cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aqueous Central Cavity in Aspartate Transcarbamylase from Escherichia coli

A three-dimensional x-ray diffraction study of aspartate transcarbamylase to 5.5-angstrom resolution, with the aid of four isomorphous heavy atom derivatives, indicates the presence of a central aqueous cavity approximating an oblate spheroid about 25 by 50 by 50 angstroms in dimension, within a molecule about 90 by 110 by 110 angstroms in largest dimensions.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction in an integrated care delivery system: one-year impacts on patient-centered outcomes and health care utilization.

Background: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs have demonstrated clinical effectiveness for both mental and physical health conditions. Less research exists on health services utilization, self-efficacy, or work productivity outcomes. Objective: To assess one-year outcomes of MBSR in patients with chronic pain, chronic illness, or stress-related problems, measuring functional status, pain, self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, somatization, psychological distress, work productivity, and changes in health services utilization. Methods: A prospective single cohort design evaluated an eight-week MBSR program for Kaiser Permanente Colorado members. Patient-reported measures were collected at baseline, eight weeks, and one year following MBSR. Differences in health services utilization were compared from six months before MBSR to six months following the one-year anniversary of MBSR. Results: Most of the 38 participants were white (28; 74%), female (30; 79%), employed part-time (35; 92%), and average age 52.6 years, with multiple comorbidities (averaging 16.4 unique diagnoses), the most common being joint or back pain (28; 74%) and psychological disorder (20; 53%). Repeated measures analyses at 8 weeks (n = 26) and at 1 year (n = 24) showed significant improvements in self-reported mental and physical function, pain, psychological symptoms, and self-efficacy, but not work productivity. Significant decreases at 1 year were ob served for visits in primary care (-50%, p < 0.0001), specialty care (-38%, p = 0.0004), and the Emergency Department (-50%, p = 0.04), and for hospital admissions (-80%, p = 0.02). Conclusion: The MBSR program was associated with improvements in several patient-centered outcomes over 1 year and reductions in health services utilization up to 18 months.
Attentional and Perceptual Measures: Developmental Changes

A battery of 37 tasks was assembled for neuropsychiatric assessment of cognitive functioning, motor control, perceptual abilities, vigilance, and neuromaturational status. In order to determine developmental changes within a normal population, a test battery was administered to 90 middle-class grade school children (50 boys and 40 girls), who ranged in age from 4 to 14. Statistical assessment of left- and righthanded differences produced only one significant finding, which was probably due to environmental adaptation. The only clear sex difference indicated a gross motor advantage for boys walking backward on the balance beam. All 37 tests correlated with age—with true value correlations ranging from .39 to .87.
Effects of oestradiol cypionate on spontaneous and oxytocin-stimulated postpartum myometrial activity in the cow.

Summary The effects of oestradiol cypionate (ECP) on spontaneous and oxytocin-induced postpartum myometrial activity were measured in four cows using strain gauge transducers (SGT). On the first day after parturition, prior to treatment with ECP, myometrial activity consisted mainly of single-peak contractions (mean frequency 9·6/h, mean duration 141·0 s, the majority of the contractions being propagated in a tubocervical direction. Injection of ECP (5 mg i.m.) 18 h after parturition led to suppression of coordinated myometrial activity and the development of sustained low amplitude contractions of reduced frequency (mean 2·9/h, P P
Effect of Luminance-Matched Wavelength on Depth Discrimination at Scotopic and Photopic Levels of Target Illumination

Two observers made equidistance settings in a two-rod apparatus with illuminated white and colored targets photometrically matched at 8–9 illumination levels ranging from 0.003 to 30 trolands. The equidistance settings were analyzed in terms of the angular magnitude of both the variable error, ηAD, and the constant error ηΔR. The ηAD vs retinal-illuminance curves for the white and colored targets show that at low retinal illuminances, ηAD is initially large. With increasing target illumination, ηAD progressively decreases to approach a final low asymptotic value. Each experimental curve shows a discontinuity at about 0.1 td. The curves representing the different wavelengths essentially overlap throughout the entire luminance range, indicating that, at both scotopic and photopic levels, wavelength has no differential effect on the variability of equidistance settings. Although the corresponding data for the angular constant error, ηΔR, are considerably less regular, no differential wavelength effects are evident; the absolute magnitude of the constant errors generally decreases for all wavelengths as target illumination is increased. The data are discussed in terms of the duplicity theory of vision, emphasizing the effect of brightness matches performed at sub-photopic (i.e., at scotopic and mesopic) levels.
Cultural geography and the inner dimensions of the quest for knowledge

