cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Extended-Release Niacin on Carotid Intima Media Thickness, Reactive Hyperemia, and Endothelial Progenitor Cell Mobilization: Insights From the Atherosclerosis Lesion Progression Intervention Using Niacin Extended Release in Saphenous Vein Grafts (ALPINE-SVG) Pilot Trial.

Background Thirty-eight patients with intermediate (30%-60% diameter stenosis) saphenous vein graft lesions were randomized to extended-release niacin (ER-niacin) or placebo for 12 months. We sought to evaluate the impact of ER-niacin on carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), endothelial function, and endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) mobilization. Methods Carotid B-mode ultrasound was used to image the common and internal carotid arteries, at baseline and at 12 months after enrollment. Reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry, as assessed with EndoPAT 2000 (Itamar Medical, Inc) and EPC mobilization assessed with flow cytometry, were measured at enrollment, and at 1 and 12 months. Results The baseline clinical characteristics were similar in the two study groups. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels tended to increase more in the ER-niacin group (5.9 ± 8.7 mg/dL vs 1.4 ± 7.1 mg/dL; P=.14). Between baseline and 12 months, right common carotid artery (0.96 ± 0.44 mm vs 0.70 ± 0.24 mm; P=.04), and left common carotid artery (0.80 ± 0.30 mm vs 0.70 ± 0.20 mm; P=.08) CIMT tended to decrease in the ER-niacin group, compared with no change in the placebo group. The change in logarithmic reactive hyperemia index between 1 month and 12 months was similar in patients receiving ER-niacin vs placebo (0.003 ± 0.12 vs -0.058 ± 0.12; P=.39), whereas EPC mobilization increased in the ER-niacin group and decreased in the placebo group (8.65 ± 28.41 vs -5.87 ± 30.23 EPC colony forming units/mL of peripheral blood; P=.02). Conclusions ER-niacin did not have a significant impact on CIMT or endothelial function, but increased EPC mobilization.
Oncocytic Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma: Histomorphologic, Immunohistochemical, and Cytogenetic Characteristics of Seven Cases

Background: Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) is traditionally classified into type 1 and type 2. Recently, an oncocytic variant of PRCC (OPRCC) has been described. In this study, we report the clinicopathologic and cytogenetic characteristics of 7 cases of OPRCC from our institution. Design: 7 cases of OPRCC from 7 patients (M:F 3:4) were identified at our institution among a …
Mirtazapine in comorbid major depression and an alcohol use disorder: A double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial

This was a first double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of the novel antidepressant medication mirtazapine for treating both the depressive symptoms and the level of alcohol consumption of subjects with comorbid major depressive disorder and an alcohol use disorder (MDD/AUD). The results of two previous studies of mirtazapine in MDD/AUD subjects had suggested efficacy for mirtazapine for decreasing their level of depressive symptoms, but level of alcohol consumption had not been assessed in those studies. All subjects in this 12-week pilot study were randomized to either mirtazapine or placebo, and also received motivational enhancement therapy. Between-group analyses involving the outcome measures of depressive symptoms, level of alcohol consumption, and level of alcohol craving indicated no significant differences between groups, possibly because of limited sample size. However, within-group t tests in the mirtazapine group showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms by week 2, also noted at all subsequent assessments (weeks 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) during the 12-week study. In contrast, no significant decrease in depressive symptoms was noted in the placebo group until week 8. No evidence of efficacy was found for mirtazapine for decreasing level of alcohol consumption in MDD /AUD subjects.
Globale Datenbank-Restrukturierung

Die Elementaroperationen stellen die Funktionalitat zur lokalen Schemaanderung bereit. Wir wollen diese Moglichkeiten nun weiterentwickeln und globale Datenbank-Restrukturierungen anstreben. Wiederum sollen keine speziellen Methoden definiert werden, sondern es soll auf die bestehenden Mechanismen aufgebaut werden.
Effect of the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (sunitinib, sorafenib, dasatinib, and imatinib) On Blood Glucose Levels in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients.

