng of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the incubation medium more than doubled this decrease to 29.3±3.3% (P in vitro .
The Effects of Berry Extracts on Cell Signaling Pathways: Leading to Cellular Transformation

Cell signaling pathways play fundamental roles in modulating various biological processes such as cell cycle, cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. The abnormal activation of several signaling pathways has been linked to the development of various cancers, whereas the inhibition of these pathways has also been considered as a strategy for cancer prevention and therapy. A series of in vitro studies have shown that berry extracts may exert their chemopreventive effects through targeting different cellular signaling pathways, including transcription factors (NFκB, AP-1), their upstream kinases (RTKs, PI3K/Akt, MAPKs), and their downstream target genes (COX-2, VEGF). This chapter outlined the current progresses in this research area. It should be noted that more efforts are needed to address the direct targets of berry extracts and their active compounds, as well as the crosstalk among the various pathways that are inhibited for chemopreventive effects by the berries and berry components because of the complexity and diversity of cancers, cell signaling pathways, and extracts themselves.
Search for Nucleon Decay: The Deep Underground Water Cerenkov Detector and the Homestake Tracking Spectrometer

We report the initial result of a search for nucleon decay using a 300-ton water Cerenkov detector located 1480 m underground in the Homestake gold mine at Lead, South Dakota. We find TN > 2.4 × 1031 B μ y, where TN is the nucleon total lifetime and where B μ is the model-dependent probability of production and detection of a stopping and decaying muon following a nucleon decay event. In the SU(5) grand unified model, calculations of B μ vary from approximately 5 to 10%, thereby yielding nucleon total lifetime limits ranging from 1 to 2 × 1030 y.
Toward Better R Defaults for Graphics: Example of Voter Turnouts in U.S. Elections

R is great, and it is a pleasure to contribute to a volume on its practical applications. As part of my goal to make R even better, I want to discuss some of its flaws.
It Takes More than a Village: Leveraging Globalized Information, Knowledge, and Resources to Design Services Tailored to an Accountable Health Community for Mental Health

The design of service delivery models for mental healthcare and mental illness prevention through the deliberate integration of healthcare and public health organizations and providers with community-level service providers, who may not be generally thought of as healthcare providers, holds promise of sustainable improvement to mental healthcare access issues, to improvements in care quality, to needed modifications of policy, and to reduction in care costs. This chapter addresses the use of tools and strategies to support learning from globalized information, knowledge, and resources to lead to effective community-level solutions designed to improve the social, economic, environmental, and cultural determinants of health and to create the level and type of pan-community collaboration necessary to make these improvements. Attention to these improvements is critical for advancing healthcare equity, especially in disadvantaged communities or in situations where the economic or political situation leads to inequities in health status. This chapter demonstrates that strongly integrated, community-centric, models of mental healthcare delivery are possible, affordable, and preferable to the models in current use through discussion of the approaches that can be re-tailored by specific communities to meet their unique set of circumstances. This chapter illustrates the tools and strategies through pertinent examples from around the globe. The objective of this chapter is to describe how communities can cost-effectively employ specific tools and reinforcing strategies, including those needed for evaluation, to transform the delivery of mental services and improve the health of their population in ways that ensure parity through innovation and accountability.
Diagnostic biliary drainage. A plea for a seldom-used diagnostic procedure.

Because of ease of performance and very high accuracy, cholecystography is relied upon almost exclusively in the investigation of patients suspected of having symptom-producing biliary tract disease. Cholecystography, however, is sometimes inaccurate. The gallbladder may appear quite normal in a patient with either cholelithiasis or cholesterosis. Because of this small percentage of error, it may be extremely difficult to recognize cholecystic disease as the cause of abdominal pain. In patients who have had attacks of pain strongly suggestive of cholelithiasis, but in whom cholecystography, though technically satisfactory, has revealed what seems to be a normal gallbladder, biliary drainage may establish the correct diagnosis. In the small number of patients presented here biliary drainage proved of conclusive diagnostic worth. This procedure, although needed rarely, is too valuable to be discarded, and its continuing use is advocated.
Influence of solvation on the structure of highly charged nanoparticles in salt-free solutions

Abstract We investigate the influence of ion and nanoparticle solvation on the structure of an aqueous salt-free solution of highly charged nanoparticles. In particular, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of a minimal model of highly charged nanoparticles with an explicit solvent and counter-ions, where the relative affinity of the counter-ions and the nanoparticle for the solvent is tunable through the variation of the relative strength of the dispersion interactions of both the nanoparticle and counter-ions. We show that the competitive solvation of the counter-ions and nanoparticles leads to significant changes in the structure of the nanoparticle solution, which ranges from relatively uncorrelated conformations to self-assembled string- and sheet-like structures. Based on our coarse-grained model, we construct a morphology diagram identifying the different structures that emerge in our model with the variation of the solvent affinity for the charged species. The emergence of these different heterogeneous structures arising from the differential solvation of the charged species demonstrates the essential role of the solvent in the description of charged nanoparticle solutions, and provides guidance for the development of a more predictive theory of the thermodynamic and transport properties of these complex fluids.
Geographically linked risk factors for enrolment into a fast breathing child pneumonia trial in Lilongwe, Malawi: an Innovative Treatments in Pneumonia (ITIP) secondary analysis.