In North American cultural geography, intellectual curiosity has motivated most scholarship directed to learning about the world. Two aspects of that curiosity, epistemic inquisitiveness and wonder, work together to drive the pursuit of knowledge that has the potential to reach an ecstatic consciousness. A great exemplar of intellectual curiosity as a powerful motivational force was Carl O. Sauer (1889–1975), who considered pure inquiry based on intrinsic interest as the foundation of geographical scholarship. That research can also have a euphoric dimension is described in three vignettes of past projects in Highland Peru, the Mascarene Archipelago, and equatorial Brazil, which make explicit how wanting to know and wondering about what might be known prompt ideas and drive them forward. With introspection, cultural geographers are in a position to inform the discipline about how scholarship that conjoins thought and feeling can lead to an understanding of motivation and an appreciation of the intellectua...
Bayesian networks for system reliability reassessment

Abstract This paper proposes a methodology to apply Bayesian networks to structural system reliability reassessment, with the incorporation of two important features of large structures: (1) multiple failure sequences, and (2) correlations between component-level limit states. The proposed method is validated by analytical comparison with the traditional reliability analysis methods for series and parallel systems. The Bayesian network approach is combined with the branch-and-bound method to improve its efficiency and to facilitate its application to large structures. A framed structure with multiple potential locations of plastic hinges and multiple failure sequences is analyzed to illustrate the proposed method.
Playing vs. Caring: Differential Socialization for Childrearing in Older Adolescents

Male (N = 69) and female (N = 132) college students rated the extent of their experience at 20 childrearing activities, half of which had been determined to involve play, and half physical care. Subjects also completed a behavioral checklist assessing experience with young children. Males reported significantly lower levels of experience than females (p < .001), but as expected, sex interacted with behavioral domain (p < .001), with the discrepancy greater on care activities than on play activities. Self‐ratings were positively correlated with checklist scores (r = .71, p < .001). A factor analysis of rating scores revealed three factors, with play items loading heavily on one factor, and care items loading on the other two factors. Implications for sex differences in interaction style among parents were discussed.
Action, Philosophical Issues about

The philosophy of action concerns theories about what actions are, how they are to be explained, and the mental events and states associated with intentional action. Keywords: action; explanation; intention; plans; reasons
Compaction of Schedules and a Two-Stage Approach for Duplication-Based DAG Scheduling

Many DAG scheduling algorithms generate schedules that require prohibitively large number of processors. To address this problem, we propose a generic algorithm, SC, to minimize the processor requirement of any given valid schedule. SC preserves the schedule length of the original schedule and reduces processor count by merging processor schedules and removing redundant duplicate tasks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first algorithm to address this highly unexplored aspect of DAG scheduling. On average, SC reduced the processor requirement 91, 82, and 72 percent for schedules generated by PLW, TCSD, and CPFD algorithms, respectively. SC algorithm has a low complexity (O{N}3) compared to most duplication-based algorithms. Moreover, it decouples processor economization from schedule length minimization problem. To take advantage of these features of SC, we also propose a scheduling algorithm SDS, having the same time complexity as SC. Our experiments demonstrate that schedules generated by SDS are only 3 percent longer than CPFD (O{N}4), one of the best algorithms in that respect. SDS and SC together form a two-stage scheduling algorithm that produces schedules with high quality and low processor requirement, and has lower complexity than the comparable algorithms that produce similar high-quality results.
Partitioning of Servers in Queueing Systems During Rush Hour

This paper is motivated by two phenomena observed in many queueing systems in practice. The first is the partitioning of server capacity among different customers based on their service time requirements. The second is rush hour demand where a large number of customers arrive over a short period of time followed by few or no arrivals for an extended period thereafter. We study a system with multiple parallel servers and multiple customer classes. The servers can be partitioned into server groups, each dedicated to a single customer class. The system operates under a rush hour regime with a large number of customers arriving at the beginning of the rush hour period. We show that this allows us to reduce the problem to one that is deterministic and for which closed-form solutions can be obtained. We compare the performance of the system with and without server partitioning during rush hour and address three basic questions. (1) Is partitioning beneficial to the system? (2) Is it equally beneficial to all customer classes? (3) If it is implemented, what is an optimal partition? We evaluate the applicability of our results to systems where customers arrive over time using (1) deterministic fluid models and (2) simulation models for systems with stochastic interarrival times.
Reflections on the Evolution of Cardiac Biomarkers

