cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: Special Needs for Fastidious Organisms and Difficult-to-Detect Resistance Mechanisms

Clinical microbiology laboratories are faced with the challenge of accurately detecting emerging antibiotic resistance among a number of bacterial pathogens. In recent years, vancomycin resistance among enterococci has become prevalent, as has penicillin resistance and multidrug resistance in pneumococci. More recently, strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin have been encountered. In addition, molecular techniques have demonstrated that there are still problems detecting methicillin resistance in staphylococci, especially in coagulase-negative species. Among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, mutated beta-lactamase enzymes may confer difficult-to-detect resistance to later-generation penicillins and cephalosporins. Anaerobic bacteria are no longer entirely predictable in their susceptibility to agents that might be selected for empiric therapy. Therefore, clinical microbiology laboratories may not be able to rely on a single susceptibility testing method or system to detect all those emerging resistant or fastidious organisms. For reliable detection, laboratories may need to employ conventional, quantitative susceptibility testing methods or use specially developed, single concentration agar screening tests for some resistant species. Certain of these screening tests are highly specific, while others may require additional confirmatory testing for definitive results. Therefore, laboratories must retain the versatility to apply several different approaches to detect resistance in both common and infrequently encountered bacterial pathogens.
A self-instructional program for diabetes educators on preconception counseling for women with diabetes.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a self-instructional preconception counseling (PC) training program for Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) to enhance PC knowledge and self-efficacy.MethodsA 1-group, pre-post test study was conducted with 31 CDEs from a large medical center in western Pennsylvania. The self-instructional program included selected readings, such as the American Diabetes Association's position statement on PC of women with diabetes and an interactive CD-ROM, “Reproductive-Health Awareness for Teenage Women With Diabetes” (“READY-Girls”). Paper-and-pencil knowledge and self-efficacy questionnaires regarding PC and pregnancies of women with diabetes were completed by the CDEs before and immediately following the self-instructional program. Upon completion, participants received 5.0 Continuing Nursing Education contact hours (CNEs) from the State Nurses Association.ResultsPrior to receiving the program, all of the participants indic...
The potential of brushless doubly-fed machines for adjustable speed drives

The more widespread adoption of adjustable-speed drives to promote process efficiency through energy conservation is currently hampered by the high cost of power electronic conversion units for use with AC motors. The examination of alternative methods of obtaining speed control in both synchronous and induction machines leads to the conclusion that a self-cascaded machine has considerable promise. The motor has six input terminals to the same stator windings: one three-phase set presenting a different pole number to the other three-phase set. The rotor is a specialized form of a robust cage construction without slip rings. When operated in a doubly-fed mode, this machine requires only a fraction of its input power to be processed by a power electronic converter. The resulting system has the potential to provide a low cost, robust, fault-tolerant, precise speed, and adjustable speed drive. >
Using Informatics-, Bioinformatics- and Genomics-Based Approaches for the Molecular Surveillance and Detection of Biothreat Agents

The convergence and wealth of informatics, bioinformatics and genomics methods and associated resources allow a comprehensive and rapid approach for the surveillance and detection of bacterial and viral organisms. Coupled with the continuing race for the fastest, most cost-efficient and highest-quality DNA sequencing technology, that is, “next generation sequencing”, the detection of biological threat agents by ‘cheaper and faster’ means is possible. With the application of improved bioinformatic tools for the understanding of these genomes and for parsing unique pathogen genome signatures, along with ‘state-of-the-art’ informatics which include faster computational methods, equipment and databases, it is feasible to apply new algorithms to biothreat agent detection. Two such methods are high-throughput DNA sequencing-based and resequencing microarray-based identification. These are illustrated and validated by two examples involving human adenoviruses, both from real-world test beds.
“For the Sake of Our Patients, It Is the Right Thing to Do”

