cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cosmopolitanism as a Corrective Virtue

This paper defends an account of cosmopolitanism as a corrective virtue of the sort endorsed by Philippa Foot. In particular, it argues that cosmopolitanism corrects a common and dangerous tendency to form overly strong identifications with political entities such as countries, nations, and cultures. The account helps to unify the current heterogeneous collection of cosmopolitan theories, as is illustrated by a discussion of the cultural cosmopolitanism of Jeremy Waldron, and the political cosmopolitanism of Simon Keller. The account also helps distinguish cosmopolitans from their critics, most of whom share the cosmopolitan’s commitment to respect for human rights: for example, liberal patriots, liberal nationalists and liberal culturalists.
Results on the Experimental Replication of the Turner Earthworks Pit-and-Tunnel Systems

In an effort to test the thesis that the pits-and-tunnels under Mound 3 of the Hopewellian Turner Earthworks (Hamilton County, Ohio) had once served as heat treatment ovens for the thermal alteration of chert, it was decided to experimentally reproduce models of them for such testing.Pit No. 28 (representative of 26 of the 31 pits) and Pit No. 6 were built at half-scale. Work was carried out by members of the Cuyahoga Valley Archaeological Society and a class in Lithic Replication and Analysis taught by the author. Although these efforts must at best be considered provisional, we can point with confidence to two successful thermal alteration runs using the Pit 6 model. Success with the Pit 28 system was also obtained, but, from this vantage point, the amount of treated chert seems too small to warrant the intensity of labor requirements.
Study of Skin Histamine (With Some Results of Splanchnic Nerve Stimulation).

SummaryA method for the study of skin histamine has been described. The histamine equivalent of skin extracts obtained by this method has been shown to increase following injection of histamine into the skin and following burning or chemically irritating the skin. That the substance studied is closely related to histamine has been shown by several tests. Using the method described, experiments have given suggestive evidence that histamine may be liberated in the abdominal skin upon the application of electrodes to and stimulation of the splanchnic nerve.
Structure And Stress Evaluation Of Diamond Films Deposited On Ti-6A1-4V Alloy At Low Temperature Using Ch4/O2/H2 And CO/H2 Gas Mixtures

Low temperature diamond deposition on metal substrates is motivated by the need to reduce thermal stress so that the film adhesion is satisfactory. Although the use of oxygen-containing gas mixtures have been shown to extend the temperature range for which diamond can grow as well as to improve film quality, most studies have focused on the use of silicon as substrates and have neglected technologically important metallic systems. To this end, microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) was used to grow diamond films on Ti-6A1-4V alloy at low temperature (615 to 780 C) using CH4/O2/H2 and CO/H2 gas mixtures. In-situ pyrometric interferometry (ISPI) shows that as the oxygen concentration increases, the onset time for diamond nucleation and subsequent film surface roughness increases while the average growth rate decreases. Micro-Raman spectroscopy shows improved film quality and suggests a trend toward increasing in-plane compressive stress with increasing oxygen concentration. Glancing-angle x-ray diffraction (XRD) was complimentary to the Raman data and indicates the presence of a TiC interfacial layer thickness which decreases with increasing oxygen concentration. We found that the CO/H2 mixture resulted in poorly adhered “white soot” films with low diamond content whereas the CH4/O2/H2 mixture yielded well adhered high quality diamond films.
Physical Diffusion Cures the Carbuncle Phenomenon

The supersonic ﬂow of a calorically perfect ideal gas past a two-dimensional blunt bodywas investigated. An unphysical anomaly known as the carbuncle phenomenon has beenpredicted by earlier studies of this ﬂow that use so-called high resolution schemes whichemploy ﬂux limiters within shock-capturing methods applied to the Euler equations. Asa remedy, this study introduces physical momentum and energy diﬀusion via a simplediscretization of the ordinary Navier-Stokes equations, employed on a suﬃciently ﬁne gridto capture viscous shocks. To check if this cures the anomaly, ﬂow over a cylinder ofradius a = 150 microns of viscous air with freestream Mach number M
Detection of norepinephrine in the parotid gland secretion of Bufo agua.

SummaryChemical and chromatographic studies have revealed the presence of a substance, possessing characteristics of norepinephrine, in a preparation of “epinephrine” extracted from the parotid secretion of Bujo agua. This substance was present in amounts of 2-5%.
Evaluation of cystic duct patency: comparison of functional MR cholangiography with gadoxetate disodium and hepatobiliary scintigraphy in suspected acute cholecystitis