I was asked for this special issue to reflect on the area of laboratory tests for identifying cardiac injury. I will include my own experiences in this area, as well as some of others and a bit of personal perspective. I have published elements of this history previously (1–3) and freely admit to drawing on my prior publications. Considerations for a blood protein biomarker to identify the death of any cell involve 3 major factors: sensitivity, which will be affected by the abundance and location of the protein in the cell; the timing of sampling, which is influenced by the mode of entry into blood and the half-life of elimination; and specificity for the cell of interest. A compounding factor in myocardial infarction (MI)2 (acute coronary syndrome) is that the acute event is caused by blockage of blood flow in a coronary artery or arteries that leads to hypoxia and cell death. This blockage delays protein markers from reaching the blood because they cannot readily diffuse into the blood; instead, they reach the blood via the lymphatics, which is somewhat akin to traveling on city streets rather than on an interstate. Today, we have several discovery tools for identifying candidate cell injury biomarkers via gene expression (4) or proteomics (5) in a reasonably straightforward manner. It is noteworthy that cardiac biomarkers evolved without such tools, and appropriate biomarkers were found intuitively and empirically (Table 1), probably because the heart's major function is contraction, which requires energy. The biomarkers used were all involved in energy production or control of contraction. View this table: Table 1. History of use of biochemical markers of myocardial injury. The first practical test used was serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), now called “aspartate aminotransferase” (AST) (6). Practical use of this test in clinical laboratories required the development of robust, temperature-controlled spectrophotometers, such as the Gilford 300N developed by …
Losartan Versus Gene Therapy: Chronic Control of High Blood Pressure in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Interruption of the renin-angiotensin system by pharmacological manipulations attenuates high blood pressure (BP) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). However, these agents, such as losartan, need to be administered daily to maintain effective BP control. Therefore, we have hypothesized that a genetic intervention in the expression of angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) should attenuate development of hypertension on a long-term basis in SHR. A retroviral-mediated AT1R antisense cDNA gene delivery system (LNSV-AT1R-AS) was used to test this hypothesis and to compare its BP-lowering effects with those of losartan. Introduction of LNSV-AT1R-AS into 5-day-old Wistar-Kyoto rats and SHR resulted in a robust expression of AT1R antisense (AS) within 3 days and persisted for at least 30 days. This expression was associated with a selective attenuation of high BP in SHR by 25 to 30 mm Hg. Although basal lowering of BP was exclusive to SHR, the angiotensin II (Ang II) pressor response was significantly reduced in all LNSV-AT1R-AS-treated rats. The decreased response to Ang II was associated with a similar attenuation of Ang II-induced dipsogenic responses in both strains of rats. The BP-lowering effects of LNSV-AT1R-AS treatment and losartan treatment were similar and primarily observed in SHR. However, the antihypertensive effect lasted less than 24 hours in losartan-treated SHR compared with 90 days in LNSV-AT1R-AS-treated SHR. In addition, losartan was unable to further lower BP in LNSV-AT1R-AS-treated SHR. Collectively, these results suggest that both losartan and LNSV-AT1R-AS treatment produces an antihypertensive response selectively in SHR that is mediated by interruption of AT1R function. However, a single, acute genetic treatment with LNSV-AT1R-AS can result in long-term control of high BP at a similar level of effectiveness as losartan, without altering plasma Ang II levels.
Effect of a Specialized Pediatric Institutional Setting on Organ Recovery From Potential Donors

BACKGROUND The relationship between accessibility to the full range of subspecialty care available at freestanding pediatric hospitals and organ donor management and recovery rates has not been studied. OBJECTIVE To examine current rates of recovery of organs from children for transplantation at free-standing pediatric hospitals versus all other hospitals. METHODS Data from the hospitals served by Mid-America Transplant Services from January 2000 to July 2003 were reviewed. Organ recovery rates from freestanding children's hospitals were compared with the rates from other types of institutions. Patients were included if their organs were considered medically suitable at the time of referral for donation. RESULTS Overall, 66% (210/318) of the potential organs were recovered. The type of institution in which the potential donor was managed did not influence the proportion of organs recovered: 67% (96/144) at freestanding children's hospitals versus 66% (114/174) at all other hospitals. A greater proportion of livers were recovered at other donor institutions than at children's hospitals (100% vs 85%, P< or =.01). CONCLUSION The organ recovery rate from potential pediatric donors is low. In general, this rate does not appear to be affected by the type of managing pediatric institution except for liver recovery, which favors institutions that are not freestanding children's hospitals. The low rate of recovery suggests that although suitable donors are identified, appropriate referrals are made, and families provide consent for donation, major obstacles remain to the successful recovery of organs.
Newcastle disease viruses in birds in the Atlantic flyway : isolations, haemagglutination-inhibition and elution-inhibition antibody profiles