I love to hear patients tell me about their experiences with physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who have embraced our Vision 2020 and exemplify our core values. Many of these conversations are or could be about physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who are sitting here in this room. One such experience involves a frail 82-year-old woman with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who was receiving home health physical therapy. The patient had not seen her physician in about 3 weeks. She was receiving home health nursing and physical therapy twice a week. The physical therapist who treated her was very familiar with her condition. Before her treatment, the physical therapist always did a general health screening, including checking her vital signs and listening to her lungs. During one visit, the physical therapist assessed that her condition had deteriorated and that she needed immediate medical attention. The physical therapist called the physician, the nurse, and the rescue squad. She stayed with the patient until she was transported to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The patient's children are eternally grateful, because their mother probably would have died if it were not for the expertise and comprehensive care provided by her physical therapist. I know many of you are not surprised by this story, as I am sure it is not an uncommon occurrence. Thirty years ago, when I first started practicing physical therapy, however, this probably would not have happened. Physical therapists did not always do routine screenings of a patient's medical condition beyond the basics and mostly avoided anything not specifically written on the doctor's prescription. I recently talked to a man who was experiencing severe pain in his back. Although he had been seen by numerous physicians, he was still in excruciating pain. He …
Pediatric lung transplantation: Indications, techniques, and early results

From July 1990 to April 1993, 36 lung transplantations in 33 patients were performed in our pediatric transplant program (0.25 to 23 years, mean age 10.3 years). Eight children had been continuously supported with a ventilator for 3 days to 4.5 years before transplantation and three were supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Indications for lung transplantation in this pediatric population included the following: cystic fibrosis (n =13), pulmonary hypertension, and associated congenital heart disease (n =10) pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect and nonconfluent pulmonary arteries (n = 3), pulmonary fibrosis (n = 6), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (n =1). Three children underwent retransplantation for acute graft failure (n = 2) or chronic rejection (n =1). Pulmonary fibrosis was related to complications of treatment of acute of myelogenous leukemia with bone marrow transplantation in two children and to bronchiolitis obliterans, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, interstitial pneumonitis, and Langerhans cell histiocytosis in four others. Thirteen children underwent lung transplantation and concomitant cardiac repair. Bilateral lung transplantation, ventricular septal defect closure and pulmonary homograft reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract to the transplanted lungs was performed in three children by means of a new technique that avoids the need for combined heart-lung transplantation. Two patients had ventricular septal defect closure and single lung transplant for Eisenmenger's syndrome, two had ligation of a patent ductus arteriosus and transplantation, three additional children underwent atrial septal defect closure and lung transplantation, and two underwent lung transplantation for congenital pulmonary vein stenosis. Eight early deaths and three late deaths occurred (actuarial 1-year survival 62 %). Lung transplantation in children has been associated with acceptable early results, although modification of the adult implantation technique has been necessary. Lung transplantation and repair of complex congenital heart defects is possible; heart-lung transplantation may only be required for patients with severe left heart dysfunction and associated pulmonary vascular disease. Bronchiolitis obliterans remains a major concern for long-term graft function in pediatric lung transplant recipients.
Singular first order perturbations of the heat equation

We exhibit dimension-independent conditions under which the formal operator A = −Δ + a .∇ + V can be defined on such that its closure Ā in L 2 ( R s , dx ) is quasi- m -accretive. Here, a is real so that Ā is nonselfadjoint. the method of proof is a generalized version of the argument employed in the portion of the author's thesis where term a. ∇ was originally considered. Specifically, we construct exp (− tĀ ) as a limit of approximating semigroups. Since the thesis appeared, Kato has also dealt with the term a. ∇ his conditions on a and V are similar to, but more general than, the conditions that appear here; in addition, he considers magnetic vector potentials. Of interest here is the semigroup method itself, the conciseness of the arguments thereby produced, and a relaxed condition on div a.
Abstract B110: Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of prostate cancer

