cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Angiogenesis in Peripheral Artery Disease: Focus on Growth Factor Therapy

Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is narrowing or occlusion of the lower extremity arteries primarily due to atherosclerosis. It is typically diagnosed in the vascular laboratory by an abnormally low ankle–brachial index (ABI) study which is the ratio of highest blood pressure in the ankle arteries (dorsalis pedis or posterior tibialis) and the highest blood pressure in the brachial arteries. The clinical manifestations of PAD range from asymptomatic disease to intermittent claudication to critical limb ischemia (CLI) depending on the degree of reduction in blood flow to the extremities. Intermittent claudication (IC) is when one experiences pain or cramping with exertion in the lower extremity that is relieved with rest. CLI is the most aggressive form of PAD presenting as rest pain or nonhealing ulcers and/or gangrene of the lower extremities, often resulting in amputation(Hirsch AT, Haskal ZJ, Hertzer NR et al. Circulation 2006;113(11): e463–e654.). PAD, particularly CLI, has a very high mortality especially due to cardiovascular causes (Hirsch AT, Haskal ZJ, Hertzer NR et al. Circulation 2006;113(11): e463–e654.). Although PAD has be underdiagnosed and underrecognized for a long time, it is now gaining significant recognition in the medical and general community as it is estimated to be present in up to 8–12 million people in USA itself and up to 20% of the population above the age of 65 years may have PAD (Diehm C, Allenberg JR, Pittrow D et al. Circulation 2009;120(21):2053–2061).
Metal or Modularity: Why Do Metal-Backed Tibias Have Inferior Outcomes to All-Polyethylene Tibial Components in Patients With Osteoarthritis.

Abstract Background Biomechanical studies have suggested improved stress distribution in metal-backed (MB) compared to all-polyethylene (AP) tibias, but such potential benefits have not been realized clinically. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the outcomes of AP components in patients with primary osteoarthritis and compare the results to those obtained with MB tibial components in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods We reviewed 11,653 patients undergoing primary TKA for osteoarthritis. There were 9999 (86%) MB (8470 modular and 1529 monoblock) and 1654 (14%) AP tibial components. All patients had at least 2 years of clinical follow-up with mean follow-up of 8 years (range, 2-30 years). Results Mean survivorship for all primary TKAs at the 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year time points was 97%, 92%, 86%, and 78%. AP tibial components were found to have improved survivorship when compared to modular and monoblock MB counterparts ( P P 2 where there was no difference. Conclusion AP tibial components had significantly improved implant survival across all age-groups and most BMI categories in patients who underwent TKA for osteoarthritis. Given these outcomes, AP tibias are a reasonable option, regardless of patient age and BMI.
Plasmon-enhanced electrically pumped random lasing in ZnO metal-semiconductor-metal devices

Plasmonic enhancement in random lasing is realized from ZnO metal-semiconductor-metal devices. The output power of random laser is increased while lasing threshold is decreased after Ag nanoparticles are incorporated on ZnO film due to plasmonic coupling.
CHAPTER 15 – Drug Interactions

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses various aspects of drug interactions. A drug interaction results when the effects of a drug are altered in some way by the presence of another drug, by food, or by environmental exposure. The risk of developing an adverse drug reaction secondary to a drug–drug interaction increases significantly with the number of medications a patient is receiving. Interactions affecting drug absorption may result in changes in the rate of absorption, the extent of absorption, or a combination of both. Interactions resulting in a reduced rate of absorption are not typically clinically important for maintenance medications as long as the total amount of drug absorbed is not affected. On the other hand, for acutely administered medications, such as sedative-hypnotics or analgesics, a reduction in the rate of absorption may cause an unacceptable delay in the onset of the drug's pharmacologic effect. A series of events lead to increased synthesis of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes, with a resultant augmentation of their catalytic activity. This enzyme induction may increase the intestinal and hepatic clearance of drugs, subsequently altering serum concentrations.
Medical Malpractice and Black-Box Medicine

The explosive proliferation of health data has combined with the rapid development of machine-learning algorithms to enable a new form of medicine: black-box medicine. In this phenomenon, algorithms troll through tremendous databases of health data to find patterns that can be used to guide care, whether by predicting unknown patient risks, selecting the right drug, suggesting a new use of an old drug, or triaging patients to preserve health resources. These decisions differ in kind from previous data-based decisions because black-box medicine is, by its nature, opaque; that is, the bases for black-box decisions are unknown and unknowable. Black-box medicine raises a number of legal questions, ranging from how to shape incentives for its development to how to regulate its growth and quality. One key question is how black-box medicine will influence the medical malpractice liability of health-care providers. How should tort liability apply to providers who cannot know the mechanistic underpinnings of the treatment they recommend? Must they learn as much as they can about the way algorithms are developed and verified? Or can they rely on the assurances of the developer without more knowledge? And how can they obtain the informed consent of patients?This chapter explores the medical malpractice implications of black-box medicine. It briefly introduces the phenomenon and then considers how the tort system does, can, and should regulate the behavior of providers and health-care facilities using black-box medical techniques. It concludes that while providers and facilities are ill-suited to evaluate the substantive accuracy of black-box medical algorithms, they can and should be required to exercise due care to evaluate procedural quality — the expertise of the developer and the availability of independent external validation — when implementing black-box algorithms in a health-care facility or using them to care for patients.
Prediction-based redundant data elimination with content overhearing in wireless networks