The study involved 15 avian species with 5,012 attempts to isolate Newcastle disease viruses (NDV) from their faeces over a three-year period (1977-1979). NDV were isolated from asymptomatic adult Canada geese, nestling Royal terms, a juvenile European Mute swan, and adult Tundra swans on the Eastern flyway. Ring-billed gulls were negative for haemagglutination-inhibition (HI), elution-inhibition (EI) (anti-neuraminidase) antibodies, and NDV despite 3,403 isolation attempts. The EI antibody assay used a strain isolated from a Mute swan. The prevalence of EI antibodies in the swan and geese ranged from 3-41%, while the geometric mean titre (GMT) varied from 20-36. The prevalence of HI antibodies in the swans and geese ranged from 4-62%, while the GMT varied from 16-42. In each of three years (1977-1979), the adult Mute swans had a higher HI antibody prevalence than the juveniles (P < 0.01). Among the Mute swans the HI and EI assays detected serologic conversions and persistent antibodies over the three-year period. The HI and EI assays were effective in showing differences in antibody prevalences in populations of feral birds of different species and age. The EI assay is applicable for population studies of the anti-neuraminidase antibody.
Treadmill measures of ambulation rates in ovine models of spinal cord injury and neuropathic pain

Our laboratories are developing treadmill-based gait analysis employing sheep to investigate potential efficacy of intra-dural spinal cord stimulation in the treatment of spinal cord injury and neuropathic pain. As part of efforts to establish the performance characteristics of the experimental arrangement, this study measured the treadmill speed via a tachometer, video belt-marker timing and ambulation-rate observations of the sheep. The data reveal a 0.1-0.3% residual drift in the baseline (unloaded) treadmill speed which increases with loading, but all three approaches agree on final speed to within 1.7%, at belt speeds of ≈ 4 km/h. Using the tachometer as the standard, the estimated upper limit on uncertainty in the video belt-marker approach is ± 0.18 km h(-1) and the measured uncertainty is ± 0.15 km h(-1). Employment of the latter method in determining timing differences between contralateral hoof strikes by the sheep suggests its utility in assessing severity of SCI and responses to therapeutic interventions.
Regulation of Natural Killer Cell Function by STAT3

Natural killer (NK) cells, key members of a distinct hematopoietic lineage, innate lymphoid cells, are not only critical effectors that mediate cytotoxicity toward tumor and virally infected cells but also regulate inflammation, antigen presentation, and the adaptive immune response. It has been shown that NK cells can regulate the development and activation of many other components of the immune response, such as dendritic cells, which in turn, modulate the function of NK cells in multiple synergistic feed back loops driven by cell-cell contact, and the secretion of cytokines and chemokines that control effector function and migration of cells to sites of immune activation. The signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-3 is involved in driving almost all of the pathways that control NK cytolytic activity as well as the reciprocal regulatory interactions between NK cells and other components of the immune system. In the context of tumor immunology, NK cells are a first line of defense that eliminates pre-cancerous and transformed cells early in the process of carcinogenesis, through a mechanism of "immune surveillance." Even after tumors become established, NK cells are critical components of anticancer immunity: dysfunctional NK cells are often found in the peripheral blood of cancer patients, and the lack of NK cells in the tumor microenvironment often correlates to poor prognosis. The pathways and soluble factors activated in tumor-associated NK cells, cancer cells, and regulatory myeloid cells, which determine the outcome of cancer immunity, are all critically regulated by STAT3. Using the tumor microenvironment as a paradigm, we present here an overview of the research that has revealed fundamental mechanisms through which STAT3 regulates all aspects of NK cell biology, including NK development, activation, target cell killing, and fine tuning of the innate and adaptive immune responses.
Bipolar Disorder and Epilepsy: A Bidirectional Relation? Neurobiological Underpinnings, Current Hypotheses, and Future Research Directions

A number of studies have demonstrated that affective disorders in epilepsy represent a common psychiatric comorbidity; however, most of the classic neuropsychiatric literature focuses on depression, which is actually prominent, but little is known about bipolar depression, and very little about mania, in epilepsy. Biochemical, structural, and functional abnormalities in primary bipolar disorder could also occur secondary to seizure disorders. The kindling paradigm, invoked as a model for understanding seizure disorders, has also been applied to the episodic nature of bipolar disorder. In bipolar patients, changes in second-messenger systems, such as G-proteins, phosphatidylinositol, protein kinase C, myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate, or calcium activity have been described, along with changes in c-fos expression. Common mechanisms at the level of ion channels might include the antikindling and the calcium-antagonistic and potassium outward current-modulating properties of antiepileptic drugs....
Detrusor Hypertonicity as a Late Complication of a Wertheim Hysterectomy

AbstractAn extended radical Wertheim hysterectomy is commonly used in the primary treatment of carcinoma of the cervix. Postoperative voiding dysfunction, characterized by a hypotonic or atonic detrusor, commonly occurs. It is not generally appreciated that hypertonic bladder dysfunction can also occur as a late postoperative complication. We describe 3 patients with postoperative detrusor hypertonia resulting in radiographic changes of the upper urinary tract. The etiology, diagnosis and management of detrusor hypertonia following a Wertheim hysterectomy are discussed.
Occurrence and Morphology