Abstract 4265 Background Tyrosine kinase is a key enzyme utilized in many intracellular messaging pathways. Understanding of the role of particular tyrosine kinases in various malignancies has allowed for the design of compounds, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which can specifically target these enzymes and hence, interfere with downstream signaling. TKIs have proven to be very successful in the treatment of a wide variety of malignant diseases including chronic myeloid leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, renal cell carcinoma and gastrointenstinal stromal tumors. Given the widespread nature of tyrosine kinase as a target and the promiscuous nature of the various inhibitors, it would not be surprising that these drugs would have effects beyond the expected result of targeting merely the tyrosine kinase of interest. Scattered reports have suggested that these agents appear to affect blood glucose levels. Results We studied the blood glucose levels retrospectively in diabetic (19) and non-diabetic (82) patients treated with dasatinib (8), imatinib (39), sorafenib (23) and sunitinib (30). All 4 drugs resulted in statistically significant decreased blood glucose levels in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients that resolved with cessation of treatment. Mean decreases blood glucose values for both non-diabetic and diabetic patients for dasatinib were – 53 mg/dl, imatinib – 9 mg/dl, sorafenib – 12 mg/dl and sunitinib -14 mg/dl. While diabetic and non-diabetic patients had the same decreases in blood glucose, on average, blood glucose values overall were 40 mg/dl lower in non-diabetic patients than in diabetic patients on dasatanib and imatinib. Non-diabetics had an overall mean blood glucose value of 24 mg/dl lower than diabetic patients on sorafenib, and 15 mg/dl lower than diabetic patients on sunitinib. Diabetic patients required some modifications of their medications including cessation of insulin or other hypoglycemic agents. One diabetic patient developed symptomatic hypoglycemia on sunitinib. Discussion The mechanism for the hypoglycemic effect of these drugs is unclear, but of the 4 agents tested, c-kit is a common target. C-kit has been shown to play a role in pancreatic β-cell survival in mouse models, so it is unclear why an inhibitor of the c-kit tyrosine kinase would improve blood glucose levels. It is important for clinicians to keep the potentially hypoglycemic effects of these agents in mind in their patients since symptomatic hypoglycemia can occur and modification of hypoglycemic agents may be required. These results also suggest that inhibition of a tyrosine kinase, be it c-kit or some other undefined target, may improve diabetes mellitus and deserves further study as a potentially therapeutic option. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A System Level Solution for DSA Systems: From Low-Cost Sensing to Spectrum Database

In this paper, we present and implement a low-cost yet effective architecture that enables dynamic spectrum access (DSA) for any type of network. Our intention is to break the cost-scalability barrier and show that a complete system level solution for a database-assisted DSA system can be implemented with standard servers and inexpensive software configurable RF chips, thereby achieving economics of scale. First, we present the overall architecture that is capable of providing networks of any size to perform in-band and out of band channel access in a dynamic manner. The two main components of this architecture are the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) sensing network and the DSA server. For the RSSI sensing network, we built wired and wireless spectrum sensors that operate on 280–930 MHz using low-cost off the shelf software configurable RF (SCRF) chips. To get the RSSI values on a set of bands, we use generic micro-controllers to program the operating parameters (scan range, center frequency, bandwidth resolution, demodulation scheme and scan rate) of the SCRF chips. The wireless sensors transmit the sensed RSSI values to the nearest Ethernet-enabled hub using a light-weight communication protocol. The hub aggregates the data from multiple sensors and streams to the DSA server using UDP over IP. On receiving the real-time RSSI values from various sensors, the DSA server stores them in database engine with other meta data. Entries from the database are used by the channel allocation service that finds the best channel for the inquiring DSA nodes. To demonstrate the efficiency of the implemented database-assisted DSA system, we compare it to a legacy system and show the benefits in terms of resilience to jamming, channel relinquishment on primary arrival, and best channel determination and allocation. We also show the performance gains in terms of frame error rate (FER) and spectral efficiency. Finally, we compare the RSSI sensitivity of the low-cost sensors to that of a professional spectrum analyzer.
Ultrahigh-frequency ultrasound of fascicles in the median nerve at the wrist.

Introduction An ultrahigh-frequency (70 MHZ) ultrasound device has recently been approved for human use. This study seeks to determine whether this device facilitates counting of fascicles within the median nerve at the wrist. Methods Twenty healthy volunteers underwent imaging of the median nerve at the wrist bilaterally. The number of fascicles in each nerve was counted by two independent raters. Results The mean fascicle number was 22.68. Correlation was strong between the two raters (r = 0.68, P < 0.001). Age, sex, body mass index, and nerve area did not predict fascicle number. Those with bifid median nerves and persistent median arteries had lower fascicle density than those without anatomic anomalies (1.79 vs. 2.29; P = 0.01). Discussion Fascicles within the median nerve at the wrist can be readily imaged. Ultrahigh-frequency ultrasound technology may be informative in a variety of disorders affecting the peripheral nervous system. Muscle Nerve 56: 819–822, 2017
The Trump Administration and the Environment - Heed the Science.

