cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utility of cardiac magnetic resonance for evaluation of mitral regurgitation prior to mitral valve surgery

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common cause of morbidity worldwide and an accepted indication for interventional therapies which aim to reduce or resolve adverse clinical outcomes associated with MR. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) provides highly accurate means of assessing MR, including a variety of approaches that can measure MR based on quantitative flow. Additionally, CMR is widely accepted as a reference standard for cardiac chamber quantification, enabling reliable detection of subtle changes in cardiac chamber size and function so as to guide decision-making regarding timing of mitral valve directed therapies. Beyond geometric imaging, CMR enables tissue characterization of ischemia and infarction in the left ventricular (LV) myocardium as well as within the mitral valve apparatus, thus enabling identification of structural substrates for MR. This review provides an overview of established and emerging CMR approaches to measure valvular regurgitation, including relative utility of different approaches for patients with primary or secondary MR. Clinical outcomes studies are discussed with focus on data demonstrating advantages of CMR for guiding diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of patients with known or suspected MR. Comparative data is reviewed with focus on diagnostic performance of CMR in comparison to conventional assessment via echocardiography (echo). Emerging literature is reviewed concerning potential new approaches that utilize CMR tissue characterization to guide clinical decision-making in order to improve therapeutic outcomes and clinical prognosis for patients with MR.
Footprints from Chicago to New York City: David Hansen

Footprints from Chicago to New York City: David Hansen believes Dewey’s footprints made an indelible mark on teaching and learning. The challenge is keeping Dewey firmly in the present.
Integracao curricular: a essencia de uma escola democratica

This article starts from the belief that the discipline approach, used to initiate young people in the academic world of universities, is reductive in terms of wider purposes as, for example, experiencing democracy. It analyzes the possibilities of a curriculum that goes beyond the discipline structure. It defends the idea of using an integrated curricular approach, emphasizing thematic units centered in questions, collaboratively planned by teachers and students in a democratic environment, centered in knowledge from several sources. It demonstrates that students that use an integrated approach have similar or superior performance in standardized tests when compared to students who still use the traditional discipline approach. It concludes that the use of an integrated approach would have only benefits – and no harm – to academic integrity
A Fresh Look at an Old Classification Algorithm

Recently, it has been realized that ranking and classification algorithms are of considerable practical importance. In particular the severe banking crisis, occurring only a few years ago showed what can happen if the creditworthiness of customers is not correctly assessed. Considerable efforts have been made to avoid such disasters in the future (see e.g. Basel III 2016; Falkowski 2012b). Whilst in this context ranking algorithms are of paramount importance (see e.g Falkowski 2012a, 2012b; Shashua and Levin 2003; Shawe‐Taylor and Cristianini 2004; Thomas 2000), other applications like recommender systems (cf. e.g Ricci et al. 2011), need classification systems without ranking. Moreover, the analysis of “Big Data” (cf. Mayer‐Schonberger and Cukier 2013) requires similar algorithms. In either case, applications of statistical methods (e.g. Bayes’ theorem) are useful.
Group Medical Visits as Participatory Care in Community Health Centers

In this article, I examine group medical visits, a clinic-based intervention that aims to improve patient health by combining clinical care, health education and peer support. Research shows that health care inequalities are reproduced through the interplay of interpersonal, institutional, and structural factors. I examine changing social relations made possible by group visits, including peer support and an expanded role for patient knowledge. The qualitative data presented here are part of a mixed-methods study of how group medical visits and integrative medicine are combined and implemented for low-income people with chronic conditions. I find that patients take active roles in each other's care, supporting, challenging, and advocating in ways that shift patient-provider relationships. Such shifts demand reflection about what kinds of knowledge matter for health. Health care encounters can reproduce inequality for marginalized patients; this study suggests group visits can restructure patient-provider encounters to interrupt healthcare inequalities.
Bowel obstruction complicated by ischemia: analysis of CT findings

To analyze CT signs of bowel ischemia in patients with surgical bowel obstruction, and thereby improve CT diagnosis in this common clinical scenario. Surgical and histopathological findings were used as the reference standard. We retrospectively analyzed CT findings in patients brought to surgery for bowel obstruction over 13 years. Etiology of obstruction (adhesion, hernia, etc.) was recorded. Specific CT features of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) were analyzed, including bowel wall thickening, mucosal hypoenhancement, and others. 173 cases were eligible for analysis. 21% of cases were positive for bowel ischemia. Volvulus, internal hernia, and closed-loop obstructions showed ischemia rates of 60%, 43%, and 43%; ischemia rate in obstruction from simple adhesion was 21%. Patients with bowel obstruction related to malignancy were never ischemic. Sensitivities and specificities for CT features predicting ischemia were calculated, with wall thickening, hypoenhancement, and pneumatosis showing high specificity for ischemia (86%–100%). Wall thickening, hypoenhancement, and pneumatosis are highly specific CT signs of ischemia in the setting of obstruction. None of the evaluated CT signs were found to be highly sensitive. Overall frequency of ischemia in surgical bowel obstruction is 21%, and 2–3 times that for complex obstructions (volvulus, closed loop, etc.). Obstructions related to malignancy virtually never become ischemic.
Free Groups and Free Products

