cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blind image restoration for ultrasonic C-scan using constrained 2D-HOS

A new approach is presented to use higher order statistics (HOS) to deconvolve the effects of blurring in ultrasonic C-scans. The quantization effects of the mechanical scan-grid and the conversion of the 1D A-scan into one pixel on the image cause blurring. The proposed approach is completely blind to the source or the type of distortion and the formulation is purely two-dimensional. When the blurring function is modeled as an AR process, the image is restored recursively with the application of the inverse filter based on the AR estimate. A significant improvement in the image quality has been demonstrated. In particular, the edges are detected more prominently than in the original image.
Bone Marrow Transplantation Generates Immature Oocytes and Rescues Long-Term Fertility in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Premature Ovarian Failure

Purpose Although early menopause frequently occurs in female cancer patients after chemotherapy (CTx), bone marrow (BM) transplantation (BMT) has been linked to an unexplained return of ovarian function and fertility in some survivors. Studies modeling this in mice have shown that BMT generates donor-derived oocytes in CTx-treated recipients. However, a subsequent report claimed that ovulated eggs are not derived from BM and that BM-derived oocytes reported previously are misidentified immune cells. This study was conducted to further clarify the impact of BMT on female reproductive function after CTx using a preclinical mouse model. Methods Female mice were administered CTx followed by BMT using coat color-mismatched female donors. After housing with males, the number of pregnancies and offspring genotype were recorded. For cell tracking, BM from germline-specific green fluorescent protein-transgenic mice was transplanted into CTx-treated wild-type recipients. Immune cells were sorted from blood and anal...
Sexual Dimorphism of the Second-to-Fourth Digit Length Ratio (2D : 4D) in the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio) in Costa Rica

Abstract The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D : 4D) is a well-studied sexual dimorphism that likely arises as a result of prenatal androgenic effects on homeobox gene expression. This dimorphism has been found to exhibit interesting phylogenetic patterns in which females have larger ratios than males among most mammalian species and males have larger ratios than females in most avian and reptilian species. Digit ratio has not been measured in more basal taxa such as amphibians. In this study, 2D : 4D and snout–vent length (SVL) were measured in 40 male and 44 female adult Oophaga [=Dendrobates] pumilio frogs to investigate the existence and patterning of sexual dimorphism. The 2D : 4D of the rear feet varied significantly by sex with males having a larger ratio than females. The digit ratio of the front feet did not differ between the sexes. SVL or its interaction with sex did not affect 2D : 4D on any of the feet. These results indicate that 2D : 4D in an anuran is both sexually dimorphic and follows a p...
Hemodynamic and behavioral effects of angiotensin II in conscious sheep

Intracerebroventricular (ivt) angiotensin II (ANG II) at 0.4, 2, 10, and 50 ng.kg-1.min-1 increased arterial pressure in conscious sheep in a dose-related manner (26 mmHg, P less than 0.05, at 50 ng.kg-1.min-1). Total peripheral resistance (TPR) and right atrial pressure also increased. Heart rate, stroke volume, and cardiac output did not change. Pressor responses to ivt ANG II were not caused by leakage of ANG II into the periphery, because plasma concentrations of ANG II did not change from control (31 +/- 7 pg/ml) at the highest dose of ANG II infused. In contrast, intravenous (iv) ANG II, 10 and 50 ng.kg-1.min-1, increased arterial pressure 29 and 47 mmHg, respectively (P less than 0.05), and decreased heart rate. ANG II, 10 ng.kg-1.min-1 iv, increased plasma ANG II levels from 36 +/- 6 to 354 +/- 69 pg/ml (P less than 0.05). Intracarotid (ic) ANG II, 10 ng.kg-1.min-1, increased arterial pressure 31 mmHg (P less than 0.05) but did not alter heart rate. ANG II ivt caused a dose-related drinking response, with a positive correlation between the amount of water drunk during ivt ANG II infusion and the increase in arterial pressure. Infusions of ANG II at 50 ng.kg-1.min-1 ivt were associated with decreased plasma osmolality and potassium concentration and increased plasma vasopressin concentration.
Ergodic Transformation Groups and the Associated von Neumann Algebras

