cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transurethral microwave thermotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the gold standard for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In general, while this procedure is safe, patients require a spinal, epidural, or general anesthesia and often several days of hospital stay; the potential morbidity and mortality limits the use of TURP in high-risk patients. Pharmacotherapy has been recommended as a first-line therapy for all patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Patients are oftentimes enthusiastic if they are offered a one-time method to treat lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to BPH, provided that the method offers reduced risk and allows an efficacy equal to that of medical therapy. One such method is transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT). TUMT involves the insertion of a specially designed urinary catheter with a microwave antenna, which heats the prostate and destroys hyperplastic prostate tissue. TUMT allows the avoidance of general or regional anesthesia, and results in minimal blood loss and fluid absorption. In this review, the authors discussed the current indications and outcome of TUMT, including the history of the procedure, the mechanism of action, the indications for TUMT, the pre-operative considerations, the patient selection, the results in terms of efficacy, by comparing TUMT vs. Sham, TUMT vs. Alpha-blocker and TUMT vs. TURP. Finally, the complications are presented, as well as other uses and future directions of the procedure. The authors concluded that TUMT is a safe and effective minimally invasive alternative to treatment of symptomatic BPH.
Playing Well with Others in Kindergarten: The Benefit of Siblings at Home

There are many reasons to expect that children gain something by growing up with siblings, yet there is surprisingly scant evidence of this advantage. Indeed, the vast majority of research assessing the consequences of siblings reports negative effects: Children with many siblings do not perform as well in school as children with few siblings. By focusing almost exclusively on educational outcomes, however, previous studies have neglected ways in which children might benefit from siblings. One possibility, for example, is that siblings promote children's social and interpersonal skills. In this study, we analyze a sample of kindergartners (N = 20,649) from The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 to replicate the often-noted negative relationship between number of siblings and cognitive outcomes, and then demonstrate that this pattern does not extend to social skills. Findings are consistent with the view that children negotiate peer relationships better when they grow up with at least one sibling.
Simulation Evidence Bearing on the Structure of Errors in MRIO Analysis

In this paper the results are presented of a simulation concerning general tendencies of the MRIO (multiregional input-output) model toward overestimation or underestimation (positive or negative estimation errors). With the forecasts based on Isard's interregional input-output model as a standard, the frequency and volume of the sectoral outputs and intermediate outputs (INOU) estimation errors of the MRIO model are measured under two different economic structures and two different types of final-demands shocks. It is shown that under the condition of strong interconnectedness and overall increase in final demands, the MRIO model underestimates intraregional INOUs and overestimates interregional INOUs. In the case of economies with weak spatial interconnection and subject to a mixed change in the direction of final-demands shocks, the general tendency seems to be toward overestimation of sectoral outputs and INOUs of any sector that experiences a decline in demand for its final product. The model underes...
For Those Who Like Odds: A Direct Interpretation of the Logit Coefficient for Continuous Variables*

Objective. Researchers have suggested a number of different methods for interpreting the coefficients in a logit model. Unfortunately, many of these interpretations suffer from a lack clarity or involve a substantial number of manipulations of the logit coefficient prior to interpretation. In this article, we discuss a straightforward method of interpreting logit coefficients for continuous dependent variables without the need for extensive transformation. Method. Drawing on Stolzenberg's (1979) techniques for interpreting logarithmic regression models, we demonstrate that the logit coefficient multiplied by 100 can be directly interpreted as the percentage change in the odds given a unit change in the independent variable. We also derive an analogous interpretation for ordinal logit models. Results. After these derivations, the ease of this technique is demonstrated using a simple logit model. Conclusion. Given the generality of this interpretation, as well as its ease of computation, it is hoped that researchers from a number of disciplines will adopt this strategy for interpreting logit models.
Short-time Overloading Capability and Distributed Generation Applications of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Summary form only given. This paper presents some application studies of the dynamic solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) model developed by the authors. First, the model is used to investigate the short-time overloading capability of the SOFC. Then, the application of the model in distributed generation (DG) system studies is explored. Controller design methodologies are also presented for grid-connected SOFC DG power conditioning units to control power flow from the SOFC DG to the utility grid. Simulation results show that the SOFC DG system is able to manage real and reactive power flows to the utility grid to which it is connected. They also show that a properly designed SOFC DG can remain stable under temporary electrical faults.
Calculation of Seawater pH at Polarized Metal Surfaces in the Presence of Surface Films

Abstract A model was developed for calculating the pH at a cathodically polarized metal surface. The model accounts for the buffering capacity and ionic strength of seawater, and it is valid in the presence of uniformly distributed calcareous, biological, or corrosion-product-type surface films. The model does not yet account for hydrogen evolution, and it cannot directly handle chemical reactions or the metabolic activities of microorganisms within the film. Calculated pH values are dependent on applied current density, film thickness, and the various diffusion coefficients. A diffusion correction factor is used to modify diffusion coefficients within the film. The model predicts increasing pH with increasing applied current density and film thickness, reaching a maximum of 9.9 at the limiting diffusion current for oxygen under quiescent flow conditions with no hydrogen evolution. Direct measurements of pH by microelectrode techniques were in agreement with model predictions at an applied current of 20 μ...
Über Chloro‐ und Fluoroalkoxoantimonate

