cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sphingolipids and atherosclerosis: a mechanistic connection? A therapeutic opportunity?

When inhibitors of biochemical pathways are fed to experimental animals, the goals are to understand physiological or pathophysiological consequences of the inhibited pathway and possibly to obtain evidence for new therapeutic strategies for diseases affected by the pathway. In this issue of Circulation , Park et al1 fed Apoe −/− mice a compound isolated from fungi, myriocin, that inhibits the rate-limiting enzyme in ceramide and sphingolipid biosynthesis, serine palmitoyl transferase (SPT). The study was founded on a series of previous observations that implicated sphingomyelin (SM) and ceramide in lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis, including a study showing that plasma SM is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease in humans.2 The goal of the study by Park et al1 was to test the effect of myriocin on plasma lipoprotein levels and atherogenesis in a well-defined animal model of atherosclerosis. The authors found that myriocin treatment in Apoe −/− mice was associated with a protective lipoprotein profile—namely, a decrease in βVLDL and LDL, an increase in HDL, and a reduction in atherosclerosis. See p 3465 What can we learn from these results in terms of mechanism and therapeutic potential? With regard to mechanism, two crucial issues are the specificity of myriocin and the distinction between primary lipoprotein versus primary arterial-wall mechanisms. As the authors point out, myriocin may have effects that are independent of its ability to inhibit SPT, such as an immunosuppressive action.3 Given the role of immunologic processes in atherogenesis,4 one needs to consider the possibility that this …
Management of children with von Willebrand disease undergoing adenotonsillectomy

Purpose: Children with von Willebrand disease (vWD) are at greater risk for hemorrhage following adenotonsillar surgery. We report the favorable results of 12 consecutive adenotonsillar procedures performed since 1989 in children with vWD, with minimal use of blood products. Materials and Methods: Patients were prospectively managed with careful local control, desmopressin (DDAVP), and antifibrinolytic agents. Cryoprecipitate or intermediate purity factor VIII concentrates containing von Willebrand factor (vWF) were used for three patients who did not tolerate DDAVP. Results: Based on this experience, we propose a prospective treatment protocol. Conclusion: The literature regarding the use of DDAVP is reviewed, and our screening algorithm and treatment protocol for managing these challenging cases is presented.
Toward the accurate analysis of C1-C4 polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles.

Polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASH) are sulfur analogues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Alkylated PAH attract much attention as carcinogens, mutagens, and as diagnostics for environmental forensics. PASH, in contrast, are mostly ignored in the same studies due to the conspicuous absence of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) retention times and fragmentation patterns. To obtain these data, eight coal tar and crude oils were analyzed by automated sequential GC–GC. Sample components separated based on their interactions with two different stationary phases. Newly developed algorithms deconvolved combinatorially selected ions to identify and quantify PASH in these samples. Simultaneous detection by MS and pulsed flame photometric detectors (PFPD) provided additional selectivity to differentiate PASH from PAH when coelution occurred. A comprehensive library of spectra and retention indices is reported for the C1–C4 two-, three-, and four-ring PASH. Results demonstrate the impor...
Teaching alveolar ventilation with simple, inexpensive models

When teaching and learning about alveolar ventilation with our class of 300 first-year medical students, we use four simple, inexpensive “models.” The models, which encourage research-oriented lear...
Outer membrane vesicles from Porphyromonas gingivalis affect the growth and function of cultured human gingival fibroblasts and umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of outer membrane vesicles (OMV) obtained from Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) on the growth and function of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Methods: OMV were obtained from a cell-free growth medium of Pg ATCC 33277 by 40% NH2SO4 precipitation and ultracentrifugation. Cell proliferation was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation into growing HGF and HUVEC. Endothelial cell function was determined by their capacity to form a network of capillary tubes on an extracellular matrix (ECM). Results: Proliferating HGF and HUVEC demonstrated a significant dose-dependent inhibition of 3H-thymidine uptake when cultured with 0 to 40 µg/ml of OMV protein. HGF and HUVEC showed an IC50 of growth of about 9.0 µg/ml and 4.5 µg/ml of OMV protein, respectively. Capillary tube formation by HUVEC cultured on an ECM was suppressed by 70% to 80% with 5 µg/ml OMV protein after 18 hours of incubation. The presence o...
Roles of Stat1, Stat2, and Interferon Regulatory Factor-9 (IRF-9) in Interferon Tau Regulation of IRF-1

