cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ENDOSCOPIC TREATMENT OF COMPLETE URETHRAL OBSTRUCTION USING THIN TROCAR

We used an endoscopic thin trocar to reestablish the continuity of the completely obliterated urethra in 2 patients. In 1 man the obstruction resulted from a pelvic fracture and in 1 woman from early removal of the urethral catheter after a bladder neck reconstruction. We found this technique safe and effective, and we consider it to represent an improvement over previously described methods of endoscopic treatment of the obliterated urethra.
A Generic Form Processing Approach for Large Variant Templates

In today’s world, form processing systems must be able to recognize mutant forms that appear to be based on differing templates but are actually only a variation of the original. A single definition of a representative template actually covers large varieties of the same logical templates. We developed a method and system, similar to the human visual system, which differentiates between templates via features such as logos, dominant words, and geometrical shapes, while ignoring minor details and variations. When the system finds an appropriate template, it then decodes the content of the form. Our approach has been applied in several scenarios with encouraging results.
A conceptual framework for transferring research to practice.

Systematic evaluations of efforts to transfer research-based interventions and procedures into general practice at community drug treatment programs have been limited. However, practical experiences as well as results from studies of technology transfer and organizational behavior in related fields provide a basis for proposing a heuristic model of key factors that influence this process. The successful completion of four stages of activity typically involved in program change (exposure, adoption, implementation, and practice of new interventions) appears to be influenced by several organizational considerations (e.g., institutional readiness for change, resources, and climate) as well as staff attributes. Assessment instruments for measuring organizational functioning (based on ratings aggregated for staff and patients in a program) are introduced, along with preliminary evidence for their validity. A better conceptual understanding of the process of program change and common barriers that may be encountered is needed for effectively transferring research to practice.
Biomedical Anthropology in a Multidisciplinary, Multi‐institutional Research Project: The Albany Lead Study

Biomedical research is often a collaborative effort involving anthropologists, epidemiologists, and clinically based medical researchers and care givers. In multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research projects barriers to successful research collaboration multiply easily, in part because different disciplines conceptualize study design and other research issues differently. Institutional requirements for research (human subjects' approval, for example) also differ. When research activities are performed by clinical personnel at clinical institutions, research must give way to care giving. Strategies to overcome these and other problems are based on the professionalism of clinical and medical research staff and involve awareness of each host institution's reward systems and hierarchies. Practical, concrete solutions to these problems exist and are described.
Ultraviolet ion laser performance and spectroscopy for sulfur, fluorine, chlorine, and bromine

The performance and spectroscopy was investigated for ultraviolet ion laser transitions in fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and sulfur. Three new transitions were found in bromine below 280 nm and 60-W peak power was observed for the strongest new line in Br IV? at 236.2465 nm. The wavelengths for the new and previously known transitions were measured to about 0.001 nm. Performance was optimized using a 7-mm bore 150 cm arc-length tube using a fast longitudinal discharge for excitation.
Prairie Grasses as Hosts of the Northern Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

We evaluated 27 prairie grass species thought to be among those dominant 200 yr ago in the northern midwest as larval hosts of the northern corn rootworm, Diabrotica barberi Smith and Lawrence. Maize (Zea mays L.), spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) were included as controls for a total of 30 species. Twenty pots of each species were planted in a randomized complete block design. Each pot was infested 5 wk later with 20 neonate northern corn rootworm larvae. Two pots within each species and block were assigned an extraction date of 7 or 14 d after infestation. The remaining two pots from each block were used to monitor adult emergence. The percentage of larvae recovered, change in larval head capsule width, and change in average dry weights varied significantly among the grass species. The highest percentage of larvae was recovered from slender wheatgrass, Elymus trachycaulus (Link), and this was significantly greater than the percentage recovered from all other species including maize for the 14-d sample date. Several additional species were also relatively good hosts, in that the percentage of larvae recovered from these species was not significantly different from maize. The average dry weight of larvae recovered was significantly greater for larvae recovered from maize than for larvae recovered from all other species except slender wheatgrass, when the two samples dates were combined. Overall, adults were produced from only 6 of the 28 species evaluated, and no analysis was performed because of the low numbers. The results of this study are discussed in relation to the potential of alternate hosts of northern corn rootworm to serve as a bridge to survival on transgenic maize.
A Meta-Analysis of Mismatch Negativity in Schizophrenia: From Clinical Risk to Disease Specificity and Progression

