cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical subtypes of chronic traumatic encephalopathy: literature review and proposed research diagnostic criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome.

The long-term consequences of repetitive head impacts have been described since the early 20th century. Terms such as punch drunk and dementia pugilistica were first used to describe the clinical syndromes experienced by boxers. A more generic designation, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), has been employed since the mid-1900s and has been used in recent years to describe a neurodegenerative disease found not just in boxers but in American football players, other contact sport athletes, military veterans, and others with histories of repetitive brain trauma, including concussions and subconcussive trauma. This article reviews the literature of the clinical manifestations of CTE from 202 published cases. The clinical features include impairments in mood (for example, depression and hopelessness), behavior (for example, explosivity and violence), cognition (for example, impaired memory, executive functioning, attention, and dementia), and, less commonly, motor functioning (for example, parkinsonism, ataxia, and dysarthria). We present proposed research criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) which consist of four variants or subtypes (TES behavioral/mood variant, TES cognitive variant, TES mixed variant, and TES dementia) as well as classifications of ‘probable CTE’ and ‘possible CTE’. These proposed criteria are expected to be modified and updated as new research findings become available. They are not meant to be used for a clinical diagnosis. Rather, they should be viewed as research criteria that can be employed in studies of the underlying causes, risk factors, differential diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of CTE and related disorders.
Effects of Iberis umbellata (Brassicaceae) on Insect Pests of Cabbage and on Potential Biological Control Agents

Noncrop borders surrounding field crops may enhance biological control of insect pests by drawing pests away from the crop and by providing a suitable habitat for natural enemies. We quantified the effects of borders of flowering Iberis umbellata L. (candytuft) on cabbage pest and predator abundance by repeatedly sampling arthropod abundance in plots of Brassica oleracea L. I. umbellata provides potential food for crucifer herbivores as well as nectar and pollen resources for predators. Although I. umbellata harbored large populations of hemipteran predators, few of these predators were found on the adjacent crop plants. Iberis borders did not change the abundance of crop pests within the crop but had mixed effects on natural enemies. Interestingly, the spatial distribution of Pieris rapae L. and Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) eggs on B. oleracea differed significantly between treatments, indicating that the presence of flowering I. umbellata may have altered the movement and oviposition behavior of these lepidopteran pests. Our results point to the importance of considering predator and pest movement when investigating how alternative habitats, such as flowering borders, affect arthropod population dynamics.
Thanks for nothing: Income and labor force participation for never-married mothers since 1982

Abstract We examine the changing social and economic characteristics of women who give birth out of wedlock. Using Current Population Survey data collected between 1982 and 2002, we find that never-married mothers remain impoverished. Their income growth over these years was modest despite substantial gains in education, employment, and other individual characteristics generally associated with prosperity. These results affirm the ongoing role of family structure in shaping American inequality.
Pregnancy and parenting among youth in foster care: A review☆

Abstract Parenting during adolescence is often followed by a range of untoward outcomes of young parents and their children. The birth rate and experience of pregnancy and parenting for youth in foster care are, however, little studied. Emerging research suggests greater risk for early pregnancy or parenthood for this population. The research on possible reasons for this elevated risk is considered. This review reports the findings related to prevalence, risk factors, and protective factors for pregnancy and parenting among youth in foster care. Youth report their motivations for parenting and barriers to preventing pregnancy. Child welfare workers and administrators report lack of policy and practice guidance related to pregnancy prevention and reproductive healthcare for youth in foster care.
Explaining GDP Growth: A Long Term Horse Race, 1955-2013

From 1955 through 1980, both the slope of the yield curve and the level of stock returns provided considerable information about future output growth. Using data for growth, the yield curve and returns in a long term horse race from 1955 through 2013, this study shows that the explanatory power of the yield curve virtually collapsed after 1980. The explanatory power of stock returns also weakened in the 1990s but recovered considerably thereafter. Although the returns-output growth relation is not completely stable, our results suggest this relation is much more robust than the yield curve-output growth relation. The returns-output growth relation is much less sensitive to changes in cyclicality, inflation, and the resulting response of monetary policy.
Power-utilization provisioning for data centers

The applications hosted in a datacenter share more than just servers; they also share electrical circuits. Datacenter managers provision the power capacity of these circuits to hosted applications, often based on their peak power needs. In this work, we studied the actual and peak power needs of 3 real datacenters, using data from 1) hardware manufacturers and 2) actual, observed power needs to estimate peak needs. We found that actual power needs were nonmonotonic relative to peak needs. That is, some applications with low actual power needs had large peak needs—stemming from the diverse power utilization of datacenter applications. Such diversity caused surprising order inversions where applications with smaller peak power had larger actual needs. Based on these results, we propose a power provisioning approach that considers power-utilization diversity. Our approach provides 1) predictable monotonic results as power capacity increases and 2) performs better than approaches commonly used in practice.
Using Groupon for health and wellness businesses