Threats to foster fossil-fuel utilization over sustainable alternatives, abandonment of reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions, and narrowing of the definition of waters subject to EPA regulation raise serious concerns about the environment and human health.
Formation of Amorphous Metallic Alloys by Solid-State Reactions

For the last 25 years, amorphous metallic alloys have been prepared by the rapid quenching of melts. Recently, new methods of synthesis based on isothermal solid-state reactions have been developed. It has further been shown that the reaction products can be predicted from free energy diagrams that treat the amorphous alloy as an undercooled liquid. These discoveries have opened new windows to the synthesis of novel metastable materials, both amorphous and crystalline. This paper reviews the basic concepts behind amorphization by solid-state reactions and discusses our current understanding of the nucleation and growth of the amorphous alloy.
Decision Support Framework for Transit-Oriented Development Projects

Although the use of personal automobiles in the United States continues to grow, there are increasing concerns about the possible effects of automobile-dependent transportation, including environmental concerns, the reduction in the quality of life caused by long commutes, and a decline of community and societal interactions. These concerns have led to discussions on the revitalization of public transportation systems. To counter the problem of congestion resulting from modern urbanization, urban planners have developed the idea of transit-oriented development (TOD), designed to encourage the use of public transit and the creation of pedestrian-friendly environments. The plethora of literature on this subject is no surprise, considering the issues of revitalization of community living and affordable housing and related factors directly influencing and getting influenced by TOD. Notwithstanding the abundance of literature on TOD, the literature review uncovered few studies that somewhat address the importa...
Infantile hemangioma of the clitoris presenting as a clitoral mass: A case report

Infantile hemangioma is a common benign vascular neoplasm characterized by endothelial cell proliferation. Hemangiomas are one of the most common tumors of infancy and typically present on the head, neck, trunk or extremities.1 There are currently no published cases of clitoral hemangiomas presenting in an infant. In our report, we will describe a five-month old female who presented with a clitoral mass, found to be a hemangioma with MRI and ultrasound imaging. 1.1. Case presentation A five-month old female was admitted to the general pediatric inpatient service with fever, redness in the diaper area, and genital swelling diagnosed as acute cellulitis. The fever and redness were successfully treated with IV antibiotics, but the genital swelling persisted. The patient's mother stated that she first noticed the genital swelling when the patient was three months old and stated that she believed the swelling to be getting worse. The patient's past medical history was significant for pre-term birth at 24 weeks following a triplet pregnancy conceived via in vitro fertilization. Her neonatal period was complicated by respiratory distress syndrome resulting in chronic lung disease, and a patent ductus arteriosus treated via ligation. On physical exam, the patient was well-appearing and her exam was remarkable for the large genital mass noted in the clitoral area. The mass was red, relatively soft, and measured 4 × 2 cm, replacing the clitoral head (Fig. 1). The remainder of the genital exam, vagina, labia, and perinium were normal. Open in a separate window Fig. 1 Infantile hemangioma of the clitoris in a 5-month old female.
WorkloadCompactor: reducing datacenter cost while providing tail latency SLO guarantees

Service providers want to reduce datacenter costs by consolidating workloads onto fewer servers. At the same time, customers have performance goals, such as meeting tail latency Service Level Objectives (SLOs). Consolidating workloads while meeting tail latency goals is challenging, especially since workloads in production environments are often bursty. To limit the congestion when consolidating workloads, customers and service providers often agree upon rate limits. Ideally, rate limits are chosen to maximize the number of workloads that can be co-located while meeting each workload's SLO. In reality, neither the service provider nor customer knows how to choose rate limits. Customers end up selecting rate limits on their own in some ad hoc fashion, and service providers are left to optimize given the chosen rate limits. This paper describes WorkloadCompactor, a new system that uses workload traces to automatically choose rate limits simultaneously with selecting onto which server to place workloads. Our system meets customer tail latency SLOs while minimizing datacenter resource costs. Our experiments show that by optimizing the choice of rate limits, WorkloadCompactor reduces the number of required servers by 30--60% as compared to state-of-the-art approaches.
Disabled Bodies in Early Modern Spanish Literature: Prostitutes, Aging Women and Saints

'Disabled Bodies in Early Modern Spanish Literature: Prostitutes, Aging Women and Saints provides a politically urgent critical approach to disability and female corporeality in early modern Spanish literary and social discourse. Rigorous in its historical contextualization and offering innovative, compelling readings of classic works, this book challenges familiar interpretations of women’s bodies in texts of this period, transforming prior disciplinary boundaries and categories of analysis.'Professor Susan Antebi, University of Toronto'Blending historical context and literary text with disability studies method, Encarnacion Juarez-Almendros sets out to challenge the foundations of early modern scholarship through a long-awaited critical feminist examination of disability as both a social construction and an embodied material experience.'Benjamin Fraser, Professor and Chair, Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences, East Carolina UniversityDisabled Bodies in Early Modern Spanish Literature: Prostitutes, Aging Women and Saints examines the concepts and role of women in selected Spanish discourses and literary texts from the late fifteenth to seventeenth centuries from the perspective of feminist disability theories. This study explores a wide range of Spanish medical, regulatory and moral discourses, illustrating how such texts inherit, reproduce and propagate an amalgam of Western traditional concepts of female embodiment. It goes on to examine concrete representations of deviant female characters, focusing on the figures of syphilitic prostitutes and physically decayed aged women in literary texts such as Celestina, Lozana andaluza and selected works by Cervantes and Quevedo. Finally, an analysis of the personal testimony of Teresa de Avila, a nun suffering neurological disorders, complements the discussion of early modern women’s disability. By expanding the meanings of contemporary theories of materiality and the social construction of disability, the book concludes that paradoxically, femininity, bodily afflictions, and mental instability characterized the new literary heroes at the very time Spain was at the apex of its imperial power. Ultimately, as this study shows, the broken female bodies of pre-industrial Spanish literature reveal the cracks in the foundational principles of power and established truths.
Subepithelial Corneal Degenerations