We now begin our systematic study of the von Neumann algebra associated with an ergodic transformation group of a standard measure space. We touched the subject lightly in Chapter V when we constructed a factor of type III. As ergodic transformation groups of a standard measure space appear almost everywhere in mathematics, the construction provides a rich family of examples as well as the opportunity of applications of the theory of von Neumann algebras. Thus this is an important area of operator algebras. In §1, we will define the von Neumann algebra R(G, Ω, µ) associated with an ergodic transformation group G of a standard measure space {Ω, µ} as the crossed product L∞(Ω,µ) x G. We then relate the maximal commutativity of L∞ (Ω, µ) in R(G,Ω, µ) to the freeness of the action of G. The ergodicity of G is then shown to be equivalent to the factoriality of R(G,Ω, µ). The type question of the factor R(G, Ω, µ) is shown to be directly linked to the existence of invariant measures. Section 2 is then devoted to the technique that allows us to construct a factor from a non-free but ergodic transformation group. It will be shown that the main issue in constructing a factor out of an ergodic transformation group is not the group itself nor the action but rather its orbit structure. This motivates us to look at the equivalence relation associated with an ergodic transformation group; thus the theory of measured groupoids in §3. This shift of our focus from groups to groupoids gives us a great deal of flexibility in the structure analysis of the associated factor in later chapters. The merit of this flexibility can be seen already in the study of amenable groupoids in §4. Whilst we cannot approximate an amenable group by a sequence of finite groups, an amenable principal groupoid is indeed approximable by a sequence of “finite” groupoids as seen in Theorem 4.10. Later, in Chapter XVI, we will see that the amenability of a factor, which will be defined following the analogy with the group case, will imply the possibility of approximation by finite dimensional subalgebras.
Implicit cognition about self-injury predicts actual self-injurious behavior: results from a longitudinal study of adolescents.

Background: The implicit association hypothesis of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) proposes that individuals who engage in self-injury develop, over time, strong associations between themselves and NSSI, and their identification with this behavior guides their future selection of NSSI to cope. Prior research has established a relationship between implicit NSSI associations (using an Implicit Association Test for Self-Injury) and engagement in NSSI. However, previous studies have been small and cross-sectional, and thus underpowered to examine the nature of this association and the extent to which implicit associations predict the persistence of NSSI. Methods: This study builds on previous research in a prospective, longitudinal examination of implicit self-identification with NSSI in a large sample of middle school students. NSSI behavior and implicit NSSI associations were assessed annually in school at three time points. Results: Adolescents who engaged in NSSI exhibited stronger implicit self-identification with NSSI than adolescents who did not engage in NSSI. Moreover, implicit NSSI identification was stronger among adolescents who engaged in cutting, frequent NSSI, and recent NSSI. A reciprocal association was observed between NSSI frequency and implicit NSSI identification over 1 year. Notably, implicit NSSI identification uniquely and prospectively predicted engagement in NSSI over the subsequent year. Conclusions: Implicit self-identification with NSSI may track both trait- and state-related changes in the behavior and, importantly, may help predict continued engagement in NSSI. Keywords: Self-injury; self-harm; adolescence; longitudinal studies; assessment.
Wireless Emergency Alerts in arbitrary sized target areas: Mobile location aware emergency notification

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is a public safety system that uses broadcast from cell towers to send geographically-targeted alerts and warnings to cell phones. It is one of the dissemination channels for the Integrated Public Alert and Warnings System (IPAWS). WEA typically broadcasts an alert in the cells with at least some portion affected by the emergency event. When the affected area includes only portions of one or more cells, there could be a high proportion of False Positives (people who should not have been notified get the message on their cell phones) and/or False Negatives (people who should have been notified but are not notified). We propose a scheme that uses the mobile devices' knowledge of their own location and the target area described in the cell broadcast message to filter the messages in the cell phone and notify the user only when the mobile device's estimated location is within the target area. We evaluate the new scheme in terms of false negatives and positives, radio resource requirements, and notification latency, and compare it with various other geotargeting schemes. We also discuss mechanisms to communicate the target area information efficiently in the limited bandwidth available in cellular broadcast channel. Finally, we discuss ways for allowing a broader set of contexts to determine whether a user should be notified of a given emergency.
Synchronicity and Firm Interlocks in an Emerging Economy

Stock price synchronicity has been attributed to poor corporate governance and a lack of firm-level transparency. This paper investigates the association between different kinds of firm interlocks, control groups, and synchronicity in Chile. A unique dataset containing equity cross-holdings, common individual owners, and director interlocks is used to map out firm ties and control groups. While there is a correlation between synchronicity and share ownership and equity ties, synchronicity is more strongly correlated with interlocking directorates. The presence of shared directors is associated with either reduced firm-level transparency or increased correlation in firm fundamentals - due, for example, to joint resource allocation across the firms.
Influence of a Coastal Riverine Plume on the Cross-shelf Variability in Hydrography, Zooplankton, and Juvenile Salmon Diets