Social merchants are small business owners and entrepreneurs who adopt social shopping as a new sales channel. They employ social shopping intermediaries, such as Groupon and LivingSocial, to promote their products or services to price-sensitive customers at large discounts. The success of social merchants depends in part on the reputation they gain at merchant review sites (e.g., Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angie's List), via which consumers post online product and merchant reviews. An analysis of social shopping provides insight regarding how social shopping works and what merchants must be aware of if they utilize social shopping intermediaries. This article shares these insights in the context of a set of health and wellness merchants that were studied for five years. Specifically, this article discusses how their Groupon daily deals affect merchant reviews, and how surviving vs. failed social merchants differ in terms of their review scores and number of reviews. Finally, this article provides recommendations about merchant review management to health and wellness merchants.
Large Eddy Simulation of a Supersonic Underexpanded Jet with a High-order Hybrid Central/WENO-Z Scheme

An Implicit Large Eddy Simulation of a supersonic underexpanded jet is performed with a high-order Hybrid Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory/Central Difference (WENOZ/Central) based solver. A resolution study is performed. Carbuncle instabilities that appear in the region of the Mach disk and barrel shock are mitigated by increasing the numerical dissipation in the region of the shock by adjusting the denominator in the WENO-Z weights. The near nozzle shock structure is in good agreement with published studies and results generated with a lower order finite volume code. An analysis of the energy spectrum and Reynolds stresses in the far field show that the jet is nearly fully turbulent.
The Gauged Earlobe: A Review of Current Treatment Methods and Presentation of a New Technique

While not a new practice, the incidence of ear gauging is increasing. Our purpose is to review the literature (including the history of ear gauging as well as current repair techniques) and propose a new technique (the star technique) to better equip the contemporary cosmetic surgeon.
STUDIES OF SOME TREMELLACEAE. III. THE GENUS BOURDOTIA

The taxon Bourdotia was originally described by Bresadola (1908) as a subgenus of Sebacina Tul. to include a single species, S. galzinii Bres. The distinguishing character was the possession of gloeocystidia in the hymenium. Bresadola and Torrend (in Torrend, 1913) later elevated Bourdotia to the rank of genus and described an additional species.3 Later authors have accorded the group varied treatment. Rea (1922), Gaumann and Dodge (1928), and Killermann (1928) recognized Bourdotia as a subgenus; however, Killermann included one Sebacina-like species with gloeocystidia in the genus Exidiopsis (Bref.) M611. and another gloeocystidiate species in an unnamed group consisting of an assortment of species now usually segregated into several genera. Burt (1915, 1926) included the species of the Bourdotia group in the genus Sebacina. Bourdot and Galzin (1928) adopted Bresadola and Torrend's concept of the group and recognized five species as well known and three species as insufficiently known. Neuhoff (1936) followed Bourdot and Galzin in his treatment of the Swedish species. More recently Malen;on (1954) in his treatment of certain species from the Atlas Mountains of North Africa separated Bourdotia as a genus. Rogers (1933, 1935) recognized the gloeocystidiate species of Sebacina
Comparative Actions of Sympathomimetic Compounds Responses of Cocainized Rabbit's Intestine.

The extensive use by Tainter and others of the cocaine sensitization-desensitization phenomena in studies of the circulatory actions of sympathomimetic compounds, made it desirable to determine whether the same phenomena could be elicited with intestinal muscle. Some data were available in papers by Tainter and Chang1 and Thienes and Hockett.2 In no case, however, had the study of excised intestine been sufficiently extensive to indicate the range of spontaneous variation in the responses to successive administrations of the amines. We, therefore, investigated the influence of cocaine upon the responses of excised rabbit duodenum to epinephrine, tyramine, ephedrine and barium, controlling the results by observations of the responses to repeated applications of the same drug in the absence of cocaine. The changes in tonus, amplitude, and rhythmic activity were correlated as much as possible.The tissues were fresh and active, the majority being taken from recently killed rabbits. Some tissues, however, were...
The Research on Financial and Taxation Policy on Sustainable Development of Resources Cities in Northeast Area