Interferon tau (IFNt) is the pregnancy recognition signal produced by the conceptus trophectoderm and acts in a paracine manner on the ovine endometrium to increase expression of IFN-stimulated genes primarily in the stroma and deep glandular epithelium, including IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1). The roles of Stat1, Stat2, and IRF-9 in IFNt regulation of IRF-1 expression were determined using human stromal fibroblasts lacking specific IFN signaling components or complemented with specific Stat1 mutants. In parental (2fTGH) cells treated with IFNt, Stat1a/b was tyrosine phosphorylated by 15 min, and IRF-1 mRNA and protein increased from 0 to 6 h, was maximal at 6 h, and decreased to 24 h. In contrast, IFNt did not affect IRF-1 expression in Stat1- and Stat2-deficient cells or in Stat1-deficient cells complemented with Stat1 Y701Q or Stat1 R602L mutants. In Stat1-deficient cells complemented with the Stat1 S727A mutant, Stat1a, or Stat1b and treated with IFNt, IRF-1 increased from 0 to 6 h, was maximal at 6 h, and decreased thereafter. In IRF-9-deficient cells stimulated with IFNt, IRF-1 increased from 0 to 6 h but did not exhibit the sharp decline from 6 to 12 h observed in other cells. Collectively, results indicate that IFNt effect on IRF-1 expression is primarily regulated by tyrosine-phosphorylated Stat1a or Stat1b dimers, whereas the decline of IRF-1 after 6 h of IFNt treatment is regulated by IRF-9. gene regulation, mechanisms of hormone action, signal transduction
Spectral Discrimination between Quarry Blasts and Earthquakes in Southern California

We compare P-wave spectra of quarry blasts and earthquakes recorded by the southern California seismic network (SCSN) between 2000 and 2005, with the goal of developing methods to discriminate between these events. We process the spectra using an iterative robust least-squares method to isolate source, receiver, and propagation path contributions. This corrects for first-order attenuation structure, as well as near-receiver site effects and any errors in the instrument response functions. Using the earthquake spectra and a simple {omega}^-2 source model, we compute an empirical Green’s function (EGF) to remove the trade-off between the source terms and other parameters in our model. A constant stress-drop model gives a good fit to the observed average earthquake spectra over a wide range of moment magnitude, but provides a mediocre fit to the average quarry blast spectra, which have a generally steeper fall-off at high frequencies than {omega}^-2. We also compare P- and S-wave amplitudes and find modestly smaller average S amplitudes for the explosions compared to the earthquakes. For southern California, the root-mean-square (rms) misfit of P-wave spectra to an {omega}^-2 source model is a more reliable explosion discriminant than the S-to-P amplitude ratio and works for about 90% of the events.
Estimated thickness of granitoid rocks in the western Sierra Nevada foothills near Oakhurst, California: A hydrogeological approach

East of the Oakhurst and Fine Gold metamorphic belts in the western Sierra Nevada foothills, saline water is believed to be leaking upward from an eastward-dipping fault which is truncated at depth by a carapace of granitoid rock. Saline water draining from the Sierran block is presumed to have migrated westward through metamorphic basement ultimately to rise along the buried fault, which appears to be the southeastward continuation of the Melones fault. Wells yielding the sodium chloride-rich water lie along a N30°W, 100-km-long trend referred to as the “Foothill lineament,” which lies east of, and subparallel to, the surface expression of the Melones. Estimates of thickness of the granitoid capping in the vicinity of Oakhurst and Fine Gold are obtained by applying the angle of dip of the Melones fault and the horizontal distance between the Melones and the saline lineament. Data from the Fine Gold metamorphic bell appear to be the most reliable because the average angle of dip (62° east) is reasonably consistent throughout the shear units comprising the fault zone. Calculated thickness along the saline lineament near Fine Gold ranges from 9.2 to 10.3 km for eastern and western shear zones and 9.7 km for the median position between shear units. These values show a startling correlation with an estimate of granitoid thickness of 9.8 km in the western foothills on the basis of data obtained from a northeast-southwest refraction seismic transect through the Sierra Nevada by Bateman and Eaton.
Structure and function of voltage‐gated sodium channels at atomic resolution

New Findings • What is the topic of this review?The central goal of the research reviewed here is to understand the functional properties of voltage-gated sodium channels at the level of high-resolution structure of the channel protein. • What advances does it highlight?The key functional properties of voltage-gated sodium channels, including voltage-dependent activation. Sodium conductance and selectivity, block by local anesthetics and related drugs, and both fast and slow inactivation, are now understood at the level of protein structure with high resolution. These emerging high-resolution structural models may lead to development of safer and more efficacious drugs for treatment of epilepsy, chronic pain, and cardiac arrhythmia through structure-based drug design. Voltage-gated sodium channels initiate action potentials in nerve, muscle and other excitable cells. Early physiological studies described sodium selectivity, voltage-dependent activation and fast inactivation, and developed conceptual models for sodium channel function. This review article follows the topics of my 2013 Sharpey-Schafer Prize Lecture and gives an overview of research using a combination of biochemical, molecular biological, physiological and structural biological approaches that have elucidated the structure and function of sodium channels at the atomic level. Structural models for voltage-dependent activation, sodium selectivity and conductance, drug block and both fast and slow inactivation are discussed. A perspective for the future envisions new advances in understanding the structural basis for sodium channel function and the opportunity for structure-based discovery of novel therapeutics.
A Numerical Study of the Effects of Fourth Degree Terms in the Earth-Moon Mutual Potential on Lunar Physical Librations

