cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Near-field studies of anisotropic variations and temperature-induced structural changes in a supported single lipid bilayer

Temperature-controlled polarization modulation near-field scanning optical microscopy measurements of a single supported L_{β^{'}} 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) lipid bilayer are presented. The effective retardance (S=2π(n_{e}-n_{o})t/λ, where t is the thickness of the bilayer and λ is the wavelength of light used) and the direction of the projection of the acyl chains (θ) were measured simultaneously. We demonstrate how one is able to align the system over the sample and measure a relative retardance ΔS, a crucial step in performing temperature-controlled experiments. Maps of ΔS and θ, with a lateral resolution on the order of ∼100 nm are presented, highlighting variations deriving from changes in the average molecular orientation across a lipid membrane at room temperature. A discussion of how this information can be used to map the average three-dimensional orientation of the molecules is presented. From ΔS and the known thickness of the membrane t the birefringence (n_{e}-n_{o}) of the bilayer was determined. Temperature-controlled measurements yielded a change of ΔS∼(3.8±0.3) mrad at the main transition temperature (T_{m}∼41^{∘}C) of a single planar bilayer of DPPC, where the membrane transitioned between the gel L_{β^{'}} to liquid disorder L_{α} state. The result agrees well with previous values of (n_{e}-n_{o}) in the L_{β^{'}} phase and translates to an assumed average acyl chain orientation relative to the membrane normal (〈ϕ〉∼32^{∘}) when T T_{m}. Evidence of super heating and cooling are presented. A discussion on how the observed behavior as T_{m} is approached, could relate to the existence of varying microconfigurations within the lipid bilyer are presented. This conversation includes ideas from a Landau-Ginzburg picture of first-order phase transitions in nematic-to-isotropic systems.
Disclosing and Reporting Environmental Sustainability of Supply Chains

Environmental disclosure and reporting can be broadly defined as the various methods that businesses use to communicate their environmental impacts, responsibilities, and mitigation activities to stakeholders. The decision of what and when to disclose is specific to each setting; companies make disclosure decisions while considering internal objectives, external pressure, and regulatory requirements. The motivations that drive reporting are often regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and brand positioning. Reporting companies disclose environmental information in several different ways: by publishing quantitative metrics, by comparing performance with set targets, through third-party verification, and by means of environmental cost accounting. Once a company has assessed its impacts, corporate decision makers can then choose to report solely through their individual reports or to disclose their impacts through a variety of platforms. In reporting, most companies only account for their own operations, not for the entire supply chain. Many critics of standard reporting suggest that assessments scoped at the company level misses far too much and does not account for the supply chain at all. This chapter reviews the current status of business environmental disclosure and reporting for supply chains, ongoing challenges, and concludes with the future of reporting.
Opinion: Science in the age of selfies

A time traveler from 1915 arriving in 1965 would have been astonished by the scientific theories and engineering technologies invented during that half century. One can only speculate, but it seems likely that few of the major advances that emerged during those 50 years were even remotely foreseeable in 1915: Life scientists discovered DNA, the genetic code, transcription, and examples of its regulation, yielding, among other insights, the central dogma of biology. Astronomers and astrophysicists found other galaxies and the signatures of the big bang. Groundbreaking inventions included the transistor, photolithography, and the printed circuit, as well as microwave and satellite communications and the practices of building computers, writing software, and storing data. Atomic scientists developed NMR and nuclear power. The theory of information appeared, as well as the formulation of finite state machines, universal computers, and a theory of formal grammars. Physicists extended the classical models with the theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, and quantum fields, while launching the standard model of elementary particles and conceiving the earliest versions of string theory.
Rotation rate measurement and calculation for calcite crystals in a C-point mode

A polarization singularity mode offers a unique tool for actuating an array of birefringent calcite crystals, and measurement of the rotation rates of these crystals is in turn a way to image modes with varying polarization. In this work, we show the calculated and measured rotation rates of individual calcite crystals in a C-point mode and their dependence on three key factors: polarization, mode intensity profile, and crystal size. The C-point is a polarization singularity mode in which the mode has a circularly polarized center surrounded by elliptically polarized regions, with the orientation of the ellipse varying azimuthally and the degree of ellipticity changing radially. The beam is focused into an optical trapping region, and micron-sized birefringent calcite crystals in solution are positioned at key points in the mode. The crystals experience different torques at each location. The spin angular momentum of the light is proportional to the degree of ellipticity and to the intensity at each point in the mode. Our technique for generating C-point modes results in an intensity profile with a nonlinear radial dependence. Our crystal growth process generates crystals of varying width and thickness; the crystal size and shape affect the drag forces and light torque acting on them. We explain the crystal growth process and estimations of torque, demonstrate the rate and direction of rotation of calcite crystals placed at different points in the laser mode, and discuss the difference between the estimated and measured rotation rates.
NAGUMO CONDITIONS FOR ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