Abstract Background The observation that mismatch negativity (MMN) is consistently impaired in schizophrenia has generated considerable interest in the use of this biomarker as an index of disease risk and progression. Despite such enthusiasm, a number of issues remain unresolved regarding the nature of MMN impairment. The present study expands upon an earlier meta-analysis of MMN impairment in schizophrenia by examining impairment across a range of clinical presentations, as well as across experimental parameters. Methods One hundred one samples of schizophrenia patients were included in the present study, including first-episode ( n = 13), chronic ( n = 13), and mixed-stage ( n = 75) samples. Additionally, MMN was examined in three related conditions: bipolar disorder ( n = 9), unaffected first-degree relatives ( n = 8), and clinical high risk ( n = 16). Results We found that MMN impairment 1) likely reflects a vulnerability to disease progression in clinical high-risk populations rather than a genetic risk for the condition; 2) is largely unrelated to duration of illness after the first few years of illness, indicating that impairment is not progressive throughout the life span; 3) is present in bipolar disorder, albeit to a lesser degree than in schizophrenia; and 4) is not modulated by experimental parameters such as magnitude of change between standard and deviant tones or frequency of deviant tones but may be modulated by attentional demands. Conclusions Such findings lay the foundation for a better understanding of the nature of MMN impairment in schizophrenia, as well as its potential as a clinically useful biomarker.
Effects of Solute–Solvent Hydrogen Bonding on Nonaqueous Electrolyte Structure

We investigate the source of Raman background signal commonly misidentified as fluorescence in nonaqueous electrolytes via a variety of spectroscopies (Raman, fluorescence, NMR) and find evidence of hydrogen-bonding interactions. This hydrogen bonding gives rise to broadband anharmonic vibrational modes and suggests that anions play an important and underappreciated role in the structure of nonaqueous electrolytes. Controlling electrolyte structure has important applications in advancing in operando spectroscopy measurements as well as understanding the stability of high concentration electrolytes for next-generation electrochemical energy storage devices.
Endogenous Social Networks and Inequality in an Intergenerational Setting

In a world where individuals interact in myriads of ways, one wonders how the benefits of one's connections with others compare with those conferred by individual characteristics when it comes to acquisition of human capital. It is particularly interesting to be able to distinguish between connections that are the outcome of deliberate decisions by individuals and connections being given exogenously and beyond an individual's control. The paper explores the consequences of the joint evolution of social connections and human capital investments. It thus allows one to study a broad range of possibilities in which social connections may influence inequality in consumption, human capital invest- ment and welfare across the members of the economy, cross-sectionally and intertemporally. It embeds inequality analysis in models of endogenous social network formation. The novelty of the model lies in its joint treatment of human capital investment and social network formation in intergenerational settings, while distinguishing between the case of impact on human capital from endogenous as opposed to exogenous social networking. Among several results in the case of exogenous connections, we demonstrate conditions under which the limit distribution of human capital has a Pareto upper tail. One of the dynamic models we develop allow for intergenerational transfers in a dynastic version of the infinite horizon Ramsey- Cass-Koopmans model. The models share the property that human capital accumulation, transfers and social connections, when all are optimized, are, along steady states, proportional to cognitive skills. Thus, intergenerational transfers of both human capital endowments and social networking endowments are jointly determined. Interestingly, the consequences for inequality of the endogeneity of social connections are underscored by examining the models when they are assumed to be exogenous. When social connections are not optimized, individuals' human capital reflect a much more general dependence on social connections. We show that the dynamics of demographically increasingly complex models, as expressed by a sequence of models with increasing number of overlapping-generations, depend on the product of the adjacency matrices associated with each of the overlapping generations.
Changes in Ohio Tree Farmers' Forest Management Strategies and Outreach Needs

Ohiotreefarmersweresurveyedviaamailedquestionnaire.Thegoalsweretodescribe(1)theirdemographics,(2)theirmotivations,objectives,andconstraintsregardingforest management, (3) educational outreach interests, and (4) the differences in their results from those of a 1990 Ohio study. Similar to other research, Ohio treefarmers placed a higher value on a nonconsumptive approach to forest management. For example, personal satisfaction and preservation for future generations weretheir greatest motivators, whereas ﬁnancial return was the lowest. They were most interested in wildlife diversity enhancement and least interested in nontimber forestproduct production. Forest disease and insect problems/controls and estate planning were highly ranked workshop topics of interest and were of signiﬁcantly greaterinterest than for those surveyed in the 1990 study. Aside from age, which was found to be the highest rated constraint limiting their abilities to practice forestmanagement, tree farmers were signiﬁcantly less constrained than those surveyed in 1990.Keywords: decisionmaking, forestry education, landowner motivation, landowner objectives, landowner constraints
CONCOMITANT IPSILATERAL SHOULDER INJURIES IN PATIENTS WITH FRACTURES OF THE HUMERAL DIAPHYSIS.

