cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liquid preservation of human neutrophils stored in synthetic media at 22 degrees C: controlled observations on storage variables.

The purpose of this study was to use a chemically defined medium to identify essential substances and optimal conditions for the liquid storage of neutrophils at 22 degrees C. Several commercially available synthetic media were evaluated: L-15, McCoy9s 5a, M199, minimum essential medium, Dulbecco9s MEM, NCTC135, and RPMI 1640. Proteins, glucose, pH, and neutrophil concentration were systematically studied. Neutrophils were harvested by centrifugal cell separators or phlebotomy, and their maintenance was evaluated by monitoring cell counts, dye exclusion, phagocytosis, bacterial killing, and chemotaxis. Neutrophils stored equally well in all synthetic media except L-15; however, chemotaxis was poorly maintained in synthetic media as compared with autologous plasma. RPMI 1640 was arbitrarily selected as a basal medium to evaluate storage variables. RPMI 1640 supplemented with albumin to a concentration of 1% improved chemotaxis and was equivalent to plasma as a storage medium with regard to the in vitro functions tested. Cohn fractions IV-1, IV-4, and gamma globulin were not effective substitutes for albumin. Glucose is essential for neutrophil storage; its absence from the medium correlated with poor cell function. Optimal glucose requirements depend on the cell concentration. High glucose concentrations were toxic to neutrophils; at 1,000 mg/dL, chemotaxis was depressed by 58%. Glucose utilization was dependent on the initial pH of the medium and on the cell concentration. A wide range of hydrogen ion concentrations was tolerated, and the optimum pH range was 7.2 to 7.8. Cell concentration is an important variable because it affects the pH of the medium as well as glucose utilization.
EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN COMPARATIVE COSTS AS INFLUENCED BY TECHNICAL CHANGE

Interest in the effects of technical change on comparative cost, the volume and terms of trade, and the gains from international specialization is of relatively modern origin, a by-product of postwar concern with the ‘dollar shortage’ and the alleged long-run adverse trend of the terms of trade of the primary-producing or under-developed countries. More fundamentally, it reflects a growing awareness of the importance of technology among the causes of the wealth of nations, and of technical change among the causes of economic progress and economic change.
Mineralocorticoids, salt balance and blood pressure after prolonged ACTH administration in juvenile hypertension.

The effect of a 5 day ACTH test (40 U/24 h) on plasma aldosterone (aldo), deoxycorticosterone (DOC), plasma renin activity (PRA) and urinary excretion of aldosterone-pH1-conjugate (pH-1-aldo) and tetrahydro-DOC (TH-DOC) was investigated in 8 normotensive children (group I), 8 patients with hypertension of unknown origin (group II), and 4 hypertensive children with dexamethasone suppressible hyperaldosteronism (DSH) (group III). Changes in blood pressure and sodium balance were studied in all groups. Under baseline conditions there was no hormonal difference between group I and II. In contrast, the children in group III had a suppressed PRA and a 1.5–2 fold elevation of aldo and DOC. Plasma DOC and urinary THDOC increased continuously 10–50 fold in all groups during the ACTH test. Aldo rose transiently 2–4 fold on the first day of ACTH and fell subsequently below baseline levels in group I and II. The children with DSH (group III), however, showed an unusual, sustained aldo stimulation with ACTH. PRA decreased significantly after ACTH in group I and II. Sodium retention and an elevation of blood pressure were found in all groups during ACTH administration. The highest blood pressure rise was observed in group III (from 124/72 to 139/90 mm Hg). The blood pressure response to ACTH was partly sodium dependent. Although aldo and DOC and sodium retention may contribute to the ACTH induced blood pressure elevation, other factors must play a role.
Metachromatic leukodystrophy and multiple sulfatase deficiency

Abstract Sulfatide accumulation is common to both metachromatic leukodystrophy and multiple sulfatase deficiency. Both are autosomal recessive disorders due to defects in enzymatic degradation of sulfatides. They are characterized by marked progressive neurological dysfunction and are most often life-limiting. However, up to 0.5% of the Caucasian population shows a residual arylsulfatase A activity of about 10% of normal, without any clinical symptoms related to the deficiency. Therefore genetic testing and/or urinary testing for sulfatides are necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Clinical variability is in large measure attributable to residual enzyme activity but may be due to factors yet poorly recognized. Supportive measures and progress on experimental treatments are outlined in the chapter.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis: What Nurses Need to Know

The civil war in Syria that began in 2011 has displaced millions of Syrians of all ages. While the number that have arrived in the United States is small in comparison to many other countries, it is important that nurses and other healthcare workers here understand that many of them have faced considerable trauma and endured stresses. Most of them are Muslims. Muslims in the United States and elsewhere represent a heterogeneous group of people with a long intellectual and cultural history. Islamic cultural patterns do pose unique barriers to a primarily Anglo-Saxon medical system that medical practitioners need to consider in order to avoid misunderstanding and provide culturally sensitive care. The authors discuss the Syrian refugee crisis and the experience of being a Muslim or Arab American patient in U.S. healthcare settings.
Simulation of intermediate transport in nanoscale scaffolds for multistep catalytic reactions