This chapter discusses Nagumo conditions for ordinary differential equations. The classical Nagumo condition for the second order differential equation y ” = f ( x, y, y ') is a growth condition on f ( x, y, y ') that guarantees that solutions of second order differential equation become unbounded on their maximal intervals of existence. This property of solutions along with the assumed existence of solutions of certain types of differential inequalities plays an important role in demonstrating the existence of solutions of boundary value problems not only for second order equations but also for higher-order equations as well. A Nagumo condition for third-order equations assume that in the differential equation y ” ' = f ( x, y, y ', y ”) the function f ( x, y, y ', y ”) is continuous on ( a, b ) × R 3 . For each real number, p ≥ 0 defines the function o p ( s ) on 0 ≤ s p ( s ) = Max{ l, s p }.
C-Cbl-PI3K Interaction Is Important for Platelet Outside-In Signaling

Abstract 2014 Platelet activation by outside-in signaling is initiated by the binding of fibrinogen to alphaIIbbeta3, an integrin only expressed in platelets and megakaryocytes. Signals transduced by alphaIIbbeta3 regulate actin cytoskeleton resulting in filopodia and lamellipodia formation, cell spreading and retraction. c-Cbl protein is abundantly expressed in platelets and functions as E3 ubiquitin ligase and scaffolding protein to mediate protein-protein interactions. Importantly, c-Cbl tyrosine 731 has been shown to interact with p85 subunit of phosphotidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) modulating the actin cytoskeleton. Although previous reports showed c-Cbl activation downstream of alphaIIbbeta3, the mechanisms and implications of this activation or the downstream targets remain to be elucidated. We have studied the role of c-Cbl in platelet outside-in signaling: Using human platelets we have demonstrated that c-Cbl Y700, Y731 and Y774 residues undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation upon platelet adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen. These phosphorylation events are completely inhibited in the presence of the pan Src Family Kinases (SFKs) inhibitor (PP2) suggesting that c-Cbl is phosphorylated downstream of SFKs. Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) is also involved in this signaling pathway since its inhibition significantly reduce c-Cbl phosphorylation at residues Y774 and Y700; interestingly, tyrosine 731 phosphorylation, which allows the interaction with the p85-subunit of PI3K, is not affected by Syk inhibition. The physiological role of c-Cbl in platelet outside-in signaling was studied using c-Cbl knock-out mice. We found that in contrast to WT platelets, c-Cbl KO platelets had a significantly reduced spreading over a fibrinogen-coated surface. Furthermore, clot retraction analysis demonstrated that c-Cbl KO platelets retraction time was delayed when compared to WT platelets, suggesting a retraction defect. To further elucidate the physiological role of c-Cbl-PI3K interaction we used a knock-in mouse in which the c-Cbl residue Y 731 was substituted with phenylalanine (Y731F) thereby abolishing the PI3K binding site on c-Cbl. Importantly, platelets from Y731F mice showed spreading and clot retraction defect that were comparable with the c-Cbl KO. These result indicates that in large part, the role of c-Cbl in platelets outside-in signaling is determined by its interaction with PI3K. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that c-Cbl plays an important role in platelet outside-in signaling, and its interaction with PI3K through tyrosine 731 is of pivotal importance in platelet spreading and retraction. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Degradation of heme oxygenase-1 by the immunoproteasome in astrocytes: A potential interferon-γ-dependent mechanism contributing to HIV neuropathogenesis

Induction of the detoxifying enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a critical protective host response to cellular injury associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. We previously found that HO-1 protein expression is reduced in brains of HIV-infected individuals with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and in HIV-infected macrophages, where this reduction associates with enhanced glutamate release and neurotoxicity. Because HIV-infected macrophages are a small component of the cellular content of the brain, the reduction of macrophage HO-1 expression likely accounts for a small portion of brain HO-1 loss in HIV infection. We therefore investigated the contribution of astrocytes, the major pool of brain HO-1. We identified immunoproteasome-mediated HO-1 degradation in astrocytes as a second possible mechanism of brain HO-1 loss in HIV infection. We demonstrate that prolonged exposure of human fetal astrocytes to interferon-gamma (IFNγ), an HIV-associated CNS immune activator, selectively reduces expression of HO-1 protein without a concomitant reduction in HO-1 RNA, increases expression of immunoproteasome subunits, and decreases expression of constitutive proteasome subunits, consistent with a shift towards increased immunoproteasome activity. In HIV-infected brain HO-1 protein reduction also associates with increased HO-1 RNA expression and increased immunoproteasome expression. Finally, we show that IFNγ treatment of astrocytic cells reduces HO-1 protein half-life in a proteasome-dependent manner. Our data thus suggest unique causal links among HIV infection, IFNγ-mediated immunoproteasome induction, and enhanced HO-1 degradation, which likely contribute to neurocognitive impairment in HAND. Such IFNγ-mediated HO-1 degradation should be further investigated for a role in neurodegeneration in inflammatory brain conditions. Brief Summary Kovacsics et al. identify immunoproteasome degradation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in interferon gamma-stimulated astrocytes as a plausible mechanism for the observed loss of HO-1 protein expression in the brains of HIV-infected individuals, which likely contributes to the neurocognitive impairment in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
Adaptive Feedback Control of Blood Pressure: Model-Based Design and Testing