PHSCD presents with peripheral, usually bilateral, symmetric elevated circumferential peripheral subepithelial corneal opacities (often sausage-roll shaped) and adjacent abnormal limbal vasculature. In most cases, the opacifications deform the normal shape of the cornea, leading to pronounced astigmatism. Some present with pseudopterygia. There is no chronic ocular surface inflammation. Symptoms include ocular surface discomfort (pain, itching, etc.) and reduced/blurred vision, though it can be asymptomatic (Maust and Raber 2003).
S1P₄ Regulates Passive Systemic Anaphylaxis in Mice but Is Dispensable for Canonical IgE-Mediated Responses in Mast Cells.

Mast cells are key players in the development of inflammatory allergic reactions. Cross-linking of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FceRI) on mast cells leads to the generation and secretion of the sphingolipid mediator, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) which is able, in turn, to transactivate its receptors on mast cells. Previous reports have identified the expression of two of the five receptors for S1P on mast cells, S1P1 and S1P2, with functions in FceRI-mediated chemotaxis and degranulation, respectively. Here, we show that cultured mouse mast cells also express abundant message for S1P4. Genetic deletion of S1pr4 did not affect the differentiation of bone marrow progenitors into mast cells or the proliferation of mast cells in culture. A comprehensive characterization of IgE-mediated responses in S1P4-deficient bone marrow-derived and peritoneal mouse mast cells indicated that this receptor is dispensable for mast cell degranulation, cytokine/chemokine production and FceRI-mediated chemotaxis in vitro. However, interleukin-33 (IL-33)-mediated enhancement of IgE-induced degranulation was reduced in S1P4-deficient peritoneal mast cells, revealing a potential negative regulatory role for S1P4 in an IL-33-rich environment. Surprisingly, genetic deletion of S1pr4 resulted in exacerbation of passive systemic anaphylaxis to IgE/anti-IgE in mice, a phenotype likely related to mast cell-extrinsic influences, such as the high circulating levels of IgE in these mice which increases FceRI expression and consequently the extent of the response to FceRI engagement. Thus, we provide evidence that S1P4 modulates anaphylaxis in an unexpected manner that does not involve regulation of mast cell responsiveness to IgE stimulation.
Ramanujan and π

The number π is one of the most fundamental, and many great mathematicians have made important contributions to our understanding of this number. Ramanujan established amazing series representations for π. We describe the history of π starting from the days of Greece and ending in the modern world of the computer. We discuss how some of Ramanujan’s series are used nowadays to calculate millions of digits of π.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF ZINC

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the pathophysiology of zinc. The stability of various biological macromolecules is dependent on or increased by the presence of zinc. Zinc is involved in the polymerization process, and it is the zinc-insulin complex that is stored in granules. Zinc also binds to DNA nucleoside bases and can be used in vitro to reversibly wind and unwind DNA double helices with heating and cooling. Zinc binds quite weakly to complementary bases so that when the DNA is cooled, the double helix can form again in both directions from the crosslink. Zinc ions bind strongly enough to phosphate to stabilize the double helix at lower temperatures. Zinc inhibits electron transport in the mitochondrial respiratory chain at very low concentrations, which suggests a rather effective and specific role of this metal in the control of respiration even in vivo. The membrane of cells and subcellular particles contain lipoprotein glycosaminoglycan macromolecules, which are either integral parts of this structure or are closely associated with the membrane.
Neurotoxicity of 25-OH-Cholesterol on NGF-Differentiated PC12 Cells

PC12 cells induced to differentiate with nerve growth factor were used to study the neurotoxicity of 25-OH-cholesterol. This agent induced a dose- and time-dependent cell death in neuronal PC12 cells. Cells treated with this agent showed condensed nuclei, a morphology similar to that of cells dying of programmed cell death. However, agents known to prevent neuronal programmed cell death (cyclic AMP, KCl, aurintricarboxylic acid, and cycloheximide) failed to prevent the 25-OH-cholesterol-mediated cytotoxicity. On the other hand, cell death induced by 25-OH-cholesterol was prevented by treatment with vitamin E and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. In contrast to observations made in other cell types, whole-cell patch clamp recording of neuronal PC12 cells revealed that treatment with 25-OH-cholesterol did not significantly alter calcium influx through voltage-dependent channels. These results provide the first characterization of the toxicity of cholesterol oxides toward neuronal PC12 cells, which should be useful in future studies on the interactions between cholesterol oxides and cells from the nervous system.
Protrusion, Bioturbation, and Settlement Detection during Surface Survey: The Lowland Maya Case