In this chapter we attempt to summarize the stages through which our knowledge of auroral displays has progressed, from the first good descriptions of its geographical distribution to the detailed accounts now emerging. The morphology of electric currents in aurora and their magnetic effects is discussed. Finally auroral displays are related to the particle fluxes and magnetospheric processes which are their immediate cause.
Discussion on the Interaction among Government, University, and Industry in the Field of Biomaterials

The panelists for this discussion were Dr. James Dickson, Director, Engineering in Biology and Medicine, National Institute of General Medical Sciences; Dr. Alan Johnson, Chairman, Department of Physical and Engineering Metallurgy, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn; and Dr. Silas Braley, Director, Dow-Corning Center for Aid to Medical Research. The moderator was Dr. Lawrence Stark, Chairman, Biomedical Engineering Department, Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle.
Is routine audiometric testing necessary for children with isolated preauricular lesions

Abstract Introduction Preauricular lesions, including tags, pits, sinuses, and cysts are commonly seen. Some studies have shown increased incidence of hearing loss in these patients but other studies have failed to corroborate this finding. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the incidence of hearing loss in patients with isolated preauricular lesions. Methods Retrospective chart review of all pediatric otolaryngology patients seen at a tertiary academic center between 2008 and 2014. All patients with the diagnosis code of 744.1 or 701.9 (preauricular skin tag) or 744.46, 744.47, or 744.89 (preauricular pit/fistula/cyst) were included in this study. Medical records were reviewed for clinical, demographic, and audiologic data. Results Ninety-nine patients, 46 males, 53 females, with preauricular lesions were identified. Twelve were found to have abnormal hearing. Five patients had conductive hearing loss due to underlying Eustachian tube dysfunction. Four patients had sensorineural hearing loss; three of these patients had an enlarged vestibular aqueduct and one patient did not have an identified cause. Three patients had sound field testing or abnormal otoacoustic emissions that suggested hearing loss with no further follow up. Conclusion Children with isolated preauricular lesions with no history of otologic surgery or risk factors for hearing loss may not need audiologic evaluation outside of regular hearing screening. However, there does appear to be a higher association with Eustachian tube dysfunction in these children. Further studies will need to be done to determine whether or not there is an embryological correlation for this finding.
Abstract 17286: National Trends in Hospital Readmission Rates in Congestive Heart Failure Patients

Background: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the leading cause of hospitalization among adults in the United States. Despite improvement in outcomes with medical therapy, readmission rates followi...
Threading the biophysics of mammalian Slo1 channels onto structures of an invertebrate Slo1 channel

For those interested in the machinery of ion channel gating, the Ca2+ and voltage-activated BK K+ channel provides a compelling topic for investigation, by virtue of its dual allosteric regulation by both voltage and intracellular Ca2+ and because its large-single channel conductance facilitates detailed kinetic analysis. Over the years, biophysical analyses have illuminated details of the allosteric regulation of BK channels and revealed insights into the mechanism of BK gating, e.g., inner cavity size and accessibility and voltage sensor-pore coupling. Now the publication of two structures of an Aplysia californica BK channel-one liganded and one metal free-promises to reinvigorate functional studies and interpretation of biophysical results. The new structures confirm some of the previous functional inferences but also suggest new perspectives regarding cooperativity between Ca2+-binding sites and the relationship between voltage- and Ca2+-dependent gating. Here we consider the extent to which the two structures explain previous functional data on pore-domain properties, voltage-sensor motions, and divalent cation binding and activation of the channel.
Oral Cavity: Anatomy and Histology

This chapter reviews the oral cavity anatomy, correlated with histology. Familiarity with normal histology of each subsite is invaluable when evaluating and orienting oral cavity resection specimens.
Z-Dependent Perturbation Theory and Complex Rotation Method in Autoionizing States of Atoms

A combined Complex Rotation and Feshbach Projection method is implemented within Z-dependent perturbation theory to obtain the lowest-order contribution to the widths of autoionizing states of two- and three-electron atoms. This approach relies on the fact that in the complex rotation method, it is the open-channel part of the wave function that produces the imaginary component of the energy. Calculation of this part of the wave function involves the solution of a simple one-electron differential equation which, in lowest-order, can be obtained to any desired level of accuracy. These results represent the limiting values of the width for high Z values in the non-relativistic approximation, and are particularly useful for states with extremely narrow widths, as these are difficult to calculate accurately with other methods.
Using an object-oriented database to support a web application built with java technologies

This paper describes how an object-oriented database can be used to support a web site built with Java technology. It describes the object-oriented database technologies that were used in implementing a web application called the Online Grade Book.
Imaging in the Evaluation of Children with Suspected Craniosynostosis