Lunar laser Ranging Data (LURE) is currently available with a range accuracy of 10 cm. Accuracies of 2 to 3 cm are ultimately expected. Previous analyses have shown that for an Earth-Moon range precision of 10 cm, certain fourth degree lunar harmonic gravity coefficients must be included in the lunar physical libration model. An order-of-magnitude calculation shows that some torques arising from previously neglected fourth-degree “figure-figure interaction” terms of the Earth-Moon mutual potential could produce effects on the physical librations that should be modeled for range accuracies of 2 to 3 cm.
Mary Parker Follett: Pioneer in Management Theory

Features Mary Parker Follett, a social philosopher and a business institutionalist. Principles of organization; Ways to dealing with conflict; Contributions of Follett to the study of modern admini...
Smoke Signals Urgent Need for More Successful Interventions

The cardiovascular risks of smoking have long been known. It has now been a half a century since the first US Surgeon General reported that smokers had significantly higher risks of coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.1 The cardiovascular benefits of smoking cessation have also been clear for some time. Forty years ago, Wilhelmsson et al2,3 first reported that smokers who continued to smoke after myocardial infarction (MI) had twice the mortality risk as those who quit. Other studies confirmed that smoking cessation after MI was associated with ≈50% reduced risk of vascular death,4 an effect size that dwarfs that seen in other secondary prevention interventions, including aspirin,5 statins,6 or clopidogrel.7 Furthermore, advances in our secondary prevention medication armamentarium have not mitigated the importance of smoking cessation. Even in contemporary practice, those who quit smoking after an MI have significantly lower risks of future mortality and recurrent events relative to those who continue to smoke.8–10 Although these effects on hard cardiovascular end points are impressive, smoking cessation has also been linked to improvements in patient quality of life, functional status, and angina …
Vesicoureteral Reflux and the Adult

The ongoing morbidity of VUR relates primarily to the development of reflux nephropathy, which may include impaired renal function and growth, hypertension, as well as other renal and systemic effects. However, the likelihood of progression to end-stage renal disease is exceedingly low.
Collectivizing Our Impact: Engaging Departments and Academic Change

This article invites readers to consider foundational assumptions about community-engaged work. The author envisions a path forward to help “un-stall” the community engagement movement and to deepen and broaden practice. Connecting cutting edge thinking emerging out of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors – all suggesting the need to collectivize our work – the author argues in favor of refocusing community engagement efforts on the backbone of higher education: academic disciplines and departments. The article concludes with a composite vision, compiled from data and experiences collected at multiple postsecondary institutions in the United State and beyond, for a partnership landscape that positions the academic unit closer to the center of the community engagement enterprise.
A signal distribution grid for quantum-dot cellular automata

Coplanar wire crossing has been a major challenge for quantum-dot cellular automata systems since their development. Several possible solutions have been presented, but they have either relied on non-adjacent cell interactions or have required switching time that scales with the number of inputs or outputs. In this paper, the authors present a signal distribution grid that enables multiple parallel crossings, while doing so with only adjacent cell interactions, a constant time for signal distribution regardless of the number of inputs or outputs, and regularly shaped and contiguous clocking regions that will be relatively easier to fabricate. The utility of this device is demonstrated by the design of a one-bit full adder that meets all of the listed requirements.
Abstract 1219: Tubulin binding to mitochondrial VDAC: A new regulator of oxidative metabolism and apoptosis? A new role for tubulin

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Tubulin binding to the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) was first reported many years ago but the function was unknown; we showed recently that dimeric tubulin binds to VDAC, the major metabolite channel in the OMM, and that this results in closing the channel to ATP-ADP exchange, with a consequent drop in oxidative phosphorylation. This could act as a regulator of normal oxidative metabolism, but excess tubulin binding could also lead to changes in the inner membrane potential, and possibly lead to mitochondrial swelling and triggering of apoptosis. To evaluate the plausibility of this mechanism for either regulation of normal metabolism or induction of apoptosis, the concentrations of tubulin and VDAC in the cell need to be known, as a huge discrepancy in either direction could make the mechanism unlikely. We have used semiquantitative Western blots to measure the concentrations of tubulin and VDAC in total cell extracts from a number of cancer cell lines. As expected, we found tubulin to be an abundant protein (∼0.5 % of total protein), but we also found VDAC to be more abundant than perhaps commonly thought (∼0.2 % of total protein). Thus we conclude that tubulin regulation of VDAC permeability is a plausible mechanism. Further experiments are underway to test this mechanism and its role in induction of apoptosis by chemotherapy agents, especially microtubule-directed ones. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1219.
Microkinetic Modeling of Ethane Total Oxidation on Pt

Catalytic total oxidation is important in several applications. However, associated models are rather empirical. In this study, a microkinetic model is developed for ethane total oxidation, under f...
Early Coverage, Access, Utilization, and Health Effects Associated With the Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions: A Quasi-experimental Study.