Abstract Purpose This study aims to compare assessment of cystic duct patency between gadoxetate disodium MRI and hepatobiliary scintigraphy. Materials and methods We performed a prospective study of patients who underwent gadoxetate disodium MRI within 16 h of scintigraphy. Results The gallbladder filled on MRI and scintigraphy in 8 patients, none with acute cholecystitis. The mean time to gallbladder filling was 14.6 and 18.9 min for MRI and scintigraphy, respectively. The gallbladder did not fill on both MRI and scintigraphy in 3 patients, all of whom had acute cholecystitis. Conclusion Evaluation of cystic duct patency using gadoxetate disodium MRI is comparable to hepatobiliary scintigraphy.
Putative Precursor Lesions of Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasms include three distinct malignant tumors—choriocarcinoma, epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT), and placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT). Gestational choriocarcinoma nowadays is preceded by complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) in approximately 25 % of cases, while majority of tumors (~50 %) develop following a term pregnancy, non-molar abortion (~22–23 %), and less commonly ectopic pregnancy (2–3 %). CHM is associated with a 2–3 % risk of progression into choriocarcinoma, while partial moles carry minimal risk (less than 0.5 %) for choriocarcinoma. While the traditional histological diagnostic criteria of choriocarcinoma include absence of chorionic villi, rare cases of in situ or intraplacental (“in situ”) choriocarcinoma have been reported. ETT and PSTT do not have well-characterized precursor lesions. Placental site nodules show some morphologic similarities to ETT, but lack significant cytological atypia and mitotic activity. Rare cases of atypical placental site nodule have also been described and have been proposed as a possible precursor lesion. Exaggerated placental site may mimic PSTT, but thus far, a definite intermediate lesion between the two entities has not been established.
Mechanical and Electrical Testing of Composite Aluminum Cryoconductors

Results are reported of monotonic and cyclic-strain resistivity experiments at 4.2 and 20 K on Alcoa fabricated composite aluminum cryoconductors. The conductors contain filaments of nominal 99.999% pure aluminum in an Al-Fe-Ce matrix. Initial conductor resistance ratios (RR = R(273 K)/R(T)) range from 340 to 800 at 4.2 K and from 259 to 500 at 20 K. Sample resistivity increases nearly linearly with monotonie plastic strain at a rate of 7 ± 2 nΩcm / % strain. Force controlled cyclic loadings cause the resistivity to increase rapidly to a saturation value reached after about 500 cycles.
The Diagnostic Module: A Method of Measuring Learning Integration

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of a Diagnostic Module within a simulated learning environment. The Diagnostic Module is an analytical testing module where various measurement instruments are utilized to evaluate critical variables within the learning environment. The purpose of the module is to assist in the integration of marketing education.
A Scalable High-performance Topographic Flow Direction Algorithm for Hydrological Information Analysis

Hydrological information analyses based on Digital Elevation Models (DEM) provide hydrological properties derived from high-resolution topographic data represented as an elevation grid. Flow direction is one of the most computationally intensive functions in the current implementation of TauDEM, a broadly used high-performance hydrological analysis software in hydrology community. Hydrologic flow direction defines a flow field on the DEM that directs flow from each grid cell to one or more of its neighbors. This is a local computation for the majority of grid cells, but becomes a global calculation for the geomorphologically motivated procedure in TauDEM to route flow across flat regions. As the resolution of DEM becomes higher, the computational bottleneck of this function hinders the use of these DEM data in large-scale studies. This paper presents an efficient parallel flow direction algorithm that identifies spatial features (e.g., flats) and reduces the number of sequential and parallel iterations needed to compute their geomorphologically motivated flow direction. Numerical experiments show that our algorithm outperformed the existing parallel D8 algorithm in TauDEM by two orders of magnitude. The new parallel algorithm exhibited desirable scalability on Stampede and ROGER supercomputers.
Reducing test time for 3D-ICs by improved utilization of test elevators

A highly efficient test compression scheme for 3D-ICs is proposed, which uses sequential linear decompressors local to each core. The compressed test data is brought from the tester over the test access mechanism (TAM) to the cores where they are decompressed. The idea is to provide flexibility in the utilization of the free variables (i.e., bits stored on the tester that can be assigned 0 or 1), so that the free variables that are not used in one core can be used to encode test cubes in other cores. The decompressors are daisy-chained, such that some of the free variables brought in to one decompressor are passed on to the other decompressors. Consequently, the free variables are also shared with the decompressors in other layers. This enables better utilization of free variables, since free variables not used in one decompressor can be used by any of the other decompressors with which they are shared. The encoding efficiency improves considerably when the free variables are shared with other cores. This reduces test time and tester storage without any additional control. In addition, this architecture also minimizes the number of test elevators required to transfer the test data across layers. The scan chains driven by a decompressor are local to the layer in which the decompressor is present. Hence, only the input to the decompressor, i.e., the compressed test data, is transferred across layers, which reduces the number of test elevators. Furthermore, it is also shown how the number of through-silicon-vias (TSVs)can be reduced further by implementing a test data serializer in the sending layer driving the TSVs and a deserializer converting the serialized data from the TSVs back to the original form.
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Standard-, Medium-, and High-Dose Daptomycin Strategies for the Treatment of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Bacteremia Among Veterans Affairs Patients.