Riverine plumes in nearshore coastal waters are areas of enhanced production and accumulation of prey and may increase availability of food during a critical period of juvenile salmon survival and hence serve as a nursery area for these juveniles. Physical and biological sampling was conducted along a cross-shelf transect through the Columbia River plume during May 1999. Based on cluster analyses of physical variables, stations considered to be within the core of the plume, at 27.8–46.3 km from shore, were distinct from inshore (7.4–18.5 km) and offshore (55.6–92.7 km) stations. Five variables (temperature at 10 m, salinity at 3 and 10 m, silicate, and chlorophyll) accounted for 92 % of this difference. Both surface neuston and subsurface plankton tows revealed differences in plankton composition at the plume core stations compared to non-plume stations. However, stomach contents of juvenile Chinook salmon were not significantly different inside and outside the plume core. Comparison of similarity indices showed that the stomach composition was more similar to the catch composition in the neuston than the meter net. Fishes, decapod larvae, and hyperiid amphipods occurred in greater proportions and copepods and euphausiids in lesser proportions in the stomachs than in the plankton. There appeared to be a distinctive plume signal, evident in both the physical environment and zooplankton resources sampled inside and outside the plume core, but the plume signature was not as evident in the salmon diets, possibly due to their higher mobility and shorter residence time within the plume.
Wavenumber frequency spectra of turbulence in a lifting wake for broadband noise prediction

Measurements of wavenumber frequency spectra of velocity fluctuations have been made using two 3component hot-wire probes in the wake of a rectangular NACA 0012 half wing at a 5° angle of attack. Spectra were measured along spanwise lines in the near two-dimensional part of the wake, in the stretched region where the wake begins to wind around the vortex, directly above the vortex core, and radially from the core center. Dominated by the large-scale organized motions present in the wake, the spectra show little similarity with the von Karman isotropic turbulence spectrum. Outside the core, upwash spectra contain a single maximum at the passage frequency of these large-structures. Motions associated with this peak are highly anisotropic both in terms of velocity components and in length scales. Similar anisotropy is also seen at higher wavenumbers, suggesting either that the smaller scale turbulent motions are organized by the large eddies, or that the non-sinusoidal components of those eddies contribute significantly to the spectrum at higher wavenumbers. The implications of these results for broadband noise prediction have been assessed by considering the sound radiation from this turbulent flow over a semi-infinite flat plate. The major conclusion is that the correlation length scales of the flow are small compared to the acoustic wavelength and so are well represented by their values at zero spanwise wavenumber. However, the blade response function has a variation with spanwise wavenumber which cannot be ignored and significantly influences the spanwise directionality. 'Associate Professor, Senior Member AIAA Undergraduate Researcher, Student Member AIAA 'Professor, Member AIAA "Staff Scientist, Member AIAA Copyright © 1997 by W Devenport, C Wenger, S Glegg and J Miranda. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, with permission. c c0 G ke
Abstract 16: Enhancing Myocardial Repair With CardioChimeras

Dual cell transplantation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after infarction enhances myocardial repair and performance in large animal models relative to delivery of either cell population individually. However, a single stem cell to support both direct and indirect mechanisms of myocardial repair has yet to be identified. CardioChimeras (CCs), a progenitor cell formed by fusion between CPCs and MSCs were analysed for reparative potential after myocardial infarction (MI) relative to individual parents cell or combined parent cell delivery. Two representative CCs, CardioChimera 1 (CC1) and CardioChimera 2 (CC2) were used for this study. CC1 and CC2 improved left ventricular anterior wall thickness (AWT) at 4 weeks, but only CC1 treatment preserved AWT at 18 weeks relative to no cell treatment (PBS). Ejection fraction was enhanced at 6 weeks post injury in CC1 and CC2 groups, which was maintained in CC1, CC2 and CPC + MSC combined groups up to 18 weeks. Infarct size was decreased by 5% in CC1 and CC2 hearts, whereas CPC + MSC and CPC parent groups remained unchanged when comparing 4 to 12 week change in scar size. MSC and PBS groups displayed marked increases in infarct size (10-15%). CC1 and CC2 showed enhanced engraftment potential by 3-fold relative to CPC + MSC and CPC hearts. In contrast, MSCs were detected at low levels (0.04%). CC1 and CC2 discovered within the myocardium expressed early commitment marker cardiac troponin T relative to controls. CC1 and CC2 treatment increased capillary density within the infarct, indicating that cell persistence facilitates paracrine mediated vasculature stabilization and/or formation. CCs merge the application of distinct cells into a single entity for cellular therapeutic intervention in the progression of heart failure. CCs represent a tractable cellular system that improves upon combinatorial cell therapy approaches and supports myocardial regeneration.
The Utility of Exercise Testing in Patients with Lung Cancer

The harm associated with lung cancer treatment include perioperative morbidity and mortality and therapy-induced toxicities in various organs, including the heart and lungs. Optimal treatment therefore entails a need for risk assessment to weigh the probabilities of benefits versus harm. Exercise testing offers an opportunity to evaluate a patient's physical fitness/exercise capacity objectively. In lung cancer, it is most often used to risk-stratify patients undergoing evaluation for lung cancer resection. In recent years, its use outside this context has been described, including in nonsurgical candidates and lung cancer survivors. In this article we review the physiology of exercise testing and lung cancer. Then, we assess the utility of exercise testing in patients with lung cancer in four contexts (preoperative evaluation for lung cancer resection, after lung cancer resection, lung cancer prognosis, and assessment of efficiency of exercise training programs) after systematically identifying original studies involving the most common forms of exercise tests in this patient population: laboratory cardiopulmonary exercise testing and simple field testing with the 6-minute walk test, shuttle walk test, and/or stair-climbing test. Lastly, we propose a conceptual framework for risk assessment of patients with lung cancer who are being considered for therapy and identify areas for further studies in this patient population.
Discussion on construction of laboratory information management system for centre for disease prevention and control