Background In 2014, only 26 states and the District of Columbia chose to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions for low-income adults. Objective To evaluate whether the state Medicaid expansions were associated with changes in insurance coverage, access to and utilization of health care, and self-reported health. Design Comparison of outcomes before and after the expansions in states that did and did not expand Medicaid. Setting United States. Participants Citizens aged 19 to 64 years with family incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level in the 2010 to 2014 National Health Interview Surveys. Measurements Health insurance coverage (private, Medicaid, or none); improvements in coverage over the previous year; visits to physicians in general practice and specialists; hospitalizations and emergency department visits; skipped or delayed medical care; usual source of care; diagnoses of diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension; self-reported health; and depression. Results In the second half of 2014, adults in expansion states experienced increased health insurance (7.4 percentage points [95% CI, 3.4 to 11.3 percentage points]) and Medicaid (10.5 percentage points [CI, 6.5 to 14.5 percentage points]) coverage and better coverage than 1 year before (7.1 percentage points [CI, 2.7 to 11.5 percentage points]) compared with adults in nonexpansion states. Medicaid expansions were associated with increased visits to physicians in general practice (6.6 percentage points [CI, 1.3 to 12.0 percentage points]), overnight hospital stays (2.4 percentage points [CI, 0.7 to 4.2 percentage points]), and rates of diagnosis of diabetes (5.2 percentage points [CI, 2.4 to 8.1 percentage points]) and high cholesterol (5.7 percentage points [CI, 2.0 to 9.4 percentage points]). Changes in other outcomes were not statistically significant. Limitation Observational study may be susceptible to unmeasured confounders; reliance on self-reported data; limited post-ACA time frame provided information on short-term changes only. Conclusion The ACA Medicaid expansions were associated with higher rates of insurance coverage, improved quality of coverage, increased utilization of some types of health care, and higher rates of diagnosis of chronic health conditions for low-income adults. Primary funding source None.
Research progress in plant essential oil-a promissing preservative used in ‘Red Sun' kiwifruit storage

Plant essential oil is the substance with specific aromatic odor extracted from plants,which plays an important role in enhancing the bioactivities and maintaining the quality of fruits and vegetables. Therefore it is favored as a natural preservative for food. In this paper,the antibacterial mechanisms and the applications of essential oils on the preservation of fruits and vegetables were summarized,and we emphasized its antibacterial effects on Botryosphaeria parva and Colletorichum acutatum,which are the primary cause of decay and metamorphism of ‘Red Sun' kiwifruit. The application and prospect of plant essential oils in the storage and preservation of ‘Red Sun' kiwifruit in the future were also proposed.
Exophiala pisciphila : a novel cause of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis

Allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) is a hypersensitivity reaction to fungal antigens, which may particularly plague uncontrolled asthmatics. Non-aspergillus fungal organisms may be implicated and may elicit a more severe immunologic response. Exophiala pisciphila, a marine organism, has not been reported as a culprit yet. However, this report indicates it may be implicated in unrelenting symptoms in a severe asthmatic patient who had become dependent on corticosteroids. Proper identification and adequate therapy of this organism led to complete resolution of respiratory symptoms, with adequate subsequent control of the asthma. ABPM may complicate asthma and lead to a lack of its control. Proper awareness, testing and treatment of non-aspergillus pulmonary mycosis is essential to proper asthma care and beneficial for its control.
Coordination of Modular Robots by Means of Topology Discovery and Leader Election: Improvement of the Locomotion Case

An important aspect of successful locomotion in Modular Self-reconfigurable Robots (MSRs) is to be able to autonomously coordinate the movement of the modules so that the robot can move towards the goal. We consider the locomotion problem in a partially distributed setting where multiple MSRs (disconnected groups of connected modules) are within the communication range of each other and modules do not have a priori information about other modules that belong to the same configuration. Coordinating the movement of modules in such a setting becomes a challenging problem because of the limited perception and computation resources available on each module. To address these problems, we propose a strategy that first combines neighbor-to-neighbor message passing techniques via infrared and wireless communication to enable each module to autonomously determine the set of modules that belong to the same MSR. The strategy then uses a distributed leader election algorithm to identify the leader, which thereafter coordinates the actions of the modules in its configuration. We have verified the performance of our approach using an accurately simulated model of the ModRED MSR within the Webots simulator and in the embedded system of ModRED (This work was done as part of the ModRED project which is supported by NASA EPSCoR grant no. NNH11ZHA003C.). It is shown that our strategy can successfully determine the set of connected modules, elect a leader for each configuration and coordinate the locomotion of MSRs for different numbers of modules.
Abstract 1018: Structural features of novel dimeric quinacrines that have single-agent antitumor activity determine the mechanism of action: destabilization of mTORC1/lysosomal interaction versus DNA damage