Es wird uber die Darstellung und Eigenschaften verschiedener Salze mit den Anionen [SbX5OR]- und [SbX4(OR)2]- (X F, Cl; R CH3, C2H5) berichtet. Als Kationen wurden verwendet PyH+ (Py Pyridin), [N(C2H5)4]+, Na+, K+ und NitronH+. Der Reaktionsmechanismus wird diskutiert, wobei die Rolle der Kationen in Zusammenwirkung mit dem Losungsmittel berucksichtigt wird. The preparation and properties of several salts with the anions [SbX5OR]- and [SbX4(OR)2]- (X F, Cl; R CH3, C2H5) are described. Cations were: pyH+, [N(C2H5)4]+, Na+, K+, and nitronH+. The mechanism of formation is discussed, taking into account both the role of the cation and the solvent.
Mitochondrial Disorders in the Nervous System

Mitochondrial diseases (encephalomyopathies) have traditionally been ascribed to defects of the respiratory chain, which has helped researchers explain their genetic and clinical complexity. However, other mitochondrial functions are greatly important for the nervous system, including protein importation, organellar dynamics, and programmed cell death. Defects in genes controlling these functions are attracting increasing attention as causes not only of neurological (and psychiatric) diseases but also of age-related neurodegenerative disorders. After discussing some pathogenic conundrums regarding the neurological manifestations of the respiratory chain defects, we review altered mitochondrial dynamics in the etiology of specific neurological diseases and in the physiopathology of more common neurodegenerative disorders.
WEAVER codes: highly fault tolerant erasure codes for storage systems

We present the WEAVER codes, new families of simple highly fault tolerant XOR-based erasure codes for storage systems (with fault tolerance up to 12). The design features of WEAVER codes are (a) placement of data and parity blocks on the same strip, (b) constrained parity in-degree and (c) balance and symmetry. These codes are in general not maximum distance separable (MDS) but have optimal storage efficiency among all codes with constrained parity in-degree. Though applicable to RAID controller systems, the WEAVER codes are probably best suited in dRAID systems (distributed Redundant Arrangement of Independent Devices). We discuss the advantages these codes have over many other erasure codes for storage systems.
Transfer of Training Between Distinct Motor Tasks After Stroke: Implications for Task- Specific Approaches to Upper-Extremity Neurorehabilitation

Background. Although task-specific training is emerging as a viable approach for recovering motor function after stroke, there is little evidence for whether the effects of such training transfer t...
Teaching Ethics: Effect on Moral Development:

The purpose of this study was to determine the development of moral judgement in first-year and senior baccalaureate nursing students. These students were enrolled in three separate nursing programmes, each of which differed significantly in ethical content. The sample totalled 180 students enrolled in three New England programmes. Programme A included an ethics course taught by a professor of ethics. Programme B integrated ethical issues into all nursing theory courses. Programme C did not include ethical content in theory courses. The design was of a developmental cross-sectional study. The dependent variable was the development of moral judgement, as measured by Rest’s Defining Issues Test. The independent variable was the amount of ethics taught in the nursing programmes and the level of academic education. The senior nursing students from programme A scored significantly higher than the other senior groups on the Defining Issues Test. The conclusion is that an ethics course with group participation a...
Dual Trajectories of Depression and Cognition: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

Objective To examine the relationships over time between dual trajectories of depressive symptoms and several cognitive domains. Methods In a 5-year longitudinal study, 1,978 randomly selected individuals aged 65+ years at recruitment were assessed annually. Repeated measures were of depressive symptoms on the modified Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and composite scores in the cognitive domains of attention, executive function, memory, language, and visuospatial function. Latent class trajectories were identified for depression and for each cognitive domain and their associations investigated using dual trajectory modeling. Cognitive trajectories with z scores below −1 were designated as persistently low. Results Five depressive symptom trajectories were observed: rarely depressed (60.5%); low-grade, decreasing symptoms (18.5%); low-grade, increasing symptoms (9.6%); moderate-grade symptoms (7.4%); and consistent higher-grade symptoms (4.0%). For each cognitive domain six trajectories were observed. The rarely depressed and low-grade decreasing symptom groups were the least likely to have persistently low cognition. The symptom trajectory most strongly associated with persistently low functioning in each domain was not the higher-grade group but rather the low-grade increasing group in the case of attention and the moderate-grade trajectory in the other four domains. Conclusion Consistently higher-grade depressive symptoms are less strongly associated with poor cognitive functioning than with either moderate- or low-grade increasing depressive symptom trajectories, over time and across different domains. Examining both depression and cognition longitudinally allows heterogeneity of both to be addressed, revealing latent groups with potential diagnostic and prognostic implications.
Dramatis: a computational model of suspense