Efficient catalytic cascades that involve several sequential reactions are found frequently in nature. The efficiency of multi-step biochemical pathways is enhanced by substrate channelling, wherein the product of one reaction is directed toward and acts as substrate to the next sequential reaction. Such mechanisms can partially overcome diffusion, which is often fast compared to reaction rates, and promotes loss of intermediates. Biochemical substrate channelling is achieved by the architecture and scaffolding of enzymes, and mimicking these natural structures could lead to innovative catalyst designs. We investigate the efficiency of two channelling approaches – electrostatic interactions and surface adsorption – through continuum modelling, to identify the limits of these modes and the extent to which they can interact. The model considers transport between two active sites where an intermediate is produced at the first active site and consumed at the second. The system includes mass transport through diffusion and migration, and reaction kinetics at the active sites. The effectiveness of this model is quantified by yield of the second reaction relative to the first. Channelling via proximity between active sites and via surface adsorption are found to be inefficient, requiring high values of the rate constant at the second active site to obtain significant yields. The introduction of electrostatic interactions, however, leads to yields of over 90% at much lower values of the rate constant.
Distance Writing and Its Applications

The use of distance writing (DW) in health promotion, prevention, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation has come of age in many ways (Esterling, L’Abate, Murray, & Pennebaker, 1999; L’Abate, 2007a, 2007c, 2007d; Lepore & Smyth, 2002), including autobiographies (Demetrio & Borgonovi, 2007), journaling and diaries (Levine & Calvanio, 2006), expressive writing or the Pennebaker paradigm (Kacewicz, Slatcher, & Pennebaker, 2007), and self-help mental health practice exercises (L’Abate & Goldstein, 2007). Writing has become even more important with the increasing use of the Internet (Pulier, Mount, McMenamin, & Maheu, 2007) and homework assignments in psychotherapy (Kazantzis, Deane, Ronan, & L’Abate, 2005; Kazantzis & L’Abate, 2007).
Integration: Theory to everyday life

Abstract Many students struggle with the ability to integrate theoretical concepts learned in class to their everyday lives. This teaching technique offers an avenue to walk students through the process of integrating their newly acquired knowledge of various theoretical concepts into their everyday lives. Because this process is best done outside the confines of the classroom environment where students have the leisure to think, ponder, and take the amount of time they need to effectively process the task set before them, it offers an ideal opportunity for any time, any place, any path, any pace, learning. I use a two-stage process to encourage students through the integration process: (1) instructor-prompted, student-led online discussions and (2) a follow-up assignment to these discussions, the thematic analysis, which is designed to encourage students to read most of their student-colleagues’ online discussion contributions and to develop higher-level critical thinking skills. With the appropriate online discussion prompts, students begin to integrate newly acquired theoretical concepts into their everyday lives and with the follow-up of the thematic analysis students then analyze, synthesize, and evaluate colleagues’ responses to better understand the multiple ways in which these concepts can be applied to everyday life.
National Structural Survey of Veterans Affairs Home-Based Primary Care Programs

Objectives: To describe the current structural and practice characteristics of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) program. Design: We designed a national survey and surveyed HBPC program directors on-line using REDCap. Participants: We received 236 surveys from 394 identified HBPC sites (60% response rate). Measurements: HBPC site characteristics were quantified using closed-ended formats. Results: HBPC program directors were most often registered nurses, and HBPC programs primarily served veterans with complex chronic illnesses that were at high risk of hospitalization and nursing home care. Primary care was delivered using interdisciplinary teams, with nurses, social workers, and registered dietitians as team members in more than 90% of the sites. Most often, nurse practitioners were the principal primary care providers (PCPs), typically working with nurse case managers. Nearly 60% of the sites reported dual PCPs involving VA and community-based physicians. Nearly all sites provided access to a core set of comprehensive services and programs (e.g., case management, supportive home health care). At the same time, there were variations according to site (e.g., size, location (urban, rural), use of non-VA hospitals, primary care models used). Conclusion: HBPC sites reflected the rationale and mission of HBPC by focusing on complex chronic illness of home-based veterans and providing comprehensive primary care using interdisciplinary teams. Our next series of studies will examine how HBPC site structural characteristics and care models are related to the processes and outcomes of care to determine whether there are best practice standards that define an optimal HBPC structure and care model or whether multiple approaches to HBPC better serve the needs of veterans.
Assistive Technology Service Delivery in Rural School Districts.