Abstract The safety and efficacy of automated drug infusion for blood pressure control has been proven in extensive testing and routine clinical use at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. A nonlinear proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller provides good performance for most patients. However. the steady-state gain of the pressure response to drug infusion varies significantly from one patient to another. Performance of the PlO controller may be inadequate for patients which exhibit very high or very low gains. This paper describes the development of an adaptive controller in which the controller algorithm is adjusted based on the estimated patient gain. Parallel least-squares gain estimation routines which assume different drug transport delay times were employed to make the controller insensitive to unknown values of the delay. Exponential data weighting was applied to the gain estimation routine to halt estimation during periods of insufficient signal excitation. The adaptive controller was tested in simulations. The controller performance was shown to be robust over a very large range of patient characteristics. Operation of the adaptive controller was satisfactory in the presence of changing characteristics of the patient. reflex activity. long term use of the controller. and perturbations of the blood pressure signal which would be encountered in the clinical environment.
Point-of-care diagnostics to improve maternal and neonatal health in low-resource settings

Each day, approximately 830 women and 7400 newborns die from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Improving maternal and neonatal health will require bringing rapid diagnosis and treatment to the point of care in low-resource settings. However, to date there are few diagnostic tools available that can be used at the point of care to detect the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality in low-resource settings. Here we review both commercially available diagnostics and technologies that are currently in development to detect the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality, highlighting key gaps in development where innovative design could increase access to technology and enable rapid diagnosis at the bedside.
Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement and Prisoner Abuse

Bandura's research and theory on the mechanisms of moral disengagement demonstrate the various ways that persons distance themselves from their mistreatment of others to avoid or circumvent ethical constraints that should and otherwise would govern their behavior. This article examines the serious problem of prisoner abuse through the lens of moral disengagement theory to understand in part why such abuse occurs and persists. This application of moral disengagement theory underscores the importance of addressing these social psychological dynamics in any program of prison reform and the need for further research in a setting that traditionally has resisted in-depth empirical examination.
The Rule of Logistics: Walmart and the Architecture of Fulfillment

Jesse LeCavalier. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2016. 279 pp., maps, plates, notes, bibliography, index. $30.00 paper (ISBN 978-0-8166-9332-0), $105.00 cloth (ISBN 978-0-8166-9331...
Routinely quantifying single cell proteomes: A new age in quantitative biology and medicine

Many pressing medical challenges - such as diagnosing disease, enhancing directed stem cell differentiation, and classifying cancers - have long been hindered by limitations in our ability to quantify proteins in single cells. Mass-spectrometry (MS) is poised to transcend these limitations by developing powerful methods to routinely quantify thousands of proteins and proteoforms across many thousands of single cells. We outline specific technological developments and ideas that can increase the sensitivity and throughput of single cell MS by orders of magnitude and usher in this new age. These advances will transform medicine and ultimately contribute to understanding biological systems on an entirely new level.
Techniques for using specifications grading in computer science

Traditional, points-based grading suffers from several limitations. Students spend energy trying to determine how many points they need for a grade instead of focusing on learning. Faculty put extra time into making decisions about how much partial credit student work is worth. Points are difficult to connect to learning outcomes for courses and programs for assessment. This poster presents techniques for a different approach to grading: specifications grading. Specifications grading is a points-free, mastery style of grading that replaces partial credit with quality feedback and revision opportunity. This model provides some advantages over the traditional grading approach. This includes better support for strong academic standards and rigor, an increased focus for students on learning by removing the need to game assignments for points, and a stronger connection between student grades and assessment of course learning outcomes. The poster will provide an overview of specifications grading and its benefits, along with techniques for implementation of specifications grading in a programming course. Additionally, the poster will include student evaluation data from previous offerings of the courses.
Curcumin in epilepsy disorders