We introduce Dramatis, a computational model of suspense based on a reformulation of a psychological definition of the suspense phenomenon. In this reformulation, suspense is correlated with the audience's ability to generate a plan for the protagonist to avoid an impending negative outcome. Dramatis measures the suspense level by generating such a plan and determining its perceived likelihood of success. We report on three evaluations of Dramatis, including a comparison of Dramatis output to the suspense reported by human readers, as well as ablative tests of Dramatis components. In these studies, we found that Dramatis output corresponded to the suspense ratings given by human readers for stories in three separate domains.
Impact of mechanical ventilation on the pathophysiology of progressive acute lung injury.

The earliest description of what is now known as the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was a highly lethal double pneumonia. Ashbaugh and colleagues (Ashbaugh DG, Bigelow DB, Petty TL, Lev...
KKIALRE: KKIALRE (vertebrates)

The cDNA encoding KKIALRE was cloned via homology to the Cdc2/Cdc28 family. It was named after the amino acid sequence corresponding to the PSTAIRE motif of Cdc2. Like other Cdks, KKIALRE essentially consists of a catalytic domain only. Cyclins are presumed to act as regulatory subunits, but this has not been demonstrated under physiological conditions. KKIALRE has 358 amino acids and a molecular weight of 41834. KKIALRE is expressed in HeLa and NGP cells. In tissues, the highest levels are in the brain, lung, and kidney.
Focus on the Mafia’S Thinking Mindset

This work aims at introducing a monographic issue about two regional branches of the Mafia (Cosa Nostra and ‘Ndrangheta) produced by Italian university scholars who have been dealing with this topic for over twenty years. In the first part the author explains his viewpoint about the Cosa Nostra starting from his experience in first person as Public Prosecutor of the Italian Republic in Palermo, while in the second he accompanies the reader with a short introduction of the content of the various articles.
Convolution revisited

Few mathematical operations are more important to the engineer than convolution and transform analysis. In this article, the operation of convolution is explored?starting with discrete rather than continuous convolution because of the relative ease of comprehension involved. With this foundation, the study is extended to continuous convolution. A proof of the convolution theorem will show that convolution and transform analysis are closely related. Of much more interest, however, is an intuitive explanation of why convolution and transform analysis techniques lead to exactly the same solution of a given problem. Perhaps the two most important applications of convolution deal with the analysis of linear systems and the sums of independent random variables?the latter problem being used to introduce discrete convolution.
City Size and Skill Intensity: Is it All Housing Cost?

Substantial attention has been given to the stylized fact that workforce education level tends to increase with city size. This paper demonstrates that the positive relation between city size and skill intensity is a spurious result due to the omission of housing cost, which increases with city size. The theory is straightforward. If the income elasticity of demand for a primary residence is less than unity, the ratio of skilled to unskilled worker wages falls as housing cost rises. This changing wage ratio induces a substitution effect in production across all industries causing the skill intensity of the labor force to rise. Empirical tests show that the apparent relation between skill intensity and city size disappears when housing cost is added to models. Furthermore, the estimated elasticity of skill intensity with respect to housing cost agrees remarkably well with the value calculated from calibration of a theoretical model. These results call into question models of urban population determination and development that assume either homogeneous population or homothetic preferences.
Proteinase activity in miracidia, transformation excretory-secretory products, and primary sporocysts of Schistosoma mansoni

Proteinase activity was detected in the culture medium of transforming miracidia and in detergent extracts of Schistosoma mansoni miracidia and primary sporocysts using a fluorescent substrate, carbobenzoxy-phenylalanyl-arginyl-7-amino-4- trifluoromethylcoumarin. Medium collected after the first 24 hr of miracidial cultivation (transformation medium; TM) contained most (80%) of the activity released during 5 days of in vitro culture. Based on proteinase activity contained in Triton X-100 extracts of whole larvae, miriacidia and primary sporocysts exhibited a similar amount of total activity per organism, whereas specific activity was about 2-fold greater in miracidia. Approximately 10% of total miracidial activity was released during the first 24 hr of transformation. This early release of proteinase is consistent with possible involvement of these enzymes in miracidial snail penetration. Proteinase activities from larval extracts and culture media were identical when characterized for thiol-dependence, inhibitor profile, and pH optimum and indicate that the proteinase(s) belongs to the cysteine class of acidic endopeptidases. Further studies with TM revealed a substrate preference for a hydrophobic amino acid in the P2 position. High performance liquid chromatography gel filtration showed 2 peaks of activity at 19,000 and 36,000 Da, whereas specific inhibitor labeling yielded heterogeneous banding in the molecular weight range of 33,000-44,000 Da. Lastly, sporocyst extracts incubated with snail plasma (cell-free hemolymph) revealed degradation of high molecular weight hemolymph proteins, including hemoglobin. The finding of significant cysteine proteinase activity in miracidia and primary sporocysts and the continued low level of secretion by sporocysts suggest a functional role of these proteinases in the establishment and/or maintenance of infections within the snail host.
The manometer factor in measurement of tissue pressure.