The safety and preliminary activity of hydroxychloroquine in phase I cancer clinical trials have established the feasibility and rationale for targeting the lysosome in cancer. We previously reported a more potent lysosomal inhibitor Lys05, which is a dimeric chloroquine (CQ) linked with a triamine linker. Here we report that high throughput screening of >100 Lys05 derivatives (72-hour viability assay) revealed extending linker length between the CQ motifs markedly enhanced anti-proliferative potency (IC50 Citation Format: Vito W. Rebecca, Michael Nicastri, Noel McGlaughlin, Quentin McAfee, Gao Zhang, Gretchen M. Alicea, Shengfu Piao, Colin Fennelly, Sengottuvelan Murugan, Zhi Wei, Gordon B. Mills, Yiling Lu, Meenhard Herlyn, Jeffrey D. Winkler, Ravi K. Amaravadi. Structural features of novel dimeric quinacrines that have single-agent antitumor activity determine the mechanism of action: destabilization of mTORC1/lysosomal interaction versus DNA damage. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1018.
Deciding What I Ought to Do

You can instruct people in so many ways, why can you not instruct them how to live? Well, you cannot; and this is not because the subject is so difficult.
The empire of resilience

Sometime in 2010, I was in a meeting bringing together a group of academics with a major UK-based international NGO working in the field of disaster response. The meeting was intended to explore po...
Real-Time Program-Specific Phase Change Detection for Java Programs

It is well-known that programs tend to have multiple phases in their execution. Because phases have impact on micro-architectural features such as caches and branch predictors, they are relevant to program performance Xian et al. [2007], Roh et al. [2009], Gu and Verbrugge [2008] and energy consumption. They are also relevant to detecting whether a program is executing as expected or is encountering unusual or exceptional conditions, a software engineering and program monitoring concern Peleg and Mendelson [2007], Singer and Kirkham [2008], Pirzadeh et al. [2011], Benomar et al. [2014]. We offer here a method for real-time phase change detection in Java programs. After applying a training protocol to a program of interest, our method can detect phase changes at run time for that program with good precision and recall (compared with a "ground truth" definition of phases) and with small performance impact (average less than 2%). We also offer improved methodology for evaluating phase change detection mechanisms. In sum, our approach offers the first known implementation of real-time phase detection for Java programs.
Compliant Leaded Systems: The Local Assembly

Compliant leads, introduced in surface-mounted circuit card systems, help reduce stress arising in the interconnecting elements due to thermal mismatch between the module and card. The peripheral SMT joints, however, are also subject to mechanical stress owing to handling, vibration, and shock. The flexural and torsional deformations (called “flexing” of the card in general) lead to a maximum tie force at the module corners; this force has a predominant component in the z-direction, as discussed in Chapter 3. While the axial lead stretch is contributed overwhelmingly by bending action along its curved length, a simplified modeling of leads as axial springs with a spring constant K may account for this flexural deformation; K values have also been measured for various leads (see Table 3.5).
Insights from Ultrahigh Field Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis.

Ultrahigh-field (≥7 T) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is being used at many leading academic medical centers to study neurologic disorders. The improved spatial resolution and anatomic detail are due to the increase in signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratio at higher magnetic field strengths. Ultrahigh-field MR imaging improves multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion detection, with particular sensitivity to detect cortical lesions. The increase in magnetic susceptibility effects inherent to ultrahigh field can be used to detect pathologic features of MS lesions, including a central vein, potentially useful for diagnostic considerations, and heterogeneity among MS lesions, potentially useful in determining lesion outcomes.
Wireless communication integrated hybrid active noise control system for infant incubators

This paper proposed a wireless communication integrated hybrid active noise control (ANC) system that will reduce the level of noise in an infant incubator at the infant's ear and provide two-way wireless communication between infant and his/her parents/caregivers both inside and outside the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The proposed system use ANC technique to reduce the noise. The wireless communication integrated system will be used to release stress, improve bonding and improve language development. The real-time experiments show that the proposed system can significantly reduce the noise exposure to the infants being placed in infant incubators with consequent reduction the health risk induced by high-level noise in NICU and provide bonding opportunities for infants and their parents.
Lack of Diversity in Personal Health Record Evaluations with Older Adult Participants: A Systematic Review of Literature.