The notion of generators and relations can be extended from abelian groups to arbitrary groups once we have a nonabelian analogue of free abelian groups. We use the property appearing in Theorem 10.11 as our starting point.
Bioartificial Stem Cell Niches: Engineering a Regenerative Microenvironment

Publisher Summary With the rapidly increasing demand for stem cells, the problems related to their storage and preservation, maintenance, and expansion become ever more acute. The requirements for stem cell banking would place the need for preserving quiescence and stemness at the top of the list, whereas the requirements for transplantation of stem and progenitor cells would give preference to the possibility of increasing the mass of stem cells without losing their properties. The constellation of different requirements should orbit around the physiological ways of preserving stem cells, i.e. stem cell niches. The niches are defined as the umbrella microenvironment supporting cell attachment and quiescence by sheltering cells from proliferation and differentiation signals, enhancing cell survival, regulating stem cell division and renewal, and coordinating the population of resident stem cells to meet the actual requirements of an organ. The way in which these diverse functions are accomplished by the niches may vary from one type of stem cells and their niche to another, yet the general outline is preserved. It includes specific components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that create a scaffold and a boundary to the niche, cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion molecules, locally stored growth and/or quiescence factors, and a set of instructions for proliferation and/or migration that can be triggered on demand. The vicinity of vascular beds, often covered with sinusoidal endothelial cells, provides a portal for entry into the circulation.
Interpreting and Inventing Social Reality

Clearly, Leon Festinger hit upon an important subject when he formulated social comparison theory nearly 50 years ago. The ways that people view their opinions, their abilities, and their life situations vary according to the standing of other people. Recently, during the National Basketball Association lockout, star New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing said that current NBA salaries were “about survival, about being able to feed our families” (Newsweek, January 4, 1999, p. 108). Ewing’s salary was $18.5 million per year. That is probably enough to eat on. However, the amount of money made by owners is Ewing’s standard of comparison. Similarly, in resigning Bernie Williams, the New York Yankees baseball team paid the star outfielder $87.5 million for 7 years, so that Williams would not feel underpaid in comparison to first baseman Mo Vaughn, who signed with the California Angels for $80 million for 6 years. Why would Williams only feel happy if his salary compared well to Vaughn’s?
Purification of a ryanodine-sensitive channel protein from human neutrophils.

In cardiac and skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling is dependent upon release of calcium (Ca2+) from junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum via a ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+-release channel. Similar oscillatory changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration are important for the normal function of neutrophils. Therefore, we postulated the existence of a ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ channel in human neutrophils. This hypothesis is supported by our prior observation that ryanodine (10 nM) increased the intracellular Ca2+ content of intact human neutrophils1.
Dietary fat, calories, and mammary gland tumorigenesis.

In experimental animals (mice and rats), altering the levels and/or types of dietary fat markedly influences the development of mammary tumors. This phenomenon has now been demonstrated in an impressive array of carcinogen-induced,1–106 transplantable,107–121 “spontaneous”122–139 and metastatic140–150 experimental rodent mammary tumor systems. The purpose of this communication is to review and critique the relationships between dietary fat and mammary gland tumorigenesis in rodents. In particular, five issues are examined and critiqued, i.e., 1) amount of fat and rodent mammary tumorigenesis, 2) type of fat and rodent mammary tumorigenesis, 3) fat and rodent mammary tumor cell metastasis, 4) the fatcalorie-rodent mammary tumorigenesis relationship, and 5) influence of fat on development of human breast carcinoma transplants in immune-deficient mice. Although the amount and/or type of dietary fat have been reported to influence the development and/or growth of the normal and/or pre-neoplastic rodent mammary gland,84, 07,138,151–156 these relationships, albeit important, will not be discussed in this chapter. Specific mechanisms by which dietary fat influences mammary gland tumorigenesis in rodents have been discussed in previous reviews157–162 and will not be a major focus of this communication. All amounts of dietary fat cited in this review are expressed as percent by weight. The terms “mammary tumor development” or “mammary tumorigenesis” denote mammary tumor growth, incidence, number, and/or multiplicity.
Traditional and Progressive Schools: Identifying Two Models of Educational Practice