Little is known about the implementation of assistive technology (AT) services for students in rural areas. This study investigated the AT service delivery in 10 rural districts across six states. ...
Wireless System with Multianalyte Implantable Biotransducer

Wireless potentiostats are being developed and commercialized for use in the development of implantable electrochemical biosensors for the monitoring of physiological markers in a wide range of pathologies. The merits and drawbacks of the Pinnacle Technology 8151 dual potentiostat are investigated for use with a novel implantable biotransducer, the dual responsive MDEA 5037 of ABTECH Scientific. In a laboratory setting, the 8151 potentiostat maintained a steady and unbroken signal as far away as 75 ft (23 m) and, when unobstructed, up to 100 ft (30 m). The percentage error between the two channels was determined to be 6.4 (±0.3) and 0.7 (±0.1) for resistor-capacitor dummy cells (RC = 10 MΩ and 1 μF) and resistor dummy cells (R = 10 MΩ), respectively. The intrachannel variability may be too large for exacting analyte determinations.
Approval of Euthanasia: Differences Between Cohorts and Religion:

Studying the role of social change, I investigated trends in approval for euthanasia between cohorts in the United States and how those trends are influenced by cohort replacement and religious att...
Mitochondrial fusion regulates lipid homeostasis and stem cell maintenance in the Drosophila testis

The capacity of stem cells to self-renew or differentiate has been attributed to distinct metabolic states. A genetic screen targeting regulators of mitochondrial dynamics revealed that mitochondrial fusion is required for the maintenance of male germline stem cells (GSCs) in Drosophila melanogaster. Depletion of Mitofusin (dMfn) or Opa1 led to dysfunctional mitochondria, activation of Target of rapamycin (TOR) and a marked accumulation of lipid droplets. Enhancement of lipid utilization by the mitochondria attenuated TOR activation and rescued the loss of GSCs that was caused by inhibition of mitochondrial fusion. Moreover, constitutive activation of the TOR-pathway target and lipogenesis factor Sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) also resulted in GSC loss, whereas inhibition of SREBP rescued GSC loss triggered by depletion of dMfn. Our findings highlight a critical role for mitochondrial fusion and lipid homeostasis in GSC maintenance, providing insight into the potential impact of mitochondrial and metabolic diseases on the function of stem and/or germ cells.
Pathogenic characteristics of hospitalized severe acute respiratory infections in Shanghai, China, 2015-2017

Objective: To understand the epidemiological and pathogenic characteristics of hospitalized severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in Shanghai, China. Methods: From 2015 to 2017, one Tertiary hospital and one Secondary hospital were chosen as the surveillance sites. Two respiratory tract specimens per case were collected from SARI cases aged 15 years and older. One specimen was tested for 22 respiratory pathogens by RT-PCR, and the other specimen was cultured for 6 respiratory bacteria. Results: A total of 287 SARI cases were enrolled for sampling and lab testing. 70.73% of the cases were aged 60 years and older, with 41.46% (119/287) were positive for at least one pathogen. Influenza virus was the predominant pathogen, accounting for 17.77% (51/287) of all SARI cases. Human rhinovirus/Enterovirus and Coronavirus were both accounting for 7.32% (21/287), followed by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (5.57%, 16/287). The positive rates of parainfluenza virus, bocavirus, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumo virus were all less than 5%. Bacterial strains were identified in seven SARI cases, including Klebsiella pneumoniae (3 strains), Staphylococcus aureus (2 strains), Streptococcus pneumoniae (1 strain) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1 strain). Two or Three pathogens were co-detected from 40 cases, accounting for 33.61% of 119 positive cases. The most common co-detected pathogens were influenza virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (10 cases). Influenza cases peaked in winter-spring and summer. Mycoplasma pneumoniae peaked in winter-spring season and overlapped with influenza. The positive rates of pathogens were not significantly different between different age groups. Conclusions: Various respiratory pathogens can be detected from SARI cases aged 15 years and older. Influenza virus was the predominant pathogen and the co-detection of influenza virus with Mycoplasma pneumoniae the most common one.
Concurrent anti-PM-Scl antibody-associated systemic sclerosis and inclusion body myositis – report of two cases and review of the literature

Abstract Objectives To describe two cases of anti-PM-Scl antibody-associated systemic sclerosis with evidence of inclusion body myositis on muscle biopsy. Methods Two female patients with anti-PM-Scl antibody-associated systemic sclerosis developed progressive proximal myopathy. Both patients had profound muscle weakness that was refractory to treatment with glucocorticoids with or without other oral immunosuppressive agents. Quadriceps muscle biopsy in both cases indicated inclusion body myositis (IBM). Monthly intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions were added to the treatment regimen. Results One patient's myopathy appears to have temporarily stabilized with IVIG infusions (2 g/Kg) every four weeks, though severe residual muscle weakness has persisted. The other patient's myopathy continues to progress slowly, despite being on 4-weekly IVIG infusions, along with weekly oral methotrexate and 6-monthly rituximab infusions. In this report, we compare these two patients with two similar cases that were previously reported and hypothesize a possible pathomechanism of this association. Conclusion This extremely rare association of IBM and anti-PM-Scl antibody-associated scleromyositis sheds new light on the possible pathogenesis of IBM. It strengthens the hypothesis that autoimmune muscle disease can potentially trigger myodegeneration. Whether early intervention with aggressive immunosuppressive therapy can prevent progression to treatment-refractory IBM, should be a subject of future research.
The 22-Item Sinonasal Outcome Test as a Tool for the Assessment of Quality of Life and Symptom Control in Allergic Rhinitis.