This paper aims to improve wireless network throughput by suppressing duplicate data transmissions from network links. It has been demonstrated that IP-layer Redundancy Elimination (RE) with content overhearing can significantly improve the goodput and utilization of wireless channels in wireless environment. However, the integration of IP-layer RE and wireless overhearing introduces a challenge. That is, probabilistic wireless overhearing and the possibility of a receiver overhearing from multiple transmitters cause the caches of a sender and a receiver far from synchronization, which can disrupt IP-layer RE's correctness and degrade its performance. The previous work deals with this challenge by the overhearing probability estimation, which however is not efficient or scalable. In this paper, we propose a Prediction-based Redundancy Elimination with Content Overhearing method (PRECO) to address this challenge. By exploiting prediction-based RE, PRECO does not require cache synchronization and overhearing probability estimation, which enables its efficient and scalable deployment. Based on PRECO, we exploit the benefits of deploying sub-packet level RE as a primitive IP-layer service on all nodes in wireless mesh networks by proposing a redundancy-aware routing protocol. Trace-driven performance evaluation shows the effectiveness and efficiency of PRECO compared with other RE methods.
Functional self-healing materials and their potential applications in biomedical engineering

With the development of smart materials, stimulus-responsive self-repairing materials attract more and more research attention. Although self-healing materials including concretes, rubbers, and hydrogels have been extensively investigated in the past decades, novel functionalities or properties such as shape memory, sol–gel transition, adhesion, anti-biofouling, and electronic/magnetic property have been introduced to self-repairing systems in recent years in order to broaden the scope of their applications in energy, drug delivery, tissue adhesion, cell culture, etc. In this paper, we first present an overview of the general strategies to prepare self-healing materials and the characterization methods to assess their healing performance. Then, we mainly focus on reviewing recent progress in novel self-healing materials possessing unique functionalities and their potential applications in biomedical engineering. Finally, the challenges and scope for future development are also discussed.
Writing a Review Article: A Graduate Level Writing Class

Despite the importance of scientific writing in a chemists’ professional career, their development as scientific writers is often neglected in undergraduate and graduate curricula. Among the courses that do encourage students to generate written documents like proposals, lab reports, or essays, the scientific community rarely benefits from the resulting product. Here, we introduce an alternative graduate level writing class where the goal is for the students to generate a review article that is submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. This course structure allows students to build scientific reading and writing skills, learn about a new topic, and also enhance their resume with an additional publication and subsequent citations. Concurrently, the scientific community benefits from an additional resource. What follows is an outline of the review article writing course as well as the students’ feedback of the course and writing experience. Overall, the students felt the course was a lot of work...
Secondary Confessions as Post-identification Feedback: How Jailhouse Informant Testimony Can Alter Eyewitnesses’ Identification Decisions

Prior research has shown that primary confession evidence can alter eyewitnesses’ identifications and self-reported confidence. The present study investigated whether secondary confession evidence from a jailhouse informant could have the same effect. Participants (N = 368) watched a video of an armed robbery and made an identification decision from a photo lineup. Except for those in the no-feedback conditions, all participants then read that certain lineup members either confessed to the crime, denied involvement, or were implicated by a jailhouse informant. Jailhouse informant testimony implicating the identified lineup member led participants to have significantly higher confidence in their identification. In contrast, jailhouse informant testimony that implicated a lineup member other than the identified led participants to have significantly lower confidence in their initial identification, and 80% of these witnesses changed their identification. These results indicate that jailhouse informant testimony can influence eyewitnesses’ confidence and their identification decisions.
Androgen Receptor Biology in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is critical in the development and progression of prostate cancer, and the AR signaling axis is a credentialed target in the treatment of prostate cancer. Greater insights into the biology of prostate cancer have revealed new mechanisms of resistance, which have changed the landscape of treatment for patients with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). These mechanisms include tumoral metabolism of alternative androgens, modulation of AR expression, AR mutations and splice variants, and crosstalk in recruitment of co-factors to AR binding sites. More effective targeting of androgens and the receptor as well as co-targeting the pathway holds the promise for optimizing prostate cancer therapy.
Poe, Paris, and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”

Phillips and George Poe explore how a cultural understanding of France, and of Paris, came to Poe, and in what ways it influenced his writings. The chapter begins by discussing the ways in which Poe, as seen through the eyes of Charles Baudelaire, came to exert such a profound influence in France, Europe, and the world (ultimately even elevating Poe’s reputation back on the American scene) via the French poet’s biographical presentations of Poe and his masterful translations of Poe’s writings. It offers fresh perspectives on the relationship between Poe and France by considering Poe’s Paris—as featured in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”—and by examining specific Parisian places (some real, some imaginary) mentioned in his initial Dupin tale of ratiocination, usually credited as being the first modern detective story.
Laboratory Experiments Scaled to Solar and Space Plasmas