Two broad approaches to contemporary education have evolved in recent decades: the traditional and the progressive. The purpose of this study was to survey public, Catholic, and independent elementary schools across the state of Ohio with the aim of finding out: (1) the extent to which various educational practices associated with those two approaches have reportedly been adopted in schools; and, (2) if the types of schools differ along a continuum of traditional to progressive educational practices. It was found that most schools report a balanced mix of practices, with Ohio’s elementary schools ranging along the traditional to progressive continuum in the following order: independent nonchartered, independent chartered, public, and Catholic. All schools tend to be more traditional in the approach they adopt to reading and to assessment. Assessment is influenced by state mandates regarding proficiency testing in selected grades. A better understanding of the practices reported to be in place in today’s schools will help inform the current debate on school reform and focus the discussion of choice by providing a framework with clear alternatives.
Freezing and Ice Growth in Frost-Susceptible Soils

A model for energy transfer, and freezing and thawing of soils is described first. This model is then incorporated into a description of heaving in frost-susceptible soils. Frost heaving is caused by formation of ice lenses, a result of transfer of unfrozen water and freezing at the cold side of the frozen fringe. The description of frost heave presented here is based on a porosity rate function. This description does not model formation of individual ice lenses; rather, it yields the average growth in porosity due to growth of ice. Application of the model is illustrated in examples of a chilled gas pipeline and a retaining wall with frost-susceptible backfill.
Enabling transactional file access via lightweight kernel extensions

Transactions offer a powerful data-access method used in many databases today trough a specialized query API. User applications, however, use a different file-access API (POSIX) which does not offer transactional guarantees. Applications using transactions can become simpler, smaller, easier to develop and maintain, more reliable, and more secure. We explored several techniques how to provide transactional file access with minimal impact on existing programs. Our first prototype was a standalone kernel component within the Linux kernel, but it complicated the kernel considerably and duplicated some of Linux's existing facilities. Our second prototype was all in user level, and while it was easier to develop, it suffered from high overheads. In this paper we describe our latest prototype and the evolution that led to it. We implemented a transactional file API inside the Linux kernel which integrates easily and seamlessly with existing kernel facilities. This design is easier to maintain, simpler to integrate into existing OSs, and efficient. We evaluated our prototype and other systems under a variety of workloads. We demonstrate that our prototype's performance is better than comparable systems and comes close to the theoretical lower bound for a log-based transaction manager.
Formula Manipulation—The User’s Point of View

For a number of years, formula manipulation has been a prosperous member of the large family of computer applications. It has already facilitated the solution of problems too lengthy and time-consuming for the relatively unreliable human problem-solver. The reader who has not himself encountered such problems need only recall the horrendous exercises in formula manipulation performed by the astronomers of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, e.g., as described in Delaunay’s “Theorie du mouvement de la lune,” or in E. W. Brown’s “Theory of the Motion of the Moon.” Their achievements are hardly surpassable by hand, and continue to challenge the capabilities of current systems.
CO2 Laser Lash Tilt Technique for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Lash Ptosis and Augmentation of Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty Results.

PURPOSE To assess the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction of a newly described technique for the treatment of mild to moderate lash ptosis performed as augmentation to upper eyelid blepharoplasty. METHODS Patient medical records for 27 consecutive cases of upper eyelid blepharoplasty between January 2016 and June 2017 and 19 consecutive cases of upper eyelid blepharoplasty with the laser lash tilt procedure between July 2016 and January 2017 performed by the senior author were retrospectively reviewed. Lash position in preoperative and postoperative photographs was graded in a randomized masked fashion on a 4-point scale by 5 oculoplastic surgeons. RESULTS There was a significant improvement in mean lash position scores for the control group (0.52 ± 0.34, p < 0.001) with mean lash score improving from 1.14 ± 0.46 before surgery to 0.62 ± 0.46 after blepharoplasty alone. There was also significant improvement in mean lash position scores for the laser lash group (0.98 ± 0.52, p < 0.01) with mean lash score improving from 1.66 ± 0.62 before surgery to 0.68 ± 0.50 after blepharoplasty with laser lash treatment. The improvement in lash position seen in the laser lash group was significantly greater than the improvement seen in the control group (p = 0.001). There were no complications and all patients were satisfied with their results. CONCLUSIONS Compared with upper eyelid blepharoplasty alone, the addition of the CO2 laser lash tilt technique provides a significant improvement in the upward tilt of the eyelashes as they emerge from the eyelid margin.
Interdependent Group Contingencies Reduce Disruption in Alternative High School Classrooms.