BackgroundThe 22-item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) is a validated patient-reported outcome measure for chronic rhinosinusitis and in many circumstances is used in rhinology/otolaryngology clini...
Emerging Hardware Technologies for IoT Data Processing

Fast and energy-efficient data processing has become a critical need for various forms of computing in the era of Internet of things (IoT). Emerging IoT applications demand for increasingly high data collection rates and significant computational requirements that often do not fit in the stringent power envelopes of the existing IoT devices. Data centers and cloud servers are then used to empower the IoT systems by performing massive data processing on behalf of the IoT users. Recent years have witnessed many significant challenges for big data processing in IoT systems. This section provides an overview of main architectural challenges for data processing in IoT systems and explains a number of recent innovations for addressing the challenges. The rest of the section examines two example memory architectures for accelerating data-intensive applications in the IoT nodes and data centers. The first architecture is a memory subsystem based on the emerging nonvolatile memory technologies that enables energy-efficient neural network acceleration in memory arrays. The memory system is capable of performing ordinary data storage in the future IoT nodes, as well as significantly accelerating certain operations for binary neural network workloads. The second architecture is a memory-centric accelerator specifically designed to perform large-scale data clustering using the k-median algorithm. The accelerator is suitable for IoT data centers, where large data is collected from the IoT nodes and clustered in the cloud servers. The architecture has shown significant energy-efficiency and performance potentials for gene expression analysis from the healthcare sector and document clustering used for data mining in web applications.
Radiotherapy Does Not Impact Long-term Function Following Resection of Soft-tissue Sarcomas of the Hand.

BACKGROUND/AIM Radiotherapy for soft tissue sarcomas (STS) of the hand is thought to be associated with poor function. The aim of this study was to compare the long-term functional outcome in patients with and without radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS At long-term follow-up (mean 10±5 years), 33 (13 males, 20 female) patients, were alive for review. The mean patient age at surgery was 33±17 years and 13 (39%) patients received radiotherapy (mean dose 55±6 Gy). RESULTS Postoperatively, the mean QuickDASH and MSTS93 were 7±8 and 92±8%, respectively. Comparing patients with and without radiotherapy, there was no difference (p>0.05) between the mean QuickDASH (5±5 vs. 8±9) or MSTS93 (93±9% vs. 91±8%). Surgical complication occurred more commonly in patients with radiotherapy (46% vs. 15%, p=0.10). CONCLUSION The use of radiotherapy was associated with a higher rate of complications, however, was not associated with a worse long-term functional outcome in patients with hand STS.
Long-term Natural History of Atrophy in Eyes with Choroideremia-A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Individual-Level Data.

Purpose To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the natural history of atrophy secondary to choroideremia (CHM). Clinical Relevance A sensitive and reliable anatomic measure to monitor disease progression is needed in treatment trials for CHM. However, the long-term natural history of the residual retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is unclear, with reported RPE area decline rates varying widely among patients. Methods We searched in 7 literature databases up through July 17, 2019, to identify studies that assessed the residual RPE area in untreated eyes with CHM using fundus autofluorescence (FAF). We sought individual-eye data and investigated the RPE decline pattern using 3 models: the area linear model (ALM), radius linear model (RLM), and area exponential model (AEM), in which the area, radius, and log-transformed area of RPE change linearly with time, respectively. To account for different eyes’ entry times into the studies, we added a horizontal translation factor to each dataset. The RPE decline rate was estimated using a 2-stage random-effects meta-analysis. We assessed the risk of bias using the Quality In Prognosis Studies tool. Results Of 807 articles screened, we included 9 articles containing cross-sectional data (257 eyes) from 6 studies and longitudinal data (229 visits from 68 eyes) from 5 studies. The residual RPE area followed a trend of exponential decay as a function of patient age. After the introduction of horizontal translation factors to longitudinal datasets of individual eyes, the datasets fit along a straight line in the AEM over nearly 60 years (r2 = 0.997). The decline rate of log-transformed RPE area was 0.050 (95% confidence interval, 0.046–0.055) log(mm2)/year and was independent of the baseline RPE area (r = −0.18; P = 0.15) and age (r = 0.06; P = 0.63). In contrast, the decline rates of the area and effective radius of residual RPE strongly correlated with the baseline RPE area (r = 0.90 and 0.61, respectively; P Conclusions The loss of residual RPE area in untreated eyes with CHM follows the AEM over approximately 60 years. Log-transformed residual RPE area measured by FAF can serve as an anatomic endpoint to monitor CHM.
Route-specific association of progestin therapy and concurrent metformin use in obese women with complex atypical hyperplasia