In upland settings in humid and semihumid temperate and tropical environments, bioturbation is a major factor in the burial of modest architectural remains, which are abundant components of the settlement systems of complex societies. Surface survey, favored by archaeologists of complex societies as a settlement detection method, seldom is appropriate for discovering architectural remains buried through bioturbation. Where the focus of analysis includes settlement represented by architectural remains, surface survey is appropriate only where all or a representative sample of all types of architectural remains are protrusive. “Protrusion” describes a relationship (affected by climate, environment, topography, and cultural variables) between the height of a ruined building and the depth of the biomantle, which is the zone of bioturbation. To enable archaeologists to assess the appropriateness of settlement detection procedures, including surface survey, I propose a scheme that classifies architectural remains in terms of their protrusion, building height, and visibility characteristics. The scheme can be employed to determine if and why architectural remains are protrusive in particular study areas. To demonstrate its analytical utility, I apply the scheme and the model of building burial through bioturbation that underlies it to the problem of Maya “invisible” settlement. I conclude that in the Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica, building remains buried through bioturbation are a more abundant settlement category than many archaeologists have supposed.
The Effects of Self-Regulation Strategies on Goal Attainment for Students with Developmental Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

Self-regulation and other student-directed learning strategies have the potential to benefit students with developmental disabilities and mental retardation in general education classrooms. However, to date, there is little information about use of such strategies in general education classrooms, particularly at the secondary education level. This study examined the effect of a self-regulation multicomponent process (antecedent cue regulation or self-monitoring with self-evaluation and self-reinforcement) with 3 students with developmental disabilities in typical classrooms. Use of the self-regulation strategies improved adaptive behaviors related to class participation or decreased problem behaviors for all students. Also, teachers working with students indicated that they had exceeded their expectations for achieving goals related to the target behaviors. The potential for use of self-regulation strategies to promote successful inclusion is discussed.
A Robust Secure and High Capacity Image Watermarking Scheme for Information Exchange in Distributed Collaborative Networked Intelligent Measurement Systems

In many industrial environments applications, for example, those involving intelligent measurement systems, distributed networked collaborative virtual environments, tele-control, biomedical intelligent systems with interchange of individuals private health information, to name a few, there is a need to securely exchange digital images or other multi-media information among the various local or remote industrial components. In this paper, and for that purpose, we propose a novel image watermarking and information hiding technique for recovery and authentication of hidden images against tampering by utilizing the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and the Arnold’s Transform. We show how the proposed technique (a) allows for relatively higher capacity capability in securely embedding not just a watermark image, for authentication purposes, but also a hidden secret image while preserving the transparency in the resulting “watermarked” carrier image (b) allows embedding of gray-scale images and is not limited to embedding binary ones (c) allows redundancy in the hidden information for better recovery in case of image tampering such as cropping, (d) allows for security in the hidden image information. The proposed technique utilizes all three RGB color channels of a carrier image for embedding information. This is to provide a high degree of redundancy for information recovery in case of unauthorized tampering attacks. Furthermore, correction matrices for hidden and/or watermark images are calculated and are also embedded in the carrier image. As we show, the proposed techniques provides tamper detection and recovery against unauthorized tampering such as image cropping, blurring, pixel tampering. We also show robustness of the proposed scheme to JPEG compression and encryption.
Differential Impact of Index Stroke on Dementia Risk in African-Americans Compared to Whites.

Abstract Objective To compare whites and African-Americans in terms of dementia risk following index stroke. Methods The data consisted of billing and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis codes from the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs office on all hospital discharges within the state between 2000 and 2012. The sample consisted of 68,758 individuals with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke prior to 2010 (49,262 white [71.65%] and 19,496 African-Americans [28.35%]). We identified individuals in the dataset who were subsequently diagnosed with any of 5 categories of dementia and evaluated time to dementia diagnosis in Cox Proportional Hazards models. We plotted cumulative hazard curves to illustrate the effect of race on dementia risk after controlling for age, sex, and occurrence of intervening stroke. Results Age at index stroke was significantly different between the 2 groups, with African-Americans being younger on average (70.0 [SD 12.5] in whites versus 64.5 [SD 14.1] in African-Americans, P Conclusions African-Americans are at higher risk for dementia than whites within 5 years of ischemic stroke, regardless of dementia subtype. Incident strokes may have a greater likelihood of precipitating dementia in African-Americans due to higher prevalence of nonstroke cerebrovascular disease or other metabolic or vascular factors that contribute to cognitive impairment.
Interprofessional Education themes in a Clinical Laboratory Sciences Curriculum