Group contingencies have been indicated to be effective in reducing disruptive behavior and increasing academic engagement in school settings. Previous research has demonstrated their efficacy with a wide range of student ages, but there have been few studies with older students who engage in severe disruptive behavior. In the current study, we implemented an interdependent group contingency in three high school classrooms of students aged 14–19 years with histories of delinquency, emotional and behavioral disorder diagnoses, or both. Results indicated that interdependent group contingencies can be effective in reducing the disruptive classroom behavior of these students. Implications for future research and special considerations for this population are discussed.
Expression of type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) in tamoxifen-resistant cells: Implications for cotargeting of IGF1R and estrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer.

e13590 Background: Crosstalk between the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and estrogen receptor (ER) systems has been well defined in breast cancer. The majority of anti-IGF1R clinical trials are i...
The effects of combat zones on mental health among civilian contractors

ABSTRACTAs the number of suicides among the military and veteran population continue to increase each year, concern has generated program and research development. The Department of Defense (2017) ...
Starbucks’ Racial-Bias Crisis: Toward a Rhetoric of Renewal

ABSTRACTThis paper seeks to reframe crises as moments of organizational opportunity instead of moments of organizational threat. The predominant crisis communication approach involves defensive pos...
Effects of experimental prescribed fire and tree thinning on oak savanna understory plant communities and ecosystem structure

Abstract In the Midwestern United States, oak savannas have been reduced in area by at least 99% since European settlement, mirroring global trends for savannas, grasslands, and shrublands. Most remaining patches are highly degraded following decades of fire suppression and other anthropogenic impacts, and subsequent tree and shrub encroachment. Yet, reintroducing fire alone may not be sufficient to restore these ecosystems on desired timelines and mechanical thinning may be an important step in the restoration process, to increase understory light and promote the ground layer community. However, it is unclear how plant community dynamics develop under burn-only compared to thin-and-burn restoration scenarios. We investigated the impacts of prescribed fire and mechanical tree thinning on ecosystem structure and plant community dynamics over eight years in an oak savanna restoration experiment in southern Michigan. Established in 2010, this experiment utilized 15 0.4–1.2-hectare treatment units receiving either repeated prescribed fire alone, a combination of repeated prescribed fire and mechanical thinning, or no management. We used this design to test how differences in management affect understory and overstory structure, specifically understory vegetative cover and light availability associated with canopy openness, and plant community dynamics, specifically ground layer plant species richness and composition. We found that, over eight years of restoration, the response of ecosystem structure and the plant community was greatest in units where mechanical thinning was combined with prescribed fire. Thinned and burned units had greater canopy openness, vegetative cover, and plant species richness. Plant species composition also diverged between managed and unmanaged units. Canopy openness increased rapidly, within two years of restoration, while vegetative cover increased more gradually, over five years, and increases in richness were less pronounced overall. Composition diverged initially between managed and unmanaged units and continued to shift throughout the study period. Some effects of management peaked after four years, but were transient by the end of the study. Additional management will be necessary to capitalize on the initial response to restoration toward an oak savanna ecosystem. We predict that additional thinning will further increase light availability and development of graminoid fuels and in combination with prescribed fires will continue to promote open canopy structure and a ground layer dominated by savanna-associated species.
A placebo prognostic index (PI) as a moderator of outcomes in the treatment of adolescent depression: Could it inform risk-stratification in treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy, fluoxetine, or their combination?

Introduction: Researchers have proposed that predicting who is a likely placebo responder may help guide treatment allocations to treatment regimens that differ in intensity.Methods: We used data f...
Validation of a Modified Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Observers to Assess Trainees.

Abstract Objective “Demonstrate insight and understanding into emotion” is a competency amenable to simulation-based assessment. The Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) has validity evidence for patients to assess provider empathy. A version adapted for a third-party observers does not exist. Our aim was to modify the JSPPPE and use recorded standardized encounters to obtain validity evidence. Methods This cross-sectional study used video and data collected from 2 pediatric residencies. In 2018, 4 raters reviewed 24 videos of 12 interns communicating with standardized patients (SP) in 2 encounters and completed a modified JSPPE for observers (JSEO). Reliability between raters was established using Intraclass Correlations (ICC). JSEO mean scores were correlated to Essential Elements of Communication (EEC), JSPPPE, and faculty composite interpersonal communication (IC) scores using Spearman Rank. Results The mean ICC for all 4 raters was 0.573 (0.376–0.755). When ICC was calculated for pairs of raters, Rater 1 was an outlier. ICCs for mean scores for pairs among the 3 remaining raters was 0.81 to 0.84. Mean JSEO scores from the four raters correlated with the JSPPPE (rho = 0.45, P = .03) and IC (rho = 0.68, P Conclusions We found validity evidence for the use of a modified JSPPPE for an observer to assess empathy in a recorded encounter with a SP. This may be useful as medical educators shift toward competency-based tracking. The brevity of this tool and potential assessment using video are also appealing.
Frontline Science: Breast milk confers passive cellular immunity via CD8-dependent mechanisms.