Background: Older adults are not adopting personal health records (PHRs) at the same rates as other adult populations. Disparities in adoption rates are also reported in older adult subgroups. The variability in adoption may be because PHRs are not designed to meet older adult users. Objective: We analyzed PHR evaluation studies to examine the characteristics and perspectives of older adult study participants to identify their self-reported needs. Method: We searched Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase for PHR evaluation studies that involved older adult participants. Results: 1017 abstracts were identified, and 179 publications went through full text review. 10 publications met inclusion criteria. These publications described studies conducted in 3 countries, and evaluated 7 PHRs. Homogeneity was found in the study populations and participant opinions of the systems. Discussion: Many PHR evaluations do not include diverse older adult participants. This may lead to consistency in outcomes, but it also may create gaps in identifying user needs. Additional studies, specifically targeting diverse older adult participants, are needed to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the opinions of older adults on PHRs and how these systems could benefit older adult healthcare consumers. Conclusion: The body of research shows that older adults are highly satisfied using PHRs. These outcomes may be generalizable because most PHR evaluation studies do not include diverse older adult participants. This lack of participant diversity may be contributing to the disparities observed in PHR adoption rates.
Effects of anabolic implants and ractopamine-HCl on muscle fiber morphometrics, collagen solubility, and tenderness of beef longissimus lumborum steaks

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of growth-promoting technologies (GP) and postmortem aging on longissimus lumborum muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), collagen solubility, and their relationship to meat tenderness. Two groups of black-hided crossbred feedlot heifers (group 1: = 33, initial BW 430 ± 7 kg; group 2: = 32, initial BW 466 ± 7 kg) were blocked by BW and assigned to 1 of 3 treatments consisting of: no implant and no ractopamine hydrochloride (CON; = 21); implant, no ractopamine hydrochloride (IMP; = 22); implant and ractopamine hydrochloride (COMBO; = 22). Heifers that received an implant were administered an implant containing 200 mg trenbolone acetate and 20 mg estradiol on d 0 of the study, and heifers in the COMBO group received 400 mg∙head∙d of ractopamine hydrochloride for 28 (Group 1) or 29 d (Group 2) at the end of 90- (Group 1) or 106-d (Group 2) feeding period. Following harvest, strip loins were collected and further fabricated into 5 roasts for postmortem aging (DOA) periods of 2, 7, 14, 21, or 35 d. After aging, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), muscle fiber CSA, and collagen solubility were measured. There was no treatment × DOA interaction for WBSF ( = 0.86), but treatment and DOA impacted WBSF ( 0.33). Collagen amounts were not impacted by GP treatment ( > 0.72), but DOA increased the concentration of soluble collagen ( = 0.04). Fiber CSA of all fiber types were positively correlated ( < 0.05; = 0.21 to 0.28) with WBSF only on d 2 of aging, while soluble collagen amount tended to negatively correlate with WBSF on d 7 and 14 of aging ( < 0.10; = -0.24 and -0.23, respectively). Administration of GP during heifer finishing resulted in greater steak WBSF over 35 d of aging, which was not due to collagen characteristics and only minimally affected by fiber CSA.
The time dependent Maxwell system with measurable coefficients in Lipschitz domains

Abstract Semigroup theory is employed to study inhomogeneous boundary conditions for the time-dependent Maxwell equations with anisotropic material parameters in a non-smooth domain. Only boundedness and measurability of the coefficients are assumed, and the boundary data is assumed to be time independent. When the material parameters are positive definite, a higher order Sobolev theory is developed for the time-dependent Maxwell system.
Evidence of Extra Capacity in Conversion Reaction of Ruthenium Oxide: A Cyclic Voltammetry Study

Synthesis and understanding of metal oxide nanomaterials with improved electrochemical properties can play a big role in the development of high capacity electrochemical cells for application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Metal oxide nanostructured materials have shown exceptional storage capabilities through conversion reaction. But, excess reversible capacity is usually observed in these systems. To understand the origin of the excess capacity, we have prepared nanostructured ruthenium oxide (RuO2) directly on stainless steel current collectors using low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The crystal structure of the as-prepared materials were examined by powder X-ray diffraction and indexed to the rutile structure. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed 3D pyramidal shape architectures that self-assembled into columns creating high surface area. Galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements were performed versus Li/Li+ in the range of 4.0 to 0.1 V. We have observed a reversible capacity of 1150 mAh/g which is equivalent to 5.70 Li per mol of RuO2. The expected capacity of RuO2 is 806 mAh/g which is approximately 4 Li per mol of RuO2 based on this equation: RuO2 + Li + 4e- ↔ Ru0 + 2Li2O. The excess capacity is approximately 435 mAh/g. The origin of the excess capacity was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, which was performed at two different range of voltage.
Closed Fractures and Dislocations