The Northeast is the area which resource cities relatively concentrate in China,with the escalation of resource exploitation,the survival and development of the resource type city faces the serious threat.To achieve sustainable development,the resource cities should give full play to the basic function in the allocation of resources,support of the policy system including finance and tax..The problems exist in such aspects as financial compensation,support connection industry development,financial transfer payment,corporate income tax,resource tax,resource environmental protection tax in the current finance and tax system,unfavorable to sustainable development of the resource cities of the Northeast.The thesis suggests to establish government supports the mechanism,increase the dynamics of transfer payments,widen financing channel,optimize enterprise income tax,reform resource tax,give value-added preferential policies to resource cities in Northeast,take the lead to begin the social security tax in the Northeast and so on,to support resource cities in Northeast achieve sustainable development.
Chemical Bath Deposition of Aluminum Oxide Buffer on Curved Surfaces for Growing Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays

Direct growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays on substrates requires the deposition of an aluminum oxide buffer (AOB) layer to prevent the diffusion and coalescence of catalyst nanoparticles. Although AOB layers can be readily created on flat substrates using a variety of physical and chemical methods, the preparation of AOB layers on substrates with highly curved surfaces remains challenging. Here, we report a new solution-based method for preparing uniform layers of AOB on highly curved surfaces by the chemical bath deposition of basic aluminum sulfate and annealing. We show that the thickness of AOB layer can be increased by extending the immersion time of a substrate in the chemical bath, following the classical Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov crystallization kinetics. The increase of AOB thickness in turn leads to the increase of CNT length and the reduction of CNT curviness. Using this method, we have successfully synthesized dense aligned CNT arrays of micrometers in length on sub...
Training the Model

In this chapter, simple ideas about how to use a chain of computational nodes to build models of neural processing is outline using the OCOS neural subcircuit in the cortex. The OCOS is modeled as a graph and the incident matrix of the graph is used to construct the graph based notions of a gradient and a Laplacian. Information flow through the graph is assumed to follow a cable like equation using the graph version of the Laplacian. This cable like equation can then be used to map inputs to output in a chain model. Finally, some comments are made about the estimated sizes of interesting cortical models that could be used in simulations.
Clinical Presentation of Nonsclerotic Epidermal Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Hair and Nail Changes

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for a wide variety of malignant and nonmalignant conditions, but the development of graft-versus-host disease after transplantation may cause significant morbidity and mortality. The updated National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGVHD) [1] clarified and built upon the 2005 NIH Consensus Conference criteria for diagnosing and scoring the severity of chronic GVHD [2]. The purpose of these guidelines is to create uniformity in clinical trials, to guide treatment, and to facilitate biomarker studies.
Balancing Risks from Climate Policy Uncertainties: The Role of Options and Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

Abstract Progressively adjusting climate policies will entail adjustment costs for society. This paper develops a conceptual model and numerical example that illustrate the risk associated with exposure to the high costs of complying with future emissions controls and how this risks trades off against that from potentially premature investment into abatement. We then highlight the potentially unique role of tropical forest protection in helping to manage these risks by providing a cost-effective “buffer” of near term emissions reductions at a globally significant scale. This buffer would provide insurance against the risk of suddenly tightening targets, as well as providing other critical environmental benefits. We further examine how a version of a private finance instrument in the form of long-dated ‘call’ options on verified reductions in emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (i.e. REDD +) can help to operationalize this risk-hedging buffer creation. Options on REDD + could aid both regulated businesses and tropical nations to manage their respective risks. REDD + options could deliver sufficient abatement to significantly hedge exposure of regulated entities to potential corrections in climate policy while channeling financial resources to defer deforestation even as climate policies continue to evolve.
Draining the Swamp.

Airway clearance techniques are prescribed for a large variety of pulmonary diseases that are thought to be associated with mucus retention or poor sputum clearance. Just as airway clearance techniques are prescribed for diverse diseases, there are an equally large number of airway clearance
Enhanced enzymatic activity from phosphotriesterase trimer gold nanoparticle bioconjugates for pesticide detection.

The rapid detection of organophosphates (OPs), a class of strong neurotoxins, is critically important for monitoring acute insecticide exposure and potential chemical warfare agent use. Herein, we improve the enzymatic activity of a phosphotriesterase trimer (PTE3), an enzyme that selectively recognizes OPs directly, by conjugation with distinctly sized (i.e., 5, 10, and 20 nm diameter) gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The number of enzymes immobilized on the AuNP was controlled by conjugating increasing molar ratios of PTE3 onto the AuNP surface via metal affinity coordination. This occurs between the PTE3-His6 termini and the AuNP-displayed Ni2+-nitrilotriacetic acid end groups and was confirmed with gel electrophoresis. The enzymatic efficiency of the resultant PTE3–AuNP bioconjugates was analyzed via enzyme progress curves acquired from two distinct assay formats that compared free unbound PTE3 with the following PTE3–AuNP bioconjugates: (1) fixed concentration of AuNPs while increasing the bioconjugate molar ratio of PTE3 displayed around the AuNP and (2) fixed concentration of PTE3 while increasing the bioconjugate molar ratio of PTE3–AuNP by decreasing the AuNP concentration. Both assay formats monitored the absorbance of p-nitrophenol that was produced as PTE3 hydrolyzed the substrate paraoxon, a commercial insecticide and OP nerve agent simulant. Results demonstrate a general equivalent trend between the two formats. For all experiments, a maximum enzymatic velocity (Vmax) increased by 17-fold over free enzyme for the lowest PTE3–AuNP ratio and the largest AuNP (i.e., ratio of 1 : 1, 20 nm dia. AuNP). This work provides a route to improve enzymatic OP detection strategies with enzyme–NP bioconjugates.
Ackia and Ogoula Tchetoka: Defining Two Battlefields of the 1736 French and Chickasaw War in Southeastern North America