Modern experimental facilities with their precision diagnostic tools and ability to accurately control the system parameters may be used to mimic various astrophysical processes and applying high repetitive rate, change parameters of a system, and identify missing elements in physics of studied phenomena. In order to apply laboratory results to astrophysical phenomena one needs to satisfy similarity criteria (Ryutov et al., Plasma Phys Control Fusion 54:105021, 2012). In this chapter we first describe the MHD type similarities and then briefly discuss several exemplary experiments, such as studies of magnetically driven plasma jets , bow shocks, magnetic field generation and self-organization , instabilities, and formation of solar tadpoles . The main goal of this chapter is to bring attention of solar physicists to excellent results obtained in laboratory astrophysics and, using simple scaling criteria , apply these results to observational data.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Seeded High-Density Collagen Gel for Annular Repair: 6-Week Results From In Vivo Sheep Models.

BACKGROUND Our group has previously demonstrated in vivo annulus fibrosus repair in animal models using an acellular, riboflavin crosslinked, high-density collagen (HDC) gel. OBJECTIVE To assess if seeding allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into this gel yields improved histological and radiographic benefits in an in vivo sheep model of annular injury. METHODS Fifteen lumbar intervertebral discs (IVDs) were randomized into 4 groups: intact, injury only, injury + acellular gel treatment, or injury + MSC-seeded gel treatment. Sheep were sacrificed at 6 wk. Disc height index (DHI), Pfirrmann grade, nucleus pulposus area, and T2 relaxation time (T2-RT) were calculated for each IVD and standardized to healthy controls from the same sheep. Quantitative histological assessment was also performed using the Han scoring system. RESULTS All treated IVDs retained gel plugs on gross assessment and there were no adverse perioperative complications. The MSC-seeded gel treatment group demonstrated statistically significant improvement over other experimental groups in DHI (P = .002), Pfirrmann grade (P < .001), and T2-RT (P = .015). There was a trend for greater Han scores in the MSC-seeded gel-treated discs compared with injury only and acellular gel-treated IVDs (P = .246). CONCLUSION MSC-seeded HDC gel can be delivered into injured IVDs and maintained safely in live sheep to 6 wk. Compared with no treatment and acellular HDC gel, our data show that MSC-seeded HDC gel improves outcomes in DHI, Pfirrmann grade, and T2-RT. Histological analysis shows improved annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus reconstitution and organization over other experimental groups as well.
Separating Dynamic and Thermodynamic Impacts of Climate Change on Daytime Convective Development over Land

AbstractClimate change affects the dynamics and thermodynamics of moist convection. Changes in the dynamics concern, for instance, an increase of convection strength due to increases of convective ...
Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment of Swimming in Sewage Impacted Waters Using CrAssphage and Pepper Mild Mottle Virus in a Customizable Model

Fecal indicator bacteria currently employed for microbial water quality management are poor representatives of viruses. Viral water quality indicators have recently been proposed based on the human gut bacteriophage crAssphage and the food virus pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) due to their high abundance in sewage and association to human waste. Here, we develop a model relating crAssphage and PMMoV abundance to the risk of swimmer illness in a recreational water contaminated with fresh, untreated domestic sewage. This model, entitled QMRAswim, is available via a Web-based user interface and is generalizable to any indicator or pathogen. The majority of predicted illnesses from exposure to untreated domestic sewage-contaminated water were attributable to viruses, primarily norovirus. The mean crAssphage and PMMoV concentrations correlating with 30 illnesses per 1000 bathers were 4648 GC/100 mL and 5054 GC/100 mL, respectively, approximately 50 times their standard detection limit. This study reaffirms th...
Correction to: Change in Photoluminescence Properties of CeO2 Nanoparticles Due to Thermal Annealing

The author's second affiliation was inadvertently omitted. The affiliations should read Far Eastern State Transport University, 47 Seryshev Str., Khabarovsk, 680042, Russia; Southwest State University, 94 50-let Oktyabrya Str., Kursk, 305040, Russia.
A Distributed Energy Management Approach for Residential Demand Response

The implementation of large-scale optimization and control of residential appliances to support demand response (DR) programs comes with the challenges of coordinated communication, privacy, and consideration of customer preferences. Solving this complexity is best suited through a distributed optimization and control approach at the residential level by leveraging the availability and intelligence of a home energy management systems (HEMS). In this paper, a hierarchical control scheme to coordinate large-scale residential demand response through coordination of HEMs is proposed. This scheme is based on the exchange of a reward price and aggregated load information between utility system and HEMS. Numerical results on a one hundred-house model demonstrate the computational efficiency of the proposed approach.
Vitamin-C-enabled reduced graphene oxide chemistry for tuning biofilm phenotypes of methylotrophs on nickel electrodes in microbial fuel cells.