This study was carried out to determine the incidence of shoulder injuries in the ipsilateral shoulder of patients who attended our unit with fractures of the humeral diaphysis. This was a prospective study. 22 patients with fractures of the humeral diaphysis had an early (within 10 days of injury) MRI scan of the shoulder. The contralateral shoulder was also scanned as an internal control. There were 10 male and 12 female patients. The average age was 45 years. 20 were treated non-operatively, and 2 had retrograde intra-medullary nailing of the humerus. 6 patients in our study had a symmetrical MRI scan. The remaining 16 patients had some acute abnormality evident in the ipsilateral shoulder. 11 patients had a significant subacromial bursitis. 2 of these patients had a tear of the supraspinatus tendon. 1 patient had an undisplaced fracture of the coracoid process. The remaining 4 patients had significant AC joint inflammation, 3 being acute, the 4th being acute-on-chronic. This study shows a high incidence of asymmetrical MRI scans, indicating a definite shoulder injury sustained at the time of the fracture of the humeral diaphysis. We therefore surmise that shoulder pain and dysfunction post antegrade intra-medullary nailing of the humerus may not be due to iatrogenic causes, but may in fact result from concomitant ipsilateral shoulder injury. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating such an association.
Recent Progress and Future Prospects for Land Consolidation Zoning in China

Rational zoning of the land consolidation area to clear the type and direction of the regional land consolidation was the basis of formulating technical standards and measures of land consolidation.This article focused on new research progress of land consolidation zoning in China,which included functional zoning,engineering zoning and potential zoning,and discussed the existing problems in current study and the main directions for future research.
Feminizing mesenchymomas of the ovary. An analysis of 28 granulosa-theca cell tumors and their relationship to coexistent carcinoma.

Abstract 1. 1. One hundred and thirty-two cases of combined feminizing tumors of the ovary and carcinoma of the uterus were reviewed from the literature. 2. 2. Twenty-eight new cases of feminizing mesenchymoma of the ovary were reported. Eight cases of combined carcinoma and granulosa cell tumor were presented and evaluated. 3. 3. Evidence is offered that granulosa cell tumors, as well as thecomas, present a clinical and pathologic picture of hyperestrogenism. 4. 4. The relationship of estrogen to carcinogenesis in certain target or “receptor” tissues is discussed.
Is The Enlightenment Over

This year, as I assume you know, is philosophy’s 2,578th anniversary, a good time to remember Thales who flourished, by predicting an eclipse, approximately that many years ago. Thales is often called ‘the father of philosophy’ or ‘the father of Western philosophy’ - though some feel ‘Western philosophy’ pleonastic, ‘philosophy’ being a Greek word, the proper name of what people who trace themselves back to Thales and the other Presocratics are up to and not the name of any other things, better or worse, family-resemblant or not, that other people are up to. It is, of course, worth nothing that philosophy has, in a kind of genderbent immaculate conception, no trace of a mother. For all we really know about the much mythologized and transfigured Thales, he might have been a woman, though tradition as well as doxography count against this.
Expertise: A Second Look

Deliberate practice is an important factor in the achievement of expertise, but there are individual difference factors, such as working memory. Proficiency scaling--for knowledge capture or training design--must use empirical methods and performance measures to generate proficiency scales spanning novice, apprentice, journeyman, and expert levels and sublevels. If expertise is defined solely in terms of "superior performance on representative tasks conducted under controlled circumstances," then huge swaths of human activity are potentially removed from empirical scrutiny. There are domains where tasks are morphing and challenges are constantly emerging. These are domains of societal and national importance, such as cyberdefense. Proficiency scaling should rely on a multimethod approach. The concept of accelerated expertise is premised on the idea that different abilities and capacities come into play across the levels and sublevels of proficiency.
From Self to Sentient Nature

In the Animal Vitality essay Thelwall observes that to heal a wound it is necessary ‘to keep the living parts in contact, and exclude the air, and other injurious, extraneous particles, till Nature has sufficient opportunity of exerting her restoring powers’. The blood will ‘enter intimately into the different portions of the severed parts’ and, ‘driving towards its usual course, […] at last find its way again [… to] the injured parts, and complete their restoration’.2 A figurative version of this course of treatment proved vital to Thelwall in the mid-1790s, when the government attempted to kill off the radical reform movement by charging its leaders with high treason and, when that failed, by enacting ‘gagging’ laws that effectively asphyxiated it. Political disillusionment turned to despair with the sudden death in 1799 of Thelwall’s six-year-old daughter, ‘she […] in whom I liv’d— / In whom all hope was center’d’.3 At these moments of personal and political crisis, Thelwall turned to poetry as a means of healing psychic wounds and restoring vitality in himself and his readers. The results were Poems Written in Close Confinement (1795), composed during his seven-month imprisonment pending trial for high treason, and Poems, Chiefly Written in Retirement (1801), a product of his three-year retreat to Wales.
How effective is manual palpation in detecting subtle temperature differences

In the management of diabetic, neuropathic sequelae, namely ulceration and Charcot's arthropathy, appropriate quantification of inflammation is critically important in predicting future events and charting current progress. This article evaluates the ability of the physician to quantify subtle differences in temperature through manual palpation. The "laying on of hands" in a clinical setting is a necessary, crucial component of the doctor-patient relationship; however, our data suggest that manual palpation, even in a controlled environment, may not be an objective means to assess temperature, a cardinal sign of inflammation.
Sample size requirements for one-year treatment effects using deep gray matter volume from 3T MRI in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.