Background Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bloodstream infections (VRE-BSIs) are associated with significant mortality. Daptomycin exhibits concentration-dependent activity vs VRE in vitro, yet the clinical impact of higher-dose strategies remains unclear. Methods We performed a national retrospective cohort study of hospitalized Veterans Affairs patients treated with standard-dose (6 mg/kg total body weight), medium-dose (8 mg/kg total body weight), or high-dose (≥10 mg/kg total body weight) daptomycin for VRE-BSI. Patient-related, microbiological, and outcomes data were abstracted from clinical databases. The primary outcome was overall survival, evaluated by Cox regression. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, time to microbiological clearance, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevation. Results A total of 911 patients were included (standard dose, n = 709; medium dose, n = 142; high dose, n = 60). Compared to high-dose daptomycin, both standard-dose (hazard ratio [HR], 2.68; 95% confidence interval; [CI], 1.33-3.06; P = .002) and medium-dose (HR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.33-3.92; P = .003) daptomycin were associated with poorer survival. After adjusting for confounders, the relationship between poorer survival and standard-dose (adjusted HR [aHR], 2.58; 95% CI, 1.27-4.88; P = .004) and medium-dose (aHR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.27-5.00; P = .008) daptomycin persisted. Thirty-day mortality was significantly lower among high-dose daptomycin-treated patients compared with other dosing strategies (risk ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, .74-.94; P = .015). Compared with standard-dose daptomycin, both medium-dose (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, .55-.90; P = .012) and high-dose daptomycin (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, .41-.84; P = .006) were associated with significantly improved microbiological clearance. No difference in the risk of CPK elevation was observed between the treatment groups (P = .504). Conclusions High-dose daptomycin was associated with improved survival and microbiological clearance in VRE-BSI.
Analyzing the effect of hydration on the wedge indentation fracture behavior of cortical bone

Hydration directly affects the mechanical properties of bone. An initial and basic procedure shows both wedge indentation fracture experiments under plane strain conditions in cortical bone and numerical simulation with finite elements agree that dry bone fractures much more easily than fully hydrated bone submerged in an aqueous environment, such as in the body of an animal. The wedge indentation experiments were performed with high speed video microscopy, under dry and fully hydrated (submerged) conditions. The numerical simulation, specifically finite element analysis using cohesive elements to simulate fracture, was utilized to capture plasticity, fracture initiation and propagation, and to study the applicability of brittle material based indentation fracture theory. Experiment and theory give similar results for the dependence of depth of fracture initiation, and size of plastic zone, on hydration state. Comparison of fracture propagation characteristics between wet and dry bone are examined and discussed. This research demonstrates the ability to quantitatively assess the effect of hydration on the fracture initiation, propagation, and plastic zone size of cortical bone, through an approach using simple wedge indentation, with important implications for efforts in developing methods to understand clinical diagnostic testing and general fracture behavior of living bone in the ultimate interest of health care purposes.
Abstract 196: Effects of an Engineered Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1) on Vascular Cell Adhesion

Introduction The genetically engineered HSV R7020 is known to block vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation while allowing for re-endothelialization after balloon angioplasty. This HSV-1 anti-proliferative effect requires MEK activation. However, it is unknown what effect R7020 has on vascular inflammation and monocyte adhesion. We hypothesized that exposure of SMCs to HSV R7020 would not affect vascular adhesion molecules. Methods Human aortic SMCs were exposed to R7020 for 10 minutes in the absence and presence of TNF-α (10 ng/ml). After washing cells were cultured for 24 hours in the absence and presence of TNF-α. Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and intracellular adhesion molecue-1 (ICAM-1) levels were determined using immunocytochemistry and image J. The adhesion of calcein AM labeled PBMCs to these cells were also analyzed at 24 hours. VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 levels were measured in the carotids of New Zealand White Rabbits that underwent balloon injury and exposed to R7020 (n=4) or saline (n=4) for 10 minutes using microarray analysis. Results There was no significant difference in ICAM-1 levels in the R7020 treated and control SMCs (219±11 vs 223±1; p=0.758); there was an 8 fold increase in ICAM-1 in the TNF-α treated SMCs (219±11 vs 1587±68; p=1.2x10 -13 ). Results were similar for VCAM-1. R7020 caused an increase in the adhesion strength of SMCs to collagen coated glass slides at 24 hours. Microscopic experiments (n=3) showed PBMCs adhered similarly to SMCs treated with TNF-α in the absence and presence of the virus (4 times that of control cells as measured by PBMC adhesion assay). Interestingly, after adhesion, Calcein AM was frequently observed in virus infected SMCs in the presence and absence of TNF-α. In cells not exposed to R7020, this rarely occurred. Microarray analysis demonstrated a 2.3 fold reduction in VCAM-1 expression in the R7020 treated rabbits (p=2.8x10 -14 ) and no significant difference in expression in ICAM gene expression (p=0.3). Conclusions In contrast to TNF-α, R7020 does not increase ICAM-1 or VCAM-1. Both treatments domonstrate PBMC SMC adhesion with no additive or synergistic effect. However, R7020 results in intracellular transfer from PBMCs to SMCs suggesting the virus changes PBMC-SMC interplay.
Factors of Cybersickness