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore and describe how clinical laboratory science students at a tertiary university hospital perceive and conceptualize interprofessional education (IPE) through exposure to IPE in clinical preceptorship and service learning experiences. Participants included five clinical laboratory science students. The data collection and analysis process included multiple interviews, student clinical preceptorship journals, student service learning journals, and a researcher9s journal. The constant comparison method was used throughout the study as themes and patterns emerged from the raw data and were discovered.1 Findings indicated that participants believed that IPE helped reduce professional hierarchy, promoted equality and respect and maximized interprofessional collaboration between the health professions. Themes that supported IPE were comprised of: hierarchal environment, mutual respect, forming and maintaining an identity, and sharing content knowledge. The results from this study reveal how an interprofessional curriculum can unite clinical laboratory science students with other health professions students early in their formative years to address the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of a disjointed health care team that negatively affects health care in the United States today. ABBREVIATIONS:WHO – World Health Organization, CLS – Clinical Laboratory Science, IPE – Interprofessional Education
CHAPTER VI: – SOLAR CELL CONFIGURATION AND PERFORMANCE

This chapter discusses various solar cell optical orientations and construction techniques. It determines the value of solar cell series resistance, saturation current, optimum junction voltage, maximum power density delivered to the external load, and the value of the optimized external load with the help of specific semiconductors. The characteristics of pn and heterojunction solar cells depend primarily on the properties of the semiconductor(s) employed. The most important semiconductor property in these cases is the width of the energy gap. For all types of solar cells the charge carrier mobility and lifetime play major roles in overall performance. The standard configuration solar cell is simple to construct and has good contact from solar cell to heat sink. However, it has a number of drawbacks as well. Once the electron-hole pairs are generated, they must be split into their component electrons and holes and the individual charge carriers must be collected by the junction. The thinness of the upper layer of the solar cell creates high internal resistance with attendant decreased power performance. PN junction solar cells also show ill effects from this phenomenon, but heterojunction solar cells avoid the problem by constructing the “front layer” of the solar cell of a semiconductor, which is optically transparent. The chapter also examines both standard and inverted configurations in detail, making use of six example semiconductors.
Frequency dependent hemodynamic response to intracranial pressure changes

Guiding treatment in traumatic brain injury based on managing and optimizing cerebral perfusion pressure, which is the difference between mean arterial blood pressure and intracranial pressure (ICP), has been demonstrated to improve patient outcome. However, this requires ICP to be measured, which currently is only possible by placing pressure probes inside the brain. The feasibility of optical systems to measure ICP non-invasively has shown preliminary promising evidence of feasibility. To pursue the goal of non-invasive ICP acquisition further, an understanding of the influence of different pressure changes on the brain and their hemodynamic response is necessary. To investigate the frequency content of hemodynamic reactions to pressure changes in both ICP as well as arterial blood pressure (ABP), we induced changes of both pressures in non-human primates. We then demonstrate that ABP and ICP changes both influence cerebral blood flow and hemoglobin concentrations, measured with diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), respectively. We found that the magnitude of induced oscillations is dependent on the frequency of the oscillation. Our data suggests, changes in ABP and ICP influence the hemodynamics differently, which we can use as a basis for non-invasive ICP measurements.
Are you with us or against us? The role of threat and anger in sport sponsorship

Abstract Identification with a sports team can represent an important component of a person's self-concept. Through sponsorship, brands attempt to leverage their affiliation with sports teams to transfer positive associations from the property to the brand. However, because of the competitive nature of sports - brands may enter into a sponsorship with a rival team. The current research considers the cognitive and emotional mechanisms through which fans respond to such sponsorships. Results indicate that highly identified fans experience threat in response to the sponsorship of a rival, this threat leads to anger which negatively influences attitudes towards the sponsorship and reduces purchase intentions. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Digital health technology and mobile devices for the management of diabetes mellitus: state of the art

Diabetes mellitus is a disease that can be difficult to manage and requires high levels of health literacy and numeracy, self-monitoring and frequent contact with clinicians. If not optimally controlled, diabetes can lead to kidney failure, blindness and cardiovascular complications, which, in turn, contribute to increasing healthcare costs. Although not yet widely used, mobile health (mHealth) tools have enhanced diabetes management and prevention and are likely to play an increasing role with the growth of smartphone ownership and medical device innovations. Recent mHealth interventions targeting type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diverse in their goals and components, and include insulin management applications, wearable blood glucose meters, automated text messages, health diaries and virtual health coaching. In this paper, we review the modalities and components of various impactful interventions for insulin management, diabetes education, self-management and prevention. More work is needed to investigate how individual demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural and clinical characteristics contribute to patient engagement and the efficacy of mHealth tools for diabetes.
Water reconditioning in the food industry