Objective: The subcortical deep gray matter (DGM) develops selective, progressive, and clinically relevant atrophy in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (PMS). This patient population is the t...
Measuring Intergenerational Time Preference: Are Future Lives Valued Less?

Prior research has estimated intergenerational time preferences by asking respondents to choose between hypothetical life saving programs. From such choices, researchers have concluded that the public heavily discounts the lives of people in future generations. However, using a multiversion survey involving 401 respondents, I show that imputed intergenerational time preferences can be dramatically affected by the specific question that is asked. Different elicitation procedures can yield widely varying results by evoking or suppressing various relevant considerations (such as uncertainty). Many formats revealed no preference for current generations over future generations.
Abstract 104: Statin Advisor: A Model to Predict Low-Density Lipoprotein Responsiveness

Background: For patients with ASCVD, reduction of LDL-C levels to a goal of <100mg/dl ranges from 36-74%. This broad success rate reflects inconsistency in clinical practice and biologic variabilit...
Use of Adeno-Associated Virus Vector for Cardiac Gene Delivery in Large-Animal Surgical Models of Heart Failure

The advancement of gene therapy–based approaches to treat heart disease represents a need for clinically relevant animal models with characteristics equivalent to human pathologies. Rodent models of cardiac disease do not precisely reproduce heart failure phenotype and molecular defects. This has motivated researchers to use large animals whose heart size and physiological processes more similar and comparable to those of humans. Today, adeno-associated viruses (AAV)-based vectors are undoubtedly among the most promising DNA delivery vehicles. Here, AAV biology and technology are reviewed and discussed in the context of their use and efficacy for cardiac gene delivery in large-animal models of heart failure, using different surgical approaches. The remaining challenges and opportunities for the use of AAV-based vector delivery for gene therapy applications in the clinic are also highlighted.
Functional Response of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae): Influence of Host Numbers Versus Host Density

The functional response of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) was measured on rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in wheat at 30° C. Four female parasitoids, with males...
The Henry Draper Memorial 1

DR. HENRY DRAPER, in 1872, was the first to photograph the lines of a stellar spectrum. His investigation, pursued for many years with great skill and ingenuity, was most unfortunately interrupted in 1882 by his death. The recent advances in dry-plate photography have vastly increased our powers of dealing with this subject. Early in 1886, accordingly, Mrs. Draper made a liberal provision for carrying on this investigation at the Harvard College Observatory, as a memorial to her husband. The results attained are described below, and show that an opportunity is open for a very important and extensive investigation in this branch of astronomical physics. Mrs. Draper has accordingly decided greatly to extend the original plan of work, and to have it conducted on a scale suited to its importance. The attempt will be made to include all portions of the subject, so that the final results shall form a complete discussion of the constitution and conditions of the stars, as revealed by their spectra, so far as present scientific methods permit. It is hoped that a greater advance will thus be made than if the subject was divided among several institutions, or than if a broader range of astronomical study was attempted. It is expected that a station to be established in the southern hemisphere will permit the work to be extended so that a similar method of study may be applied to stars in all parts of the sky. The investigations already undertaken, and described below more in detail, include a catalogue of the spectra of all stars north of -24° of the sixth magnitude and brighter, a more extensive catalogue of spectra of stars brighter than the eighth magnitude, and a detailed study of the spectra of the bright stars. This last will include a classification of the spectra, a determination of the wave-lengths of the lines, a comparison with terrestrial spectra, and an application of the results to the measurement of the approach and recession of the stars. A special photographic investigation will also be undertaken of the spectra of the banded stars, and of the ends of the spectra of the bright stars. The instruments employed are an 8-inch Voigtlander photographic lens re-ground by Alvan Clark and Sons, and Dr. Draper's 11-inch photographic lens, for which Mrs. Draper has provided a new mounting and observatory. The 15-inch refractor belonging to the Harvard College Observatory has also been employed in various experiments with a slit spectroscope, and is again being used as described below. Mrs. Draper has decided to send to Cambridge a 28-inch reflector and its mounting, and a 15-inch mirror, which is one of the most perfect reflectors constructed by Dr. Draper, and with which his photograph of the moon was taken. The first two instruments mentioned above have been kept at work during the first part of every clear night for several months. It is now intended that at least three telescopes shall be used during the whole night, until the work is interrupted by daylight.
An alternative approach with a low dose and prolonged chemotherapy for palliative treatment of locally advanced, metastatic or recurrent squamous cell head and neck cancer