SummaryThe effect of the composition of the fluid in the manometer system on tissue pressure was examined. Needles were introduced into the ventricular wall of isolated, non-beating hearts. The pressure registered by manometers attached to the needles varied with the composition of the fluid in the manometer system. When distilled water was in the manometer, the pressure fell slowly to values less than atmospheric pressures; when the manometer fluid was normal saline, a positive pressure usually developed. The results are interpreted by considering that the liquid in the manometer is separated from the tissue fluids by membranes such as the walls of cells, capillaries, and connective tissue sheaths. The diffusion of water from regions of higher to lower concentrations becomes manifest in the slow development of a pressure gradient. This virtual diffusion or osmotic pressure must be differentiated from the hydrodynamic pressure which becomes manifest immediately as a pressure wave is transmitted from one c...
Evolution and Taxonomy of Bacteria, Then (1999/2000) and Now (2009)

One decade is hardly a ripple in respect to biological evolutionary time, but can be significant in regard to the evolution of concepts based on new experimental discoveries. Despite the popularity of the simple idea that a single macromolecule, namely 16S rRNA, is a repository of the evolutionary history of bacteria and can serve as a “Rosetta Stone” for classification, I and several others considered this notion to be an egregious oversimplification. Moreover, changing the names of well-characterized bacterial species on the basis of 16S RNA sequence differences struck me as a particularly objectionable practice. These considerations led me to publish two satires (Gest, 1999/2000) which in the fullness of time can be seen to have struck the bull's eyes of their targets. An editorial sidebar in the year 2000 satire noted: “The following satire is based on Howard Gest's view that the evolutionary history of bacteria was more complex than commonly supposed and cannot be traced with accuracy using 16SrRNA sequences as the sole criterion. Indeed, during recent years, a number of reports summarizing new research findings, including evidence suggesting the widespread occurrence of lateral gene transfer, cast doubt on the validity of bacterial evolutionary phylogeny based on rRNA trees. Gest emphasizes that rRNA sequences will probably prove to be useful eventually for identifying certain kinds of taxonomic relationships, but will not serve to provide an unambiguous evolutionary phylogeny of bacteria. Accordingly, he argues that changing the names of numerous well-known genera and species on the basis of rRNA sequences is premature and counterproductive to formulation of a logical, scientific scheme of bacterial relationships and classification.” “Gest's Postulates” (1999) relate to actual free-living bacteria, and refer to “virtual bacteria” reported to exist in natural sources as indicated by detection of 16S rRNA sequences (“virtuals” are sometimes referred to by the cognoscenti as “computer bacteroids”). The “Postulates” prescribe some penalties for investigators who publish only 16s rRNA sequences and fail to isolate corresponding live organisms within a reasonable length of time.
The Differential Access and Pricing of Home Mortgages: 2004 Through 2009

This paper documents trends and drivers of the residential mortgage market during the years 2004 through 2009, specifically focusing on the access to and pricing of mortgages originated by African-American and Hispanic borrowers, and by borrowers living in low-income and minority communities. Our analysis relies on a rich set of proprietary data that allow more expanded insights than can be obtained from HMDA alone. We show that access to mortgage credit increased between 2004 and 2006 for the borrowers we focus on in our study, and declined dramatically thereafter. Trends in access to credit were driven primarily by the changing credit mix of mortgage applicants and secondarily by the replacement of FHA for subprime as the dominant mode of non-prime originations and tighter underwriting standards. Throughout our entire period of study, these borrowers also consistently paid higher prices for their mortgages; however, the extent of this differential varied considerably over time and across groups. These pricing trends were driven primarily by changes in the FHA and subprime shares, and by the market’s increasingly aggressive pricing of credit risk.
Population retested for diabetes after 17 years: new prevalence study in Oxford, Massachusetts.

The 34–55 age segment of the Oxford, Massachusetts population was examined in 1946 and again in 1963. No increase -was found in the prevalence of diabetes or of potential diabetes, as reflected in a change in numbers with high normal blood sugars. — Earlier data (1946) on the segment aged 34–55 years in 1963, showed that the more frequent development of diabetes among persons with a family history of the disease was confined to the overweight. Similarly, the more frequent development of diabetes among the overweight was confined to those with a family history of diabetes. Normal weight persons with a family history and overweight persons without a family history, did not develop more diabetes than expected over the 17-year observation period.
Uveitis and central nervous system vasculitis