Abstract This study reports the use of multi-layered reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coating on porous nickel foam (NF) electrodes for enhancing biofilm growth of Rhodobacter Sphaeroides spp fed with methanol in microbial fuel cells (CH3OH-MFCs). Electrochemical methods were used to assess the methylotrophic activity on rGO/NF electrodes. The power density and current density offered by rGO/NF (1200 mW m−2 and 680 mA m−2) were 220-fold and 540-fold higher compared to bare NF (5.50 mW m−2 and 1.26 mA m−2), respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results show that rGO/NF suppresses charge transfer resistance to CH3OH oxidation by 40-fold compared to the control. This improved performance is due to the ability of rGO coatings to decrease the wetting contact angle (improve the hydrophilicity) of NF from 1280 to 00. A preliminary cost analysis was carried out to assess the viability of rGO/NF electrodes via vitamin-C-enabled graphene oxide chemistry for CH3OH-MFCs applications.
Bench Testing of a Bubble Noninvasive Ventilation Device in an Infant Lung Simulator.

BACKGROUND: Infant respiratory distress remains a significant problem worldwide, leading to more than one million neonatal deaths each year. The cost, maintenance, energy, and personnel required to implement ventilators have proven to be a barrier in many resource-limited settings. To address these barriers, a nonelectric bubble noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIV) device was developed. This study aims to benchmark the performance of this bubble NIV device against commercially available ventilators. METHODS: The delivered pressure waveforms and tidal volumes of the bubble NIV device were compared with those of 2 conventional ventilators (ie, Drager Evita Infinity V500 and Hamilton G5) at the following pressure settings: 8/5, 12/5, and 15/5 cm H2O. To simulate the lung mechanics of an infant in respiratory distress, tests were conducted on the IngMar ASL 5000 Test Lung simulator. Resistance was set at 100 cm H2O/L/s, and compliance was tested at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mL/cm H2O to simulate 3 different patients. RESULTS: The delivered pressure waveforms and compliance curves of the bubble NIV device are similar to those of the Hamilton and Drager ventilators. The mean ± SD differences between delivered versus set pressure gradient (ie, the difference between the high delivered pressure and the low delivered pressure) for each treatment modality across the various values of compliance were −2 ± 8% for the bubble NIV device, 3 ± 4% for the Drager ventilator, and 7 ± 10% for the Hamilton ventilator. CONCLUSIONS: The similarity of pressure waveforms and delivered tidal volumes in this simulated clinical scenario suggest that the bubble NIV device may provide comparable efficacy compared with traditional ventilator treatment for a range of patients. This may provide clinicians in resource-limited settings with an additional, simple, nonelectric treatment modality for the management of infant respiratory distress.
Epidemiological characteristics of human cases of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infection in Shanghai

Objective To understand the epidemiological, clinical and etiological characteristics of confirmed cases of human avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infections reported in Shanghai from 2013 to 2018, so as to evaluate the effectiveness of current prevention and control measures and to provide relative recommendations. Methods Data of the laboratory confirmed human cases of influenza A (H7N9) virus infections in Shanghai from 2013 to 2018 were collected for epidemiological analysis. Result Fifty-five laboratory confirmed cases were reported from 2013 to 2018 in Shanghai. Most of the cases occurred during winter and spring. Since 2014, the policy of seasonal closure of live poultry markets has been implemented in Shanghai. Only 2 cases were reported when the markets were closed, and both cases had and only had a history of exposure to live poultry in other provinces and cities. The cases of 60 years old and above accounted for 54.55% of all reported cases. Male cases accounted for 80% of all cases. In the occupational distribution, retiree was the main group (47.27%). For the geographical distribution, the cases were highly sporadic, with more cases in rural areas than urban areas. Of all cases, 90.91% had history of exposure to live poultry; 29.09% had unhealthy behaviors, including smoking and alcohol drinking; 74.55% had at least one underlying disease; and 81.82% developed severe pneumonia. The case fatality rate of 56.36%. Conclusions The human cases of influenza A (H7N9) virus infections in Shanghai were highly sporadic. Most of the cases developed into the critical condition with poor prognosis. The main exposure factors for the infections were direct exposure to live poultry or in live poultry markets. Comprehensive prevention and control strategies, such as seasonal closure of live poultry markets, can effectively prevent and control human infections of avian influenza virus, including novel avian influenza viruses. Key words: Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus; Epidemiological characteristics; Prevention and control
Outpatient Hip Safety in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Is Independent of Approach.