As virtual reality (VR) applications expand in private and public sector contexts, so do reports of sickness elicited within VR systems. Users of head mounted VR displays frequently report symptoms similar, but not identical, to those of motion sickness and simulator sickness. Because of this distinction, the symptoms are collectively classified as symptoms of cybersickness. While researchers and tech developers alike acknowledge VR’s propensity for inducing cybersickness, there is no symptom prediction tool. The present paper describes a research agenda which will culminate in a cybsersickness prediction tool. First, the authors clarify nomenclature relevant to the VR, virtual environments (VE), and cybersickness. The preliminary literature review resulted in a test Cybersickness Index Matrix (CIM), with three cybersickness trigger categories: System, Task, Individual Differences. Researchers conducted a validation test of the CIM in a pilot study conducted in conjunction with an energy industry training program. The paper presents those preliminary results and provides a discussion including CIM refinement and future implementation potential.
Surviving Parole Reentry: Examining the Impact of Prerelease, Postrelease, and Boundary-Spanning Programs

Do reentry programs including those that are boundary-spanning (operating before and after release from incarceration) help lengthen the time parolees go without being revoked and sent back to pris...
Monte Carlo modeling and simulations of AHTR fuel assembly to support V&V of FHR core physics methods

Abstract The Fluoride Salt Cooled High Temperature Reactor (FHR) is a liquid salt-cooled reactor utilizing TRISO-based fuel. Its low operating pressure and large thermal margin offer attractive safety. However, its complex core design, in particular the double heterogeneity introduced by TRISO particles, as well as the presence of several moderating materials, require careful verification and validation (V&V) of the core physics modeling and simulation (M&S) methods. Due to their ability to accurately simulate complex geometries and utilize continuous-energy nuclear data, Monte Carlo methods are used in this study to evaluate core physics phenomena and provide reference solutions for verification of lower fidelity methods. This work is focused on the FHR design with hexagonal fuel elements consisting of fuel plates (“planks”), i.e., the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) developed by ORNL. The pebble-bed FHR design, PB-FHR, is not directly considered in this work, although the results of this study are relevant for PB-FHR as well. The SERPENT Monte Carlo code is selected and utilized to perform core physics analyses of an FHR fuel assembly. The issues investigated include detailed fission distribution, quantification of certain approximations, study of neutron spectra in different material regions, and impact of graphite density, temperature, and scattering matrix data. This study contributes to V&V of modeling and simulation methods for FHR.
Ultrasound Molecular Imaging of Angiogenesis Using Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Conjugated Microbubbles

Imaging of angiogenesis receptors could provide a sensitive and clinically useful method for detecting neovascularization such as occurs in malignant tumors, and responses to antiangiogenic therapies for such tumors. We tested the hypothesis that microbubbles (MB) tagged with human VEGF121 (MBVEGF) bind to the kinase insert domain receptor (KDR) in vitro and angiogenic endothelium in vivo, and that this specific binding can be imaged on a clinical ultrasound system. In this work, targeted adhesion of MBVEGF was evaluated in vitro using a parallel plate flow system containing adsorbed recombinant human KDR. There was more adhesion of MBVEGF to KDR-coated plates when the amount of VEGF121 on each MB or KDR density on the plate was increased. MBVEGF adhesion to KDR-coated plates decreased with increasing wall shear rate. On intravital microscopic imaging of bFGF-stimulated rat cremaster muscle, there was greater microvascular adhesion of MBVEGF compared to that of isotype IgG-conjugated control MB (MBCTL). To determine if MBVEGF could be used to ultrasonically image angiogenesis, ultrasound imaging was performed in mice bearing squamous cell carcinoma after intravenous injection of MBVEGF. Ultrasound videointensity enhancement in tumor was significantly higher for MBVEGF (17.3 ± 9.7 dB) compared to MBCTL (3.8 ± 4.4 dB, n = 6, p < 0.05). This work demonstrates the feasibility of targeted ultrasound imaging of an angiogenic marker using MBVEGF. This approach offers a noninvasive bedside method for detecting tumor angiogenesis and could be extended to other applications such as molecular monitoring of therapeutic angiogenesis or antiangiogenic therapies in cardiovascular disease or cancer.
The discourse of criminality: From beccaria to postmodernism

The use of discourse in criminological thought and writing is touted as though it is a recent event; building off the work of postmodernism In reality, however, the use of discourse in addressing criminological concepts goes back to the earliest works in criminology (although it was not referred to as discourse at that time). This article discusses the history of discourse in criminality, focusing specifically on Beccaria and Lombroso. Application for current use of discourse is suggested as a way of making postmodernist writing perhaps more useful to a wider audience.
Increased hypercalcemia trend.

e22117Background: Hypercalcemia of malignancy (HCM) represents a complication of a variety of cancers. Bisphosphonates (BP) are routinely used to decrease skeletal related events in cases with osse...
Evaluation Times and Outcomes in English versus Non-English Speaking Patients Undergoing Telestroke Evaluation (P3.239)