Vasculitis confined to the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare disease usually characterized by headache and focal neurologic symptoms. Patients with primary vasculitis of the CNS may have symptoms and laboratory findings of systemic disease such as fatigue and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, but by definition, focal inflammation should not be present outside the CNS. We describe 3 patients with uveitis in association with this diagnosis. The recognition of this association adds to the complex differential diagnosis of uveitis in association with CNS disease, and indicates that "isolated" angiitis of the CNS may display clinical features outside the brain and spinal cord.
What Is the Neural Substrate of Strabismus

To view strabismus from what I believe is the correct perspective, we must examine, in some detail, its neural substrate. Though this is not a textbook of developmental neurobiology, much of importance in our inquiry comes directly from this field. We will divide the task into several parts and cover the principles and some details of the embryogenesis of the visual nervous system: its neurogenesis (formation of neurons), histogenesis (formation of the various tissues that constitute the visual nervous system), and synaptogenesis (formation of connections between various parts of the visual nervous system), which give rise, en ensemble, to organogenesis (formation of the afferent and efferent visual systems). Stressed are principles and wherever possible, as examples of those principles, aspects of the development of the visual system so that the reader can become familiar with both the principles of nervous system development and the expression of these principles in the visuomotor system.
Motion of Many Interacting Particles—the Lagrangian Model

I think we may have more difficulty in exploring the full limits of the computer than we have had with earlier gadgets. I think there may be more danger in the period of trial and error than there has been with earlier devices. These earlier devices—looms, engines, generators—resisted at critical points human ignorance and stupidity. Overloaded, abused, they stopped work, stalled, broke down, blew up, and there was the end of it. Thus they set clear limits to man's ineptitudes. For the computer the limits, I believe, are not so obvious. Used in ignorance or stupidity, asked a foolish question, it does not collapse, it goes on to answer a fool according to his folly. And the questioner being a fool will go on to act on the reply.
RADAR: Runtime Asymmetric Data-Access Driven Scientific Data Replication

Efficient I/O on large-scale spatiotemporal scientific data requires scrutiny of both the logical layout of the data e.g., row-major vs. column-major and the physical layout e.g., distribution on parallel filesystems. For increasingly complex datasets, hand optimization is a difficult matter prone to error and not scalable to the increasing heterogeneity of analysis workloads. Given these factors, we present a partial data replication system called RADAR. We capture datatype- and collective-aware I/O access patterns indicating logical access via MPI-IO tracing and use a combination of coarse-grained and fine-grained performance modeling to evaluate and select optimized physical data distributions for the task at hand. Unlike conventional methods, we store all replica data and metadata, along with the original untouched data, under a single file container using the object abstraction in parallel filesystems. Our system results in manyfold improvements in some commonly used subvolume decomposition access patterns.Moreover, the modeling approach can determine whether such optimizations should be undertaken in the first place.
Influence of Islamic Traditions on Breastfeeding Beliefs and Practices Among African American Muslims in West Philadelphia: A Mixed-Methods Study:

Background:Little is known regarding the influence of religion on breastfeeding in African American communities. In particular, whether Islamic traditions influence breastfeeding beliefs and practices among African American Muslims has not been studied.Research aim:This study sought to gain understanding of breastfeeding attitudes, rates, and education among African American Muslims in West Philadelphia and to examine if engaging Islamic teachings in breastfeeding education can positively influence breastfeeding attitudes.Methods:Open-ended, in-person, digitally recorded qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 community leaders and analyzed by conventional content analysis. A study tool distributed to a convenience sample of 44 community members and 11 leaders was used to gather information about education received from community leaders, breastfeeding attitudes and practices, and the potential for Islamic teachings to positively affect breastfeeding attitudes and practices. To obtain further data o...
Financial Factors Which Stimulate Innovation

Because Innovation requires the commitment of resources to a development with highly uncertain net returns, the methodology of financial economics Is useful In understanding innovation, even to the...
An Analysis of the Clinical, Laboratory, and Histological Features of Striped, Punctate, and Nodular Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) commonly presents as linear striped (“watermelon stomach”) or punctate phenotypes, to which a newly discovered nodular form was recently added. We performed a retrospective cohort study to detail and compare the clinical and histological characteristics of major GAVE phenotypes. In 136 GAVE patients (tertiary care ambulatory and inpatient, median age 61.3 years, 73 men, and 63 women), clinical and laboratory results were recorded, with comorbidities, endoscopy indications, and complications of cirrhosis. In 74 patients, GAVE histopathology was cataloged by a pathologist masked to endoscopy results. Median age 61.3 years, 73 men, and 63 women. GAVE phenotypes were: linear striped—62 (46%), punctate—32 (24%), and nodular—41 (30%). Endoscopy was commonly performed for variceal screening in linear striped (45%) and nodular (34%) GAVE and for gastrointestinal bleeding in punctate (41%) and nodular (29%) GAVE, respectively. Of 89 cirrhotic patients, 37.5% each had linear striped or nodular GAVE, 24.7% had punctate forms (p = 0.03). Child–Turcotte–Pugh and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores were similar among phenotypes. Histologically, reactive epithelial hyperplasia and vascular ectasia were universal; smooth muscle proliferation was more common and consistent (78–86%) than microvascular thrombi (27–59%) and fibrohyalinosis (18–53%), which each varied with phenotype. Nodular GAVE is a gastric mucosal abnormality that is similar to the linear striped and punctate phenotypes, yet has distinct clinical and histological features. Increased awareness of nodular GAVE by endoscopists is needed to avoid its misdiagnosis as nonspecific antral nodules.
Diabetes and Liver Disease