Most modern research into the immune effects of breast milk has focused on the impacts of immunoglobulin or oligosaccharide content. However, immediately prior to parturition, the cell populations of breast milk become selectively enriched for CD8+ T cells of an effector memory subtype. Despite this observation that the cellular content of breast milk contains a distinct leukocyte population when compared to peripheral blood, the physiologic role of these CD8+ effector memory cells is unknown. Research encompassing animal models and humans has demonstrated that leukocytes are capable of transferring antigen-specific immunity even when lysed, dialyzed to enrich for fractions less than 10 kDa, and orally administered. Our previous work built upon these reports to elucidate several aspects of this dialyzable leukocyte extract (DLE) activity: only DLE from T effector memory CD8+ cells was capable of transferring antigen-specific immunity; the DLE activity was TCRβ dependent; dendritic cells (DCs) were the cellular target of DLE; and DLE enhanced immune activity in epithelial challenge models via induction of IL-6 from DCs. Herein, we reveal that breast milk dialysate activates similar cytokine and genetic pathways as DLE taken from peripheral blood and murine spleens through TCRβ- and CD8-dependent mechanisms. These findings suggest that the CD8+ memory T cells enriched in breast milk, even after potential lysis in the infant gut, may represent a mechanism for passive transfer of cellular immunity from mother to child.
Medication Management Performance in Parkinson's Disease: Examination of Process Errors.

Objective Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at risk for increased medication mismanagement, which can lead to worse clinical outcomes. However, the nature of the errors (i.e., undertaking or overtaking medications) contributing to mismanagement and their relationship to cognition in PD is unknown. Therefore, this study sought to examine errors committed on the Medication Management Ability Assessment (MMAA) between PD participants with normal cognition (PD-NC) or mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) relative to healthy adults (HA). Method HA (n = 74), PD-NC (n = 102), and PD-MCI (n = 45) participants were administered the MMAA to assess undertaking, overtaking, and overall errors as well as overall performance (total score). Additionally, participants were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery from which cognitive composites of Attention, Learning, Memory, Language, Visuospatial, and Executive Functioning were derived. Results Separate negative binomial regression analyses indicated the PD-MCI group performed significantly worse overall on the MMAA (total score) and committed more undertaking and overall errors relative to HA and PD-NC. In the PD-MCI group, poorer MMAA performance was associated with worse delayed memory performance, whereas cognitive performance was not related to MMAA in HA or PC-NC. Conclusion Compared to PD and healthy adults with normal cognition, PD-MCI patients exhibited greater difficulty with medication management, particularly with undertaking medications. Poorer medication management in PD-MCI was associated with worse delayed recall. Thus, PD-MCI patients experiencing memory problems may require additional assistance with their medications. Findings have clinical relevance suggesting that objective measures of medication errors may assist clinicians in identifying PD patients needing adherence strategies.
Atrial fibrillation future clinic. Novel platform to integrate smart device electrocardiogram into clinical practice

Background Direct-to-consumer devices allow patients to record electrocardiograms (ECG) and detect atrial fibrillation (AF). Clinical adoption of these devices has been limited owing to the lack of efficient workflow. Objective To assess a new care model for following patients after AF ablation that uses a smartphone ECG coupled with a novel cloud-based platform. Methods This was a pilot study to describe AF detection, healthcare utilization, use of additional ECGs and cardiac monitors, and changes in anxiety after AF ablation. Patients presenting 3–4 months after early successful AF ablation were randomized into a control group with standard clinical follow-up or a self-monitoring group using smartphone ECG (Kardia Mobile, KM) coupled with a cloud-based platform (KardiaPro, KP) that alerted the physician when AF was detected and followed for 6 months Results A total of 100 patients were randomized: 51 to the KM/KP group and 48 to the control group (1 withdrew). AF was detected in 18 patients (18.2%), 11 (21.6%) in the KM/KP group and 7 (14.6%) in the control group (P = .42). AF detection occurred at a median of 68 and 91 days in the KM/KP and control groups, respectively (P = .93). These differences were not statistically significant. Healthcare utilization and changes in anxiety were similar between the groups. More patients required additional ECGs or cardiac monitors in the control group (27.1%) compared to the KM/KP group (5.9%) (P = .004). Conclusions Smartphone ECG with a cloud-based platform can be incorporated into the care of post–AF ablation patients without increasing anxiety and with less need for additional traditional monitors.
Self-assembling protein nanocages for modular enzyme assembly by orthogonal bioconjugation

The wide variety of enzymatic pathways that can benefit from enzyme scaffolding is astronomical. While enzyme co-localization based on protein, DNA, and RNA scaffolds has been reported, we still lack scaffolds that offer well-defined and uniform three-dimensional structures for enzyme organization. Here we reported a new approach for protein co-localization using naturally occurring protein nanocages as a scaffold. Two different nanocages, the 25 nm E2 and the 34 nm heptatitis B virus, were used to demonstrate the successfully co-localization of the endoglucanase CelA and cellulose binding domain using the robust SpyTag/SpyCatcher bioconjugation chemistry. Because of the simplicity of the assembly, this strategy is useful not only for in vivo enzyme cascading but also the potential for in vivo applications as well.
Endophthalmitis Rates among Medicare Beneficiaries Undergoing Cataract Surgery between 2011 and 2019.