■ Plain skull radiography demonstrates moderate to high sensitivity and specificity in craniosynostosis.
Bistable Flows Driven by Colored Noise

The escape from a metastable state has long been a subject of theoretical attention. Such processes play an important role in physics, chemistry, engineering sciences and bio-physics in problems such as thermoionic emmission, transport in Josephson junctions and super-ionic conductors, modeling of chemical reaction rates and ligand migration in proteins. Bistable systems often resemble the model of a Brownian motion in a potential field with two or perhaps more adjacent wells and barriers in between which prevent the particles from jumping too often. This is the viewpoint put forward by KRAMERS /1/ whose original work in this field represents a milestone. In his approach, the relevant nonlinear motion is treated explicitly whereas the interaction with the residual degrees of freedom are represented by noise and frictional forces. Kramers treated the motion in. a one-dimensional potential field and described the heat bath interaction by white Gaussian noise which satisfies an Einstein relation. Generalizations of Kramers’ work to Brownian motion in a multi-dimensional potential field are due to BRINKMAN /2/, LANDAUER and SWANSON /3/ and LANGER /4/.
Explanation for good visual acuity in uncorrected residual hyperopia and presbyopia after radial keratotomy

It has been observed that, after radial keratotomy (RK), uncorrected residual hyperopes may have better visual acuity than expected and that some presbyopes, corrected only for distance, have adequate near-vision. We offer a possible explanation for these observations by showing that the increased spherical aberration after RK may produce a second focus 1.5 diopters or more in front of the principal focus of the eye.
Physician and patients factors associated with outcome of spinal epidural abscess related malpractice litigation.

Spinal epidural abscesses (SEA) can be challenging to diagnose and may result in serious adverse outcomes sometimes leading to neurologic compromise, sepsis, and even death. While SEA may lead to litigation for healthcare providers, little is known about the medicolegal factors predicting case outcome of SEA related litigation cases. Three large medicolegal databases (VerdictSearch, Westlaw, and LexisNexis) were queried for SEA-related malpractice cases. Plaintiff (patient) age, sex, previous infection history and clinical outcomes such as residual paraplegia/quadriplegia, and delay in diagnosis or treatment were examined. The relationship between these variables and the proportion of plaintiff rulings and size of indemnity payments were assessed. Of the 135 cases that met inclusion criteria, 29 (21.5%) settled, 59 (43.7%) resulted in a defendant ruling, and 47 (34.8%) resulted in a plaintiff ruling. Mean award for plaintiff rulings was $4,291,400 (95% CI, $5,860,129 to $2,722,671), which was significantly larger than mean awards for cases that settled out of court, $2,324,170 (95% CI, $3,206,124 to $1,442,217) (P 0.05). In contrast, plaintiff verdicts were more common for patients who became paraplegic or quadriplegic (P<0.02) and were associated with significantly higher monetary awards (P<0.05) relative to patients without paralysis. Plaintiff verdicts were also more common when cases had an associated delay in diagnosis (P=0.008) or delay in treatment (P<0.001). Internists were the most commonly sued physician named in 20 (14.8%) suits, followed by anesthesiologists in 13 (9.6%) suits, emergency medicine physicians in 12 (8.9%) suits, family medicine physicians in 9 (6.7%) suits, neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons in 6 (4.4%) suits each, and multiple providers in 2 (1.5%) suits. The remaining lawsuits were against a hospital or another specialty not previously listed This investigation examined legal claims associated with SEA and found that the likelihood of a plaintiff verdict was significantly related to patient outcome (paralysis) and physician factors (delay in diagnosis or treatment compared). Additionally, paralyzed plaintiffs receive higher award payouts. Non-operative physicians, who are often responsible for initial diagnosis, were more frequently named in malpractice suits than surgeons. Increased awareness of the medicolegal implications of SEA can better prevent delays in diagnosis and treatment, and thus, alleged negligence-based lawsuits.
A Challenging Dataset for Bias Detection: The Case of the Crisis in the Ukraine

The use of disinformation and purposefully biased reportage to sway public opinion has become a serious concern. We present a new dataset related to the Ukrainian Crisis of 2014–2015 which can be used by other researchers to train, test, and compare bias detection algorithms. The dataset comprises 4,538 articles in English related to the crisis from 227 news sources in 43 countries (including the Ukraine) comprising 1.7M words. We manually classified the bias of each article as either pro-Russian, pro-Western, or Neutral, and also aligned each article with a master timeline of 17 major events. When trained on the whole dataset a simple baseline SVM classifier using doc2vec embeddings as features achieves an \(F_{1}\) score of 0.86. This performance is deceptively high, however, because (1) the model is almost completely unable to correctly classify articles published in the Ukraine (0.07 \(F_{1}\)), and (2) the model performs nearly as well when trained on unrelated geopolitics articles written by the same publishers and tested on the dataset. As has been pointed out by other researchers, these results suggest that models of this type are learning journalistic styles rather than actually modeling bias. This implies that more sophisticated approaches will be necessary for true bias detection and classification, and this dataset can serve as an incisive test of new approaches.
Promoting Executive Functioning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder through Mixed Martial Arts Training.