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes, in the United States, has increased in association with the increase in the mean weight of Americans indicative of the epidemic of obesity in this country. Complications of type 2 diabetes can be expected to rise in the near future. These complications include vascular, renal, ophthalmologic, and importantly liver disease. Hepatic complications include nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), acute liver failure, and post-liver transplantation diabetes. There is, additionally, a relationship between type 2 diabetes and chronic hepatitis C infection with type 2 diabetes being considered an extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis C infection. The association of diabetes and liver disease is being increasingly recognized. The morbidity and mortality of acute and chronic liver disease in patients with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, will continue to rise in Americans in the immediate and near future.
BTCP is a potent reinforcer in rats: comparison of behavior maintained on fixed- and progressive-ratio schedules.

N-[1-(2-benzo[b]thiophenyl)cyclohexyl]piperidine (BTCP) is a phencyclidine (PCP) derivative that acts as a potent dopamine (DA) reuptake inhibitor. Earlier studies have shown that BTCP can substitute for the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Therefore, the aim of the study was to further characterize the reinforcing effects of BTCP. The reinforcing actions of BTCP were compared to those of cocaine at equimolar concentrations in drug-naive rats. Two groups of animals were implanted with jugular catheters and trained to intravenously self-administer BTCP or cocaine (0.25 mg/infusion) on a fixed-ratio five schedule (FR 5) of reinforcement. Both BTCP and cocaine produced comparable inverted U-shaped dose-effect curves on this schedule over doses of 0.03, 0.06, 0.125, and 0.25 mg/infusion. Two doses (0.125 and 0.25 mg/infusion) that produced reliable self-administration in all the animals for cocaine and BTCP were then tested on a progressive-ratio schedule. At each dose, BTCP supported higher breaking points (BPs) than cocaine. The results demonstrate that rats readily acquire responding maintained by BTCP and suggest that BTCP may have greater reinforcing effects than cocaine at equimolar concentrations.
Frameworks for Credible Causal Inference in Observational Studies of Family Violence

Causal questions pervade family violence research, including how and why violence occurs, how it can be prevented, and how to support survivors. Randomization cannot always be used, but in studies of the effects of known causes, regression based observational methods (e.g., propensity score analysis) can be used. Statistical findings are associational only, however, and plausible assumptions are needed to give findings causal meaning. In this review, I suggest two criteria for plausible assumptions that help support credible causal inferences. I then describe and connect three frameworks that provide standards for specifying assumptions in causal inference: the Rubin potential outcomes framework; the Pearl directed acyclic graph framework; and the Campbell framework of validities (e.g., internal validity). These frameworks are widely accepted across the social sciences, facilitating dissemination and critique. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and in studies of the effects of known causes, they may complement each other. Utilizing the standards given to us by these frameworks to select and articulate the assumptions needed for credible causal inference will impact our understanding of family violence and violence prevention more so than studies that cannot be connected as clearly to such standards.
Stereotactic body proton therapy for liver tumors: Dosimetric advantages and their radiobiological and clinical implications.

Abstract Background and Purpose Photon Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for primary and metastatic tumors of the liver is challenging for larger lesions. An in silico comparison of paired SBRT and Stereotactic Body Proton Therapy (SBPT) plans was performed to understand the potential advantages of SBPT as a function of tumor size and location. Methods and materials Theoretical tumor volumes with maximum diameter of 1–10 cm were contoured in the dome, right inferior, left medial, and central locations. SBRT and SBPT plans were generated to deliver 50 Gy in 5 fractions, max dose Results SBRT and SBPT were able to meet target goals and OAR constraints for lesions up to 7 cm and 9 cm diameter, respectively. SBPT plans resulted in a higher integral gross target dose for all lesions up to 7 cm (mean dose 57.8 ± 2.3 Gy to 64.1 ± 2.2 Gy, p Conclusion The main advantages of SBPT over SBRT is meeting plan goals and constrains for larger targets, particularly dome and central locations, and sparing dose to uninvolved liver. For such patients, SBPT may allow improvements in tumor control and treatment safety.
Alcoholic liver disease and mast cells: What's your gut got to do with it?