Investigations into the location of two battles related to the Chickasaw and French Wars of the 1700s in Mississippi, USA, show the value of a multi-pronged strategy for identifying and delineating...
Hwæt: The first word of the Beowulf poem revisited

Hwaet, wē Gār-Dena in ġeārdagumþēodcyninga þrym ġefrūnon,hū ðā aeþelingas ellen fremedon.1Listen! We have heard of the glory of the Spear-Danesin the old days, the kings of tribes—how noble princes s...
Movement behavior preceding autumn mortality for white-tailed deer in central New York

A common yet largely untested assumption in the theory of animal movements is that increased rates and a wider range of movements, such as occurs during breeding, make animals more vulnerable to mortality. We examined mortality among 34 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) wearing GPS collars during the autumn breeding season of 2006 and 2007 in a heavily hunted, forest-agricultural landscape of central New York state. We evaluated whether individuals having higher rates of movement incurred higher rates of mortality and whether mortality risk was higher when deer were in less familiar areas. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to analyze how mortality risk changes with movement rates measured over 3 time periods: < 1 day, up to 2 weeks prior to death, and 3–4 weeks prior to death. Overall, deer increased their movement rates as autumn progressed, males more so than females. However, deer that died moved at a slower rate relative to surviving deer up to 2 weeks prior to death (β = −2.22 ± 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −3.91 to −0.51) and a slower rate on their day of death compared to deer that survived (β = −1.77 ± 0.73; 95% CI = −3.19 to −0.33). Site familiarity was not significantly related to mortality risk. Deer were equally likely to die within their 50% core use area as elsewhere within their autumn home range. We hypothesize that increased sociality associated with breeding may make animals more vulnerable to harvest mortality. Our findings contradict general assumptions about the influences of movement behavior on mortality risk, suggesting that patterns may be sensitive to the spatiotemporal context of the movement analysis.
Technical Note: A planning technique to lower normal tissue toxicity in lung SBRT plans based on two likely dependent RTOG metrics

Purpose Intermediate- and low-dose falloff in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) of lung tumor is known to relate to normal tissue toxicity. The purpose is twofold to analyze the relation between RTOG parameters (namely, R50%, D2cm) in lung SBRT plans and to explore planning methods that correlate with higher than acceptable dose to normal tissue. Methods RTOG recommended target dose coverage, conformity index, homogeneity index, R50%, and D2cm were evaluated retrospectively in 105 lung tumor SBRT plans. Deviations in R50% and D2cm were correlated with parameters including prescription dose, tumor location, number of beams or arcs, beam configuration (coplanar or noncoplanar), type of treatment plan (3D-CRT, IMRT or volumetric arc therapy), and shortest distance to the chest wall. Result All plans met the target coverage, conformity index, homogeneity index, and critical organ dose tolerance objectives. Dose falloff product (DFP) of R50% and D2cm has a small variance and small dependence on PTV. Low correlation between DFP and PTV suggests that R50% and D2cm are not independent. Coplanar beam placement was found to be prevalent among plans with large deviations in R50%, D2cm. Conclusion This study questions the independence of the two RTOG recommended metrics, R50% and D2cm in lung SBRT plans, and suggests that noncoplanar beams may provide better normal tissue sparing by reducing the intermediate dose falloff.
Hyperbolic tangle surgeries and nested links

Changes to gluing patterns for fully augmented links are shown to result in generalized fully augmented links. The first changes considered result in 4 –tangle surgeries on hyperbolic fully augmented links that produce hyperbolic generalized fully augmented links. These surgeries motivate the definition of nested links, and a characterization of hyperbolic nested links is given. Finally, the geometry of nested links is compared to that of fully augmented links.
Wavelength-dependent photochemistry of 2-azidovinylbenzene and 2-phenyl-2H-azirine