[Objective]To explore the whole process of laboratory information management system(LIMS) in combination with the development and implementation of LIMS.[Methods]By analysis of development and implementation of LIMS in Baoshan District Center for Disease Prevent and Control,the whole process of LIMS construction was discussed on type selection,needs analysis,implementation and verification,system maintenance and improvement of LIMS.[Results]The type selection is the key;needs analysis is the cornerstone;and the implementation and verification is the core of successful construction of LIMS.Meanwhile the maintenance and improvement is a basic guarantee for its application.[Conclusion]The construction of LIMS is a systematic project.A well-designed LIMS can improve laboratory management.
Effects of Three Recording Intervals Time on the Classification Accuracy of Goats Behaviors

Tri-axial accelerometer could be used to monitor goats daily behavior,the devices collect the threedimensional acceleration data based on pre-defined recording intervals( 1 s,2 s,3 s). Meanwhile,the video-recorded observations also be used to identify the goats typical daily behavior. The experiment results showed that different recording intervals of 1 s and 2 s corresponding classification accuracy of 87. 75% and 86. 73% respectively in goats activity model,but the influences were not remarkable( P 0. 05); However,classification accuracy in the 3 s recording interval was lower compared to the former two recording intervals,and the classification accuracy reduced to 74. 32%,the influences were remarkable( P 0. 05). Overall,the time of recording interval can be extended to 2 s under the premise that didn't affect the accuracy of classification model,in this way,it can not only to reduce the pressure of data sizes and data processing,but also reduces the stress influence by the human intervention on animals normal behaviors.
On fear in the countertransference.

The rational and irrational aspects of fear in the countertransference will be discussed. Arguments are presented for the potent force of fear in personality development and psychotherapy hitherto ...
Progressive Outer Retinal Necrosis

Progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) is rapidly progressive necrotizing retinitis characterized by early patchy multifocal retinal lesions that appear deep on fundoscopy.
Power System Dynamics: Foundations

In this chapter, we briefly review basic material about nonlinear ordinary differential equations that is important background for later chapters. After a preliminary discussion of the basic properties of differential equations including the existence and uniqueness of solutions, we turn to a short discussion of stability in the sense of Lyapunov. In addition to stating the most important theorems on stability and instability, we provide a number of illustrative examples. As part of this discussion, we introduce Lagrangian systems—a topic to be treated at great length later. This chapter is concerned exclusively with dynamical systems with smooth systems. It is presumed that the material discussed is not new to the reader, and we provide only a short summary of those elements considered immediately relevant. For a more complete discussion, many excellent textbooks are available. We reference a number of them in the sequel.
La transacción erótica como empoderamiento del sujeto queer caribeño en Sirena Selena vestida de pena, de Mayra Santos Febres

Este articulo explora la novela Sirena Selena vestida de pena, de Mayra Santos Febres y la relacion que se establece entre su protagonista, un travesti puertorriqueno, y Hugo Graubel, un empresario dominicano. Propongo que el vinculo, inicialmente una transaccion erotica bajo el control de Graubel, deviene un juego de inversion de poderes en el que la sexualidad de Sirena Selena obliga a Graubel a transgredir sus estatutos performativos y perder el poder que devenga como agente hegemonico. Asi, la transaccion erotica, que a primera vista no atenta contra las convenciones sociales ni sexuales de la sociedad caribena, funge tambien como espacio de empoderamiento del sujeto queer, a traves de la transgresion y la rearticulacion identitarias.
The Effects of Agent Transparency on Human Interaction with an Autonomous Robotic Agent

We use the Situation awareness-based Agent Transparency model as a framework to design a user interface to support agent transparency. Participants were instructed to supervise an autonomous roboti...
Splitting the Sap Instance: Lessons on Scope and Business Processes

We investigate how SAP Blueprinting methodologies, driven by questionnaires and interviews can be misleading if cross-functional business processes and organizational alignment are not considered as part of the project scope. In the private sector, the implementing organization usually owns all of the business processes within its domain. In the public sector, this is not always the case, and leads to a split integration instance. A “split instance” occurs when multiple standard software solutions are implemented in a domain that requires a single instance. Our research hypothesis is that the “split instance” problem is political, and driven by the desire of senior management to preserve organizational stovepipes. We test our hypothesis by performing an analysis of two U.S. NAVY implementations: The Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Supply Command. The only solution to the “split instance” problem is to realign the two solutions into a converged value chain that can be efficiently enabled by the SAP...
Considerations for Experimental Animal Models of Concussion, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy—These Matters Matter