Abstract Background There are few data comparing the direct anterior approach (DAA) and posterior approach (PA) for total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the outpatient setting. The purpose of this study is to compare 90-day complications between the 2 approaches. We hypothesized that they would be equally safe and effective. Methods Retrospective review identified 432 THAs (346 DAA, 86 PA) performed at a single ambulatory surgery center (ASC). Outcomes compared included demographics, comorbidities, preoperative and discharge pain scores (visual analog scale [VAS]), overall time spent in the ASC, overnight stay, emergency room visits, admission, reoperation, and complications within a 90-day period. Results There were no differences in mean preoperative VAS (DAA 4.7, PA 4.5), mean discharge VAS (DAA 0.8, PA 0.7), overall time spent in the ASC (DAA 9.0 hours, PA 9.3 hours), total number of overnight stays (DAA 0.9%, PA 1.2%), emergency room visits (DAA 1.7%, PA 1.2%), admissions (DAA 1.4%, PA 1.2%), reoperations (DAA 1.4%, PA 1.2%), or complications (DAA 3.5%, PA 2.3%). Conclusion There were no differences in the safety outcomes, and overall there were few complications in the 90-day period, regardless of the surgeon’s preferred approach. This study indicates both DAA and PA are equally safe for THA in the outpatient setting, and the choice of surgical approach should be based on patient and surgeon preference.
Acute Myocardial Infarction as Initial Manifestation of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Rare Manifestation of Leukostasis.

Leukostasis is a medical emergency caused by compromise of tissue perfusion secondary to hyperleukocytosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Typically it affects lungs and brain, with cardiac involvement being exceedingly rare. We present a case of AML presenting as acute coronary syndrome secondary to leukostasis-induced myocardial ischemia. A 43-year-old morbidly obese gentleman presented with typical anginal chest pain. On examination, he was diaphoretic and in acute distress secondary to pain. EKG revealed ST elevation in lead I and aVL and PR depressions in precordial leads. Troponin peaked at 5.55 ng/mL. Echocardiogram showed normal left ventricle function with no wall motion abnormality. Blood work was notable for white blood cell (WBC) count of 185,200 cells/μL with 81% blasts. Coronary angiogram revealed no obstruction. Emergent leukapheresis and hydroxyurea were initiated. WBC count decreased to 48,200 cells/ μL and angina resolved after leukapheresis. With diagnosis of AML, he received 7+3 induction chemotherapy with cytarabine and idarubicin, followed by re-induction and consolidation chemotherapy. He subsequently underwent allogenic bone marrow transplantation and achieved complete remission. Hyperleukocytosis in AML can cause leukostasis, characterized by evidence of tissue ischemia. Coronary vasculature accounts for 6% of cases with leukostasis. This can manifest as myocardial infarction. Emergent and timely initiation of leukapheresis can potentially lead to a complete resolution of microvascular occlusion.
Emotional Distress and Self-Rated Health Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Americans with Type 2 Diabetes.

Self-Rated Health (SRH) is a valid proxy for individuals’ overall well-being and mortality risk. This study examined contributions of diabetes distress (stress from diabetes self-management) and depressive symptoms to SRH among Chinese Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). For this cross-sectional study, a survey measuring diabetes distress, depressive symptoms, physical health, and demographics was administered to a convenience sample of 151 foreign-born community-dwelling Chinese Americans with T2DM. Fifty-five percent of participants rated their health as good or very good. With demographic and physical health variables controlled, hierarchical logistic regression showed that people who reported more diabetes distress (OR = 2.88, p < 0.05) or depressive symptoms (OR = 3.54, p < 0.05) were more likely to have poor SRH. Acculturation (OR = 0.88, p < 0.001) was protective for SRH. Diabetes distress and depressive symptoms are significantly associated with poor SRH and should be managed in Chinese Americans with T2DM.
Brain Networks Supporting Social Cognition in Dementia

This review examines the literature during the past 5 years (2015–2020) as it describes the contribution of three key intrinsically connected networks (ICN) to the social cognition changes that occur in various dementia syndromes. The salience network (SN) is selectively vulnerable in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and underpins changes in socioemotional sensitivity, attention, and engagement, with specific symptoms resulting from altered connectivity with the insula, amygdala, and medial pulvinar of the thalamus. Personalized hedonic evaluations of social and emotional experiences and concepts are made via the anterior temporofrontal semantic appraisal network (SAN), selectively vulnerable in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA). Recent research supports this network’s role in engendering empathic accuracy by providing precision to socioemotional concepts via hedonic tuning. The default mode network (DMN), focally affected in Alzheimer’s disease syndrome (AD), supports social cognition by providing context from learned experiences to generate more accurate inferences about others’ thoughts, emotions, and intentions. The focal breakdown of these normal canonical intrinsically connected brain networks during neurodegeneration sheds light on disease processes as well as on important mechanisms involved in healthy socioemotional functioning, thus contributing important insights to the larger field of social affective neuroscience.
Correlation between the lateral and anteroposterior sacral ratios in anorectal malformations