Abstract Irradiation of 2-azidovinylbenzene (1) in a cryogenic argon matrix with a 254 nm bandpass filter results in 2-phenyl-2H-azirine (2) as the major product, some ketenimine 5, and a small amount of cis-1, whereas irradiation of vinyl azide 1 with light above 300 nm forms only azirine 2 and ketenimine 5. Prolonged irradiation of azirine 2 through a 254 nm bandpass filter produces ylide 3 selectively. Laser flash photolysis with excitation at 308 nm demonstrated that azirine 2 forms triplet vinylnitrene 4 (λ ∼ 440 nm), whereas vinyl azide 1 does not exhibit transient absorption on a nanosecond timescale. DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-31 + G(d)) were used to aid the characterization of the photoproducts and to support the proposed formation mechanisms.
First report of European mountain ash ringspot‐associated virus in serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) in Germany

Chlorotic ringspots and line pattern have been observed in different species of serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), for instance in the Netherlands since 1957 (Cooper, 1979). Being tolerant against various abiotic stresses these shrubs are …
Internet Pornography Use Among Collegiate Women: Gender Attitudes, Body Monitoring, and Sexual Behavior:

Pornography use has become more commonplace since the advent of high-speed Internet, yet there is little investigation that is exclusively targeted to women’s use of pornography. Given the paradox ...
Antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells and protective immunity to tuberculosis.

The continuing HIV/AIDS epidemic and the spread of multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis has led to the perpetuation of the worldwide tuberculosis epidemic. While M. bovis BCG is widely used as a vaccine, it lacks efficacy in preventing pulmonary tuberculosis in adults [1]. To combat this ongoing scourge, vaccine development for tuberculosis is a global priority. Most infected individuals develop long-lived protective immunity, which controls and contains M. tuberculosis in a T cell-dependent manner. An effective T cells response determines whether the infection resolves or develops into clinically evident disease. Consequently, there is great interest in determining which T cells subsets mediate anti-mycobacterial immunity, delineating their effector functions, and evaluating whether vaccination can elicit these T cells subsets and induce protective immunity. CD4+ T cells are critical for resistance to M. tuberculosis in both humans and rodent models. CD4+ T cells are required to control the initial infection as well as to prevent recrudescence in both humans and mice [2]. While it is generally accepted that class II MHC-restricted CD4+ T cells are essential for immunity to tuberculosis, M. tuberculosis infection elicits CD8+ T cells responses in both people and in experimental animals. CD8+ T cells are also recruited to the lung during M. tuberculosis infection and are found in the granulomas of infected people. Thus, how CD8+ T cells contribute to overall immunity to tuberculosis and whether antigens recognized by CD8+ T cells would enhance the efficacy of vaccine strategies continue to be important questions.
The inhibition of d-amino acid oxidase by desoxycorticosterone.

In the course of investigations in these laboratories on the effect of steroid hormones on various enzymatic systems, it was noted that desoxycorticosterone exerted a greater inhibitory effect than other steroids, and that the n-amino acid oxidase system was particularly strongly affected. This paper deals with experiments elucidating in part the characteristics of the n-amino acid oxidasc-desoxycorticosterone inhibition, the effect of other steroids on this enzyme system, and the extent of desoxycorticosterone inhibition on other enzymatic reactions.
Exploiting the Soviet “threat” to Europe

Support for a European version of Star Wars is based on unreliable evaluations of the Soviet threat and should be abandoned in favor of reducing conventional and nuclear forces.
Depression and CHD: Prevalence, Prognosis, Pathophysiology and Treatment

The comorbidity of depression and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been demonstrated in a broad literature published over the past two decades. In this chapter, we review the current state of this literature, with a particular focus on the prevalence of CHD and depression, the relationship of depression to CHD development and prognosis, and the pathophysiological mechanisms by which these two clinical phenomena may be linked. Key issues relevant to clinical practice and research in this area are also discussed, including assessment and treatment.
Alienation the ‘Is-Ought’ Gap and two Sorts of Discord