Abstract Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) remains one of the leading causes of liver injury and death when left untreated. The gut microbiota has been recognized as a key regulator of a number of pathologies, including ALD. The role of mast cells (MCs) during liver disease progression has been demonstrated in a number of animal models and in human liver diseases. The interaction between the gut microbiota and MCs has been investigated, and links between the gut and these immune cells are being uncovered. The interplay between the gut microbiota and MCs during ALD has been evaluated and studies suggest that there could be an important link between MCs, their mediators and gut inflammation during the progression of ALD.
Hierarchical Model Predictive Control for Cascaded Multilevel Inverters

This paper presents a hierarchical finite-set model predictive control (MPC) scheme for grid-tied cascaded multilevel inverters (CMI) with independent active and reactive power injection capabilities. The proposed controller has a hierarchical framework to eliminate the computationally burdensome cost function optimization and associated weight factors of the control objectives. The control formulation approach allows for multi-objective optimization with an error-tolerance framework. The control scheme achieves active and reactive power control with switching loss minimization while extracting power evenly from the independent voltage sources. The control is modularized for each phase, making the system robust to unbalanced grid conditions. The proposed control scheme is validated for grid-voltage transients in MATLAB/Simulink.
Functional capacity of neonatal mammalian myocardial cells during aging in tissue culture.

Human aging accompanied by a logarithmic increase in death rate from disease, especially from cardiovascular disorders and decreased efficiency in homeostatic mechanisms. Comfort (1) speculates that, is throughout life man had the same resistance to stress and disease as at age 20, one-half of us could expect to live to the age of 700. Heart diseases are the leading causes of death in people over the age of 55. Since the best way to prolong life in humans is to remove the pathologic causes of death, it would be the most effective course ofaction. The heart is responsive to a multiplicity of external influences impinging on it through the circulation and by the nervous system. Within the heart, self-regulation occurs by means of pacemaker tissue and the Purkinje fiber system (2). Because of these factors which complicate studies of the cellular changes of myocardial cells during aging, we have chosen to work with ventricular newborn rat heart cells in culture as an experimental model. The initial studies on this material were made by Harary and Farley (3) and later by Mark and Strasser (4). We find that the individual myocardial cells are self-contracting units which rapidly link up in vitro to form beating networks. In long-term primary cultures which are kept as long as 100 days, these networks aggregate during this period and produce “mini-hearts” and fibers which are visible to the eye. Cultured cells can be sucessfully stored at liquid nitrogen temperature and recultured several times. These and other results were presented at the meeting, partly in the form of two 16 mm movie films --- “Mitosis and Differentiated Properties of Mammalian Myocardial Cells in Culture”, and “Contractile Behavior of Myocardial Cells In Vitro”. For the purpose of documentation, still photomicrographs, which are based on the same biological material as that employe- in the films, are used in the manuscript.
Eliciting Stuttering in Laboratory Contexts.

Purpose The contextual variability of stuttering events makes it difficult to reliably elicit stuttered speech in laboratory settings. As a result, studies that compare stuttered versus fluent spee...
Filling in the Flyover Zone: High Phosphorus in Midwestern (USA) Reservoirs Results in High Phytoplankton Biomass but Not High Primary Productivity

In lakes and reservoirs, climate change increases surface water temperatures, promotes thermal stability, and decreases hypolimnetic oxygen. Increased anthropogenic land-use and precipitation enhance nutrient and sediment supply. Together, these effects alter the light and nutrient dynamics constraining phytoplankton biomass and productivity. Given that lake and reservoir processes differ, and that globally, reservoir numbers are increasing to meet water demands, reservoir-centric studies remain underrepresented. In the agricultural midwest (USA), ubiquitous reservoirs experience eutrophy and hypolimnetic anoxia. Here, we explore influences of eutrophication and land-use on the proximate light and nutrient status of phytoplankton communities in 32 Missouri reservoirs. Light and nutrient status indicators include mixed layer irradiance, phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) stoichiometry/debts, photosynthetic efficiency, and photosynthetic-irradiance parameters. Contributing to the ongoing P versus N and P management debate, we evaluate if phytoplankton biomass and productivity are constrained by light, P, N, or a combination thereof, across gradients of trophic status and land-use during 2 contrasting wet and dry summers. Despite agricultural prevalence, P-deficiency is more prominent than either N- or light-deficiency. In 2018, ~46% of samples were P-deficient with ~36% indicating neither light nor nutrient deficiency. Gross primary productivity per unit chlorophyll-a (GPPB) demonstrated negative relationships with nutrients, biomass, and turbidity, and positive relationships with light availability. Subsequently, GPPB was highest in oligotrophic reservoirs where light utilization efficiency was also highest. Overall, phytoplankton biomass and productivity appear constrained by P and light, respectively. If midwestern reservoirs are precursors of future inland waters affected by climate change and eutrophication, our crystal ball indicates that both P and light will be important regulators of phytoplankton dynamics and subsequent water quality.
Characteristics of Critically Ill Adults With Sacrococcygeal Unavoidable Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries: A Retrospective, Matched, Case-Control Study.