Introduction Previous studies have suggested that metformin use may enhance the therapeutic effect of progestin therapy for endometrial hyperplasia or malignancy. However, it is not known how the impact of concurrent metformin may be altered by route of progestin therapy, either locally via an intrauterine device or systemically. This study examined the effectiveness of concurrent metformin use and progestin therapy for women with complex atypical hyperplasia stratified by progestin route (systemic vs local). Methods This single-institution retrospective study examined consecutive women with complex atypical hyperplasia who received progestin therapy from 2003 to 2018. Time-dependent analyses for complete response rate were performed comparing concurrent metformin users versus non-users in the oral progestin group and in the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device group. Results Across the study cohort (n=245), there were 137 (55.9%) women who responded to progestin therapy. In the oral progestin group (n=176), the median age and body mass index were 36 years and 37.7 kg/m2, respectively. 36 (20.5%) of women on oral progestins also took metformin. After controlling for diabetes status, women taking both oral progestins and metformin had a complete response rate similar to those not taking metformin (6 month cumulative rates, 23.1% vs 27.8%, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.71, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.36 to 1.41). In the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device group (n=69), the median age and body mass index were 35 years and 39.9 kg/m2, respectively. There were 15 (21.7%) women who took metformin in addition to the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device. After controlling for diabetes status, women who had the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device and took metformin had a significantly higher complete response rate compared with those not taking metformin (6 month cumulative rates, 86.7% vs 58.9%, aHR 2.31, 95% CI 1.09 to 4.89). Conclusion In a predominantly obese population, concurrent metformin may possibly offer treatment benefit when used with the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device.
Enhancement by human umbilical vein endothelial cells of factor Xa- catalyzed activation of factor VII

In blood coagulation on endothelium, an unperturbed vascular endothelial cell surface apparently provides activity equivalent to the phospholipid needed for generation of factor Xa and thrombin in soluble systems. Phospholipid in soluble systems also markedly enhances the ability of factor Xa to activate factor VII; therefore we investigated the influence of an unperturbed monolayer of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) upon factor VII activation. HUVEC were found to augment factor Xa-catalyzed activation of factor VII. This appeared to result from the binding of trace amounts of factor Xa to the cells. Adding active site-inhibited factor Xa to reaction mixtures, but not factor X, abolished the enhanced activation. Adding either anti-factor V antibodies or exogenous factor Va had no effect upon reaction rates. Thus factor Va does not function as a cofactor for the reaction. In further experiments the effect upon activation of factor VII and prothrombin was studied by varying the order of addition of factor Xa and factor Va to supernatants of HUVEC monolayers. Evidence was obtained that HUVEC, unlike platelets, possess a functional factor Xa binding site that is independent of factor Va. Since phospholipid is the only known cofactor for factor Xa/Ca2+-induced activation of factor VII, the demonstration of enhanced activation of factor VII in the presence of unperturbed cultured HUVEC supports a hypothesis that the functional equivalent of procoagulant phospholipid is available on the luminal surface of vascular endothelium in vivo.
Impact of interpersonal client–provider relationship on satisfaction with mental healthcare among the LGBTQ+ population

Gender and sexual minorities are more likely to report unfavourable experiences with primary care. Aside from being refused care, additional challenges include stigma, discrimination, social and so...
Utilization of a multidisciplinary emergency department sepsis huddle to reduce time to antibiotics and improve SEP-1 compliance.

Abstract Sepsis is a significant public health crisis in the United States, contributing to 50% of inpatient hospital deaths. Given its dramatic health effects and implications in the setting of new CMS care guidelines, ED leaders have renewed focus on appropriate and timely sepsis care, including timely administration of antibiotics in patients at risk for sepsis. Modeling the success of multidisciplinary bedside huddles in improving compliance with appropriate care in other healthcare settings, a Sepsis Huddle was implemented in a large, academic ED, with the goal of driving compliance with standardized sepsis care as described in the CMS SEP-1 measure. A retrospective cohort analysis was performed, with the primary finding that utilization of the Sepsis Huddle resulted in antibiotics being administered on average 41 min sooner than when the Sepsis Huddle was not performed. Given that literature suggests that early administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy is a major driver of mortality reduction in patients with sepsis, this study represents a proof of concept that utilization of a Sepsis Huddle may serve to improve outcomes among ED patients at risk for sepsis.
Ember: energy management of batteryless event detection sensors with deep reinforcement learning