Objective: Language barriers have been reported to affect quality of care in other clinical settings, and could also affect rapid evaluation and emergent treatment of non-English speaking patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) even though “time is brain” is at the core of acute stroke care. Background: Limited data exists on door-to-needle time and language barriers, reported only in tertiary / referral centers with resources to compensate for language discordance. No data exists on telestroke evaluation or smaller community emergency departments. Design/Methods: We retrospectively identified AIS patients evaluated via telestroke within our network who were transferred to our institution after receiving intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IVtPA). Primary language, time of telestroke evaluation, time to IVtPA recommendation, time of IVtPA recommendation to administration, initial, discharge, and follow-up National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), follow-up modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and demographic information was abstracted. Data was dichotomized into English vs. non-English speakers and assessed for potential differences via independent t-test using SPSS. Results: 218 English speakers and 18 non-English speakers with AIS received IVtPA and were transferred to our institution. There were no significant differences between age, gender, or medical history. No statistical significant difference existed between groups regarding the time of telestroke evaluation to time of IVtPA recommendation, initial NIHSS, discharge NIHSS, follow-up NIHSS, follow-up mRS, and differences from initial to discharge and follow-up NIHSS. Conclusions: This is the first analysis to describe the effects of spoken language on time to IVtPA recommendation, discharge outcomes, and follow up in AIS patients undergoing telestroke evaluation. Though findings are limited due to a small cohort of non-English speaking patients in our study, prospective data on the impact of language barriers on timely intravenous and mechanical thrombolysis is necessary to ensure that treatment outcomes on both in-person and telestroke evaluation remain equitable. Disclosure: Dr. Vargas has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cherian has nothing to disclose. Dr. Conners has nothing to disclose. Dr. Song has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dafer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bock has nothing to disclose. Dr. Osteraas has nothing to disclose.
Graphing as a Means to Improve Middle School Science Learning and Mathematics-Related Affective Domains

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Mathematics Infusion into Science Project (MiSP), which integrated science and mathematics in an engaging middle school science curriculum that fostered improvements in science content knowledge, higher-level problem solving, and affective domains related to mathematics. The project design was based upon a framework that suggests cross-curricular designs promote scientific thinking and positive attitudes towards the role of mathematics in learning and communicating science. The curriculum incorporated graphing skills that complemented eighth grade science concepts such as thermal energy transfer, density, and photosynthesis. Using a quasi-experimental wait-list control design, this research explored the impacts of MiSP in terms of students’ content knowledge, application ability, reasoning skills, and affective domains over the course of one academic year. Over two academic years, 28 teachers participated in 87 h of professional development and 1135 students experienced mathematics-infused lessons and completed pre- and post-science assessments and attitude surveys. Data analyses utilizing analysis of covariance indicated significant improvements in science disciplinary knowledge, higher-order science process skills, and select affective domains, with small to medium effects. Further analyses indicated that treatment-related improvement in science process skills was not mediated by the significant affective domains including linear equation confidence, graph construction confidence, and mathematics applicability recognition. Quantitative findings support the use of graphing-infused curricula in middle schools to improve student science learning and mathematics-related attitudes. Implications for implementing science-mathematics integrated curricula and assessing reform-based science initiatives are discussed.
The future of careers in pediatric infectious diseases: a call to action.

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to describe some current challenges facing the field of pediatric infectious diseases and discuss strategies for enhancing recognition of the value of infectious disease services and for recruiting new talent to the field. Recent findings Pediatric infectious disease programs are currently filling approximately half of their fellowship positions, and salaries are among the lowest in medical subspecialties. Research-intensive careers in pediatric infectious diseases are threatened by low the National Institutes of Health paylines for career development awards. Despite this, there are new opportunities in pediatric infectious diseases in growing areas, such as transplant infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship. Summary Pediatric infectious disease practitioners are concerned that infectious disease services are often undervalued by the healthcare system. Some of the contributions made by this cognitive specialty to overall patient outcomes are difficult to quantify and are not fully reimbursed. Strategies to enhance value and program support are needed, including sharing individual success stories and collecting data from programs nationally to generate some standards for support of pediatric infectious disease programs in areas, such as antimicrobial stewardship, transplant infectious diseases, and infection prevention. Recruitment of top talent to the field can be enhanced by a number of initiatives that can be implemented at the local level with encouragement and leadership from the pediatric infectious diseases society.
Medullary Carcinoma Arising in a Thyroid Hashimoto’s Disease

A 51-year-old woman presented with a large goiter and on pathologic examination was found to have both Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. To our knowledge, this is the first well-documented case of the coexistence of these two entities in the same patient in the English literature. The association of Hashimoto’s disease and carcinoma of the thyroid is reviewed and its relevance discussed.
Instrument Enrichment Pilot Program: A Study