Trauma patients commonly present with fractures that add to the difficulty dealing treating such patients. Closed fractures and dislocations, just like open fractures, can add to a patient’s morbidity and even mortality if not dealt in a timely manner. Through proper physical examination and radiographic evaluation, trauma patient’s boney injuries can be diagnosed efficiently and appropriate treatment can be decided. The options for dealing with these issues range from noninvasive, splinting and traction to invasive type of procedures, mainly external fixation. Whichever method is chosen, the key for proper treatment is stabilization of the fracture while not compromising the patient’s physiological status. A treatment philosophy that has been termed Damage Control Orthopaedics (DCO) was developed so that orthopaedic surgeons could effectively contribute to the care of trauma patients without increasing the physiological burden on the patient by increasing inflammatory responses through prolonged procedures. Dislocations can be dealt with effectively using common reduction techniques depending on the type of dislocation. Timely attention is needed for dislocations to reduce the risk of secondary vascular and/or neurological compromise. For closed fractures, noninvasive techniques tend to be used in upper extremity and low-energy fractures where soft-tissue compromise is not a great concern. External fixation is a great option for stable fixation of lower extremity fractures or those fractures that are comminuted, at greater risk of causing soft-tissue compromise, or associated with vascular injuries.
A Developmentally Relevant Approach to Classifying Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences in the Study of Women’s Sexual Well-Being

In this article we propose a sexual developmental approach to classifying the onset of nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) that differs from the traditional age cutoff approach. Online measures of sexual self-schemas, sexual response, and sexual functioning were administered to 797 women with and without NSE histories. Women were grouped based on when their NSEs first occurred in reference to their age of menarche and age of their first consensual sexual experience (i.e., premenarche onset, postmenarche preconsensual onset, postconsensual onset, and no NSEs). Between-group analyses assessed differences in sexual well-being and structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed measurement invariance across the four groups. Women with NSE onset postmenarche but before their first consensual sexual experience reported significantly more conservative-embarrassed sexual self-schemas than did women with no NSEs. Women with NSE onset postmenarche and post-first consensual sex had significantly less sexual satisfaction than did women with no NSE histories. The other groups did not significantly differ from each other. The model demonstrated partial indicator-level metric noninvariance, suggesting that the various indicators of sexuality contributed differentially to the overall sexual well-being across these groups of women. The results support the use of the developmentally informed approach to classifying NSEs when assessing female sexual well-being.
Management of Surge in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Transport.

Background Transporting patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is safe and reliable with a dedicated program and established management protocols. As our program has grown, our teams have had to adapt to manage surges in transport volume while maintaining patient safety. We assessed the outcomes at peak use of our ECMO transport services during surges. Methods We conducted a single-center retrospective review of all patients transported to our institution while supported with ECMO from September 2008 to September 2016. Survival to discharge was the primary outcome. Surge patients were defined as those transported during months with at least 8 transports or patients transported within 24 hours of another patient in nonsurge months. Results From 2008 to 2016, 222 patients were transported to our institution while supported with ECMO. Baseline characteristics and indices of disease severity were comparable between surge and nonsurge patients. Of the 84 patients transported during surges, 59 surge patients (70%) survived to hospital discharge vs 86 (63%) of nonsurge patients ( p = 0.31). Multivariable logistic regression showed that age and APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) severity index score were predictors of in-hospital death ( p p = 0.79). Conclusions Patient safety and clinical outcomes can be maintained during surges in ECMO transport volume if the ECMO program has developed plans for handling transient increases in volume and considers staff fatigue and burnout. Standardizing interhospital communication, patient selection, and management protocols are critical to maintaining quality of care.
Abstract 15220: Accelerometer Measured Daily Activity in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: Clinical Correlates and Association With Standard Heart Failure Severity Indices

Introduction: Daily physical activity as assessed by patient worn accelerometers represents a novel endpoint for the evaluation of heart failure (HF) therapeutics. The clinical factors influencing ...
MASCAL Management from Baghdad to Boston: Top Ten Lessons Learned from Modern Military and Civilian MASCAL Events

This article reviews the key steps required for preparation and execution of patient care during mass casualty (MASCAL) events. The experience provided by the recent conflicts in the Middle East as well as multiple civilian attacks or incidents resulting in mass number of casualties have afforded the health care providers with a wealth of data and experience to aid in the preparation and execution when forced to deal with this type of situation. The following compiles the lessons learned by presenting the reader with ten critical concepts that are crucial to proper preparation and deployment of resources to effectively manage and successfully approach a mass casualty event.
Experiments with a low-cost infrared camera to remotely monitor athlete runners

This paper reports on the initial experiments performed using a low-cost, commercial grade, infrared camera to remotely monitor athlete runners and detect temperature variations during the exercise. The initial findings highlight the challenges in using commercial grade instruments to extract scientific measurements from subjects. The paper also describes the techniques used to circumvent some of these challenges and enable the extraction of useful information from the collected images. Results obtained are compared against existing results using scientific grade infrared cameras.
Investigating the Diagnostic Consistency and Incremental Validity Evidence of Curriculum-based Measurements of Oral Reading Rate and Comprehension