Abstract The food industry faces the challenges of scarce water resources for processing and significant volumes of nutrient-rich wastewater resulting from its operations. Recondition and reuse of water are effective options to improve water availability while reducing environmental impacts due to the discharge of untreated wastewater. Different food sectors offer unique conditions to design and implement water reconditioning and reuse alternatives. However, there are several fundamental concepts, discussed herein, that guide the decision-making process, those include technologies, regulations, considerations regarding food safety, risk perceptions, water quality, environmental impacts, and gaps of knowledge. This chapter discusses feasible water conservation strategies while highlighting current limitations and opportunities to process food with less water.
Plant Domestication: Reconstructing the Route to Modern Tomatoes.

An explosion of genome sequencing has facilitated a deep understanding of the tomato's domestication history. Although the species emerged in Ecuador, domestication is likely to have occurred in Mexico whence it was transported to Europe and ultimately improved into one of our favorite foods.
Adherence to treatment guidelines as a major determinant of survival disparities between black and white patients with ovarian cancer.

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether non-adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines and other factors related to treatment access contribute to racial disparities in ovarian cancer survival. Methods This large cohort study included patients from the National Cancer Database who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2004 and 2014, with follow-up data up to 2017. The multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the effect of study variables on five-year overall survival. The proportion contributions of prognostic factors to the survival disparities were estimated using individual and sequential adjustment of these factors based on the Cox proportional hazards models. Results Of the 120,712 patients eligible for this study, 110,032 (91.1%) were whites and 10,680 (8.9%) were blacks. Black patients, compared with their white counterparts, had a lower adherence to NCCN guidelines (60.8% vs. 70.4%, respectively, P Conclusions Adherence status to NCCN treatment guidelines is the most important contributor to the survival disparities between black and white patients with ovarian cancer. Our findings call for measures to promote equitable access to guideline-adherence care to improve the survival of black women with ovarian cancer.
Simplification of the purification of heat stable recombinant low molecular weight proteins and peptides from GST-fusion products.

Abstract The synthesis and purification of peptides of importance in the fields of research and medicine continue to be a challenging task. Chemical synthesis of oligopeptides, especially those greater than 25 amino acids, is cost prohibitive. On the other hand, several bottlenecks exist in the production of recombinant short peptides in heterologous expression hosts such as Escherichia coli (E. coli). In this study, a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable method for the production and single-step-purification of peptides and small proteins was developed. Five peptides and small proteins were overexpressed in E. coli as GST-fusion products in high yields. The recombinant peptides or proteins were successfully purified after enzymatic cleavage with selective heat-induced precipitation of the GST-affinity tag. Qualitative and quantitative analysis using SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometric methods suggest that the recombinant peptides/ proteins were purified to greater than 95% homogeneity. Results of biophysical experiments, including multi-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, show that the purified proteins/ peptides retain their native conformation. Isothermal titration calorimetry studies indicate no significant change in the binding affinity of the heat-treated purified product to their interacting partner(s) compared to the recombinant peptides purified by conventional chromatographic procedures without subjecting to heat treatment. In our opinion, the results reported render the purification of recombinant proteins/ peptides of biomedical relevance using our proposed method easy and reliable.
Safe Approaches to Laparoscopy in the 3rd Trimester of Pregnancy

Study Objective To review to preoperative, intraoperative, and post-operative considerations to optimize laparoscopic surgical care of the pregnant patient. Design Review of current recommendations for surgical care of pregnant patients followed by demonstration of technique with narrated video footage. Setting Non-obstetric surgery is performed in 1: 200-500 pregnant women in the US annually. As surgeons have gain more experience with laparoscopy it has become the preferred surgical route in pregnancy and can be performed at any gestational age. Anatomic and physiologic changes of pregnancy requite modifications to laparoscopic technique to optimize outcomes for both the mother and fetus. We demonstrate a case of laparoscopy on a patient at 28 weeks gestational age who presented with ovarian torsion. Patients or Participants N/A. Interventions Salpingo-oophorectomy for ovarian torsion during pregnancy at 28w gestational age. Measurements and Main Results This video highlights the laparoscopic approach to salpingo-oophorectomy for ovarian torsion with key strategies for patient positioning, port placement in the gravid patient, visualization with the gravid uterus, and intraoperative fetal monitoring. 1. Patient positioning with left lateral tilt and deflection of the uterus for left upper quadrant entry point 2. Supraumbilical entry at the left upper quadrant using the Veress needle 3. Reduced force for trocar placement 4. Laparoscopic retraction of the gravid uterus to identify the ureter 5. Intraoperative fetal monitoring via intermittent transabdominal fetal cardiac ultrasound. Conclusion Laparoscopy can be safely preformed in pregnancy, even at advanced gestational ages. In this video we review pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative management to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes and demonstrate intraoperative technique to minimize risks of laparoscopy in the pregnant patient.
Identities and Isoperimetric Relations