The sacral ratio has been used as a tool for evaluating sacral development in patients with anorectal malformations. Sacral ratios can be calculated by obtaining sacral radiographs in the anteroposterior (AP) and lateral planes. The objective of the study was to determine the correlation and agreement in sacral ratio calculations. In this single institution retrospective cohort study, we reviewed medical charts of all pediatric anorectal malformation patients treated between March 2014 and September 2018 who had both AP and lateral images of their sacrum. All sacral ratios were measured by three radiologists. Pearson’s correlation coefficients and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the correlation between the AP and lateral radiographs. A weighted Kappa statistic was used to measure the agreement between how the AP and lateral sacral ratios categorized observations into risk groups. Our initial cohort consisted of 646 observations from patients with anorectal malformations who had radiographs obtained in both AP and lateral planes. We excluded all observations (n=76) where the radiographs were deemed to be inadequate or not appropriately centered to measure sacral ratio. For a given pair of measurements, the mean lateral sacral ratio was 0.07 units greater than the AP plane (95% CI 0.06–0.09, paired t-test P-value <0.0001). AP and lateral images had a moderate positive correlation (Pearson’s r=0.76, 95% CI 0.73–0.79, P<0.0001) and moderate agreement in risk categorization (unweighted kappa = 0.60, P<0.0001). AP and lateral readings conducted by all three radiologists had excellent inter-rater reliability with intraclass correlations for AP and lateral sacral ratios of 0.88 and 0.84, respectively. Even though the AP and lateral sacral ratios had moderate positive correlation, the mean sacral ratio determined by images in the lateral plane was 0.07 units greater than the AP plane. AP and lateral sacral ratios concluded different risk categories relatively often. Future studies are needed to determine whether AP or lateral sacral ratios correlate better with continence in patients with anorectal malformations.
Understanding the Impact of Wide Bandgap Inverter Topology on Medium-voltage Insulation Reflected-wave Stress Using Impedance Characterization

Health of insulation systems has been a critical concern for the electric power industry for line-frequency applications. The use of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors in power converters has led to more interest in studying high switching frequency effects on insulation material, especially in medium-voltage (MV) applications. Higher voltages and switching frequencies used in inverters subject insulation material in a motor drive to higher dielectric stress and cause premature failure. There have been many studies which address this aspect of insulation health and breakdown in inverter-fed machines. However, no literature investigates the impact of inverter topology on insulation. This paper aims at investigating the effect of inverter topology on motor stator ground-wall insulation. In addition to the output voltage waveform of different topologies, impedance of each topology is characterized over frequency to evaluate the system’s performance. Additionally, multi-physics simulations of an MV induction machine fed by two different inverter topologies are simulated in ANSYS to illustrate the impact of each topology on the electric field across the insulation material.
Reactogenicity within 2 weeks after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: Findings from the CDC v-safe surveillance system.

Background Post-authorization monitoring of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines is needed to better characterize their reactogenicity. We assessed reactions reported during the 2 weeks after receipt of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines. Methods We monitored persons who enrolled in v-safe after vaccination health checkerSM, a U.S. smartphone-based vaccine monitoring system, after receiving BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273. V-safe participants received text message prompts to complete web-based surveys. We analyzed responses from persons who received BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 from December 14, 2020 through March 14, 2021 and completed at least one survey by March 28, 2021. We measured the proportion of participants reporting local and systemic reactions solicited in surveys completed days 0 through 7 post-vaccination. For day 14 surveys, participants described new or worsening symptoms in a free-text response. We assessed the proportion of participants reporting new or worsening local and systemic reactions. Results One-third of participants were aged Conclusions During post-authorization monitoring among >4 million vaccinees, local and systemic reactions were commonly reported following mRNA-based vaccines. Reactions were most common during the first week following dose 2 and among persons aged
Urinary tract infection in children. The influence of successful antireflux operations in morbidity from infection.

To study the influence of successful ureterovesicoplasty on incidence of recurrent urinary infection, two groups of infected children were compared in this regard before and after urologic evaluation. Of 280 new pediatric urologic hospital admissions, 55.6% had urinary tract infections. Sixty-six of these 156 infected children had vesicoureteral reflux. Bacteriologic localization of infection site was performed in both children with and without reflux at the time of diagnostic cystoscopy. Both groups were specifically treated with short-term antibiotic therapy and empiric urethral dilation. Operative vesicoureteroplasty was carried out in 62 children with reflux, with an overall cure rate of 83.8%. Distal urethral stenosis was not a contributing factor in this population nor did urethral caliber relate to the incidence of reflux. Only 3 of 35 children without reflux were found to have bacteriologically proved upper urinary tract infection. Similarly, only 32% of these children without reflux had clinical histories suggestive of recurrent pyelonephritis. In the children with reflux undergoing bacteriologic localization while infected, no nonrefluxing ureters were found infected, and only one third of the refluxing ureters so studied had proved upper urinary tract infection. Historical evidence for clinical pyelonephritis was present in 79% of the population with reflux; but, after successful cure of reflux, only 7% of these children continued to have pyelonephritic episodes. The long-term incidence of recurrent urinary tract infection was virtually identical, however, in the children undergoing successful antireflux surgery and the children without reflux following ureteral dilation. This relationship indicates that reflux plays little role in the etiology of bacteriunia but has a profound influence on urinary tract infection morbidity in children.
Visualization of Radioactivity in the Dog Following Administration of Various 11C-Carboxylates