It is expected that about 65,000 new patients will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2017 in the United States. Patients with recurrent or advanced or metastatic head and neck do not have good survival due to aggressive and recurrent nature of this cancer. Moreover, cumulative and residual toxicities from previous and ongoing treatments significantly impede quality of remaining part of their life. Currently available chemotherapeutic regimens for this group are derived from the treatments used for the potentially curable disease. These regimens and associated toxicity are obviously not the best matches for the treatment with palliative intent. We here present a retrospective study where we used dose-adjusted chemotherapy specifically for palliative treatment this sub-group of head and neck cancer patients. Study population was identified from the University of Florida, and IRB approval was obtained. We used currently available and approved chemotherapeutic agents (including Taxols, Platins, 5-Fluorouracil and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor inhibitors) for treatment of head and neck cancer but dose-adjusted at approximate 50% dose of currently recommended doses. We then gave personalized doses for a prolonged period by titrating doses based on response and tolerability of each patient. Data was collected for treatment, response, side effects, and outcomes. KM analysis was performed for survival data. Total of 32 patients were included in this study with a median age of 65.2 years and a median follow-up of 10.1 months. 62.5% (n = 20) had locally advanced disease and rest had metastatic disease. 37.5% (n = 12) had new disease while rest had recurrent cancer. Of 32 patients, 14 patients received TPF based while 18 patients received PFE based chemotherapy. Total of 270 chemotherapy cycles were delivered among these 32 patients. They received a median of 9 cycles (range 3–14) over a median of 6.2 months (range 1.8–21.1). With this treatment approach, we noted median progression-free survival of 14.0 months and median overall survival of 15.7 months. Notable grade 3 toxicities were generalized fatigue in 12.5% (n = 4), nausea/vomiting in 6.3% (n = 2), diarrhea in in 6.3% (n = 2), mouth soreness in 6.3% (n = 2), rash in 3.1% (n = 1), neutropenia in 18% (n = 6) and anemia in 15.6% (n = 5) while notable grade 4 toxicities were neutropenia and anaphylaxis in 3.1% (n = 1) patient each. With this personalized approach, we noticed minimal side effects, able to deliver prolonged therapy and obtained comparable results to previous studies.
Reflections on Integration by a Biopsychologist

From the vantage point of an outsider, it has been observed that most attempts at clinical integration focus on psychological and theological issues while avoiding considerations of biological infl...
Outcomes and Management of Patients With Severe Pulmonary Vein Stenosis From Prior Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Background: Pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis remains a feared complication of atrial fibrillation ablation. Little is known about outcomes in patients with severe PV stenosis, especially about repeat ablations. Methods: In 10 368 patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation (2000–2015), computed tomography scans were obtained 3 to 6 months after ablation. The clinical outcomes in severe PV stenosis were determined. RESULTS: Severe PV stenosis was diagnosed in 52 patients (0.5%). This involved mostly the left superior PV (51% of severely stenosed veins). Percutaneous interventions were performed in 43 patients, and complications occurred in 5: 3 PV ruptures, 1 stroke, and 1 phrenic injury. Over a median follow-up of 25 months, 41 (79%) patients remained arrhythmia free. Repeat ablation was performed in 15 patients (7 from the main series and 8 from prior ablation at other institutions); of whom 10 had PV stents in place. Conduction recovery was noted in all but 2 of the stenosed or stented PVs, and areas with recovery were targeted with antral ablation. Lasso entrapment within stents occurred in 2 patients but eventually freed without complications. After redo ablation, preplanned stenting was performed in 3 patients and computed tomographic scans showed progression of concomitant stenoses in 1 patient (moderate to severe). No procedure-related deaths occurred. Conclusions: The incidence of severe PV stenosis is low but remains associated with significant morbidity. In patients with recurrent arrhythmia, conduction recovery at the stenosed or stented veins is common. Care must be taken to ablate antrally to avoid stenosis progression. In patients with prior PV stents, we suggest to avoid using Lasso.
CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF THE TRANSITIONAL REGION OF THE SiO2/Si INTERFACE

Abstract XPS and chemical depth profiling are used to determine the chemical structure of the SiO 2 /Si interface. The transitional layer is approximately one monolayer thick and consists of Si(I), Si(II), and Si(III) states. A strained region of SiO 2 exists near the interface (10-40 A thick) and and can be modeled by a distribution of 3,5, and 7 membered tetrahedral rings while the bulk is best modeled by 6,4, and 8 membered rings. Theory and experiment are correlated to develop this model structure based on the local chemical environment.
Derivation of the Governing Equations for Beams and Rectangular Plates