Animal models of concussion, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) are widely available and routinely deployed in laboratories around the world. Effective animal modeling requires careful consideration of four basic principles. First, animal model use must be guided by clarity of definitions regarding the human disease or condition being modeled. Concussion, TBI, and CTE represent distinct clinical entities that require clear differentiation: concussion is a neurological syndrome, TBI is a neurological event, and CTE is a neurological disease. While these conditions are all associated with head injury, the pathophysiology, clinical course, and medical management of each is distinct. Investigators who use animal models of these conditions must take into account these clinical distinctions to avoid misinterpretation of results and category mistakes. Second, model selection must be grounded by clarity of purpose with respect to experimental questions and frame of reference of the investigation. Distinguishing injury context (“inputs”) from injury consequences (“outputs”) may be helpful during animal model selection, experimental design and execution, and interpretation of results. Vigilance is required to rout out, or rigorously control for, model artifacts with potential to interfere with primary endpoints. The widespread use of anesthetics in many animal models illustrates the many ways that model artifacts can confound preclinical results. Third, concordance between key features of the animal model and the human disease or condition being modeled is required to confirm model biofidelity. Fourth, experimental results observed in animals must be confirmed in human subjects for model validation. Adherence to these principles serves as a bulwark against flawed interpretation of results, study replication failure, and confusion in the field. Implementing these principles will advance basic science discovery and accelerate clinical translation to benefit people affected by concussion, TBI, and CTE.
Maternal vitamin D, DNA methylation at imprint regulatory regions and offspring weight at birth, 1 year and 3 years.

Maternal vitamin D, DNA methylation at imprint regulatory regions and offspring weight at birth, 1 year and 3 years
Disparities don't always lead to despair: A review of growing into resilience: Sexual and gender minority youth in Canada,

The future for sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth is a promising one, given the requisite supports, in Growing Into Resilience: Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in Canada, written by Andre Grac...
2-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)-3-hy­droxy-4H-chromen-4-one

Flavones are a subclass of flavonoids, secondary metabolites of plants which contain the 2-phenyl­benzo­pyran pharmacophore. They are of inter­est as they display a wide variety of biological activities, such as anti­cancer and anti­oxidant. Recently, there has been an inter­est in coordinating flavones to various transition metals for anti­cancer activity. Our work in this area led to the synthesis and crystallization of flavones as inter­mediates. Herein, we report the first crystal structure of 2-(4-chloro­phen­yl)-3-hy­droxy-4H-chromen-4-one, C15H9ClO3, a well studied compound.
Ipilimumab-Based Therapy: Consensus Statement From the Faculty of the Melanoma Nursing Initiative on Managing Adverse Events With Ipilimumab Monotherapy and Combination Therapy With Nivolumab.

BACKGROUND Ipilimumab (Yervoy®) therapy improves outcomes in patients with resected stage III melanoma, and ipilimumab alone or combined with nivolumab (Opdivo®) does so in those with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. These immunotherapies are associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). With prompt recognition and appropriate management, serious sequelae or unnecessary treatment discontinuation can be prevented. . OBJECTIVES This article presents consensus statements to guide oncology nurses in the recognition and management of irAEs associated with ipilimumab and nivolumab. . METHODS Members of the Melanoma Nursing Initiative reviewed the current literature and clinical experience regarding nursing interventions related to irAEs associated with ipilimumab or ipilimumab and nivolumab therapy. . FINDINGS The care step pathways provided represent a proactive, evidence-based, and comprehensive plan to support optimal patient outcomes.
A crença no Dilúvio: campo e teoria na evolução da paisagem antes da geomorfologia

As opinioes sobre a origem do relevo terrestre tem sido marcadas pela fronteira entre ciencia e religiao. A criacao do mundo que conhecemos e central para as visoes religiosas e seculares do mundo; e ate recentemente o poder de moldar as paisagens foi alem do alcance dos mortais, atraindo especulacoes como as relacionadas ao papel da intervencao divina. Por seculos, o pensamento racional cristao questionou-se sobre a origem da superficie terrestre levando em consideracao o Diluvio de Noe que deu origem a montanhas e vales. Somente quando os geologos aprenderam como decifrar a historia da Terra e os sinais dos processos que moldaram a topografia terrestre e que, de fato, os naturalistas alcancaram uma compreensao das forcas que moldaram o mundo. Nesse sentido, as raizes historicas da geomorfologia encontram-se na tensao entre a fe nas teorias e o poder de persuasao das observacoes de campo – questoes que permanecem importantes a pratica geomorfologica hoje em dia.
Memristors: A New Nanoscale CNN Cell