Prior to the general availability of 14C, the positron-emitting radioisotope, 11C, with a half-life of 20.4 minutes, was the principal radioisotopec tracer of carbon in chemical and biological studies [1]. Curie quantities of 11C were produced and a large number of 11C compounds were synthesized [1]. Unfortunately, devices for imaging the in vivo distribution of radioisotopes in the body were not available at that time, and the virtues of the annihilation gamma rays arising from the decay of 11C were insufficient to offset the inconvenience of its short half-life in comparison to 14C. The present availability of devices for imaging the distribution of positron-emitting radioisotopes within the body has led to renewed interest in 11C-labeled compounds [2]. For example, we anticipate that 11C-dopamine would be useful in visualization of the adrenal medulla and for the localization of metastases from neuroblastoma and melanoma [3], while similarly labeled asparagine might be useful in visualizing asparagine dependent tumors [4].
Noninvasive quantification of left ventricular wall stress: Validation of method and application to assessment of chronic pressure overload☆

Noninvasive indexes of circumferential wall stress were developed from systolic arterial pressure and echocardiographic left ventricular diameter and thickness (average of septum and posterior wall), applying the basic formula: Stress = (Pressure × Radius)/Wall thickness, where Radius = 12diameter. The radius/wall thickness ratio at end-diastole, end-systole and an average of both (mean systole) were used to calculate three stress indexes: I, II and II) (mean stress), respectively. A very good correlation was observed between each index and peak stress in 25 patients with a variety of valve and myocardial diseases studied during cardiac catheterization (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.82, 0.82 and 0.89 for stress indexes I, II and III, respectively). With use of average normal values for each index as constants, left ventricular systolic pressure was then estimated prospectively in 62 patients with normal left ventricular size and function, 21 (Group A) without and 41 (Group B) with aortic stenosis. In Group A, systolic pressures ranged from 90 to 230 mm Hg and the correlation between estimated and measured pressures was r = 0.92, 0.87, and 0.95 for stress constants I, II and III, respectively. In Group B significant discrepancy (greater than 10 mm Hg, mean 39 mm Hg) between basal arterial pressures at the time of echocardiography and arterial pressures during catheterization was observed in 14 of 41 patients and resulted in a lower, although highly significant (p < 0.001), correlation between estimated and measured left ventricular pressures (r = 0.53, 0.54 and 0.60 for stress constantes I, II and III, respectively) without affecting the correlation between estimated and measured peak aortic valve gradient (r = 0.78, 0.69 and 0.82 for the respective stress constants). Stress constant III (mean stress), in particular, allowed an accurate separation between patients with gradients above and below 50 mm Hg. Results indicate that peak circumferential wall stress may be accurately estimated noninvasively in a variety of cardiac conditions. The assumption of a stress constant allows assessment of severity of aortic stenosis but only when the pressure stimulus has been chronically sustained and left ventricular cavity size and function remain normal.
Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation

Introduction Chapter 1: What Is Sexual Orientation? Criteria for sexual orientation Sexual orientation in men and women Stability of sexual orientation Prevalence of different orientations Are there categories? Sexual orientation across cultures Chapter 2: Why We Need Biology Psychoanalytic theories Learning theories-influence of early sexual experiences Learning theories-gender learning Is it a choice? The biological alternative Chapter 3: The Outline of a Theory 30 Male and female brains Male and female behaviors Development of sex differences in animals Sexual partner preference in animals Origins of variation within each sex Relevance to human sexual orientation Sexual orientation in nature Chapter 4: Childhood Development of gendered childhood traits Childhood traits associated with adult sexual orientation: retrospective studies Prospective studies Contrasting models Chapter 5: Characteristics of gay and straight adults Gendered traits in adulthood 54 Origin of gendered traits Sexual orientation and cognitive traits: visuospatial abilities 58 Verbal fluency Memory tasks Handedness Intelligence Personality traits: Masculinity-femininity Occupational preferences Other personality traits Sexuality Overview Chapter 6: The role of sex hormones Hormone levels in gay and straight adults Why focus on prenatal sex hormones? Hormone levels during development Congenital adrenal hyperplasia Finger length studies The inner ear Central auditory system Action of sex hormones on the developing brain Possible causes of variability in prenatal androgen levels Chapter 7: The role of genes Sibling studies Is the family clustering caused by genes? Twin studies Molecular genetics-candidate-gene studies Genome scans Genes and sexuality in fruit flies Genes, homosexuality, and evolution Kin selection The "fertile female" hypothesis Beneficial effects on same-sex relatives Chapter 8: The brain A brief tour of the brain The hypothalamus and sexual orientation Other brain regions Brain activity Pheromone studies Sheep Overview Inhibition and sexual orientation Chapter 9: The body Body size and shape Trunk and limb length Penis size Symmetry and developmental instability Hair whorl direction Gaydar Overview Chapter 10: The older-brother effect How well established is the older brother effect? How strong is the older brother effect? The older-brother effect and handedness What causes the older-brother effect? Is the older-brother effect adaptive? Chapter 11: Conclusions Sexual orientation is linked to other gendered traits A common origin for gender-shifted traits? The role of genes Does the older-brother effect work through prenatal hormones? Is there a random biological influence? How does sexual orientation become categorical? Diversity among gay people Changes in the prevalence and nature of homosexuality Sexual orientation and gender: the social fallout Glossary Bibliography
Is Susceptibility to Peptic Ulcer Inherited?: The Occurrence of Ulcer in Identical Twins