Purpose To determine national incidence and risk factors associated with developing endophthalmitis after cataract surgery in the United States. Design Retrospective, cross-sectional analysis. Participants Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years undergoing cataract surgery between 2011 and 2019. Methods Medicare claims were used to identify all patients who underwent ≥1 cataract surgery between 2011 and 2019. Endophthalmitis cases within 90 days of the cataract surgery were identified using diagnostic codes. Patients with a history of endophthalmitis 12 months before their cataract surgery procedure were excluded. Annual and aggregate 9-year incidences were determined for all cataract surgeries and for stand-alone cataract procedures. A stepwise multivariable logistic regression model using generalized estimating equations was used to evaluate factors associated with occurrence of postoperative endophthalmitis. Main Outcome Measures The 90-day postoperative endophthalmitis rate and patient risk factors associated with onset of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. Results A total of 14 396 438 cataract surgeries were performed among Medicare beneficiaries between 2011 and 2019. The overall 90-day postoperative endophthalmitis rate was 1.36 per 1000 cataract surgeries for all cataract procedures and 1.30 per 1000 cataract surgeries for stand-alone cataract procedures. A decreasing trend was noted for postoperative endophthalmitis rates during the 9-year study period. On multivariable analysis, the risk of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery was increased for cases performed among those aged ≥75 years versus those aged Conclusions The overall 90-day postoperative endophthalmitis rate after cataract surgery was 1.36 per 1000 cataract surgeries between 2011 and 2019. Patient age, gender, race, and CCI were associated with risk of endophthalmitis.
Aquatic vegetation dynamics in the Upper Mississippi River over 2 decades spanning vegetation recovery

AbstractMacrophytes have recovered in rivers across the world, but long-term data and studies are lacking regarding community assembly and diversity changes coincident with macrophyte recovery. We ...
Integrated FRACAS systems for F117 infrared acquisition designation system (IRADS) support yield higher MTBMA

This paper discusses how various independent databases have been integrated to improve the infrared acquisition designation system (IRADS) and facilitate higher reliability. The microsoft access databases contain all of the failure and maintenance data related to the IRADS system. Mean time between maintenance action (MTBMA) includes failures, could not duplicate (CND), and maintenance induced actions while mean time between failure (MTBF) only accounts for hard failures on the system. The databases are a vital tool in solving engineering problems and identifying trends for future improvements to the IRADS system.
Review of Current issues in parsing technology by Masaru Tomita. Kluwer Academic Publishers 1991.

Current Issues in Parsing Technology, edited by Masaru Tomita, contains 18 revised versions from the 45 papers that were presented at the International Workshop on Parsing Technologies (IWPT-89) in August 1989. (Other papers from the conference relating to generalized LR parsing can be found in another book edited by Tomita, aptly titled Generalized LR Parsing.) Seventeen of the contributions in the book report on implementations or formal results (e.g., theorems and proofs) associated with parsing issues, while the first chapter is an introduction by the editor that sets the context and objective for the conference and the book. This introductory chapter also briefly summarizes each of the other papers. Before discussing the common goal and commenting on whether the reports satisfy that objective, a short sketch of each contribution is provided.
Bruno Latour and the Symmetries of Science and Politics

Bruno Latour investigates the intertwining of science and politics through a “symmetrical anthropology” that treats the representation of humans and nonhumans in tandem. Perplexed, intrigued, annoyed, and otherwise inspired, several commentators have written thoughtful overviews and critiques of Latour’s work. Rather than repeating their efforts, I focus here on Latour’s treatment of representation and its implications for democratic theory and practice. In short, I read Latour not primarily as an analyst of sociotechnical networks, but as a theorist of democracy.
A Singularity Analysis of Dynamical Systems with Applications to Astronomy

The analysis of movable singularities in the complex time plane of n first order, ordinary differential equations has led to a better understanding of the real time behavior of the solutions of dynamical systems. The requirement that these singularities be poles with n-1 free constants, i.e. the so-called Painleve property, has identified many new completely integrable dynamical systems having, of course, no chaotic behavior whatsoever. On the other hand, the violation of the Painleve property with the introduction of logarithmic terms at higher orders in the series expansions has identified many dynamical systems with only “weakly chaotic” behavior. In this lecture, I review these results and discuss the methods of singularity analysis with the aid of illustrative examples from Celestial Mechanics and Astronomy.
Ongoing Evolution of Outcomes Analysis for Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization

Jayaram and colleagues are to be congratulated for their important manuscript in this issue of Circulation .1 The IMproving Pediatric and Adult Congenital Treatment Registry (IMPACT) of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) of the American College of Cardiology is the largest registry, to date, collecting information on pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disease undergoing diagnostic or interventional cardiac catheterization. Jayaram and colleagues used the IMPACT Registry to develop and internally validate a model to predict the occurrence of a major adverse event following cardiac catheterization, using a cohort of 19 608 cardiac catheterizations that were performed at 58 US centers between January 2011 and March 2013. A major adverse event occurred in 378 (1.9%) of all cases. After multivariable adjustment, 8 variables were identified as critical for risk-standardization: patient age, renal insufficiency, single-ventricle physiology, procedure-type risk group, low systemic saturation, low mixed venous saturation, elevated systemic ventricular end diastolic pressure, and elevated main pulmonary artery pressures. The model had good discrimination (C-statistic of 0.70), confirmed by bootstrap validation (validation C-statistic of 0.69). Article see p 1863 The development by IMPACT of this model to predict the occurrence of a major adverse event following pediatric or adult congenital cardiac catheterization represents an important contribution that enhances the rapidly expanding armamentarium of tools available to analyze the outcomes and assess the quality of pediatric and congenital cardiac care. Just recently, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (STS-CHSD) published an updated risk model for congenital heart surgery.2,3 Similar to the IMPACT risk model, the STS-CHSD risk model improved on previous procedural risk models by incorporating patient level risk factors as covariates. Empirically-based risk models such as these are particularly important in the field of pediatric and adult congenital cardiac care because of the tremendous …
Historical American Perspectives on International Law

The United States’ relationship with international law, although oft-discussed, is poorly understood. Depictions of the relationship are often little more than caricatures. Depending on when the caricature is drawn, the United States may be a longstanding “champion” of international law, an “exceptionalist” defender of American values, or a hypocritical opponent of international governance. Many traditional histories do little to complicate these views. Focused primarily on foreign affairs law and constitutional war powers, these histories highlight moments of tension between the United States and international law. Missing from these histories of American diplomacy and warcraft, foreign affairs caselaw and doctrinal development is the rich cultural and intellectual history of American engagement with international law and justice. This short essay, an expanded version of a panel introduction at International Law Weekend 2008, highlights the work of a number of scholars who are beginning to fill this gap. It argues that a new focus on the cultural and intellectual history of American approaches to international law can, among other things, (1) enrich our historical picture of American relations to international law, (2) complicate the common stereotypes of that relationship that dominate current debates, and (3) facilitate study of various theories of international law, particularly constructivist ones.
Lumbar Puncture in Meningitis

Wiswell et al1 assert that "if lumbar punctures (LPs) are omitted as part of the early neonatal sepsis evaluation, the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis occasionally will be delayed or missed completely." They call into question a study from our institution as well as several others2-5 that have recently concluded that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination is not indicated in asymptomatic neonates with antepartum risk factors for infection." We would like to raise for discussion the semantics of Dr Wiswell9s assertion and the data upon which it is based.
Facile synthesis of ultra-small ruthenium oxide nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets for high-performance supercapacitors

Herein, we report a facile, low cost, and environmentally friendly approach to prepare reduced graphene oxide–ruthenium oxide hybrid (RGO–RuO2) materials for supercapacitor electrode applications by in situ sol–gel deposition of RuO2 nanoparticles on the surface of graphene oxide (GO), followed by a reduction of GO in a strong alkaline medium at a low temperature. The combination of the sol–gel route and the reduction of graphene oxide at low temperatures resulted in ultrafine, hydrated amorphous RuO2 particles with sizes of only 1.0–2.0 nm, which uniformly decorated the surfaces of RGO sheets. The obtained RGO–RuO2 supercapacitor exhibited excellent electrochemical capacitive performance in a 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte with a specific capacitance more than 500 F g−1 at a current density of 1.0 A g−1 and high rate performance with the capacitance retention of 86% when the current density was increased 20 times, from 1.0 to 20.0 A g−1 in a two-electrode test cell configuration. The RGO–RuO2 system also showed good cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 87% after 2000 cycles. The excellent capacitive properties of RGO–RuO2 could be attributed to the uniform anchoring of ultra-small, hydrated amorphous RuO2 nanoparticles on the surface of RGO sheets, resulting in synergistic effects between them. The developed approach represents an exciting direction for enhancing the device performance of the graphene–metal oxide composite supercapacitors and can be used for designing the next generation of energy storage devices.
ESTRATEGIC MANAGEMENT DURING THE TRANSICION PERIOD TO OPTIMISE PRODUCTIVITY AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN THE DAIRY HERD

In dairy herds, the interval between calving and pregnancy depend on many factors including preparation of the cow for calving, dietary management before and after calving. Factors such as hypocalcemia and body condition are determinant in the presentation of postpartum pathologies and ovarian activity resumption. Additionally, management of the dairy cattle should include fixed time artificial insemination protocols to increase the number of animals bred close to the voluntary waiting period and pregnancy rates. The following review will address topics related with cattle body condition and puerperal hypocalcemia that affect negatively postpartum reproductive performance and also will, address management alternatives to improve pregnancy rates y to reduce days open.
Experimental observation of disorder-driven hysteresis-loop criticality.