Background: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States, and disproportionately affects African‐American men. It has been suggested that diet plays a role in prostate cancer development and progression. Evidence regarding the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) indicate that n‐3 PUFAs may suppress prostate cancer development while n‐6 PUFAs may enhance prostate cancer carcinogenesis. Epidemiologic studies, however, have been inconsistent and the association between PUFAs and prostate cancer has not been adequately studied in racially diverse samples. Objectives: The objectives of this work were to 1) examine the association between dietary intake of PUFAs [n‐3 (ALA, EPA, DHA); n‐6(AA, LA)] and risk of prostate cancer, and 2) determine if these associations differ between Whites and African‐Americans. Methods: Data are from an ongoing case‐control study among veterans at the Durham VA Medical Center that includes biopsy‐positive cases (N=66), biopsy‐negative controls (N=91), and healthy controls (N=101). All men had a PSA test done in the year prior to study enrollment. Data were collected on various demographic, lifestyle, and other risk factors for prostate cancer using self‐administered questionnaires. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire that asked participants to recall their diet in the past 12 months. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) among Whites (N=111) and African‐Americans (N=146). Results: The median percent of energy from total n‐6 PUFAs was higher in cases compared to healthy controls (6.2% vs 5.7%, p=0.05). The ORs for cases relative to healthy controls were greater than one for high (i.e. ≥median) intakes of total n‐6 PUFAs (OR: 1.79, 95% CI 0.92–3.48), yet close to null for total n‐3 PUFAs (OR: 1.02, 95% CI 0.53–1.96). There were non‐statistically significant inverse associations for specific PUFAs such as EPA, DHA, and LA (ORs 0.77, 0.68, and 0.62, respectively; all p‐values >0.05). A higher n‐3:n‐6 ratio was suggestive of lower prostate cancer risk (OR: 0.80, 95% CI 0.42–1.54). These findings were relatively unchanged in analyses comparing cases to biopsy‐negative controls. In race‐specific analyses comparing cases to biopsy‐negative controls, there was evidence of effect modification by race for the relationship between LA intake and prostate cancer risk (OR: 0.78, 95% CI 0.30–2.04 in Whites; OR: 3.23, 95% CI 1.24–8.40 in African‐Americans; Pinteraction=0.04). We did not observe any other statistically significant differences in prostate cancer risk between Whites and African‐Americans. Conclusion: Our overall findings do not suggest a strong role for n‐3 or n‐6 PUFAs in prostate cancer development, although racial differences in risk should be investigated in larger racially diverse samples. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B110.
NMR investigations of dinuclear, single-anion bridged copper(II) metallacycles: structure and antiferromagnetic behavior in solution.

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of single-anion bridged, dinuclear copper(II) metallacycles [Cu2(μ-X)(μ-L)2](A)3 (Lm = m-bis[bis(1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene: X = F–, A = BF4–; X = Cl–, OH–, A = ClO4–; Lm* = m-bis[bis(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene: X = CN–, F–, Cl–, OH–, Br–, A = ClO4–) have relatively sharp 1H and 13C NMR resonances with small hyperfine shifts due to the strong antiferromagnetic superexchange interactions between the two S = 1/2 metal centers. The complete assignments of these spectra, except X = CN–, have been made through a series of NMR experiments: 1H–1H COSY, 1H–13C HSQC, 1H–13C HMBC, T1 measurements and variable-temperature 1H NMR. The T1 measurements accurately determine the Cu···H distances in these molecules. In solution, the temperature dependence of the chemical shifts correlate with the population of the paramagnetic triplet (S = 1) and diamagnetic singlet (S = 0) states. This correlation allows the determination of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling con...
This Revolt of the Women

‘We know how to manage any other opposition in the House or in the country, but this is very awkward for us — this revolt of the women. It is quite a new thing; what are we to do with such an opposition as this?’1
Self-talk interventions for athletes: A theoretically grounded approach

ABSTRACTSelf-talk has been widely endorsed as a performance enhancement tool in the sport psychology literature. Implementing self-talk interventions successfully, however, requires some understanding of how, when, why, and for whom self-talk interventions are likely to be effective. The purpose of this article is to provide theoretical and empirical information that can help coaches, athletes, and sport psychologists develop and implement effective self-talk interventions. To that end, five key components of the sport-specific model of self-talk that are critical to self-talk interventions are described. Next, decision point questions that can guide the creation of self-talk interventions are presented. Finally, case examples that facilitate application of self-talk theory to practice in sport are provided.
A question prompt sheet for adult patients with chronic kidney disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) commonly have unmet information needs. Greater patient participation in healthcare discussions can address these needs and improve health outcomes. We developed a patient-centered question prompt sheet (QPS) to engage CKD patients in healthcare conversations. We conducted a two phase, mixed-methods, cross-sectional study involving semi-structured telephone interviews. Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, on dialysis, or with a kidney transplant were recruited from one Veterans Affairs (VA) nephrology clinic. Phase 1 interviews included open-ended questions assessing patients’ CKD-related information needs and generated a preliminary 67-item QPS. Phase 2 interview participants rated the importance of asking each question on a 5-point Likert scale and provided open-ended feedback. All participants rated their willingness to use a CKD-QPS. Input from patient ratings, a multidisciplinary team, and from members of the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) Coordinating Panel helped to shorten and refine the QPS. A qualitative thematic approach was used to analyze open-ended responses. Quantitative data were analyzed for means and proportions. Eighty-five patients participated. Most were male (97 %), non-Hispanic white (71 %), and mean age was 67 years. Patients desired more information about CKD, particularly dialysis/transplant, and the relationship between CKD and comorbid medical conditions. The final QPS included 31-questions divided into 7 CKD subtopics. Most patients (88 %) reported being ‘completely’ or ‘very’ willing to use a CKD-QPS in future doctor visits. CKD patients have unmet information needs. We developed a QPS to engage CKD patients in healthcare discussions and to facilitate patient-centered care. Future research should assess whether the CKD-QPS addresses patients’ information needs, enhances doctor-patient communication, and improves health outcomes.
Review of "Cultural Mapping as Cultural Inquiry," edited by Nancy Duxbury, W. F. Garrett-Petts, and David MacLennan