Energy management can extend the lifetime of batteryless, energy-harvesting systems by judiciously utilizing the energy available. Duty cycling of such systems is especially challenging for event detection, as events arrive sporadically and energy availability is uncertain. If the node sleeps too much, it may miss important events; if it depletes energy too quickly, it will stop operating in low energy conditions and miss events. Thus, accurate event prediction is important in making this tradeoff. We propose Ember, an energy management system based on deep reinforcement learning to duty cycle event-driven sensors in low energy conditions. We train a policy using historical real-world data traces of motion, temperature, humidity, pressure, and light events. The resulting policy can learn to capture up to 95% of the events without depleting the node. Without historical data for training when deploying a node at a new location, we propose a self-supervised mechanism to collect ground-truth data while learning from the data at the same time. Ember learns to capture the majority of events within a week without any historical data and matches the performance of the policies trained with historical data in a few weeks. We deployed 40 nodes running Ember for indoor sensing and demonstrate that the learned policies generalize to real-world settings as well as outperform state-of-the-art techniques.
Thermodynamics of the disordered Hubbard model studied via numerical linked-cluster expansions

The interplay of disorder and strong correlations in quantum many-body systems remains an open question. That is despite much progress made in recent years with ultracold atoms in optical lattices to better understand phenomena such as many-body localization or the effect of disorder on Mott metal-insulator transitions. Here, we utilize the numerical linked-cluster expansion technique, extended to treat disordered quantum lattice models, and study exact thermodynamic properties of the disordered Fermi-Hubbard model on the square and cubic geometries. We consider box distributions for the disorder in the onsite energy, the interaction strength, as well as the hopping amplitude and explore how energy, double occupancy, entropy, heat capacity, and magnetic correlations of the system in the thermodynamic limit evolve as the strength of disorder changes. We compare our findings with those obtained from determinant quantum Monte Carlo simulations and discuss the relevance of our results to experiments with cold fermionic atoms in optical lattices.
The Influence of Parodies on Mental Models: Exploring the Tina Fey-Sarah Palin Phenomenon

During the 2008 presidential campaign season, Tina Fey’s timely impersonations of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live attracted overwhelming attention, both on NBC and online. In the weeks of September and October 2008, press buzzed about a possible “Fey Effect”: a negative impact of Fey’s impersonations on Palin’s favorability ratings and a subsequent decline in the GOP ticket (Sands, 2008). The current study seeks to test for a possible “Fey Effect” by measuring if Fey’s impersonations of Palin rendered caricatured traits more salient in viewers’ mental constructions of the candidate, namely character traits central to the Fey impersonation, including issues of intelligence, competence, experience and the Governor’s rural background. Rooting the analysis in cognitive psychology, associative network models of knowledge storage and retrieval, and priming effects, we explore whether or not the SNL parodies may have encouraged viewers to help form perceptions of a relatively unknown candidate by increasing the salience of certain aspects of her personality and background.Using a pre-post three conditions between-subjects design and a sample of 255 undergraduates at a large Eastern university, we employed online surveys and streaming video to assess whether or not exposure to the Fey impersonations rendered caricatured traits more salient in participants’ open-ended evaluations of Palin. Participants first completed a questionnaire, and two weeks later were sent a link to view either 1) a segment of an original CBS interview between Katie Couric and Sarah Palin, 2) the SNL parody of that interview, or 3) a travel video as a control group stimulus. Findings indicate that exposure to both the original interview and its parody increased the salience of Palin’s intelligence, competence and experience in their open-ended evaluations of her, compared to the control group. In addition, results indicate that, among participants who viewed the SNL parody, traits associated with Palin’s rural background were more salient than in the control group, a finding not found as a result of exposure to the original interview. The lack of significant differences in outcomes between the original CBS interview and the SNL parody give pause to those who blamed Palin’s declining favorability on a “Fey Effect.” Ultimately, this research finds that at least part of the agency of influence rests in the Palin herself, leading us to conclude that perhaps the underlying trend would be more accurately described as a “Palin Effect.”
Treatment of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