Curcumin, a principal curcuminoid present in turmeric, has an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Preclinical studies have indicated its beneficial effect for the treatment of epilepsy disorders. The molecule has an anti-seizure potential in preclinical studies, including chemical and electrical models of acute and chronic epilepsy. Curcumin also possesses an anti-epileptogenic activity as it reduces spontaneous recurrent seizures severity in a kainate model of temporal lobe epilepsy. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nature of curcumin might be responsible for its observed anti-seizure effects; nevertheless, the exact mechanism is not yet clear. The poor availability of curcumin to the brain limits its use in clinics. The application of nanoliposome and liposome technologies has been tested to enhance its brain availability and penetrability. Unfortunately, there are no randomized, double-blinded controlled clinical trials validating the use of curcumin in epilepsy. The present article analyzes different preclinical evidence illustrating the effect of curcumin in seizure models. The review encourages carrying out clinical trials in this important area of research. In conclusion, curcumin might be beneficial in patients with epilepsy disorders, if its bioavailability issues are resolved.
Essentials of Applied Media Aesthetics

This chapter describes the fundamental aesthetic elements of media aesthetics — light and color, two-dimensional space, three-dimensional space, time-motion, and sound — and how they can serve as basic criteria for analysis of video and film. It also explains how these elements can be structured and applied to produce maximally effective visual and sound images in video and film. By placing these essential image elements into their respective contextual fields, their interdependence and structural potential in aesthetic synthesis, the clarification, intensification, interpretation, and communication of significant experiences are made explicit. Ultimately, applied media aesthetics attempts to give some answers to why we compose or light a particular shot in a particular way, or how we match pictures and sound most effectively.
Nursing Care in the Intensive Care Unit Setting: The Role of the Nurse in the ICU

After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Identify the role the critical care nurse (CCN) plays as an advocate for the critically ill patients and their family. Recognize the contribution of the CCN to the critical care team through collaboration and communication. Describe the role of the CCN in patient assessment and subsequent formulation of the plan-of-care. Categorize the critical nursing interventions that can prevent or mitigate nosocomial infections and common complications seen in the critically ill patient.
Cleveland Versus the Clinic: The 1960s Riots and Community Health Reform.

During the 1960s, cities across the United States erupted with rioting. Subsequent inquiries into its sources revealed long-simmering discontent with systemic deprivation and exploitation in the co...
Micro heat pipe nuclear reactor concepts: Analysis of fuel cycle performance and environmental impacts

Abstract The demand for more practical and innovative nuclear reactor designs capable of providing clean energy to meet new global demands is revolutionizing the nuclear industry. In this paper we present the fuel cycle and neutronics analysis of a design expected to be similar to the Westinghouse eVinci™ heat pipe (HP) reactor. The concept considered here uses low enriched urania rods and potassium liquid metal-cooled HPs to remove heat from the core. The fuel and HPs are contained in steel monolith to form the core which is surrounded by an alumina reflector. There is no need for forced circulation to remove heat from the active core region, thus eliminating the use of pumps, valves and tube piping. The concept is designed to operate safely and provide a reliable autonomous power supply in support of off-grid missions. This study shows that the HP reactor design can operate for more than 10 years without refueling. Further, we show that the current design of the HP reactor concept is best suited to serve as a nuclear battery rather than a centralized power source. We also studied the nuclear fuel cycle performance of the HP reactor concept in a once-through fuel cycle. The natural resource utilization, waste output, and environmental impact, as defined in a reference study from the literature, did not perform as well on a GWe per year energy basis compared to light water reactors with less than 5% enriched uranium in a once-through fuel cycle. Parasitic absorption in the steel monolith structure and neutron leakage lower the reactivity of the core, which decreases the discharge burnup of the fuel. Analysis of modifications of the monolith material and size of the reference core configuration showed that the neutron leakage impact on the small sized HP core is the most limiting factor on the fuel cycle performance.
Las estrategias de seguridad de la Unión Europea (2003, 2016): contexto político, cambios esenciales y evolución de las prioridades políticas europeas relativas a África en materia de seguridad

In this article, we examine the most significant changes in the approach and formulation of the two European Union security strategies, presented in 2003 and 2016. This enables us to address fundamental issues related to the evolution of the European Union foreign and security policy since the beginning of the new millennium, in particular analysing the implications for the African continent. On the one hand, the analysis of the central elements of the two strategies allows us to observe a change of direction and a redefinition of the EU’s foreign and security policy, from normative frameworks to newer approaches more focused on the objectives and interests of Europe. On the other hand, we can also observe the evolution of the European Union’s priorities with regard to its approach to the African continent. In this respect, rather than addressing the different areas of mutual interest, the framework for relations between the EU and Africa is dependent on a EU’s limited foreign policy approach, which is preponderantly focused on security issues in Africa.
PM2.5 metal constituent exposure and stillbirth risk in Harris County, Texas.