The circuit-theoretic foundation of the memristor and its generalizations to a lossless memory capacitor and a lossless memory inductor is presented along with the devices’ constitutive relations. Their identifying fingerprints consist of a pinched hysteresis loop when plotted in the voltage versus current plane, voltage versus charge plane, and current versus flux plane, respectively. All three devices are nonlinear and their underlying physical mechanisms are expected to dominate and manifest their memory character as the device size scales below 20 nm, when electrons and ions are coupled strongly under intense electric and/or magnetic fields. While all three devices are ideal candidates for nonvolatile nano memories, their long-term significance lies in their enabling potentials for designing nano CNNs, and intelligent machines, with learning and adaptive capabilities. Even more fundamental is their nonlinear dynamics that underpins the biological basis of life itself, where ion channels, with their complex biochemical synaptic dynamics, are essentially memristors.
NABI-S: A compliant robot with a CPG for locomotion

The Non-Anthropomorphic Biped (NABi) has demonstrated agile motion without complex control due to its unique leg alignment in the sagittal plane. This paper presents NABi-S, a small version of NABi. The “S” designation refers to the new spring or “soleus” mechanism used to store energy and stabilize walking. An important feature of NABi-S is its ability to self-stabilize — it can recover from any tipping in the sagittal plane. Using this feature, NABi-S demonstrates stable motion using CPG control, a difficult task to achieve on a biped. In this paper, the soleus prototype is designed and analyzed. An open-loop, CPG algorithm is then implemented, and a parameter space search is performed to optimize robot locomotion.
Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratio to Assess Performance of Transplant Referral among Dialysis Facilities

Background and objectives For patients with ESRD, referral from a dialysis facility to a transplant center for evaluation is an important step toward kidney transplantation. However, a standardized measure for assessing clinical performance of dialysis facilities transplant access is lacking. We describe methodology for a new dialysis facility measure: the Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratio. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Transplant referral data from 8308 patients with incident ESRD within 249 dialysis facilities in the United States state of Georgia were linked with US Renal Data System data from January of 2008 to December of 2011, with follow-up through December of 2012. Facility-level expected referrals were computed from a two-stage Cox proportional hazards model after patient case mix risk adjustment including demographics and comorbidities. The Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratio (95% confidence interval) was calculated as a ratio of observed to expected referrals. Measure validity and reliability were assessed. Results Over 2008–2011, facility Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratios in Georgia ranged from 0 to 4.87 (mean =1.16, SD=0.76). Most (77%) facilities had observed referrals as expected, whereas 11% and 12% had Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratios significantly greater than and less than expected, respectively. Age, race, sex, and comorbid conditions were significantly associated with the likelihood of referral, and they were included in risk adjustment for Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratio calculations. The Standardized Transplantation Referral Ratios were positively associated with evaluation, waitlisting, and transplantation (r=0.46, 0.35, and 0.20, respectively; P Conclusions The majority of observed variation in dialysis facility referral performance was due to characteristics within a dialysis facility rather than patient factors included in risk adjustment models. Our study shows a method for computing a facility-level standardized measure for transplant referral on the basis of a pilot sample of Georgia dialysis facilities that could be used to monitor transplant referral performance of dialysis facilities.
Migration of Transfused Granulocytes in Leukopenic Dogs

Although granulocyte transfusion therapy has been shown to be effective in infected granulocytopenic animals and humans, the relative effectiveness of granulocytes (PMN) harvested by continuous flow centrifugation (CFC) or by continuous flow filtration leukapheresis (FL) remains uncertain. Studies in vitro of morphology and granulocyte functions have suggested cells collected by FL may be damaged. To compare the function in vivo of granulocytes collected by different methods, dogs were made granulocytopenic with cyclophosphamide (CYT) and then transfused with granulocytes collected by CFC or FL. The local neutrophil mobilization (LNM) through a standard skin abrasion into a chamber containing a strong chemoattractant, autologous serum, was measured. Greater LNM was found after transfusions of CFC PMN than after transfusions of the same number of FL PMN (p less than 0.0003). This difference persisted even when the dose of FL PMNs was four times greater than that of CFC mn and when the FL donor was pretreated with steroids (p less than 0.001). These results suggest that during filtration leukapheresis, granulocytes are functionally altered and that their function in vivo may be compromised.
HIV Education for the Deaf, A Vulnerable Minority

Abstract Large numbers of deaf and hard-of-hearing people are in danger of becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The deaf are particularly vulnerable because of language barriers, their unique culture, and the paucity of community services, educational programs, and general information directed to this population. The particular barriers that the deaf must face in learning about HIV protection range from inadequate schooling about human sexuality to the scarcity of locally available education programs outside the cities with high rates of HIV infection. The programs for the deaf in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City are described as well as the array of national efforts directed to this special population.
HIV and religion in HIV-infected Asians and their families: A qualitative study.