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a mixed martial arts (MMA) intervention in improving executive functions (EFs) in a sample with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). School-aged children with ASD were randomly assigned to a MMA intervention group or a waitlist control (WLC) group. The intervention featured a 26-class program over a 13-week period; the WLC group did not participate in any martial arts between pre- and post-test. Results indicated that the MMA group had significantly better EFs at post-test compared to the WLC group. The intervention appeared to be efficacious in meeting its goals of improving the executive functioning of children with ASD. The present study extends the current literature on the malleability of EFs among children with ASD.
1D thermal characterization of micro/nano-cantilevers for Suspended ThermoReflectance measurements

Creating micro/nanoscale systems with one dimension substantially larger than the others is relatively straightforward, and convenient for studying thermal energy transport. This paper reports the theory for a novel noncontact micro/nanoscale temperature measurement technique named Suspended ThermoReflectance (STR). Here, the heat diffusion equation is applied to a cantilever beam of micro and nanoscale dimensions with Neumann and Dirichlet Boundary Conditions. The Neumann condition takes on constant, decaying, and periodic forms leading to steady-state, transient and harmonic solutions, respectively. Though general solutions are presented for multiple length to width ratios (L/w) in terms of geometry as well as thermal properties, silicon is studied due to its continued technological importance. The analytical solutions are compared to a 3D Finite Element Model to determine at what L/w ratio the analytical solutions accurately represent a 3D microcantilever beam. Thermal conductivity is determined using the steady-state solution. The transient solution yields the overall thermal diffusivity of the system irrespective of any frequency change, while the harmonic solution provides the phase difference along the length of the cantilever beam leading to a thermal diffusivity and the frequency dependent heat capacity. The analytical model can be used to analyze the aforementioned thermal properties for STR measurement at 4% accuracy for the system with length to width ratio of 20 and at 1% accuracy for length to width ratio of 100.
Nonpuerperal Ovarian Vein Thrombosis: A Report of Seven Cases.

Abstract Background: Nonpuerperal ovarian vein thrombosis (OVT) is a rare clinical entity. Therapy is not well defined. OVT is usually asymptomatic. Improved CT and MR imaging technology enables OVT to be diagnosed with greater frequency. Nonpuerperal OVT may be a distinct clinical entity. Methods: The medical records of women with nonpuerperal OVT were reviewed and their clinical course and treatment recorded. Cases were identified by scanning a CT computerized database over the past 3 years with the key words ovarian vein thrombosis. Results: 7 patients (pts) were identified. Age range was 38–61, median 51 years. 3 pts had OVT on the left and 4 on the right. OVT followed a procedure in 2 pts. 2 pts with breast cancer developed OVT, 1 during adjuvant tamoxifen and 1 receiving chemotherapy for metastatic disease. 1 pt had AML in CR. 3 pts presented with lower abdominal pain on the involved side and 1 pt had lower abdominal pain on the opposite side. The 3 pts with cancer were asymptomatic. 4 pts had uterine fibroids. 1 developed OVT in the setting of an acute diarrheal illness. 1 pt had prior DVT and 1 a family history of DVT. Only 1 pt had a hypercoagulable evaluation; negative. 2 pts had clot extending to the junction with the inferior vena cava (IVC) and both were anticoagulated with enoxaparin followed by warfarin. 1 pt was anticoagulated with enoxaparin alone. No embolic complications occurred. Conclusion: 4 pts with OVT were symptomatic and 3 were detected incidentally. 2 developed OVT following procedures, 3 had predisposing underlying conditions, and 2 had a personal or family history of thrombosis. Optimum therapy is not defined. Symptomatic disease alone is not an indication for anticoagulation. Anticoagulation may be indicated if clot extends to the IVC.
Cognitive informatics in health care

Abstract Cognitive informatics (CI) is an emerging multidisciplinary field combining computer science, cognitive psychology, and industrial engineering. Applying what we know about human thought and response is critical to studying and designing new technology. We know through human factors engineering experience in the military, aviation, and other high-risk industries that software, hardware, and processes designed without these principles in mind are likely to lead to repetitive human error and can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Although the field of CI is constantly evolving, it can be divided into two broad areas: first, replicating human cognitive abilities through technology, for example, artificial intelligence and second, studying and designing human-computer systems around the strengths and limitations of human abilities. While CI builds on established domains, its recent definition and application to health care is leading to new methodologies and understanding of the safest and most efficient way to integrate technology into the care of patients.
Crystallography, thermodynamics and phase transitions in refractory binary alloys