Background Pneumonia is the leading infectious killer of children less than 5 years of age worldwide. In addition to vaccines that help prevent pneumonia, understanding the environmental and socioeconomic risk factors for child pneumonia is critical to further prevention. Methods Data from children with fast breathing pneumonia enrolled in a non-inferiority clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of 3-day placebo versus antibiotic treatment in Lilongwe, Malawi were used to examine environmental and socioeconomic characteristics within the study population. Location of residence was collected for enrolled children, and spatial enrolment rates were compared across Lilongwe using a spatial scan statistic. Results Data from 1101 children were analysed. Three urban subdistricts (locally known as ‘Areas’) (Areas 24, 36 and 38) out of 51 were identified with higher than expected enrolment. These three areas were associated with higher rates of poverty (37.8% vs 23.9%) as well as informal settlements and poorer sanitation (42.4% vs 7.4%) than other areas. Parents of enrolled children from these areas also had lower rates of secondary education compared with parents of children enrolled from other areas (55% vs 67% (p Conclusion In Lilongwe, areas with higher rates of poverty, informal settlements and poor sanitation contributed higher than expected enrolment of children to our fast breathing child pneumonia clinical trial when compared with other areas. Additional research is needed to evaluate the impact of environmental and socioeconomic risk factors, along with vaccination status, on the incidence of fast breathing pneumonia in children living in this region.
Come for Broadway, Stay for Bypass: Who Is New York’s Medical Tourist?

Medical Tourism, characterized by patients leaving their home community to seek health care services elsewhere, is on the rise globally. In New York state, 65,254 non-resident patients (2.86% of all patients seen by hospitals that year) sought inpatient treatment in a hospital in 2015. This was a 10.78% reduction in patients from outside the state seeking care compared with a decade earlier. As the competition grows for patients, understanding those more likely to travel for elective procedures may become an important marketing resource for health care providers. This study uses hospital discharge records to describe demographics, and clinical indicators, and patient travel patterns, and explores the associations with those obtaining elective (non-emergent) surgeries. We find that among non-residents in New York international travelers, older adults, women, and those with a lower severity of illness are positively associated with elective surgeries. Providers hoping to grow this patient population within their facilities are able to gain valuable insight into target markets and potential drivers of patient choice.
Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on Si photocathodes modified with bis(thiosemicarbazonato)nickel(II)/Nafion

The molecular catalyst diacetyl-bis(N-4-methyl-3-thiosemi-carbazonato)nickel(II) (NiATSM) was integrated with Si for light-driven hydrogen evolution from water. Compared to an equivalent loading of Ni metal, the NiATSM/p-Si electrode performed better. Durability of the surface-bound catalyst under operation in acid was achieved without covalent attachment by using Nafion binding.
Genetics: Segregation of Mitochondrial Genomes in the Germline

Mitochondrial genomes are present in hundreds of copies per cell. Recent work now reports the levels of inheritance of mtDNA heteroplasmy in humans and also explores mechanisms that restrict the inheritance of deleterious mtDNA variants in the Drosophila female germline.
Healthcare providers' experiences with gaps, barriers, and facilitators faced by family caregivers of children with respiratory diseases

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify healthcare providers' experiences of the gaps in the healthcare system, barriers to obtaining care, and facilitators that promoted safe, quality care for family caregivers of children with respiratory diseases. Design and methods A qualitative, descriptive design was used with 13 pediatric healthcare providers. Findings Gaps included themes of 1) fragmented healthcare system and 2) lack of asthma management knowledge. Barriers included themes of 1) poor access to healthcare and medications, 2) non-adherence, and 3) linguistic diversity and poor health literacy. Facilitators of optimal respiratory management included themes of 1) education, 2) improved communication, and 3) peer support. Conclusions Through better understanding the gaps, barriers, and facilitators, pediatric nurses will be able to more effectively anticipate and address the needs of the caregivers. Practice implications The nurse is in a pivotal role to empower caregivers with the skills and resources to address challenges and connect them with providers for optimal respiratory management.
Experimental Manipulation of Pectin Architecture in the Cell Wall of the Unicellular Charophyte, Penium Margaritaceum

Pectins represent one of the main components of the plant primary cell wall. These polymers have critical roles in cell expansion, cell-cell adhesion and response to biotic stress. We present a comprehensive screening of pectin architecture of the unicellular streptophyte, Penium margaritaceum. Penium possesses a distinct cell wall whose outer layer consists of a lattice of pectin-rich fibers and projections. In this study, cells were exposed to a variety of physical, chemical and enzymatic treatments that directly affect the cell wall, especially the pectin lattice. Correlative analyses of pectin lattice perturbation using field emission scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy demonstrate that pectin lattice microarchitecture is both highly sensitive and malleable.
Data Clustering using Memristor Networks.

Memristors have emerged as a promising candidate for critical applications such as non-volatile memory as well as non-Von Neumann computing architectures based on neuromorphic and machine learning systems. In this study, we demonstrate that memristors can be used to perform principal component analysis (PCA), an important technique for machine learning and data feature learning. The conductance changes of memristors in response to voltage pulses are studied and modeled with an internal state variable to trace the analog behavior of the device. Unsupervised, online learning is achieved in a memristor crossbar using Sanger’s learning rule, a derivative of Hebb’s rule, to obtain the principal components. The details of weights evolution during training is investigated over learning epochs as a function of training parameters. The effects of device non-uniformity on the PCA network performance are further analyzed. We show that the memristor-based PCA network is capable of linearly separating distinct classes from sensory data with high clarification success of 97.6% even in the presence of large device variations.