The Medical Laboratory Science Department at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was awarded a grant in 2016 to create a laboratory enrichment pilot program to enhance the laboratory skills of sophomore level students. This was necessary due to previous course failures in the junior year Clinical Chemistry course (MLS 342) causing retention issues (with a 3-year unsuccessful average of 17.79%). In this study, data in the form of student surveys, laboratory practical grades, and final course grades for MLS 342 are used for assessment of the program. Junior-level students who participated in the pilot program as sophomores completed a survey after finishing MLS 342. The majority (88.89%) of students indicated that they would strongly recommend the program to future sophomore students. Areas that students felt particularly prepared for in junior-level chemistry were pipetting and dilution skills, spectrophotometer skills, total protein assays, standard curves, and exam preparation. The 2 sample t-test was used to compare the 3- year average MLS 342 course grade to the new data for students who took the pilot and those who did not. Students who took the pilot did statistically significantly better (86.669%, p = 0.0078, 95% CI 1.0209, 9.3551) when compared to the 3-year average (81.481%) than those who did not (82.996%, p = 0.2693, 95% CI -3.4303, 6.4603). In addition, 100% of the students who took the enrichment program were successful in MLS 342. These data suggest that the pilot program contributed to increased student success in junior year Clinical Chemistry. Positive student comments and ratings on survey data also supports the utility of the pilot program.
Passive Airborne Fourier Transform Infrared Remote Detection of Methanol by Use of Wavelet Analysis as A Feature Extraction Method

AbstractWavelet analysis was evaluated as a data preprocessing tool in the construction of automated classifiers for the detection of volatile organic compounds from passive Fourier transform infrared remote sensing data collected in a downward-looking mode from an aircraft platform. The discrete wavelet transform was applied to single-beam spectra and patterns were formed with either the wavelet coefficients directly or with spectra reconstructed with selected resolution levels of the wavelet decomposition. Automated classifiers were constructed with support vector machines (SVM) and used to detect releases of methanol from an industrial site. A key issue in this work was the desire to use data collected during controlled experiments on the ground to train the SVM classifiers. Spectral backgrounds in these ground-collected data are different than those encountered as the aircraft flies, however, and the development of successful classification models requires spectral preprocessing to suppress background...
Distinct and Nonadditive Effects of Urea and Guanidinium Chloride on Peptide Solvation

Using enhanced-sampling replica exchange fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we show that, individually, urea and guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) denature the Trpcage protein, but remarkab...
Physiological Assessment of Coronary Lesions in 2020.

Physiological assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) is an essential component of the interventional cardiology toolbox. However, despite long-term data demonstrating improved outcomes, physiology-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains underutilized in current practice. This review outlines the indications and technical aspects involved in evaluating coronary stenosis physiology, focusing on the latest developments in the field. Beyond fractional flow reserve (FFR), non-hyperemic pressure ratios (NHPR) that assess coronary physiology at rest without hyperemia now abound. Additional advances in other alternative FFR approaches, including non-invasive coronary CT (FFRCT), invasive angiography (FFRangio), and optical coherence tomography (FFROCT), are being realized. Artificial intelligence algorithms and robust tools that enable detailed pre-procedure “virtual” intervention are also emerging. The benefits of coronary physiological assessment to determine lesion functional significance are well established. In addition to stable CAD, coronary physiology can be especially helpful in clinical scenarios such as left main and multivessel CAD, serial lesions, non-infarct-related arteries in acute coronary syndromes, and residual ischemia post-PCI. Today, coronary physiological assessment remains an indispensable tool in the catheterization laboratory, with an exciting technological future that will further refine clinical practice and improve patient care.
In-Source CID Ramping and Covariant Ion Analysis of Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography Metabolomics.

A large proportion of the complexity and redundancy of LC-MS metabolomics data comes from adduct formation. To reduce such redundancy, many tools have been developed to recognize and annotate adduc...
Mass Spectrometric Profiling of Neuropeptides in Callinectes sapidus during Hypoxia Stress

Oxygen (O2) is a critical component of life; without proper O2 levels, cells are unable to respire, meaning glucose cannot be utilized. Thus, hypoxia (low O2 levels) is a well-documented stressor, especially in aquatic environments. Neuropeptides are a major class of regulators for stress-induced responses; however, their global expression changes during stress are not well characterized due to the natural complexity of the nervous system. Beyond being a neurological model organism, crustaceans are regularly exposed to hypoxia, making them a relevant system for this study. Several neuropeptide families, including orcokinins, RFamides, and allatostatin A-types, show dynamic dysregulation due to hypoxic stress. In particular, the brain showed the most dynamic changes with a survival mechanism "switching" (i.e., significant increase to decrease) of neuropeptide content between moderate and severe hypoxia (e.g., NFDEDRSGFA, FDAFTTGFGHS, NRNFLRFamide, and APSGFLGMRamide). Globally, neuropeptides in different tissues appeared to exhibit unique expression patterns at the various severities of hypoxia, including LSSSNSPSSTPL and NFDEIDRSSFGF. Overall, this study provides clear evidence for the benefits of globally analyzing biomolecules and that neuropeptides play a critical role in how crustaceans adapt due to hypoxic stress.
Multi-Role UAV Swarm Behaviors for Wide Area Search using Emergent Intelligence