There is limited evidence on the role of exposure to chemical constituents of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in risk for stillbirth. Thus, we conducted a case-control study in Harris County, Texas between 2008 and 2013, utilizing a 6:1 ratio of controls to individually matched cases. We linked birth and fetal death records with PM2.5 data from a single air monitoring station and estimated maternal exposures to metal constituents of PM2.5 over the risk period (defined by the gestational length of each case). We applied conditional logistic regression and modeled air pollutant exposures as continuous variables. We observed null associations for most metal constituents (Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se and Ti). However, we observed a modest increase in risk for stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.20) associated with a 0.007 μg/m3 interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure to zinc (Zn) PM2.5. This study adds to the scarce literature evaluating associations between PM2.5 metal constituents and stillbirth and points to the need for further research in this area.
Exact Controllability of the 1-D Wave Equation on Finite Metric Tree Graphs

In this paper, we consider initial boundary value problems and control problems for the wave equation on finite metric graphs with Dirichlet boundary controls. We propose new constructive algorithms for solving initial boundary value problems on general graphs and boundary control problems on tree graphs. We demonstrate that the wave equation on a tree is exactly controllable if and only if controls are applied at all or all but one of the boundary vertices. We find the minimal controllability time and prove that our result is optimal in the general case. The proofs for the shape and velocity controllability are purely dynamical, while the proof for the full controllability utilizes both dynamical and moment method approaches.
Coping and Management Techniques Used by Chronic Low Back Pain Patients Receiving Treatment From Chiropractors

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to describe coping strategies (eg, mechanisms, including self-treatment) that a person uses to reduce pain and its impact on functioning as reported by patients with chronic low back pain who were seen by doctors of chiropractic and how these coping strategies vary by patient characteristics. Methods Data were collected from a national sample of US chiropractic patients recruited from chiropractic practices in 6 states from major geographical regions of the United States using a multistage stratified sampling strategy. Reports of coping behaviors used to manage pain during the past 6 months were used to create counts across 6 domains: cognitive, self-care, environmental, medical care, social activities, and work. Exploratory analyses examined counts in domains and frequencies of individual items by levels of patient characteristics. Results A total of 1677 respondents with chronic low back pain reported using an average of 9 coping behaviors in the prior 6 months. Use of more types of behaviors were reported among those with more severe back pain, who rated their health as fair or poor and who had daily occurrences of pain. Exercise was more frequent among the healthy and those with less pain. Female respondents tended to report using more coping behaviors than men, and Hispanics more than non-Hispanics. Conclusion Persons with chronic back pain were proactive in their coping strategies and frequently used self-care coping strategies like those provided by chiropractors in patient education. In alignment with patients’ beliefs that their condition was chronic and lifelong, many patients attempted a wide range of coping strategies to relieve their pain.
Fear of positive evaluation and social anxiety: A systematic review of trait-based findings

Abstract Background Although fear of negative evaluation (FNE) has long been recognized as a core cognitive bias in social anxiety, fear of positive evaluation (FPE) has received considerable attention over the past several years. The literature would benefit from a synthesis of the current state of the research in order to contribute to our understanding of FPE. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to address several questions: (a) Is self-reported FPE distinct from self-reported FNE? (b) Is self-reported FPE related to social anxiety symptomatology? and (c) Is self-reported FPE uniquely related to social anxiety symptomatology when accounting for self-reported FNE? Inclusion criteria included studies published in English, testing FPE and FNE with trait-based measures, and testing social anxiety with either self-report or diagnostic interviews. Results There were 33 studies identified in this review that provided convincing empirical support for each of these questions across community and clinical samples of adolescents, undergraduates, and adults. Limitations The systematic review did not have access to null results, present meta-analytic results, or include studies that evaluated FPE or social anxiety with experimental designs. Conclusions The findings from the systematic review support updated theoritical models of social anxiety and highlight the importance of assessing and treating FPE in clinical interventions.
Eligibility for sacubitril–valsartan in patients with acute decompensated heart failure

Aims Large-scale clinical trials have demonstrated clinical benefits of sacubitril-valsartan in symptomatic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients (PARADIGM-HF), with potential benefits in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) (PIONEER-HF) and fewer benefits in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PARAGON-HF). The aim of this study was to evaluate eligibility for sacubitril-valsartan using criteria described in PIONNER-HF in non-selected patients hospitalized for ADHF. Methods and results Between November 2014 and May 2019, 799 patients were recruited in a prospective registry of acute heart failure at the University Hospitals of Geneva (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02444416). The cohort consists of consecutive patients admitted to the Department of Medicine with ADHF. Eligibility for sacubitril-valsartan was determined using criteria described in PIONEER-HF, including left ventricular ejection fraction, clinical parameters, and co-morbidities. Of 799 patients, 123 (15.39%) were eligible for sacubitril-valsartan treatment. Clinical outcomes including all-cause mortality and readmission were similar in eligible and non-eligible groups, hazard ratio 1.02 (95% confidence interval 0.81-1.29, P = 083). Conclusions Using current criteria from randomized controlled trials, only 15% of non-selected patients admitted for ADHF are theoretically eligible for sacubitril-valsartan. Eligibility for sacubitril-valsartan using published criteria is not associated with worse outcome, suggesting that further evaluation of benefits of sacubitril-valsartan in heart failure patients based on parameters other than left ventricular ejection fraction may be of interest.
LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE SEAL FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION

Percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion is well established as an alternative to anticoagulation therapy for stroke prophylaxis among patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Only the Watchman® device has FDA approval for this indication. Based on the design of the initial
DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR SIMULATION OF ENERGY METABOLISM IN THE WHOLE ANIMAL

A computer program is described that represents the animal as a pseudo-steady-state system in which the metabolism can be expressed as a series of stoichiometric expressions. Input for the program includes feed intake, respiratory exchange and urinary urea excretion.
Comparison of Aorta and Pulmonary Artery: I. Early Cholesterol Accumulation and Relative Susceptibility to Atheromatous Lesions

In rabbits, the pulmonary artery and the aorta are susceptible to atherosclerosis. However, susceptibility of the pulmonary artery, compared with the aortic arch, to atherosclerosis and the relationship between the accumulation of cholesterol during the early stages of atherogenesis and the development of atheromatous lesions for these arterial regions remain to be clarified. Cholesterol concentrations for the pulmonary artery and aorta were measured in normal rabbits and in rabbits fed a 0.5% cholesterol diet for 8, 12, and 16 days and 17 weeks. In normal rabbits, the rank order of arterial cholesterol concentrations was pulmonary artery>aortic arch>descending thoracic aorta, with concentrations of total and nonesterified cholesterol 17% and 25% (both P<.05) greater, respectively, for the pulmonary artery than for the descending thoracic aorta. Rank order remained the same during 16 days of cholesterol feeding, but differences between arterial regions were exaggerated. After rabbits were fed cholesterol for 16 days, total and esterified cholesterol concentrations were 57% and 920% (both P<.01) greater, respectively, for the pulmonary artery than for the descending thoracic aorta, with much smaller differences between the aortic regions. In contrast, after rabbits were fed cholesterol for 17 weeks, concentrations of total, esterified, and nonesterified cholesterol were similar for the pulmonary artery and aortic arch, but these forms of cholesterol were increased 100%, 130%, and 53% (all P<.03), respectively, for the aortic arch compared with the descending thoracic aorta. Cholesterol concentrations for the pulmonary artery were positively associated with those for the aortic regions during the first 16 days of cholesterol feeding, but for rabbits fed cholesterol for 17 weeks the associations were either negative or absent. These results indicate that relative rates of cholesterol accumulation in the pulmonary artery and aorta differ at different stages of atherogenesis and suggest that the balance between processes that deliver cholesterol to, and remove cholesterol from, the artery may change in different ways in these arterial regions during atherogenesis.
Clinical study on low-set vacuum aspiration improved the efficacy of calculus removal by percutaneous nephrolithotomy

Objective To investigate the effects of low pressure suction ultrasonic gravel clear stone system in treatment of kidney stone.Methods 80 cases of kidney stones were randomly divided into control group and improved group,each group with 40 cases.Control group used EMS three generations of ultrasonic gravel clear stone system for percutaneous renal mirror lithotripsy,improved group was given the low pressure suction ultrasonic gravel clear stone system for percutaneous renal mirror lithotripsy.A comparative analysis was carried out to the two groups in clear stone time,stones clearance,during the operation,the amount of bleeding,infection,hemorrhage and hospitalization days.Results All patients didn' t appear puncture failure or transit open surgery phenomenon,surgery perform very well.Compared with controls,improved group had a higher clear stone rate (P＜0.05); clear stone time (namely the stoning time from beginning to the end)and the length of time all reduced significantly (P＜0.01); at the same time during the operation,the amount of bleeding was much less than that of control group (P＜0.01).In two groups,the postoperative complications in patients showed no significant difference (P＞0.05).Conclusion Low pressure suction ultrasonic gravel elear stone system can not only help to enhance the efficiency of clearing stone,but also can effectively reduce time of clearing stone and operation time. Key words: Low pressure suction; Kidney stones; Ultrasonic gravel; Retrospective study
“A little more complex”: pro bono commitment in São Paulo corporate law firms

Pro bono's development in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has been a conflictive process, resisted by multiple segments in the legal profession. In 2001, this conflict led the Sao Paulo State Bar to impose regu...
The Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome on Corneal Endothelial Cell Preservation in an Oxidative Injury Model.