We have studied the effect of magnetic disorder on the magnetization reversal process in thin $\mathrm{Co}/\mathrm{CoO}$ films. The antiferromagnetic CoO layer allows a reversible tuning of the magnetic disorder by simple temperature variation. For temperatures above a critical temperature ${T}_{c}$, we observe a discontinuous magnetization reversal, whereas smooth magnetization loops occur for $Tl{T}_{c}$. Our measurements establish the existence of a disorder-driven critical point in the nonequilibrium phase diagram. In addition, we observe scaling behavior in the vicinity of the critical point and determine the critical exponents $\ensuremath{\beta}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0.022\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.006$ and $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\delta}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0.30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03$ for this two-dimensional system.
Differentiating between good credits and bad credits using neuro-fuzzy systems

Abstract To evaluate consumer loan applications, loan officers use many techniques such as judgmental systems, statistical models, or simply intuitive experience. In recent years, fuzzy systems and neural networks have attracted the growing interest of researchers and practitioners. This study compares the performance of artificial neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) and multiple discriminant analysis models to screen potential defaulters on consumer loans. Using a modeling sample and a test sample, we find that the neuro-fuzzy system performs better than the multiple discriminant analysis approach to identify bad credit applications. Further, neuro-fuzzy systems have many advantages over traditional computational methods. Neuro-fuzzy system models are flexible, more tolerant of imprecise data, and can model non-linear functions of arbitrary complexity.
Application of a Ag Ductile Layer in Minimizing Si Die Stresses in LDMOS Packages

Lateral Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductors (LDMOS) normally have a Cu-W flange, whose CTE is matched to Si. Low cost Cu substrate material provides 2X high thermal conductivity, and along with a AuSi eutectic solder is recommended for optimal thermal performance. However, the CTE mismatch between Cu and Si can lead to failure of the semiconductor as a result of die fracture, due to thermal stresses developed during the soldering step of the manufacturing process. Introducing a Ag ductile layer is very important in minimizing such thermal stresses and preventing catastrophic failure of the semiconductor. Ag is a ductile material electroplated on the Cu substrate to absorb stresses developed during manufacturing due to the CTE mismatch between Si and Cu. The Ag layer thickness affects the magnitude of the resulting thermal stresses. This study attempts to measure the yield strength of the Ag layer, and examines the optimal layer thickness to minimize die stresses and prevent failure. The yield stress of the ductile layer deposited on a Cu flange was measured by nanoindentation. The Oliver and Pharr method was applied to obtain modulus of elasticity and yield depth of Ag. A finite element analysis of the package was performed in order to map die stress distribution for various ductile layer thicknesses. The analysis showed that increasing the ductile layer thickness up to 0.01 - 0.02 mm, decreases the Si die stresses.
Human selenium-dependent thioredoxin reductase from HeLa cells: properties of forms with differing heparin affinities.

Abstract The TrxRl form of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) was the major form of the enzyme isolated from HeLa cells grown in a fermentor at 35°C under controlled aeration conditions favorable to growth, nominally 30% of saturation of dissolved oxygen or 8 ml of oxygen in a liter of medium. This TrxR1 form was not retained on a heparin affinity matrix, it contained one selenium per subunit, was highly active catalytically, and showed strong cross-reactivity with anti-rat liver TrxR1 polyclonal antibodies. At higher aeration, 50% of saturation of dissolved oxygen or 12 ml of oxygen in a liter of medium, HeLa cell growth was slower and additional TrxR forms that bound to heparin were present in purified enzyme preparations. A minor component, TrxR2, the mitochondrial form of TrxR, was detected in the heparin-bound enzyme fraction. One enzyme form that contained less selenium (ca. 0.5 Se per TrxR subunit) was only about 50% as active with thioredoxin or 5,5′dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) as substrate. Cross-reactivity of this form with anti-rat liver TrxR1 polyclonal antibodies was very weak. The isoelectric point of the low Se enzyme, 5.85, was higher than that, 5.2–5.4, of normal Se content enzyme. Affinity of purified fully active TrxR1 to heparin could be induced by reduction with NADPH or tris-(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP). Under anaerobic conditions there was complete retention of Se indicating that an enzyme conformation change effected by reduction was involved. The TCEP-reduced enzyme form was very oxygen labile and upon exposure to air both the Se content and catalytic activity decreased by about 50%. Addition of millimolar concentrations of NADPH or NADP+ to the TCEP-reduced enzyme gave full protection from oxygen inactivation. TrxR1 exhibited weak peroxidase activity with H2O2 as substrate in the presence of an NADPH-generating system but this activity was unstable. Specific alkylation of the selenocysteine residue of TrxR1 which completely inhibits the NADPH-dependent reduction of disulfides also destroyed peroxidase activity.