This work continues a line of research examining the relationship between drone sensor swarm characteristics and performance of the swarm as a holistic system. A swarm of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) was implemented in simulation to cooperatively perform a Wide Area Search for survivors in a post-disaster scenario. The sensor swarm was controlled through a behavior-based artificially intelligent paradigm whereby each UAV executes one of three sets of simple, uncoupled search behaviors - Social Searcher, Antisocial Searcher, Relay. The relationship between proportions of these behavior sets and time to find 90% of survivors was examined in swarms of 10–50 UAVs. 100 different swarm size and role distributions were generated using Design and Analysis of Computer Experiments (DACE) methodology. 1000 (100 swarm size x 10 replications) simulation runs revealed an effective distribution pattern which drones could follow to automatically reallocate roles based on current swarm size. Simulations also revealed multiple configurations of role distributions at various swarm sizes that could consistently locate over 90% of survivors in under 20 minutes.
Individualized Dynamic Brain Models: Estimation and Validation with Resting-State fMRI

Abstract A key challenge for neuroscience is to develop generative, causal models of the human nervous system in an individualized, data-driven manner. Previous initiatives have either constructed biologically-plausible models that are not constrained by individual-level human brain activity or used data-driven statistical characterizations of individuals that are not mechanistic. We aim to bridge this gap with a new approach termed Mesoscale Individualized Neurodynamic (MINDy) modeling which enables networks of hundreds to thousands of nonlinear neural mass models to be fit directly to human brain data in just 1-3 minutes per subject. We demonstrate that the models are valid, reliable, and robust. We show that MINDy models generate individualized patterns of resting-state dynamics and that MINDy is better able to uncover the mechanisms underlying individual differences in resting state activity than correlative methods (functional connectivity).
TopoGAN: A Topology-Aware Generative Adversarial Network

Existing generative adversarial networks (GANs) focus on generating realistic images based on CNN-derived image features, but fail to preserve the structural properties of real images. This can be fatal in applications where the underlying structure (e.g.., neurons, vessels, membranes, and road networks) of the image carries crucial semantic meaning. In this paper, we propose a novel GAN model that learns the topology of real images, i.e., connectedness and loopy-ness. In particular, we introduce a new loss that bridges the gap between synthetic image distribution and real image distribution in the topological feature space. By optimizing this loss, the generator produces images with the same structural topology as real images. We also propose new GAN evaluation metrics that measure the topological realism of the synthetic images. We show in experiments that our method generates synthetic images with realistic topology. We also highlight the increased performance that our method brings to downstream tasks such as segmentation.
Search Functionality Within the Electronic Health Record and Health Information Exchange Databases

Background and Hypothesis: In the US today, over 95% of healthcare institutions operate using the electronic health record (EHR). While proven to be a substantial improvement to medical practice, the substantial amount of retained information within those records has made searching the EHR for relevant material difficult and too time consuming. We hypothesize that by providing a search function within the EHR with added capability of collaborative filtration, physicians will be better able to retrieve important patient information and thus provide more efficient care. Project Methods: Emergency Department physicians of Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Indiana University Health Hospital were recruited to partake in this study based on their use and familiarity of the EHR Cerner and/or Health Information Exchange (HIE) CareWeb Search function. Participants filled out a pre-interview, Likert-scale questionnaire to determine their general impressions of search functions and the frequency with which they were used. Additional insight was obtained during an interview focusing on participants’ previous experiences searching within the EHR/HIE. Participants were then shown a mock-up of potential collaborative filtering integration into CareWeb in order to collect opinions regarding the feature’s usability/practicality, display/format, and a number of suggested terms. Results: From the pilot study, current challenges that limit clinician search function use include limited time in clinician workflow, information overload, and inaccurate results. Clinicians are more likely to conduct searches when treating patients who have limited medical history, complex histories, known recent visitations, and/or who have been seen at other institutions. Participants demonstrated interest in a collaborative filtration search feature; they expressed a preference to have the feature recommend five related search terms. Potential Impact: The data from this study aims to refine the way healthcare providers search within the EHR/HIE. This will allow healthcare providers to more efficiently extract relevant patient information for improved healthcare delivery and proficient clinician workflow.
Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli between conventional and organic broiler flocks

Summary Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern for human and animal health. Public awareness of these issues has contributed to increased demand for organic food. In poultry production, there are 3 major production types: no antibiotic ever, organic, and conventional. Organics have been considered safer alternatives that carry fewer antibiotic-resistant bacteria and have less incidence of stable resistance. In this study, we examined the impact of organic and conventional production practices on the resistance patterns of the intestinal microbiome of chickens. Culture and sensitivity analysis performed on the cecal contents were compared between organic and conventionally grown chickens from identical parent stock collected in July and September. The results demonstrated that Escherichia coli isolated from conventionally produced chickens were significantly more resistant to neomycin (P-value
Euphausiid spatial displacements and habitat shifts in the southern California Current System in response to El Niño variability