The notion of alienation has excited a great deal of interest in recent years, especially among reformists and revolutionists in social-scientific circles. Much of this interest would appear to be related to the widespread belief that this notion enables one to bridge the seemingly impassable gap between ‘is’ and ‘ought’, by means of an ‘ought not’ — and thereby to establish normative conclusions without paying the price of going beyond the limits of sound scientific method. Marx himself, whose rather recently discovered early writings initially inspired high hopes along these lines, seems to have been drawn to the notion for something like this reason. Before the already extensive alienation-literature is swelled even further, however, it is desirable and even imperative to pause and consider whether in fact the notion of alienation enables us to perform this remarkable feat. If it does, then social scientists and social philosophers are indeed fortunate. But if it does not, those who would continue to make use of it must revise their thinking about the status of the notion, and about the role(s) it is capable of playing in the kinds of intellectual endeavor in which it is to be employed.
HIV and Syphilis Screening Among Adolescents Diagnosed With Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Women with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) are at an increased risk for syphilis and HIV, but screening rates among adolescents have been understudied. Our objective is to measure the frequency of HIV and syphilis screening among adolescents who are diagnosed with PID and identify patient- and hospital-level characteristics associated with screening. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System from 2010 to 2015. We included visits to the emergency department by female adolescents who were diagnosed with PID and determined the frequency of HIV and syphilis screening. We performed separate multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with screening. RESULTS: Of the 10 698 patients who were diagnosed with PID, 22.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.2%–22.8%) underwent HIV screening, and 27.7% (95% CI 26.9%–28.6%) underwent syphilis screening. Screening rates varied by hospital (HIV: 2.6%–60.4%; syphilis: 2.9%–62.2%). HIV screening was more likely to occur in younger (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.2; 95% CI 1.0–1.3), non-Hispanic African American (aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2–1.7), non–privately insured (publicly insured [aOR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.5], uninsured [aOR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.0]), and admitted patients (aOR 7.0; 95% CI 5.1–9.4) at smaller hospitals (aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0–1.8). Syphilis screening was more likely to occur in younger (aOR 1.1; 95% CI 1.0–1.3), non-Hispanic African American (aOR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2–2.8), non–privately insured (publicly insured [aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2–1.6], uninsured [aOR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–1.9]), and admitted patients (aOR 4.6; 95% CI 3.3–6.4). CONCLUSIONS: We found low rates of HIV and syphilis screening among adolescents who were diagnosed with PID, with wide variability across hospitals.
Gene drives in our future: challenges of and opportunities for using a self-sustaining technology in pest and vector management.

Gene drives are systems of biased inheritance that enhance the likelihood a sequence of DNA passes between generations through sexual reproduction and potentially throughout a local population and ultimately all connected populations of a species. Gaps in our knowledge of gene drive systems prompted the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Foundation for the NIH to ask the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to convene an expert panel to provide an independent, objective examination of what we know about gene drive systems. The report, “Gene drives on the horizon: Advancing science, navigating uncertainty, and aligning research with public values,” outlines our understanding of the science, ethics, public engagement, governance, and risk assessment pertaining to gene drive research. Researchers have studied naturally occurring gene drive systems for more than a century. While CRISPR/Cas9 was not the first molecular tool considered to create an engineered gene drive, the advent of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology for gene editing gave a renewed impetus to developing gene drives in the laboratory for eventual release in the field. Recent experiments demonstrate that a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive can spread a targeted gene throughout nearly all of laboratory populations of yeast, fruit flies, or mosquitoes. Applying this basic science, there are proposals to use gene drive modified organisms to address such things as eradication of insect-borne infectious diseases and conservation of threatened and endangered species. Gene drives could potentially support agriculture by reversing pesticide and herbicide resistance in insects and weeds, and by control of damaging, invasive species. A major recommendation of the NASEM report is that there is insufficient evidence at this time to support release of gene-drive modified organisms into the environment. Importantly, the committee also recognized that the potential benefits of gene drives for basic and applied research are significant and justify proceeding with laboratory research and controlled field trials. This review summarizes highlights of the NASEM report with its focus on using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology to develop gene drive modified organisms.
The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement Provides Too Many Scores for Clinical Interpretation:

The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, Fourth Edition (WJ IV ACH) is purported to align with Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) theory and offers upward of 20 scores within its interpretive and scoring...
Effects of cohesive interfaces and polymer viscoelasticity on improving mechanical properties in an architectured composite

Abstract Improving the functionality of composite materials is a key requirement for various aerospace, auto-motive, sports and defense applications. The trend is to identify mechanisms, design, constituents, and, preferably, the combination of all of them that can result into better mechanical properties in the conflicting domain of interest (e.g. high stiffness and high damping or high stiffness and high toughness) without adding much complexity in the analysis and design. In the present work, a naturally inspired “interconnection” is considered within a composite material made of dissimilar mechanical properties with an objective to improve stiffness, toughness, and wave attenuation capability. The computational study showed that creation of weak interfaces along with the “interconnection” works two-fold in terms of mechanical property improvement. The interconnection provides an additional load-transfer mechanism through contact-friction between two dissimilar materials, whereas the cohesive (weak) interfaces results in higher toughness (area under the stress-strain curve) of the material promoting distributed interface failure and delaying bulk material yielding. It was further identified that the presence of weak interfaces acts better in wave attenuation for the proposed composite.
What to expect with major vascular reconstruction during Whipple procedures: a single institution experience and literature review