The approach in this chapter is to systematically derive the governing equations for an isotropic classical, thin elastic rectangular plate, and subsequently simplify them for the governing equations of an isotropic elastic thin beam.
Weigh Station Impact on Truck Travel Time Reliability: Results and Findings from a Field Study and a Simulation Experiment:

Weigh stations are necessary for safeguarding highway infrastructure by enforcing truck weight limits. However, mandating all trucks to stop at all weigh stations decreases travel time reliability....
Seasonal changes in sulfur biogeochemistry of a dilute, dimictic Arctic lake: Implications for paired sulfur isotope records from ancient oceans

Abstract Calibration of ancient marine sulfate levels has been done largely using experimental studies of the kinetic isotope effect associated with microbial sulfate reduction and work from modern ocean basins or high-sulfate lakes that are largely restricted and meromictic. The sulfur isotope record of sulfates and sulfides from sedimentary sequences have been used to reconstruct sulfate levels throughout the geologic record and indicate that sulfate concentrations were low relative to modern oceans (28 mM) for most of Earth's history. Despite the higher potential for modern low-sulfate systems to be a better analog for ancient oceans, there are few sulfur isotope studies that have been carried out in these environments. Here, we present δ34S systematics of a modern low-sulfate (~330–600 μM) euxinic lake on the ice-free margin of southwestern Greenland. We find large isotope fractionations (>20‰) between water column sulfate and sulfides, with this fractionation increasing from 23.9‰ during open-water conditions to 42.0‰ under annual ice-cover. While these large kinetic isotope effects associated with microbial sulfate reduction (eSR) are expressed in the water column of this lake, the underlying sedimentary sulfides preserve a notably smaller range of δ34S values (13.0–26.6‰). Geochemical modeling of our data suggests that the δ34S of water column sulfate and sulfides, along with sedimentary sulfides are primarily controlled by eSR and a reservoir effect established under strong thermal stratification during open-water conditions. Under ice-covered conditions eSR appears to be the dominant control on δ34S values, and when combining both seasonal data sets eSR increases as a function of sulfate levels in the lake. Sulfur isotopic data presented here highlight the complexity of seasonal biogeochemical cycling of sulfur in low-sulfate systems, and how system openness affects δ34S fractionations in modern euxinic depositional environments. Specifically, a reservoir effect is only documented in the water column δ34S data under open-water conditions, however a reservoir effect is apparent from sedimentary sulfides under both ice-cover and open-water conditions due to time averaging pyrite δ34S values. Our results add to the growing body of work on modern low-sulfate systems to help further constrain the use of ancient δ34S records for paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
Healthcare personnel exposure in an emergency department during influenza season

Introduction Healthcare personnel are at high risk for exposure to influenza by direct and indirect contact, droplets and aerosols, and by aerosol generating procedures. Information on air and surface influenza contamination is needed to assist in developing guidance for proper prevention and control strategies. To understand the vulnerabilities of healthcare personnel, we measured influenza in the breathing zone of healthcare personnel, in air and on surfaces within a healthcare setting, and on filtering facepiece respirators worn by healthcare personnel when conducting patient care. Methods Thirty participants were recruited from an adult emergency department during the 2015 influenza season. Participants wore personal bioaerosol samplers for six hours of their work shift, submitted used filtering facepiece respirators and medical masks and completed questionnaires to assess frequency and types of interactions with potentially infected patients. Room air samples were collected using bioaerosol samplers, and surface swabs were collected from high-contact surfaces within the adult emergency department. Personal and room bioaerosol samples, surface swabs, and filtering facepiece respirators were analyzed for influenza A by polymerase chain reaction. Results Influenza was identified in 42% (53/125) of personal bioaerosol samples, 43% (28/ 96) of room bioaerosol samples, 76% (23/30) of pooled surface samples, and 25% (3/12) of the filtering facepiece respirators analyzed. Influenza copy numbers were greater in personal bioaerosol samples (17 to 631 copies) compared to room bioaerosol samples (16 to 323 copies). Regression analysis suggested that the amount of influenza in personal samples was approximately 2.3 times the amount in room samples (Wald χ2 = 16.21, p<0.001). Conclusions Healthcare personnel may encounter increased concentrations of influenza virus when in close proximity to patients. Occupations that require contact with patients are at an increased risk for influenza exposure, which may occur throughout the influenza season. Filtering facepiece respirators may become contaminated with influenza when used during patient care.
ALS longitudinal studies with frequent data collection at home: study design and baseline data.