PURPOSE To describe a reproducible oxidative injury model in ex vivo porcine corneas and to investigate the effects of corneal mesenchymal stem cell (Co-MSC) secretome and specific factors on the preservation of corneal endothelium after oxidative injury. METHODS Porcine corneas underwent vital staining with trypan blue and alizarin red with different concentration and time points. Ex vivo porcine corneas were exposed (endothelial side) to varied concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. After injury, 3 groups of 5 corneas underwent treatment with secretome from either a wild-type (WT) murine Co-MSC, a pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) knock out (K/O) murine Co-MSC, or basal media for 4 hours at 37°C. The viability of the endothelium was evaluated using the optimized vital staining protocol. RESULTS The optimal vital staining was achieved with 0.4% trypan blue for 60 seconds and 0.5% alizarin red for 90 seconds. The optimal oxidative injury (for consistency and level of damage) was obtained with 1% hydrogen peroxide for 15 seconds. Treatment with both WT Co-MSC and PEDF K/O Co-MSC secretome significantly reduced the endothelial damage compared with control (17.2% ± 10.0%, 33.5% ± 11.6%, and 68% ± 17%, respectively, P < 0.01). The WT Co-MSC secretome was significantly more effective compared with PEDF K/O Co-MSC secretome (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A reproducible model of vital staining and oxidative injury is described for studying porcine corneal endothelial survival. Our results demonstrate a beneficial role of a corneal MSC secretome in reducing oxidative damage to the corneal endothelium. In addition, it suggests a potential role for PEDF in this process.
A Conditional Adversarial Network for Single Plane Wave Beamforming

Compared to traditional focused transmissions, plane wave (PW) ultrasound imaging has the potential to enable higher frame rates, which is clinically relevant to real-time applications and ultrafast imaging. However, when reducing the number of PW transmissions to reduce image formation times, PW imaging is confounded by image quality degradation, acoustic clutter, and speckle noise. To tackle this challenge, we present a deep learning-based method to analyze raw radiofrequency (RF) channel data acquired by the ultrasound probe and convert this signal to the final B-mode image, bypassing the traditional beamforming procedure. The deep learning architecture for this approach relies on a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN), in which the generative model and classifying model work simultaneously to produce an indistinguishable output from a ground truth. The cGAN was trained to predict B-mode images that look like beamformed PW results after multiple insonifications. This network was trained and tested utilizing a publicly accessible PICMUS database composed of in vivo and ex vivo ultrasound inclusions with randomly distributed scatterers in various combinations. The proposed method produces signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancements from 1.112 to 1.540 when compared with conventional delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming of a single PW insonification. The cross-correlation coefficient between a 75 PW image and cGAN-predicted data was 0.976, an improvement over the 0.641 obtained when the 75 PW image was cross-correlated with a DAS PW image created after a single insonification. These results demonstrate the potential of generative adversarial networks to substitute traditional DAS beamforming in future applications.
Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Rhinosinusitis: In-Person Versus Virtual Visits During Covid-19.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Determine if antibiotic prescribing patterns differ for in-person versus virtual clinic visits for acute rhinosinusitis (ARS). STUDY DESIGN Cross sectional study. METHODS All adult virtual clinical encounters from March to May 2020 with a principal diagnosis of ARS were reviewed for demographic data and the presence or absence of an antibiotic prescription during the coronavirus shut down in Massachusetts. In-person clinical encounters from March to May 2019 were similarly examined as a control. The rate of antibiotic prescription was compared between virtual (2020) and in-person (2019) visits for ARS diagnoses. RESULTS There were 2,075 patients in March to May 2020 and 3,654 patients March to May 2019 who received an ARS principal diagnosis at their virtual and in-person outpatient visits, respectively. There was a statistically significant lower rate of antibiotic prescriptions for ARS in 2020 (72.1%) versus 2019 (76.7%).The odds ratio for an antibiotic prescription for ARS was 0.783 (95% confidence interval, 0.693-0.86; P < .001) for patients seen in the 2020 cohort versus the 2019 cohort. The compared rates for antibiotic prescribing for 2020 versus 2019 were not different in individual month-to-month comparisons. When stratified by otolaryngology providers there was no statistically significant difference of antibiotic prescriptions between the 2019 and 2020 cohort (P = .781). CONCLUSIONS During the massive transition to virtual visits for March to May 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic shut down in Massachusetts, the total rate of outpatient antibiotic prescribing for ARS was lower in the virtual visit environment compared to the traditional in-person visit. In this scenario, telemedicine did not result in an increase in antibiotic prescribing despite the lack of an in-person physical exam. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV Laryngoscope, 131:E2121-E2124, 2021.
The Decoupling of Value Creation from Revenue: A Strategic Analysis of the Markets for Pure Information Goods