Summary The evidence on the occurrence of peptic ulcer in families and monozygous twins supports but does not establish the view that an organ susceptibility to ulcer is inherited. Since more information on the occurrence of peptic ulcer in one or both of monozygous and dizygous twins will contribute materially to answering this question, all readers are urged to submit the data they may have on this subject to the authors for compilation.
Gamma frequency feedback inhibition accounts for key aspects of orientation selectivity in V1

There is now strong evidence that gamma frequency oscillations occur during the engagement of cortical regions. These oscillations involve gamma frequency feedback inhibition. Thus, understanding the properties of this form of inhibition is critical to understanding how excitation and inhibition interact to determine which cells fire and, more generally, how cortex performs computations. In previous work, we argued that gamma frequency inhibition performs a type of winner-take-all computation that obeys simple rules: 1) cells fire if their excitation is within E% of the cell with maximum excitation; 2) E%max is determined by the delay of feedback inhibition and the membrane time constant. This framework was previously applied to the best-studied cortical computation, orientation selectivity of cells in V1. Measurements show that orientation tuning is insensitive to illumination contrast. We showed that this finding can be simply explained by the E%max model. Recently, a new property of orientation selecti...
Ignacio F. Bunster-Ossa. (2014). Reconsidering Ian McHarg: The Future of Urban Ecology. Chicago: American Planning Association Planners Press. 232 pages. $39.95 (paperback).

Ian McHarg influenced planning, especially environmental planning and urban design, in many profound and lasting ways. He helped pioneer environmental impact assessment, geographic information syst...
Adaptive Gaussian Sum Filter for Nonlinear Bayesian Estimation

A nonlinear filter is developed by representing the state probability density function by a finite sum of Gaussian density kernels whose mean and covariance are propagated from one time-step to the next using linear system theory methods such as extended Kalman filter or unscented Kalman filter. The novelty in the proposed method is that the weights of the Gaussian kernels are updated at every time-step, by solving a convex optimization problem posed by requiring the Gaussian sum approximation to satisfy the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation for continuous-time dynamical systems and the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation for discrete-time dynamical systems. The numerical simulation results show that updating the weights of different mixture components during propagation mode of the filter not only provides us with better state estimates but also with a more accurate state probability density function.
Thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites of reactive silicate clays: effects of soft segments on properties

Abstract This paper addresses the effects of soft-segment on clay particle exfoliation and resultant mechanical and thermal properties of nanocomposites of reactive layered silicate clay and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). The composites were synthesized via a two-step bulk polymerization scheme from polyether- and polyesterpolyols of molecular weight 2000, diphenylmethanediisocyanate, butanediol, and up to 5 wt% reactive layered silicate clay. It was found that the extent of tethering reactions between polymer chains carrying residual –NCO groups and reactive clay particles was significant, although did not depend on the nature of polyol used. Nanocomposites were obtained only in the case of polyesterpolyol, which can be attributed to both clay–polymer reactions and higher viscosity in the clay–polymer mixing step. These nanocomposites showed 125% increase in tensile stress, 100% increase in elongation, and 78% increase in tensile modulus along with 130% increase in tear strength and a 60% reduction in volume loss in abrasion test. It was observed that hydrogen bonding did not influence the properties and the extent of hydrogen bonding was not affected by the clay particles.
A Materialist Theory of Religion: The Latin American Frame

Abstract This review essay engages Manuel Vasquez’s new book, More than Belief: A Materialist Theory of Religion, from the perspective of Latin American religious practice and thought. Vasquez’s materialist theory of religion is shaped by Latin American intellectual strands, including liberationist intellectual concerns and commitments. While Vasquez’s focus remains primarily on the body, his work allows for and invites a more extended theorization of material religion (or material culture)—bringing new attention to the “objects,” the “things,” that so often anchor and define religious practice in Latin America and across the globe.
Christiaan Barnard's contribution to the surgical treatment of Ebstein's malformation

Abstract The pioneering surgical endeavors of Christiaan Barnard in human cardiac transplantation are well recognized. His contribution in the surgery of Ebstein's malformation has also been unique. In 1963, Barnard's classic paper on "Surgical correction of Ebstein's malformation with prosthetic tricuspid valve" presented his pioneering accomplishments in this complex cardiac malformation.