Cultural mapping is an increasingly widespread practice in cultural planning around the world. One foundational document, Creative City Network of Canada's Cultural Mapping Toolkit, defines cultura...
9 – 3-D organ printing technologies for tissue engineering applications

: Organ printing technology was developed to allow construction of biological substitutes mimicking structures and functions of native tissues or organs. This technology enables precise placement of various cell types and biomaterials in a single three-dimensional (3-D) architecture. Among technologies developed for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, organ printing technology is one of the most attractive and powerful for use in constructing a structure that mimics a real 3-D tissue or organ. The hypothesis driving organ printing development is that by precisely placing cells in relation to each other, an environment that encourages physiologically relevant cues can be created, resulting in a tissue construct with functionality. This chapter discusses organ printing technologies and applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Cadmium Compartmentalization in the Pulmonate Snail Lymnaea stagnalis : Improving Our Understanding of Exposure

In ecotoxicology, analytical compartmentalization analysis can be used to better understand metal sequestration and detoxification. Metals are typically found in two main compartments, biologically detoxified metal (BDM) and metal sensitive fractions (MSF). The purpose of this study was to analyze the subcellular distribution of cadmium (Cd) in Lymnaea stagnalis. Adult snails were exposed to three concentrations of Cd for 56 days as part of a global ring test for L. stagnalis. At the end of the 56-day exposure, organisms were separated in two sections (viscera and foot). Each section was subsequently divided by differential centrifugation into five total fractions including (metal rich granules, debris, Organelles, heat denatured proteins, and heat stable proteins) followed by Cd analysis. The concentration in each compartment, BDM, MSF, and bioconcentration factors were estimated as well. There was significantly higher bioconcentration of Cd in the viscera section compared with the foot. Cadmium accumulation in all five fractions also increased with increasing exposure concentrations. Cadmium accumulated the most in the heat denatured protein fraction (enzymes) and accumulated the least in the heat stable protein fraction (metallothionein-like proteins). The MSF compartment (~65%) was in higher proportion than the BDM (~30%), but only in the lowest Cd exposure concentration was there a significant difference between these compartments. The results indicated that, in general, there was more Cd accumulated in the metal sensitive fractions, and that the detoxification mechanisms were not efficient enough to avoid toxicity at the two highest concentrations. This study provides evidence that improves our understanding of Cd tissue distribution in freshwater gastropods.
The reactants equation of state for the tri-amino-tri-nitro-benzene (TATB) based explosive PBX 9502

The response of high explosives (HEs), due to mechanical and/or thermal insults, is of great importance for both safety and performance. A major component of how an HE responds to these stimuli stems from its reactant equation of state (EOS). Here, the tri-amino-tri-nitro-benzene based explosive PBX 9502 is investigated by examining recent experiments. Furthermore, a complete thermal EOS is calibrated based on the functional form devised by Wescott, Stewart, and Davis [J. Appl. Phys. 98, 053514 (2005)]. It is found, by comparing to earlier calibrations, that a variety of thermodynamic data are needed to sufficiently constrain the EOS response over a wide range of thermodynamic state space. Included in the calibration presented here is the specific heat as a function of temperature, isobaric thermal expansion, and shock Hugoniot response. As validation of the resulting model, isothermal compression and isentropic compression are compared with recent experiments.
Effect of personality traits on adherence with positive airway pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnea patients