Bacterial infections of the skin, which often extend to involve adjacent soft tissue, have been classified as primary pyodermas, infectious gangrene and gangrenous cellulitis, and secondary bacterial infections complicating preexisting skin lesions. The major pathogens causing primary skin infection and soft tissue infection among immunocompetent patients, in the absence of unique epidemiologic considerations, are Staphylococcus aureus and beta-hemolytic streptococci, particularly Streptococcus pyogenes. Surveillance programs (SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program) that have examined the microbiology of nosocomial or community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections occurring in hospitalized patients also indicate differences in the causes of the infections compared with those associated with the primary pyodermas. Polymicrobial infections in the feet of patients with diabetes mellitus (so called "diabetic foot infection") usually arise from neuropathic ulcers and frequently occur in the setting of arterial insufficiency. Although patients with these infections are often included in treatment trials for complicated skin and soft tissue infections, because of the uniqueness of the clinical setting and the frequency of this problem some studies have focused solely on fluoroquinolone treatment of this entity. Data from comparative and noncomparative clinical trials demonstrate that currently available fluoroquinolones are highly effective treatment for mild, uncomplicated as well as for more severe, complicated skin and soft tissue infections. If fluoroquinolones are to be used in these patients, a second drug with predictable anti-anaerobic activity should be included in the regimen. Similarly, fluoroquinolones should be used with caution when infections are known or likely to be caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus.
Chapter 12: Molecular and cellular studies on brain calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses brain CaM-kinase II with a particular focus on its unique regulatory properties, its regulation in cultured brain cells, and its physiological functions. CaM-kinase II has widespread tissue distribution as oligomeric isozyme forms and is particularly abundant in the brain. In certain regions of the brain, such as hippocampus, it constitutes up to 2% of total protein, which probably makes it the most abundant enzyme in these tissues. CaM-kinase II is localized presynaptically where it is involved in Ca 2+ -dependent regulation of neurotransmitter biosynthesis and exocytosis. At excitatory synapses in forebrain, there is a thickening of the postsynaptic membrane called the postsynaptic density (PSD), and CaM-kinase II constitutes about 30–50% of the protein in the PSD. These excitatory synapses are subject to a usage-dependent enhancement of synaptic transmission called long-term potentiation (LTP)—a popular model for learning and memory.
Chandra Detection of Local O VII Heα Absorption along the Sight Line toward 3C 273

We detect a zero-redshift O VII Heα absorption line with a signal-to-noise ratio of 6.4. We explore two models, which associate this line with (1) the intragroup gas in the Local Group and (2) the hot halo gas in the vicinity of our Milky Way. In model 1, we find for a standard β-model of the gas distribution that the temperature is 2.3 × 105 K < T < 1.2 × 106 K and the baryon overdensity is δb ~ 100; both results are consistent with the properties of the so-called warm-hot intergalactic medium predicted by cosmological simulations. We also find the core radius of the gas distribution should be greater than 100 kpc. In model 2, we explore several possible Galactic origins for the absorption, including the possibility that the O VII is associated with the O VI absorption observed in this direction by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. We find a strong indication that collisional ionization is the dominant ionization source for the observed absorption.
The uterine cervix in mammals.

T H E c E RV IX separates the vagina from the uterus. It is a thick-walled structure with a constricted lumen. However, the structure and the anatomy of the cervix vary in different mammalian species. Species differences are observed in the complexity of the cervical folds, morphology and anatomy of the internal and external orifices, the length and complexity of the cervical canal, and the anatomic relationships with the uterus and vagina (Table I and Figs. 1-6) .
Self-Bias Response of Lead-Free (1−x)[0.948 K0.5Na0.5NbO3–0.052 LiSbO3]–xNi0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4–Nickel Magnetoelectric Laminate Composites

This study reports the magnetoelectric (ME) response of lead-free particulate composites given as (1−x)[0.948 K0.5Na0.5NbO3–0.052 LiSbO3]–xNi0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 (KNNLS–NZF) and bimorph laminates given as KNNLS–NZF/Ni/KNNLS–NZF. The particulate ME composites were found to exhibit island–matrix microstructure as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and elemental mapping. Detailed investigations were conducted on optimization of the magnitude of magnetic and piezoelectric properties by varying the sintering condition and NZF mole fraction. It was found that longitudinal piezoelectric strain coefficient d33 and electromechanical coupling factor kp decreased with increasing NZF concentration. On the other hand, the magnitude of saturation magnetization Ms, remnant magnetization Mr, magnetic permeability μ, and magnetostriction λ was found to increase with increasing NZF fraction. The composition 0.7 KNNLS–0.3 NZF sintered at 1060°C was found to exhibit d33 of 73 pC/N, Ms of 19 emu/g, and maximum ME coefficient αE of 20.14 mV/cm·Oe under Hac=1 Oe at 1 kHz. The bimorph laminates were fabricated by embedding Ni plate between (1−x)KNNLS–xNZF disks with varying electrical connections to achieve radial and bending modes. The radial mode laminates were found to exhibit typical ME response without any self-bias effect with maximum αE of 261.3 mV/cm·Oe and high DC magnetic field sensitivity of 1 μT at 1 kHz. The bending mode laminates were found to exhibit self-biased ME response whose magnitude and shape was dependent upon the NZF concentration.
Sharing the garden

Human activities have profound impacts on our planet, but these impacts can be difficult to measure accurately. In 1986, an influential study used the fraction of Earth9s total plant growth or net primary production that is appropriated by humans as a measure. In his Perspective, Field discusses the reassessment of this value by Rojstaczer et al . and highlights ways in which estimates of human impacts can be further improved.
Comparisons between electrical and optical interconnects for on-chip signaling