Abstract We analyzed spatial distributions of 10 euphausiid species in the southern California Current System across seven El Nino events (1951–2018) and the 2014–15 Warm Anomaly to determine variations in habitat utilization and reproduction during Eastern Pacific (EP) and Central Pacific (CP) Ninos. Our goal was to characterize the main forcing mechanisms by which El Nino events influence these dominant species. Our findings suggest cool-water euphausiids respond predominantly to changing in situ habitat conditions during El Nino, while subtropical species require initial advection to increase in the southern CCS. Cool-water coastally-associated species (Euphausia pacifica, Thysanoessa spinifera) compress shoreward and retract poleward to upwelling waters during EP Ninos, likely in response to offshore warming. A subtropical coastal species (Nyctiphanes simplex) extends poleward nearshore during EP Ninos, suggesting anomalous advection, but increases only moderately and variably off southern California during CP Ninos. A Tropical Pacific-Baja California species (Euphausia eximia) only appears off southern California in spring during El Nino years (EP, some CP), suggesting direct advection and low tolerance for cooler, fresher conditions. Subtropical offshore species (Euphausia gibboides, Euphausia recurva, Stylocheiron affine, Euphausia hemigibba) expand shoreward during most Ninos (strongest during 2014–15 Warm Anomaly) and show moderate in situ post-event persistence, suggesting combined influence of advection and temporarily favorable habitat nearshore. Regionwide temperate species (Nematoscelis difficilis, Thysanoessa gregaria) contract only moderately shoreward during some Ninos. Predictions of Year 2100 distributions using generalized additive models suggest future non-Nino conditions and CP Ninos will produce regionwide in situ increases in subtropical species and moderate poleward and onshore expansions, while EP Ninos will produce continued nearshore habitat compression and reduced abundance of coastal species. Understanding zooplankton spatial responses to El Nino can help predict community compositional shifts under other ocean changes (e.g., long-term trends, basin-wide warm anomalies).
Evaluation of ocrelizumab in older progressive multiple sclerosis patients.

Abstract Background Seminal trials evaluating anti-CD20 therapy in progressive MS primarily found benefit in younger, less-disabled patients with more inflammatory disease activity. The risks and benefits of ocrelizumab use in older patients with progressive froms of MS are not known. Methods Retrospective chart review was performed for patients older than 55 with primary or secondary progressive MS at the time of ocrelizumab initiation. Clinical endpoints from 2 years prior to anti-CD20 therapy served as a within-subject control. Results Data was reviewed for 56 patients older than the age of 55 at the time of ocrelizumab initiation. Of 37 patients with 2-years of follow up on ocrelizumab, 40%(n=15) experienced confirmed disability progression (CDP) while 60% (n=22) remained stable or improved. 24 patients had data available for the within-subject control; for these patients, median age was 67, baseline EDSS 6.3, and disease duration 20.5 years. Prior to anti-CD20 therapy, 58% (n=14) of patients remained stable and 42% (n=10) experienced CDP. After ocrelizumab initiation, 71% (n=17) remained stable and 29% (n=7) experienced CDP. There was no difference between CDP (p=0.54) or change in EDSS (p=0.09) between time periods. Ocrelizumab was well tolerated and no difference in infection rate was seen using the within-subject control. Conclusions We found no difference in clinical endpoints for patients on ocrelizumab compared to prior to anti-CD20 therapy; however, we could not exclude a modest effect given our sample size. Larger trials are needed to evaluate ocrelizumab use in this understudied MS subpopulation.
Do suicidal thoughts and behavior persist following juvenile justice involvement

INTRODUCTION This study examines suicidal ideation and behavior of youth in the 3 months following their initial diversion appointment in the juvenile justice system. METHOD Participants were 99 adolescents (72.7% female; 65% racial minority) between the ages of 12 and 18 (Mage = 15.06, SD = 1.35) and a parent/caregiver (80% female; 54% racial minority; Mage = 42.7 years, SD = 8.9 years). Participants were eligible if they endorsed two or more suicide items on a mental health screener (MAYSI-2) and were able to be contacted 3 months following initial court appointment. Youth and parent/caregiver responded to questionnaires assessing SI/SA, psychiatric symptoms, treatment motivation and engagement. RESULTS Three months post-initial court appointment, more than half of youth (55.5%) continued to flag on the Suicide Ideation subscale of the MAYSI-2, though mean scores decreased from baseline to 3-months (t[97] = 5.74, p < 0.000, 95% CI [-0.79, 1.62] Cohen's d = 0.77). There were no significant differences in parent/youth treatment motivation or engagement regardless of SI at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS Persistence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors beyond initial legal involvement highlights the importance of targeted suicide prevention interventions (beyond screening and referral to treatment) with justice-involved youth, even at first court contact.