Background: Major vascular reconstruction during a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), also known as a Whipple procedure, leads to controversial postoperative outcomes compared to conventional Whipple. Discussion with the patient regarding postoperative expectations is a crucial component of holistic surgical healthcare. The aim of this study was to report our 8-year experience of Whipple procedures involving vascular reconstruction and to review relevant literature to further evaluate expectant outcomes, therefore leading to more accurate discussion. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing Whipple procedures from January 2010, through December 2017 was performed. Patch, graft, and primary anastomosis during Whipple procedures were considered major vascular reconstruction. Literature on the current understanding of the outcomes associated with vascular reconstruction during Whipple procedures was reviewed. Results: Twenty-nine from a total of 405 patients that met inclusion criteria had a Whipple procedure that involved major vascular reconstruction. Twelve patients were male and 17 were female (mean age, 65.2 years). Median hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay [range] of patients with vascular reconstruction was 12 [5–92] days and 3 [0–59] days, respectively. Thirty-day survival and 1-year survival of patients with vascular reconstruction was 93.1% and 55.2%, respectively, compared to non-vascular reconstruction patients 96.0% and 83.5%, respectively (P=0.35, P Conclusions: Compared to conventional Whipple procedures, those requiring major vascular reconstruction are associated with decreased survival. When vascular reconstruction is a valid option patients should be well aware of the associated outcomes.
A spatial cell culture model for predicting chemotherapy dosing strategies

Abstract Predicting patient responses to chemotherapy regimens is a major challenge in cancer treatment. To do this requires quantitative mathematical models to predict optimal dose and frequency for a particular drug, and experimental model systems such as three-dimensional organoids that accurately recapitulate the tumor microenvironment and heterogeneity. However, tracking the spatial dynamics of multiple cell types in three-dimensions can be a significant challenge in terms of time and throughput. Here we develop a two-dimensional system that allows for simple tracking of cell populations via fluorescence microscopy for modeling spatial dynamics in tumors. We first develop multiple 4T1 breast cancer cell lines resistant to varying concentrations of doxorubicin, and demonstrate how well mixed and spatially heterogeneous populations expand in a two-dimensional colony. We subject cell populations to varied dose and frequency of chemotherapy and measure colony growth radius and populations. We then build a mathematical model to describe the dynamics of both chemosensitive and chemoresistant populations, where we determine which number of doses can produce the smallest tumor size based on parameters in the system. In the future, this system can be adapted to quickly optimize dosing strategies in the setting of heterogeneous cell types or patient derived cells with varied chemoresistance.
Using Ultramicroporous Carbon for the Selective Removal of Nitrate with Capacitive Deionization.

The contamination of water resources with nitrate is a growing and significant problem. Here we report the use of ultramicroporous carbon as a capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode for selectivel...
A case of postprandial hypotension in an individual with cervical spinal cord injury: treatment with acarbose.

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is a postmeal drop in systolic blood pressure that may or may not be symptomatic. While the etiologies of PPH are incompletely understood, it is thought to occur when glucose absorption causes increased splanchnic blood flow or “pooling” in people who lack sufficient compensatory responses to support their systemic blood pressure. Postprandial hypotension is well described in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, yet only rarely in people living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Acarbose is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor that treats PPH by slowing gastric transit time and reducing glucose uptake in the small intestine, hence decreasing superior mesenteric artery blood flow. A 62-year-old woman with long-standing cervical SCI presented with 5 years of worsening postprandial lightheadedness, visual “flashes”, and neck pain. She had had multiple episodes of near and frank syncope and her prior medical team had initiated midodrine three times daily. We began treatment with acarbose, starting at 50 mg with each meal and rapidly titrating to 100 mg at mealtime. She noticed an immediate improvement in her symptoms and an attenuation of postmeal drops in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. To our knowledge, this is one of the first described cases of PPH among people living with SCI. Given the autonomic dysfunction that frequently accompanies higher-level of injuries, it is possible that many more people with SCI have this condition, whether or not it is symptomatic. Acarbose is one of the several established treatments for PPH, and proved effective and tolerable for our patient.
Translationally relevant transcriptomic alterations in mouse ischemic cerebral microvessels

ABSTRACT Increasing evidence implicates cerebral microvascular dysfunction in the pathophysiology of numerous central nervous system pathologies, including stroke. Understanding the molecular alterations in cerebral microvessels in these conditions will provide original opportunities for scientific investigation at the pre-clinical and clinical levels. In this study, we conducted a novel genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of microvessels in a mouse model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. Using a publicly available human ischemic stroke dataset, we identified shared alterations in our microvessel dataset with implications for human pathophysiology. From this unbiased analysis, we report predicted alterations in inter- and intra-cellular signaling, emphasizing perturbations in genes involved in blood brain barrier function, endothelial cell activation and metabolism. Furthermore, our study unveiled previously unreported gene expression changes associated with altered sphingolipid metabolism. Altogether, our results have identified microvessel-specific transcriptomic changes in a number of translationally relevant pathways that support the targeting of these pathways in preclinical studies. The data shared here provide a resource for future investigation of translationally relevant pathways in ischemic stroke.
Histopathology of Basal Cell Carcinoma and Its Variants

Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are epithelial tumors originating from basal layer of the epidermis or follicular infundibulum on sun-exposed skin of adult patients. BCCs in the pediatric population is rare and is almost exclusively seen in association with xeroderma pigmentosum or basal cell nevus syndrome (Gorlin-Goltz syndrome). BCCs can be classified into five principal clinical types: nodular/ulcerative, infiltrative, multifocal/superficial, pigmented and fibroepithelioma of Pinkus. These clinical types generally reflect their respective histopathologic growth patterns, although considerable overlap may occur, not only among the histologic variants, but also with other cutaneous basaloid neoplasms.
Reduced regional flow in the left ventricle after anterior acute myocardial infarction: a case control study using 4D flow MRI

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) alters left ventricular (LV) hemodynamics, resulting in decreased global LV ejection fraction and global LV kinetic energy. We hypothesize that anterior AMI effects localized alterations in LV flow and developed a regional approach to analyze these local changes with 4D flow MRI. 4D flow cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) data was compared between 12 anterior AMI patients (11 males; 66 ± 12yo; prospectively acquired in 2016–2017) and 19 healthy volunteers (10 males; 40 ± 16yo; retrospective from 2010 to 2011 study). The LV cavity was contoured on short axis cine steady-state free procession CMR and partitioned into three regions: base, mid-ventricle, and apex. 4D flow data was registered to the short axis segmentation. Peak systolic and diastolic through-plane flows were compared region-by-region between groups using linear models of flow with age, sex, and heart rate as covariates. Peak systolic flow was reduced in anterior AMI subjects compared to controls in the LV mid-ventricle (fitted reduction = 3.9 L/min; P = 0.01) and apex (fitted reduction = 1.4 L/min; P = 0.02). Peak diastolic flow was also lower in anterior AMI subjects compared to controls in the apex (fitted reduction = 2.4 L/min; P = 0.01). A regional method to analyze 4D LV flow data was applied in anterior AMI patients and controls. Anterior AMI patients had reduced regional flow relative to controls.
The imbalance of CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) regulatory T cells/Thl7 cells in infant with sepsis

Objective To further explore the pathogenesis of disturbed adaptive immune response in infants with sepsis. Methods Forty-eight infants with sepsis and 26 age-matched healthy infants were enrolled in this study. The HLA-DR expression of CD14~+ monocyte, the proportion of CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) Tr cells and the proportion of Thl7 cells were measured by flow cytometry. Cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, TGF-β and IL-17A) were measured by ELISA. Real-time PCR were used to evaluate the mRNA levels of Foxp3, ROR-γt in CD4-positive cells and IL-17A. Forty-eight infants with sepsis were divided into two groups according to HLA-DR expression of CD14~+ monocyte: DR-H group ( ＞ 30% ) and DR-L group ( ＜ 30% ). Results The ratio of IL-10/TNF-α in DR-L group was higher than that in healthy control or DR-H group(P ＜0.05). The proportion of CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) Tr cells and mRNA expression of transcription factor Foxp3 in DR-L group was found to be significantly higher than that in healthy control or DR-H group(P＜0.05). The proportion of Thl7 cells, Serum concentration of IL-17A, the mRNA expression of IL-17A and transcription factor ROR-γt were significantly increased in DR-H group and DR-L group (P ＜ 0.05) , while there is no significant difference between DR-H and DR-L group( P ＞0.05). Serum levels of Th17-inducing cytokine such as IL-1β, IL-6 were significantly elevated in DR-H group and DR-L group (P＜0.05), while there is no significant difference between DR-H and DR-L group( P＞0.05). Serum level of CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) Tr-inducing cytokine TGF-p in DR-L group was higher than that in DR-H or healthy control group(P＜0. 05). Conclusion Over-activation of Th17 cells may be one of the factors causing aberrant increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemotatic factor in infant with sepsis. The imbalance of CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) Tr cells/Th17 cells may be contributed to the pathogenic mechanism of mixed antagonist response syndrome ( MARS) in infant with sepsis. The changes of cytokine environment in infants with sepsis may be one of the factors causing the imbalance of CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) Tr cells/Th17 cells. Key words: Sepsis; HLA-DR; CD4~+ CD25~+ Foxp3~(high) regulatory T cells; Thl7 cells; Infant