Abstract We investigate phase stability in all binary alloys comprised of elements from groups 4 (Ti, Zr, Hf), 5 (V, Nb, Ta) and 6 (Cr, Mo, W) of the periodic table. First-principles calculations of the energy landscapes along crystallographic pathways that connect bcc to hcp and bcc to ω show that group 4 elements are very distinct from group 5 and 6 elements. While group 5 and 6 elements are stable in bcc, group 4 elements favor hcp and ω and are predicted to be dynamically unstable in bcc. A comprehensive first-principles investigation of the 36 refractory binary systems using statistical mechanics techniques reveals six distinct classes of alloys, each with a unique phase diagram topology. The predictions of this study are in excellent agreement with previous experimental work. One exception is a class of refractory alloys with high temperature miscibility gaps that are not predicted with the methods used in this work. Our calculations predict the stability of a low-temperature Laves phase in the Nb-V binary that has yet to be observed experimentally. The relationships between alloy chemistry and high-temperature phase stability revealed in this study provide a basis for the systematic design of multicomponent disordered refractory alloys.
Sacubitril-valsartan Improves Blood Pressure And Heart Failure In Left Ventricular Assist Device (lvad) Patients

Purpose Angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) are not routinely used in patients following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. At our center, we have increasingly adopted ARNI use in LVAD patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ARNI therapy on LVAD patients. Methods Stable LVAD outpatients with hypertension and persistent heart failure in spite of standard LVAD optimization were initiated on ARNI therapy at our center. We retrospectively reviewed medication requirements and clinical parameters pre- and 3-months post-ARNI initiation. Results Twenty-one LVAD outpatients were initiated on sacubitril-valsartan in an effort to improve blood pressure control and heart failure symptoms. Of these 20 patients, 10 (50%) were maintained on 24/26 mg BID dosing, 6 (30%) were uptitrated to 49/51 mg BID, and 4 (20%) to 97/103 mg BID. Three months following ARNI initiation, mean arterial pressure improved from 92±24 to 75±19 mm Hg (P Conclusion ARNI can improve blood pressure, decrease diuretic requirement, and functional capacity in LVAD patients. LVAD speed and medication adjustments may be necessary following ARNI initiation, and in some instances, side effects can limit the ability to sustain ARNI therapy in the setting of LVAD.
Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV-DJ)-Cryo-EM Structure at 1.56 Å Resolution.

Adeno-associated virus is the leading viral vector for gene therapy. AAV-DJ is a recombinant variant developed for tropism to the liver. The AAV-DJ structure has been determined to 1.56 A resolution through cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Only apoferritin is reported in preprints at 1.6 A or higher resolution, and AAV-DJ nearly matches the highest resolutions ever attained through X-ray diffraction of virus crystals. However, cryo-EM has the advantage that most of the hydrogens are clear, improving the accuracy of atomic refinement, and removing ambiguity in hydrogen bond identification. Outside of secondary structures where hydrogen bonding was predictable a priori, the networks of hydrogen bonds coming from direct observation of hydrogens and acceptor atoms are quite different from those inferred even at 2.8 A resolution. The implications for understanding viral assembly mean that cryo-EM will likely become the favored approach for high resolution structural virology.
Harnessing nighttime transpiration dynamics for drought tolerance in grasses.

Non-negligible nighttime transpiration rates (TRN) have been identified in grasses such as wheat and barley. Evidence from the last 30 years indicate that in drought-prone environments with high ev...
An Exploratory Social Network Analysis of the “Invisible College” of Experimental Criminology and Criminal Justice Scholarship in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2011–2020

The current study builds on extant publication productivity CCJ research by applying a social network analysis to examine the presence of an “invisible college” of scholarship in experimental CCJ s...
Alert-Judgment: Ford's Entrepreneurial Five-Dollar Day

This paper provides evidence for the explanatory power of the theory entrepreneurship through analysis of one of the most widely publicized acts of American entrepreneurship: Ford’s five-dollar day. The proper classification and interpretation of the Ford Motor Company’s wage policy has been debated extensively by economists. The majority categorize it as an efficiency wage policy, though others argue for rent-sharing or the high-wage doctrine. I argue that Ford acted as an alert, innovative entrepreneur who exercised judgment under uncertainty when he developed the 1914 labor policy and Ford Sociological Department. Viewing the events of 1913 and 1914 at the FMC through this lens reveals that Ford’s personnel innovations were not merely efficiency wages, rent-sharing, or motivated by the high-wage doctrine. Rather, Ford’s actions are best understood as those of a profit-seeking entrepreneur.