Patient adherence with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is a significant clinical problem in obstructive sleep apnea treatment. Personality traits may be a factor for non-adherence. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between PAP therapy adherence and patient personality traits. Patients were screened and recruited during their visit to a sleep clinic. Baseline data were collected from each patient’s electronic chart. Behavioral inhibition system/behavioral activation system (BIS/BAS) scales, short measure of five-factor model personality traits (mini-IPIP), positive and negative affect score (PANAS), and appetitive motivation scores (AMS) tests were used to measure personality traits. Data from the PAP device were obtained following a minimum of an initial 30 days, with adherence defined as >4 h/night on 70% of nights. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyze the data. A total of 400 patients were recruited. Three hundred twenty-one patients had all the data and were included in the study. Behavioral activation system–fun seeking (BAS-FS) and, to a certain extent, negative affect were significantly associated with adherence. Intellect/imagination was marginally significant. Additionally, older age (>65 years), profession, PAP type, side effects, efficiency, apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), and residual AHI showed significant associations with patient adherence with PAP therapy. Multivariate analysis revealed that BAS-FS was still a significant predictor of adherence even after adjusting for other covariates. BAS-FS, negative affect, and intellect/imagination are significant factors for adherence to PAP therapy in obstructive sleep apnea patients.
Wrapping Patterns as Universal Markers for Specificity in the Therapeutic Interference with Signaling Pathways

Chapter 8 illustrated the power of the wrapping concept as a guidance to engineer specificity and enhance safety in a kinase inhibitor. Yet, only a universal selectivity filter, applicable to the entire human kinome – even to kinases with unreported structure – would be truly useful for the drug designer. This chapter thematically belongs to the bioinformatics realm and addresses this issue at the broadest possible level. The surveyed findings reveal that targeting the polar dehydration patterns defined by protein dehydrons heralds a new generation of drugs that enable a tighter control of specificity. The universality of this selectivity filter in the field of therapeutic interference with cell signaling is thus established.
Understanding the Impact of Fluid Restriction on Growth Outcomes in Infants Following Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVE Fluid restriction is reported to be a barrier in providing adequate nutrition following cardiac surgery. The specific aim of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of nutritional intake during the postoperative period using anthropometrics by comparing preoperative weight status, as measured by weight-for-age z scores, to weight status at discharge home. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Cardiac ICU at Miami Children's Hospital. PATIENTS Infants from birth to 12 months old who were scheduled for cardiac surgery at Miami Children's Hospital between December 2013 and September 2014 were followed during the postoperative stay. INTERVENTIONS Observational study. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Preoperative and discharge weight-for-age z scores were analyzed. The Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery 1 categories were obtained to account for the individual complexity of each case. In patients who had preoperative and discharge weights available (n = 40), the mean preoperative weight-for-age z score was -1.3 ± 1.43 and the mean weight-for-age z score at hospital discharge was -1.89 ± 1.35 with a mean difference of 0.58 ± 0.5 (p < 0.001). A higher Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery 1 category was correlated with a greater decrease in weight-for-age z scores (r = -0.597; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Nutritional status during the postoperative period was found inadequate through the use of objective anthropometric measures and by comparing them with normal growth curves. Increase in surgical risk categories predicted a greater decrease in weight-for-age z scores. The development of future protocols for nutritional intervention should consider surgical risk categories.
Galacto-oligosaccharide hydrolysis by genetically-engineered alpha-galactosidase-producing Pseudomonas chlororaphis strains

Abstract Various Pseudomonas chlororaphis strains have been shown to produce rhamnolipid, poly(hydroxyalkanoate), and antifungal compounds for plants. Ability to metabolize galacto-oligosaccharides would allow P. chlororaphis to use soy molasses as a low-cost fermentation feedstock. In this study, genetically engineered P. chlororaphis strains expressing a Streptomyces coelicolor α-galactosidase (α-gal) were constructed. In recombinant P. chlororaphis [chr::AG], the α-gal was integrated into the chromosome. P. chlororaphis [pBS-dAG], however, contains a truncated α-gal (coding for the N-terminal catalytic domain of the enzyme) on an expression vector. Real-time RT-qPCR showed 1,438-fold higher α-gal gene expression in [pBS-dAG] than [chr::AG]. In agreement with qPCR study, the results of an enzyme assay using p-nitrophenyl-α-galactopyranoside (p-NP-α-Gal) as a chromogenic substrate also showed that the cell extracts of [pBS-dAG] contained ca. 8-times higher p-NP-α-Gal-hydrolyzing activity than that of [chr::AG]. The cell extracts of [pBS-dAG] were also demonstrated to hydrolyze raffinose (32.7 ± 4.1% of the initial amount remained in the reaction mixture) > melibiose (65.4 ± 7.9%) > stachyose (72.8 ± 11.9%). The incubation of an EDTA-permeabilized (1.5 μM, 28 °C, 200 rpm shaking, 20 min) P. chlororaphis [pBS-dAG] whole-cell preparation with 0.5% (w/v) raffinose in a Medium E* for 7 days resulted in the reduction of the carbon source to 0.14% (w/v), or 28% relative to the initially added amount, and the biomass reached a value of 0.46 g CDW (cell dry weight)/l. In contrast, EDTA-permeabilized wild-type P. chlororaphis did not hydrolyze the 0.5% (w/v) raffinose in the medium, and the final biomass yield was 0.26 g CDW/l.
Black pussy power: Performing acts of black eroticism in Pam Grier’s Blaxploitation films:

This article contends that black feminist conceptions of ‘pussy power’ have prematurely foreclosed an examination of both pussy and its powers, thereby missing the erotic potential inherent in a ‘p...
Intersection of Mixed Methods and Community-Based Participatory Research: A Methodological Review:

Although mixed methods research (MMR) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) have been employed to investigate complex research questions to improve the reach, rigor, and relevance of re...
The Data Base Design Process

The objective of data base design is to produce an integrated data base which is accurate and secure and which supports application systems in an efficient manner. Each of these characteristics—integration, integrity, security, and performance—must be addressed during the design process to assure the desired outcome. Integration is the result of specifying data base content and structure in response to the needs of more than one application area. Integrity is assured through controls on application systems that prevent data loss or improper modification. The use of procedures and dbms features that promote data sharing, while limiting access to data which are not shared, results in data base security. Finally, data base performance depends on both the efficiency of the physical realization of the data and the ability of the data base to satisfy processing requests in a timely manner.
Tree canopy types constrain plant distributions in Ponderosa Pine- Gambel Oak Forests, Northern Arizona

–Trees in many forests affect the soils and plants below their canopies. In current high-density southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, managers have opportunities to enhance multiple ecosystem values by manipulating tree density, distribution, and canopy cover through tree thinning. I performed a study in northern Arizona ponderosa pine-Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) forests to measure the influences of tree canopy types on understory plant communities and soil properties. On ten 2.5-acre (1-ha) sites, I sampled five 43-ft (4-m) plots below each of the following five canopy types: openings; single ponderosa pine; and Gambel oak single stems, dispersed clumps, and thickets. Soil properties, species richness, plant cover, and the distribution of cooland warm-season grasses were canopy-type specific. Openings contained the most species/plot, three to eight times greater plant cover than any tree canopy type, and warm-season grasses (for example, purple threeawn [Aristida purpurea]) that were infrequent below trees. In contrast, aspen pea (Lathyrus laetivirens) and Fendler’s meadow-rue (Thalictrum fendleri) were most frequent below Gambel oak canopies. There were no species that were most frequent below ponderosa pine. Results suggest that canopy openings need to be reestablished and maintained on this landscape if understories are to be productive, diverse, and contain species dependent on these microsites.
Instability of Cysteine Labeling With 4-(aminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2, 1, 3-benzoxadiazole (ABD-F)

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the instability of cysteine labeling with 4-(aminosulfonyl)-7-fluoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (ABD-F). The fluorescence and absorbance associated with the ABD-cysteine adduct generated can be released from the protein by heating at basic pH in the presence of reductants. By varying factors such as the time of incubation, temperature, pH, and concentration of reductant, the reversal can be accelerated. In addition, cysteine is regenerated upon reversal because the protein stripped of label can be re-alkylated to approximately the same level with only ABD-F. The reversal of labeling is dependent on the presence of a reducing agent, and is accelerated by elevated pH and temperature. The species generated by reversing the labeling of cysteine with ABD-F appears to be the original cysteine residue, because the labeling can be restored by treating with ABD-F in the absence of reducing agents. This property may have value in experiments where it is convenient to have a fluorescent label to track the protein or peptide fragments during early stages of purification and then replace the fluorescent label with a radiolabel or spin label for subsequent analyses.
Roc-guided survival trees and forests