Purpose To identify characteristics of critically ill adults with sacrococcygeal, unavoidable hospital-acquired pressure injuries (uHAPIs). Design Retrospective, matched, case-control design. Subjects/setting Patients admitted to adult intensive care units (ICUs) at an urban academic medical center from January 2014 through July 2016. Methods Thirty-four patients without uHAPI were matched to 34 patients with sacrococcygeal uHAPI. Time points of interest included admission to the ICU, the week preceding the definitive assessment date, and hospital discharge status. Variables of interest included length of stay, any diagnosis of sepsis, severity of illness, degree of organ dysfunction/failure, supportive therapies in use (eg, mechanical ventilation), and pressure injury risk (Braden Scale score). Results All 34 sacrococcygeal pressure injuries were classified as uHAPI using the pressure injury prevention inventory instrument. No statistically significant differences were noted between patients for severity of illness, degree of organ dysfunction/failure, or pressure injury risk at ICU admission. At 1 day prior to the definitive assessment date and at discharge, patients with uHAPI had significantly higher mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores (greater organ dysfunction/failure) and lower mean Braden Scale scores (greater pressure injury risk) than patients without uHAPI. Patients with uHAPI had significantly longer lengths of stay, more supportive therapies in use, were more often diagnosed with sepsis, and were more likely to die during hospitalization. Conclusion Sacrococcygeal uHAPI development was associated with progressive multiorgan dysfunction/failure, greater use of supportive therapies, sepsis diagnosis, and mortality. Additional research investigating the role of multiorgan dysfunction/failure and sepsis on uHAPI development is warranted.
Assessing the LGBT cultural competency of dementia care providers.

Author(s): Nowaskie, Dustin Z; Sewell, Daniel D | Abstract: IntroductionAlthough dementia risk factors are elevated in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults and are perpetuated by a lack of cultural competency, no known studies have quantified LGBT cultural competency among dementia care providers.MethodsDementia care providers (Nn=n105) across the United States completed a survey consisting of the 7-point Likert LGBT-Development of Clinical Skills Scale.ResultsDementia care providers reported very high affirming attitudes (Mn=n6.67, standard deviation [SD]n=n0.71), moderate knowledge (Mn=n5.32, SDn=n1.25), and moderate clinical preparedness (Mn=n4.93, SDn=n1.23). Compared to previously published data, they reported significantly lower knowledge than medical students. There were no differences compared to psychiatry residents.DiscussionThe current state of dementia care providers' LGBT cultural competency has significant, yet modifiable, gaps. Better education, including more LGBT patient exposure, is necessary to improve the care being provided to members of the LGBT community impacted by dementia illness.
Job Satisfaction Among Practicing School Psychologists Revisited

This study attempted to replicate a study by Anderson et al. (1984) in order to determine whether the results of that national study could be replicated in an individual state, and to determine the...
Potassium and Phosphorus Fertilizer Impacts on Alfalfa Taproot Carbon and Nitrogen Reserve Accumulation and Use During Fall Acclimation and Initial Growth in Spring.

Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) impact alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) performance, but how these nutrients alter taproot physiology during fall acclimation and subsequent growth in spring is unclear. Our objectives were to: 1) determine seasonal patterns for taproot P and K concentrations during fall acclimation, and during initial shoot growth in spring; 2) determine how P and K nutrition impacts accumulation of taproot C and N reserves during fall and their subsequent use when shoot growth resumes in spring; and 3) assess how addition of P and K fertilizer impacts accumulation and use of C and N reserves impacts survival and shoot growth in spring. Two P (0 and 75 kg ha-1) and two K (0 and 400 kg ha-1) treatments were applied and taproots were sampled between Sep and Dec, and again from Mar to May over two years. Concentrations of taproot sugar, starch, buffer-soluble protein, amino-N, and RNA pools were determined. While P and K fertilizer application increased taproot P and K concentrations two-to three-fold, concentrations of P and K in taproots over time did not change markedly during cold acclimation in fall, however, taproot P declined in spring as plant growth resumed. Compared to the 0K-0P treatment, taproots of plants fertilized with 400K-75P had higher starch, protein, amino-N, and RNA, but reduced sugar concentrations in fall. Concentrations of all these pools, except starch, declined during the initial two weeks of sampling beginning in late March as shoot growth resumed in spring. Herbage yield in May was highest for the 400K-75P treatment, and least for the 0K-0P treatment; differences that were associated with variation in mass shoot-1 and not shoots m-2. High yield of the 400K-75P plants in May was consistently associated with greater concentrations and use of amino-N, soluble protein, and RNA pools in taproots, and not with accumulation and use of starch and sugar pools. Understanding factors leading to the accumulation of taproot N reserves and RNA during cold acclimation in fall and their use during the initial growth in spring should enhance efforts to improve alfalfa growth and herbage yield in spring.