Objective To design an ALS clinical study in which patients are remotely recruited, screened, enrolled and then assessed via daily data collection at home by themselves or caregivers. Methods This observational, natural-history study included two academic medical centers, one providing overall clinical management and the other overseeing computing and web-services design and management. Both healthy and ALS subjects were recruited on the Internet via advertisement on governmental and foundation websites as well as through Facebook and Google paid advertisements. Individuals underwent screening and enrollment remotely, including signing an electronic informed consent form. Participants were then provided self-measurement equipment and instructed on their use through a series of web-based videos. The equipment included a handgrip dynamometer, spirometer with smartphone connection, electrical impedance myography device, and an activity tracker. ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised data were also collected. Subjects were asked to collect data daily for three months and twice-weekly for the subsequent six months. Results One hundred and eleven ALS patients and 30 healthy individuals enrolled in the study from across 41 states (74 men, 62 women). Baseline median ALSFRS-R score was 33. Seventy two percent of the ALS patients sent equipment and 88% of the healthy subjects sent equipment were able to complete a first set of measurements. Expected baseline differences between the ALS patients and healthy participants were identified for all measures. Conclusions It is possible to design and institute an at-home based study in ALS patients, using a number of state-of-the-art approaches, including web-based consenting and training and Internet-connected measurement devices.
Changes in lateral floodplain connectivity accompanying stream channel evolution: Implications for sediment and nutrient budgets

Abstract Floodplain storage commonly represents one of the largest sediment fluxes within sediment budgets. In watersheds responding to large scale disturbance, floodplain-channel lateral connectivity may change over time with progression of channel evolution and associated changes in channel geometry. In this study we investigated the effects of channel geometry change on floodplain inundation frequency and flux of suspended sediment (SS) and total phosphorus (TP) to floodplain storage within the 52.2 km2 Walnut Creek watershed (Iowa, USA) through a combination of 25 in-field channel cross section transects, hydraulic modeling (HEC-RAS), and stream gauging station-derived water quality and quantity data. Cross sectional area of the 25 in-field channel cross sections increased by a mean of 17% over the 16 year study period (1998–2014), and field data indicate a general trend of degradation and widening to be present along Walnut Creek's main stem. Estimated stream discharge required to generate lateral overbank flow increased 15%, and floodplain inundation volume decreased by 37% over study duration. Estimated annual fluxes of SS and TP to floodplain storage decreased by 61 and 62% over study duration, respectively. The estimated reductions in flux to floodplain storage have potential to increase watershed export of SS and TP by 9 and 18%, respectively. Increased contributions to SS and TP export may continue as channel evolution progresses and floodplain storage opportunities continue to decline. In addition to loss of storage, higher discharges confined to the channel may have greater stream power, resulting in further enhancement of SS and TP export through accelerated bed and bank erosion. These increased contributions to watershed loads may mask SS and TP reductions achieved through edge of field practices, thus making it critical that stage and progression of channel evolution be taken into consideration when addressing sediment and phosphorus loading at the watershed scale.
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Receptors in Brain

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a 41-amino acid peptide originally isolated from ovine hypothalami1, stimulates the release of proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides from the pituitary gland (reviewed in2,3). More recently, the amino acid sequences of both rat4 and human5 CRH have been elucidated and were found to be identical to one another but to differ from ovine CRH by seven amino acid residues. In addition to its endocrine role at the pituitary, CRH has been demonstrated to have a broad extra-hypothalamic distribution in the central nervous system (CNS)6–8, and to produce a wide spectrum of autonomic9–11 and behavioral12–15 effects. The results of these studies have led to the suggestion that CRH may act as a neurotransmitter in the CNS, where it appears to play a role in integration of the organism’s response to stress. A neurotransmitter role for CRH in the rat CNS is further supported by several observations at the cellular level including its calcium-dependent release from brain slices following potassium stimulation16, the ability of CRH to alter neuronal firing rates following iontophoretic application17–19, and its ability to promote the formation of cyclic AMP (cAMP)20–22. In addition, recent clinical data suggest that this novel neuropeptide may be of relevance to endocrine, psychiatric and neurologic illnesses23. The actions of CRH in the CNS are presumed to be initiated by binding to high-affinity receptors for the neuropeptide.
Elite Hacking: Public Opinion Formation and Elite Fragmentation