Tree-based methods are popular nonparametric tools in studying time-to-event outcomes. In this article, we introduce a novel framework for survival trees and forests, where the trees partition the dynamic survivor population and can handle time-dependent covariates. Using the idea of randomized tests, we develop generalized time-dependent Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to evaluate the performance of survival trees and establish the optimality of the target hazard function with respect to the ROC curve. The tree-building algorithm is guided by decision-theoretic criteria based on ROC, targeting specifically for prediction accuracy. We further extend the survival trees to random forests, where the ensemble is based on martingale estimating equations, in contrast with many existing survival forest algorithms that average the predicted survival or cumulative hazard functions. Simulations studies demonstrate strong performances of the proposed methods. We apply the methods to a study on AIDS for illustration.
Hemodialysis Treatment Prescription

Principles of hemodialysis in pediatric population including neonates are similar to adults, but differ in procedure techniques. The techniques that are distinctive to pediatric hemodialysis should be understood and applied in order to attain effective and safe hemodialysis. This chapter discusses various factors that should be considered during hemodialysis prescription in children.
The relationship between primary production and export production in the ocean: Effects of time lags and temporal variability

Abstract We analyzed net primary production (NPP) and export production rates measured in the Southern Ocean (SO) and at Station ALOHA (22° 45′N, 158° 00′W) and discovered that in both cases there was a highly significant negative correlation between NPP and the ratio of export production to NPP (i.e., the export ratio). We show that in both cases this negative correlation can be explained by a time lag between the production and export of organic matter from the euphotic zone. The negative correlation appears (disappears) in simulated data if the estimates of the relationship between NPP and export production are based on measurements over timeframes that are comparable to or shorter (much longer) than the time lag between NPP and export production. At Station ALOHA, where data are available from a time series that extends back to 1988, the negative correlation disappears when the data are climatologies over monthly time intervals, which are long compared to the assumed lag of five days between the production and export of organic matter at low latitudes. We conclude that because of the temporal variability of NPP and the time lags between the production and export of organic matter, meaningful estimates of export ratios will need to be based on rates of NPP and export production averaged over timeframes that are long compared to the lag between production and export.
Modeling Gain Mechanisms in Amorphous Silicon Due to Efficient Carrier Multiplication and Trap-Induced Junction Modulation

Amorphous materials have low mobility due to their nature of disorder. Surprisingly, some disordered materials showed photocurrent amplification not by conventional photoconductive gain. Recently, amorphous Silicon (a-Si) photodiodes with thin a-Si layer (∼40 nm) have shown a gain-bandwidth product of over 2 THz with very low excess noise and also have been used as a gain media in a cascaded system with single photon sensitivity. To unveil the true gain mechanism, we performed theoretical modeling and numerical analysis along with experimental data at different frequencies. We show evidence of highly effective carrier multiplication process within a-Si as the primary gain mechanism, especially at high frequency. We also show presence of trap-induced junction modulation at much lower frequency. We modeled the gain mechanism in a-Si by solving the transport equations including dynamics of defect states and carrier multiplication via the local field model. We further justified the application of local field model for thin a-Si, based on the property that in a-Si, the mean-free path for energy relaxation is orders of magnitude greater than the mean-free-path for momentum relaxation. The analysis further suggests that the carrier multiplication process in thin a-Si can be much more efficient than in thick a-Si, even stronger than single crystalline Si in some cases. Although seemingly counter intuitive, this is consistent with the proposed cycling excitation process where the localized states in the bandtails of disordered materials such as a-Si relax the k -selection rule and increase the rate of carrier multiplication.
Fast Graph Fourier Transforms Based on Graph Symmetry and Bipartition

The graph Fourier transform (GFT) is an important tool for graph signal processing, with applications ranging from graph-based image processing to spectral clustering. However, unlike the discrete Fourier transform, the GFT typically does not have a fast algorithm. In this work, we develop new approaches to accelerate the GFT computation. In particular, we show that Haar units (Givens rotations with angle $\pi /4$ ) can be used to reduce GFT computation cost when the graph is bipartite or satisfies certain symmetry properties based on node pairing. We also propose a graph decomposition method based on graph topological symmetry, which allows us to identify and exploit butterfly structures in stages. This method is particularly useful for graphs that are nearly regular or have some specific structures, e.g., line graphs, cycle graphs, grid graphs, and human skeletal graphs. Though butterfly stages based on graph topological symmetry cannot be used for general graphs, they are useful in applications, including video compression and human action analysis, where symmetric graphs, such as symmetric line graphs and human skeletal graphs, are used. Our proposed fast GFT implementations are shown to reduce computation costs significantly, in terms of both number of operations and empirical runtimes.
Advanced Management of Patients With Ulcerative Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome.