Abstract Aim This paper examines HIV-infected Asian Americans’ experiences with religion throughout the course of their illness and their family relationships. Background As the number of Asians in the United States continues to grow, health professionals are beginning notice obvious gaps of knowledge in caring for this population, including HIV-infected individuals. Little is known about the impact of religion and faith on Asian Americans with HIV and their families. The study focuses on the participants’ reported experiences to understand the variety of roles religion can play in the progression of a highly stigmatized chronic disease. Methods An in-depth interview was conducted in San Francisco and New York City with 30 HIV-infected Asians. Narrative samples and summarized responses was used to highlight themes that emerged from the participants’ anecdotes. Interpretive content analysis was employed. Results These groups were categorized as (a) those who did not adhere to any religion, (b) those of tenuous religious faith with conflicted feelings, and (c) those of strong religious faith with congruent beliefs. Within these three groups, various themes were synthesized from the members’ perceptions and past experiences with religion. Within each group, participants displayed various stages of reconciliation with their current faith-related beliefs and escape the family stress from their religion practices. Each participant’s story shown the vast range of human understanding and faith experiences including self-actualization, acculturation, and depression. Conclusions This research provides new insight on the challenge of managing HIV-infected patients in a culturally and religiously appropriate manner.
Secondary Electron Emission From Carbon Velvet

A strong secondary electron emission (SEE) from plasma-facing wall surface can enhance power losses by reducing the wall sheath potential and thereby increasing the electron flux from the plasma to the wall [1, 2]. It was predicted and indirectly demonstrated that surface-architectured materials such as velvet can reduce the SEE as compared to a bulk material with a planar surface [1, 3]. This reduction of the SEE is due to a trapping of secondary electrons. The velvet surface consists of an array of vertically aligned fibers. In this work, the total effective SEE from a carbon velvet is measured as a function of the fibers length, packing density and the angle of incidence of primary electrons. It shown that by varying the fiber length and packing density, the SEE yield of the velvet can be reduced by 75% from the value of the yield for the planar surface of the bulk material.
What Side of the Tracks are You from? Socioeconomic Background and Mentoring in the Workplace.

Social class represents a crucial dimension of diversity and culture in American society, yet it is understudied by both psychology scholars and organizational scholars. The purpose of this concept...
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Metabolic Drivers of Pulmonary Hypertension

Significance: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling and lung vasculopathy. The disease displays progressive dyspnea, pulmonary artery uncoupling and right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. The overall survival rate is ranging from 28-72%. Recent Advances: The molecular events that promote the development of PH are complex and incompletely understood. Metabolic impairment has been proposed to contribute to the pathophysiology of PH with evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction involving the electron transport chain proteins, antioxidant enzymes, apoptosis regulators, and mitochondrial quality control. Critical Issues: It is vital to characterize the mechanisms by which mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to PH pathogenesis. This review focuses on the currently available publications that supports mitochondrial mechanisms in PH pathophysiology. Future Directions: Further studies of these metabolic mitochondrial alterations in PH could be viable targets of diagnostic and therapeutic intervention.
Hepatic resection of solitary HCC in the elderly: A unique disease in a growing population.

Abstract Background Management of elderly patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) is challenging with perceived clinicopathologic differences driving treatment options. We sought to determine factors predictive of disease control and survival after hepatic resection of sHCC in elderly patients. Methods We identified n = 45 elderly patients (³≥65 yo) with sHCC treated with hepatic resection alone from our prospective database from 2003–16. Clinicopathologic data were analyzed and survival was assessed from the time of hepatic resection. Results The median age was 75-years-old. Less than half of patients (47%) had viral hepatitis. At resection, the median Child-Pugh score was A6, median tumor size 5 cm, and mean AFP of 1050 (ng/mL). Major hepatectomy was performed in 23 patients (51%) with R0 resection achieved in 96%. Two patients (4%) had Grade III complications with no mortalities at 30 days and one death (2%) at 90-days. After R0 resection 44% (n = 20) had intrahepatic recurrence at a median of 32 months (95% CI: 15–46) with 20% (n = 9) developing extrahepatic recurrence at a median of 78 months (95% CI: 78-.). The median survival was 72 months (95% CI: 30–108 months). For patients with at least 3 years of follow-up, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival was 74%, 59%, and 50%, respectively. Mortality was associated with higher AFP and lower Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI). Conclusion Carefully selected elderly patients with sHCC appear to have unique disease that is amenable to hepatic resection with low morbidity and mortality with excellent overall and recurrence-free survival.
Is Anteromedial Drilling Safe in Transphyseal Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Adolescents with Growth Remaining

Background:Previous reports of transphyseal drilling in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction have demonstrated good clinical outcomes without subjective changes in further skeletal development. The purpose of this study is to evaluate radiographic changes during continued growth following
Improving obstetric hemorrhage morbidity by a checklist-based management protocol; a quality improvement initiative.