In the 2016 U.S. General Election, agents of the Russian Federation attempted to influence the election through a multi-faceted campaign, which included the spread of of fake news as well as cyber attacks on campaigns, individuals, and even electoral infrastructure. Elite reaction was swift. Unlike on most issues, however, elites in the Republican Party remain divided. Leveraging this rare and enduring intra-party disagreement in today's age of polarized parties, we are able to begin to understand how people react to conflicting elite cues that are free from usual partisan considerations. This enables us to present a theory of elite-led opinion formation that includes intra-party polarization, expanding on the current literature. We theorize that in a scenario where there is a divided party and a unified party, those who identify with the unified party will form crystallized opinions that are reflective of those held by party elites. Members of the divided party will have perceive conflicting elite cues, and form opinions that are more malleable and susceptible to change from future elite cues. We test this theory by examining the impact of salience of Russian hacking as well as different levels in elite cohesion on belief that Russian hacking actually took place heading into the 2018 election. This is carried out through a two-pronged approach, leveraging a nationally-representative online survey (N=1000) and two survey experiments. We find that different levels of elite agreement on Russian hacking, rather than the information about Russian hacking itself, caused respondents to update their perceptions of Russian hacking. This finding is particularly strong for the Republican subsample in our experiment. We also find strong evidence that supporters of Trump are resistant to information, going as far as to demonstrate the opposite effect when presented with information that directly contradicts the President's position. Furthermore, we find similar results regarding elite influence on opinion for trade policy, a much less salient issue in comparison to Russian hacking. In doing so, we not only provide new evidence on the impact of disourse around Russian hacking, but add to a growing literature on elite discourse to include intra-party discourse and attachment to groups of the elites within a single party.
Effect of electric heating and ice added to the bowl on mainstream waterpipe semivolatile furan and other toxicant yields

Objectives We examined mainstream total particulate matter, nicotine, cotinine, menthol, pyrene, carbon monoxide (CO) and semivolatile furan yields from a commercial waterpipe with two methods for heating the tobacco, quick-light charcoal (charcoal) and electric head (electric) and two water bowl preparations: with (ice) and without ice (water). Methods Emissions from a single brand of popular waterpipe tobacco (10 g) were generated using machine smoking according to a two-stage puffing regimen developed from human puffing topography. Tobacco and charcoal consumption were calculated for each machine smoking session as mass lost, expressed as a fraction of presmoking mass. Results The heating method had the greatest effect on toxicant yields. Electric heating resulted in increases in the fraction of tobacco consumed (2.4 times more, p Conclusion Waterpipe components used to heat the tobacco and water bowl preparation can significantly affect mainstream toxicant yields. Mainstream waterpipe tobacco smoke is a significant source of inhalation exposure to semivolatile furans with human carcinogenic and mutagenic potential. These data highlight the need for acute and chronic inhalation toxicity data for semivolatile furans and provide support for the establishment of limits governing sugar additives in waterpipe tobacco and educational campaigns linking waterpipe tobacco smoking behaviours with their associated harm.
P538 Increased serum lactate levels associated with beta-2 agonist use in paediatric patients with acute respiratory conditions

Introduction Beta-2 agonist use has been hypothesised to lead to increased lactate by the following mechanism: Increased lipolysis and free fatty acids from beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation inhibit Kreb’s cycle conversion of pyruvate. Resultant elevated pyruvate is metabolised by anaerobic glycolysis, increasing lactate.1 There are few case reports of raised lactate from beta-2 agonist treatment. We set out to identify any association of beta-2 agonist use and serum lactate levels in paediatric patients treated for acute respiratory conditions. Methods We recorded the frequency of administering 2.5 mg nebulised salbutamol and subsequent serum lactate levels for paediatric patients who presented to a hospital emergency department with respiratory distress and were referred to the respiratory specialist team over a 4 week period. Lactate levels were measured by arterial blood gas analysis within 2 hours of treatment. We also recorded age, gender and diagnosis. Results 27 patients were admitted under respiratory team care following initial management, including salbutamol treatment, during the 4 week period. Mean age was 16 months and 46% were female. Conditions were diagnosed as bronchiolitis, lower respiratory tract infections, viral induced wheeze or exacerbations of asthma. 27% of patients had received three doses back-to-back, 65% had received single doses at 2 hour intervals and 8% had received single doses at 4 hour intervals. Lactate levels were elevated for all patients. Mean lactate was 2.2 mmol/l. We did not identify any correlation between increasing frequency of administration and lactate level nor did we find any correlation between type of condition and lactate level. A review of patients showed that raised lactate was not as a result of other potential causes, such as tissue hypoxia, acute liver injury, diabetic ketoacidosis, ethanol toxicity, drug toxicity (including metformin, salicylates) or seizures. The raised lactate had no clear prognostic implication. Conclusions We identified raised lactate levels in all paediatric patients that had been treated with nebulised salbutamol. This finding may be useful to clinicians to help avoid unnecessary use of salbutamol and to explain lactate findings when use of salbutamol is appropriately indicated. Reference Sharif Z, Al-Alawi M. Beware of beta! A case of salbutamol induced lactic acidosis in severe asthma. Case reports 2018;2018:bcr-2017–224090