Information and telecommunications technologies have profoundly altered the distribution channels available for a wide range of goods and services. In this paper we analyze a particular class of products, information goods and develop a first framework for predicting which information goods are most likely to see their production, distribution, and consumption patterns altered by the net, which are likely to see shifts in power and profitability, and which are likely to remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. We focus on music and news as a selected couple of very different information goods industries that follow two very different trajectories. Our results suggest that the power structure in news distribution is unlikely to be transformed rapidly. In contrast, the power structure in music is transforming rapidly. Star acts no longer need their record labels to certify their music to their fans, and digital production and distribution have reduced or eliminated the value of other assets owned by the record companies. The framework we use to analyze these two industries can readily be applied to a range of others … from the production of television soap opera series to the publication of academic journals in polymer chemistry.
Accuracy of identifying hospital acquired venous thromboembolism by administrative coding: implications for big data and machine learning research.

Big data analytics research using heterogeneous electronic health record (EHR) data requires accurate identification of disease phenotype cases and controls. Overreliance on ground truth determination based on administrative data can lead to biased and inaccurate findings. Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) is challenging to identify due to its temporal evolution and variable EHR documentation. To establish ground truth for machine learning modeling, we compared accuracy of HA-VTE diagnoses made by administrative coding to manual review of gold standard diagnostic test results. We performed retrospective analysis of EHR data on 3680 adult stepdown unit patients identifying HA-VTE. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9-CM) codes for VTE were identified. 4544 radiology reports associated with VTE diagnostic tests were screened using terminology extraction and then manually reviewed by a clinical expert to confirm diagnosis. Of 415 cases with ICD-9-CM codes for VTE, 219 were identified with acute onset type codes. Test report review identified 158 new-onset HA-VTE cases. Only 40% of ICD-9-CM coded cases (n = 87) were confirmed by a positive diagnostic test report, leaving the majority of administratively coded cases unsubstantiated by confirmatory diagnostic test. Additionally, 45% of diagnostic test confirmed HA-VTE cases lacked corresponding ICD codes. ICD-9-CM coding missed diagnostic test-confirmed HA-VTE cases and inaccurately assigned cases without confirmed VTE, suggesting dependence on administrative coding leads to inaccurate HA-VTE phenotyping. Alternative methods to develop more sensitive and specific VTE phenotype solutions portable across EHR vendor data are needed to support case-finding in big-data analytics.
Adaptive control for linear parameter-varying systems with application to a VTOL aircraft

Abstract As a systematic method for gain-scheduling, the linear parameter-varying (LPV) system framework has been widely used for the design of aerospace control systems with large operating envelopes. This paper presents design and analysis of an adaptive control architecture for LPV systems subject to time-varying parametric uncertainties and external disturbances, with both transient and steady-state performance guarantees. We introduce new tools relying on parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions and linear matrix inequality techniques for stability and performance analysis. These tools – limited to linear systems – potentially yield less conservative results than the approach employed for this architecture in previous adaptive control literature based on the small-gain theorem. The transient and steady-state performance of the adaptive closed-loop system, in terms of input and output signals, is quantified with respect to a non-adaptive reference system that depends on the true values of the uncertainties and represents the best achievable performance. It is shown that the transient performance bounds can be made arbitrarily small in the case of zero initialization error for the state predictor and will include additional exponentially decaying terms in the presence of non-zero initialization error. The approach can be used to design an adaptive augmentation of a baseline LPV control system. A simulation example of the longitudinal dynamics of a conceptual Urban Air Mobility aircraft is used to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed framework.
SecDeep: Secure and Performant On-device Deep Learning Inference Framework for Mobile and IoT Devices

There is an increasing emphasis on securing deep learning (DL) inference pipelines for mobile and IoT applications with privacy-sensitive data. Prior works have shown that privacy-sensitive data can be secured throughout deep learning inferences on cloud-offloaded models through trusted execution environments such as Intel SGX. However, prior solutions do not address the fundamental challenges of securing the resource-intensive inference tasks on low-power, low-memory devices (e.g., mobile and IoT devices), while achieving high performance. To tackle these challenges, we propose SecDeep, a low-power DL inference framework demonstrating that both security and performance of deep learning inference on edge devices are well within our reach. Leveraging TEEs with limited resources, SecDeep guarantees full confidentiality for input and intermediate data, as well as the integrity of the deep learning model and framework. By enabling and securing neural accelerators, SecDeep is the first of its kind to provide trusted and performant DL model inferencing on IoT and mobile devices. We implement and validate SecDeep by interfacing the ARM NN DL framework with ARM TrustZone. Our evaluation shows that we can securely run inference tasks with 16× to 172× faster performance than no acceleration approaches by leveraging edge-available accelerators.