Abstract Objective Postpartum hemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Institutions are encouraged to have a standardized approach to the management of obstetric hemorrhage. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to investigate postpartum hemorrhage associated morbidity before and after implementing an obstetric hemorrhage checklist-based protocol. Study design In 2015, a resident-driven initiative for obstetric hemorrhage was initiated at a single institution using a checklist-based protocol for postpartum hemorrhage. The project included development of the obstetric hemorrhage checklist by a multidisciplinary team and implementation using low cost education and training strategies. Following implementation, a pre-and post-protocol retrospective analysis was performed measuring maternal morbidity surrogates and protocol compliance. During the 18 month study period, 422 women were identified for review and 147 met criteria in the pre-protocol group and 150 met criteria in the post-protocol group. Results There was a significant decrease in severe postpartum hemorrhage rates in the post-protocol group (p = 0.04) and all other surrogates for maternal morbidity decreased in the post-protocol group. Protocol compliance was 62.2% and compliance with screening using an assessment of hemorrhage risk was 75.7%. Conclusion The implementation of a checklist-based management protocol for postpartum hemorrhage has shown a promising trend in improving maternal morbidity, screening, early diagnosis, and healthcare delivery for obstetric hemorrhage at our institution and has been approved for larger scale implementation within our health system.
Disparities and reverse disparities in HPV vaccination: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Studies disagree about whether racial and ethnic groups have lower or higher human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake, an important issue given large disparities in some HPV cancers. We sought to characterize and explain racial and ethnic differences in HPV vaccination. We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science to identify US studies through mid-2017 reporting associations of race and ethnicity with HPV vaccination. We identified 118 studies (n = 3,095,486) published in English that reported HPV vaccine initiation or follow-through in the US from which we could calculate effect sizes. We used random effects meta-analysis to synthesize effect sizes for comparisons of Whites or non-Hispanics to Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, or all minority groups combined. Studies showed no racial or ethnic differences in HPV vaccine initiation overall. However, when restricting to studies using provider-verified vaccination data, minorities were 6.1% [3.3%–8.8%] more likely than Whites to initiate HPV vaccination. Advantages were larger for Hispanics, males, and younger samples (age
Fatty Acid Synthase Contributes to Restimulation-Induced Cell Death of Human CD4 T Cells.

Restimulation-induced cell death (RICD) is an apoptotic pathway triggered in activated effector T cells after T cell receptor (TCR) re-engagement. RICD operates at the peak of the immune response to ensure T cell expansion remains in check to maintain immune homeostasis. Understanding the biochemical regulation of RICD sensitivity may provide strategies for tuning the magnitude of an effector T cell response. Metabolic reprogramming in activated T cells is not only critical for T cell differentiation and effector functions, but also influences apoptosis sensitivity. We previously demonstrated that aerobic glycolysis correlates with optimum RICD sensitivity in human effector CD8 T cells. However, metabolic programming in CD4 T cells has not been investigated in this context. We employed a pharmacological approach to explore the effects of fatty acid and glycolytic metabolism on RICD sensitivity in primary human CD4 T cells. Blockade of fatty acid synthase (FASN) with the compound C75 significantly protected CD4 effector T cells from RICD, suggesting that fatty acid biosynthesis contributes to RICD sensitivity. Interestingly, sphingolipid synthesis and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) were dispensable for RICD. Disruption of glycolysis did not protect CD4 T cells from RICD unless glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) enzymatic activity was targeted specifically, highlighting important differences in the metabolic control of RICD in effector CD4 vs. CD8 T cell populations. Moreover, C75 treatment protected effector CD4 T cells derived from naive, effector memory, and central memory T cell subsets. Decreased RICD in C75-treated CD4 T cells correlated with markedly reduced FAS ligand (FASL) induction and a Th2-skewed phenotype, consistent with RICD-resistant CD4 T cells. These findings highlight FASN as a critical metabolic potentiator of RICD in human effector CD4 T cells.
Medieval Business Ethics

The medieval Scholastics elaborated on business ethics, especially with regard to usury and the “just price.” The medievalists often based their philosophies upon rediscovered Greek thinkers. Thomas Aquinas and his contemporaries emphasized justice, whether distributive or commutative. Longstanding reservations toward usury came to the fore during the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. Did the medieval Catholic Church operate as a business that used its monopoly power in opportunistic ways or as a promoter of the social good? The Catholic Church, though, found itself needing loans, so its stance with regard to usury fluctuated across the centuries.
Customer experience in tourism: a review of definitions, components, and measurements.

Abstract The concept of customer experience has received increasing attention in different disciplines. However, the pathway for handling experience has not been clearly set forth due to divergent conceptualizations and insufficient measures of customer experience. This study critically analyzes empirical and conceptual literature on experience, provides a holistic definition of experience, proposes an experience model with four main components (emotional, cognitive, sensorial, and conative), and suggests using a combination of several measures to capture the totality of tourism experience at pre-visit, onsite, and post-visit stages. These suggestions provide important implications for researchers and practitioners by offering new ways to explore customer interaction with tourist products, detect affective and sensory components leading to important consumption outcomes, investigate individual impacts of anticipation, onsite experience, and recall, as well as analyze effectiveness of destination marketing practices.