A number of integral identities for capillary surfaces have already been employed in the text, e.g., the Laplace volume formula in §1.9, and the relations of §8.9. Further integral relations involving mean curvature on surfaces can be found, e.g., in Minkowski [133] and Hsiung [102]. The following result of [30] seems not to be generally known. Let V denote a domain in 3-space (or its volume), let ∂V=S have mean curvature H S . If S is star with respect to the origin, we may extend H S to be constant on radial segments to the origin, to obtain a function continuous in V—{0} with a bounded singularity at {0}. We define $$ {\bar H^s} = \frac{1}{V}\int_v {{H^s}} \left( x \right)dx. $$ (9.1)
Psychotherapy for Asian American Woman Warriors

SUMMARY To treat Asian American women in psychotherapy, one needs to be cognizant of the images they conjure up. Negative images common in the media and literature need to be replaced by empowering ones if we are to be responsive to multicultural and feminist values. The passive, self-effacing, exotic China doll needs to be replaced by the Woman Warrior image, a classic in Chinese mythology. A look at the evolution of women's roles in China, and the influence of Taoist as well as Confucian philosophy, is important to properly anchor empowering roles for women to be supported in psychotherapy.
OP32 – 2680: Validity, reliability and correlations with clinical assessments of the German version of the “Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity” (SCALE) in children with cerebral palsy

Objectives As a loss of selective voluntary movement control (SVMC) can hamper mobility in children with cerebral palsy (CP), assessing SVMC has gained increasing clinical interest. To improve assessment of SVMC the following three objectives were chosen: 1) translation of the “Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity” (SCALE) into German, 2) evaluation of the SCALE's reliability and validity, 3) testing clinical driven hypotheses concerning correlations between the SCALE and other commonly used assessments. Methods Thirty-nine children (21 males) with spastic CP, mean age 12y 6mo [SD 3y 7mo], Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to IV participated. Discriminant validity: Differences in SCALE scores were determined between leg joints, more and less affected leg and GMFCS levels. For concurrent validity assessment, SCALE results were correlated with item III and IV of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA). To determine reliability, SCALE was applied once and recorded on video. Correlations were computed between SCALE and the Manual-Muscle-Test, Modified Ashworth Scale, Trunk Control Measurement Scale and the Timed-up and Go Test respectively. Results Discriminant validity: SCALE scores differed between most leg joints and between the less and more affected leg. Total SCALE scores differed significantly between GMFCS levels I and II. Concurrent validity of SCALE with FMA items was excellent. Intraclass correlation coefficients for intra-and inter-rater reliability were above 0.9; with the minimally detectable change below 2 points. Spearman correlations between the SCALE and the other assessments were significant (ρ=0.49–0.88; p Conclusion The SCALE appears to be a valid and reliable tool to assess SVMC of the legs in children with spastic CP. The correlations with the other tests indicate that the SCALE could valuably complement to routine clinical examination to improve our understanding of motor problems in children with CP.
Algorithm for recognition of optical spectra in an environment containing interferants

An algorithm for quickly determining the presence of bacteria based on their intrinsic fluorescence signals has been developed. Applications of this algorithm are discussed.
Importance of carbon active sites in the gasification of coal chars

Abstract A demineralized lignite has been used in a fundamental study of the role of carbon active sites in coal char gasification. The chars were prepared in N 2 under a wide variety of conditions of heating rate (10 K min −1 to 10 4 K s −1 ), temperature (975–1475 K) and residence time (0.3 s–1 h). Both pyrolysis residence time and temperature have a significant effect on the reactivity of chars in 0.1 MPa air, determined by isothermal thermogravimetric analysis. The chars were characterized in terms of their elemental composition, micropore volume, total and active surface area, and carbon crystallite size. Total surface area, calculated from C0 2 adsorption isotherms at 298 K, was found not to be a relevant reactivity normalization parameter. Oxygen chemisorption capacity at 375 K and 0.1 MPa air was found to be a valid index of char reactivity and, therefore, gives an indication, at least from a relative standpoint, of the concentration of carbon active sites in a char. The commonly observed deactivation of coal chars with increasing severity of pyrolysis conditions was correlated with their active surface areas. The importance of the concept of active sites in gasification reactions is illustrated for carbons of increasing purity and crystallinity including a Saran char, a graphitized carbon black and a spectroscopically pure natural graphite.