We present a comparison between electrical wires driven by repeaters and optical interconnects from both delay and power perspective. This involved properly modeling the power and delay of each component in an optical signaling system as well as repeated wires. We show that it is favorable to switch to optical interconnects for global signaling, on both power and delay account, for long wires. Whereas, shorter wires favor an electrical operation on lower power grounds.
A Network Teaching Tool For Visualizing And Analyzing Routing Protocols

To overcome the difficulty of learning network protocols by examining the algorithms or examples, a tool has been designed and partially implemented under which the algorithms can be visualized and investigated. For instance, students can construct a network topology that consists of a set of nodes and links by clicking the mouse on the screen. Attributes may be specified to constrain the behavior of individual nodes, such as the rate at which packets are transmitted. For each link, the cost of delivering data frames along that link may be specified, together with the likelihood and extent of packet loss, corruption and delay. Each possibility may be specified using standard statistical distributions. By altering the positions of network nodes and links, a number of different aspects of routing algorithms may be highlighted. The nodes may be overwhelmed and links may be congested, enabling different routing algorithms to be investigated. In addition to the visualization of protocols, the tool also provides capabilities for statically analyzing the protocols without animating the algorithms. The static analysis facilitates the students to observe the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of the protocols. The computer networks course is an integration of network design and protocols with practical hands-on experience. This paper describes the tool itself, as well as the experiences gained in using the tool. We illustrate the use of the tool with the visualization of the Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm for finding a shortest path in a network topology and the analysis of the algorithm to pinpoint the problems of this algorithm.
Evaluation for better development results

Evaluation can make a positive difference to development results. Yet, the emergence of extended results chains and the growing significance of linkages across projects and programmes have increased the challenges of producing useful evaluations. Meanwhile, the timeliness in the provision of evaluative findings is proving to be crucial for ensuring its relevance and impact. This paper first underscores the need for results-based evaluations. It then points out the need for diverse evaluation approaches, emphasising the value of looking beyond stated objectives. Finally, it discusses governance frameworks to motivate the production and use of evaluations of development results.
Health and Health Services in British Malaya in the 1920s

British Malaya was a very unhealthy place in the early years of this century. Malaria, ankylostomiasis or hookworm, venereal disease, tuberculosis, dysentery, pneumonia, beri-beri, cholera and still other diseases accounted for thousands of deaths annually in the 1920s. Typically, persons suffered from two or more maladies at the same time. In the Federated Malay States (F. M. S.) probably more than half of those listed as dying from malaria also suffered from hookworm. Many pneumonia deaths were due to tuberculosis. Chronic malnutrition combined with malaria, hookworm and diarrhea in many, perhaps most, pregnant women to produce high infant and maternal mortality. The majority of the living were more or less continuously afflicted with disease. Most of the diseases were debilitating and slow to kill. Most were preventable although that was imperfectly understood.
The Patient Package Insert

To the Editor.— While your editorial on the Food and Drug Administration-developed patient package insert (233:1089, 1975) avoids taking a totally negative stance, the emphasis is nevertheless on the possible harm of such inserts, with no mention of potential good. The insert policy could be viewed as either harmful or superfluous if one makes two assumptions: first, that physicians already do an adequate job of passing along essential information to patients, and second, that patients as a group are unable to handle a frank discussion of possible harmful effects of medication. There is growing documentation that the first assumption is overly optimistic. Rather, the common practice is for physicians to give information in terms that the patient cannot understand and for the physician to give the impression to the patient that the physician is too busy to be bothered with questions. 1,2 While it is going much too far to
Gustave Caillebotte, French impressionism, and mere exposure.

Gustave Caillebotte was a painter, a collector of some of his colleagues’ most renowned works, and a major force in the creation of the late 19th century French Impressionist canon. Six studies are presented as a naturalistic investigation of the effects of mere exposure to images in his collection and to those matched to them. The probabilities of cultural exposure to the 132 stimulus images were indexed by the frequencies of their separate appearances in Cornell University library books—a total of 4,232 times in 980 different books. Across the studies, adult preferences were correlated with differences in image frequencies, but not with recognition, complexity, or prototypicality judgments; children’s preferences were not correlated with frequency. Prior cultural exposure also interacted with experimental exposure in predictable ways. The results suggest that mere exposure helps to maintain an artistic canon.
Long‐Haired women, short‐haired spies: Gender, espionage, and America's war in Vietnam

Women who fought the Americans and the South Vietnamese in the Vietnam War performed many tasks. Some were the usual women's work: nursing, providing food, shelter, repairing trails, and preparing ambushes. But, they also were useful as combatants and spies. Less obvious than men, they exchanged information on troop movements while at market. They were couriers, demonstrators and recruiters. They fought and also performed intelligence through ingenious strategems. One old woman cut off her hair, was half naked, and convinced the Southern troops that she was harmless; then she entered a base and gathered information that aided the NLF forces to defeat the enemy. The communist women were indeed a key to victory.