Rate and comprehension are two components related to broad reading abilities (i.e., phonemic awareness, decoding, vocabulary, comprehension). The purpose of this study was to examine the unique contribution of three curriculum-based measures (CBM)-comprehension assessments compared to a CBM-oral reading rate assessment through diagnostic consistency and incremental validity analyses. An extant sample of fall screening data in a national assessment system were used for this investigation. The CBM-comprehension assessments measured oral recall, synthesis of main ideas, and free-response question-answering. Scores from the CBM-comprehension measures were associated with weak criterion-related validity to a measure of broad reading. In addition, diagnostic consistency analyses revealed poor overlap between CBM-comprehension and CBM-oral reading rate assessment score classifications based on at-risk benchmarks. Incremental validity evidence replicated previous findings, demonstrating that the CBM-comprehension measures explain unique variation in broad reading scores even after controlling for rate and accuracy. Implications for the usage of CBM-R and CBM-comprehension for screening is addressed.
Electric Power and Fuel Transmission by Liquid Hydrogen Superconductive Pipeline

In the ultimate hydrogen economy, the twin premises are that hydrogen -will be derived from solar- or nuclear-generated electric power and that most road vehicles will be fueled by liquid hydrogen at about −420°F.
Intraductal Approaches: Mammary Ductoscopy and Ductal Lavage to Assist in the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Ductoscopy and ductal lavage have evolved over several decades of interest by researchers in the early identification of breast cancer and its precursor lesions. Lavage has a history that spans back to George Papanicolau but has been limited dramatically in its clinical usefulness because of the great overlap of bland malignant cytology with true benign cytology. When sub-millimeter endoscopes first became available, their use to find the source of bloody nipple discharge was a natural for surgical investigators. These technologies continue to evolve, offering new insights into breast carcinogenesis and breast cancer progression when married to new biopsy and molecular techniques.
Embedded system design and hybrid systems

Reactive real-time embedded systems are pervasive in the electronics system industry. The design of embedded controllers, i.e., of embedded systems that perform control actions on physical systems, is addressed. Hybrid and heterogeneous systems are used as mathematical models to define a design methodology that could shorten considerably the time from the conception of the system to its implementation.
Electrophoretic and immunochemical characterization of 3α-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenases of rat tissues

The properties of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenase from Sprague-Dawley rat liver cytosol have been re-examined in light of several reports which suggest that multiple forms of the enzyme may exist in this tissue. During enzyme purification, chromatography on DE-52 cellulose and chromatofocusing columns indicated the existence of only one form of the protein. Re-chromatography of the purified enzyme by either of these techniques failed to resolve the protein into additional forms. When the purified enzyme was subjected to SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis a single band corresponding to Mr 34,000 was detected. Two-dimensional gels showed one predominant protein with a pI of 5.9. Using the homogeneous enzyme as antigen, high-titre polyclonal antibody was raised in rabbits. Western-blot analysis of cytosolic proteins prepared from male and female Sprague-Dawley rat liver indicated the presence of a single immunoreactive band with an Mr of 34,000 in both sexes. All of the 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity present in rat liver cytosol could be immunotitrated with the antibody and the resulting titration curve was superimposable on the titration curve obtained with the purified enzyme. Western-blot analysis of cytosolic proteins prepared from livers of male Wistar and Fischer rats also revealed the presence of a single immunoreactive protein with an Mr of 34,000. These data indicate that, contrary to previous reports, only one form of the dehydrogenase may exist in liver cytosols prepared from a variety of rat strains. Although 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity is known to be widely distributed in male Sprague-Dawley rat tissues, Western blots indicate that only the liver, lung, testis and small intestine contain immunoreactive protein with an Mr of 34,000. The levels of immunoreactive protein in these tissues follow the distribution of dihydrodiol dehydrogenase.
Family Theories and Methods

This introductory chapter to the Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methods deals with the sociocultural and historical contexts of family theories and methods as they have developed in the twentieth century. It also addresses the issues of what theory is, what are the bases for evaluating family theory, what are the goals of family theory, and how family scholars have shifted their understandings of the nature of family theory and the research methods used to validate it. As reflected in the quotes above from philosopher Alasdaire MacIntyre and sociologists Mirra Komarovsky and Willard Waller, these questions are simultaneously about social science theory; methodology; application in the realms of education, clinical practice, and public policy; and the social and moral dilemmas of our time.
Control of Multiagent Systems with Local and Global Objectives

With the system-theoretic advancements in distributed control of multiagent systems, groups of agents are already able to utilize local interactions for achieving a broad class of prescribed global objectives. On the other hand, several agents forming the multiagent system are still expected to perform their own local objectives while they simultaneously achieve a given global objective. Yet, we currently do not have distributed control methods with analytic foundations that offer an effective remedy to this problem. Motivated from this standpoint, the contribution of this note is to present several distributed control solutions with comparable advantages. We provide system-theoretic stability analyses for each proposed method, where all these methods allow a subset of agents to perform their local objectives without deteriorating the overall multiagent system's global objective.