Abstract Objective To describe a stepwise management of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) with Hunner's lesions and present single institution long-term outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective review of a single tertiary center experience with management of patients with Hunner's lesions from January 2005 to January of 2015. Patients who met the diagnostic criteria for IC/BPS were included. Systematic approach to treatment of patients with Hunner's lesions is proposed based on our results. Results Fifty-five patients with IC/BPS and Hunner's lesions were included. Mean age was 65.0 ±12.7 years, 76.4% (42/55) were female, and median symptom duration was 2 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.7). All patients had a biopsy to rule out malignancy with therapeutic fulguration which resulted in subjective symptom improvement in 81.8% (45/55) and median time to repeat procedures was 12 months (IQR 621). Triamcinolone injection into the lesion was done in 35 patients and 91.4% (32/35) reported subjective improvement. Repeat injections were done for 74% (26/35) and median time between injections was 8 months (IQR 4, 13). AUA symptom scores and quality of life improved significantly with both treatment modalities. Adjunctive treatment with cyclosporine was used in 47.2% (26/55), and 7.2% (4/55) went on to have a cystectomy. Conclusion Patients with Hunner's lesions benefit from early progression from conservative treatments to endoscopic management. Excellent symptom control can be achieved with biopsy/fulguration and triamcinolone injections but recurrence is common and repeat treatments are needed for most patients.
Enhancing educational and leadership opportunities for second-year pharmacy residents

Leadership is a critical aspect of residency training; however, little guidance is provided in the literature regarding practical implementation of leadership training within residency programming. Programming was developed within a second-year (PGY-2) critical care residency program to meet the educational and leadership needs of the residents. The format of the meetings has evolved over time from a journal club-style format to an interdisciplinary format discussing far more than literature. With the residents taking the lead in the biweekly educational sessions, there is great opportunity for leadership development. Similar programming has the potential to strengthen residency experiences for residents in other programs.
Pathophysiology of acute graft-versus-host disease.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been the primary limitation to the wider application of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The pathophysiology of acute GVHD is complex and can be conceptualized to be a three-step process based on murine studies. In step 1, the conditioning regimen leads to the damage and activation of host tissues and induces the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. As a consequence, the expression of MHC antigens and adhesion molecules is increased enhancing the recognition of host alloantigens by donor T cells. Donor T-cell activation in step 2 is characterized by donor T cell interaction with host APCs and subsequent proliferation, differentiation and secretion of cytokines. Cytokines such as IL-2 and IFN-gamma enhance T-cell expansion, induce cytotoxic T cells (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cell responses and prime additional mononuclear phagocytes to produce TNF-alpha and IL-1. These inflammatory cytokines in turn stimulate production of inflammatory chemokines, thus recruiting effector cells into target organs. In step 3, effector functions of mononuclear phagocytes are triggered via a secondary signal provided by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that leaks through the intestinal mucosa damaged during step 1. This mechanism may result in the amplification of local tissue injury and further promotion of an inflammatory response, which, together with the CTL and NK components, leads to target tissue destruction in the transplant host. The following review discusses the three-step process of the pathophysiology of experimental acute GVHD.
Predicting Market Reactions to Bad News

Our Applied Finance Project aims to develop a framework to predict short-term and medium-term market reactions to bad news shocks. The study is based on a sample of 18,497 bad news articles and time series of 1,008 Russell 3000 stocks returns during the period 2005 to 2017. Our research proposes a three-stage model for the analysis. Firstly, given a dataset of bad news events and stock prices, we employ time series clustering techniques on cumulative abnormal returns of stocks, by which the news articles related to those stocks are grouped into different clusters. Secondly, we apply Natural Language Processing and multi-class classification algorithms on relevant news articles to extract features of each cluster. Then, by applying Support Vector Machine model, whenever specific bad news is released, we can predict the subsequent short-term, and medium-term market reactions post negative news. Finally, we develop long/short trading strategy for both short-term and medium-term horizons that asset managers in the real world can apply every day.
Optimal staffing in community health centers to improve quality of care.

Objective To explore optimal workforce configurations in the production of care quality in community health centers (CHCs), accounting for interactions among occupational categories, as well as contributions to the volume of services. Data sources We linked the Uniform Data System from 2014 to 2016 with Internal Revenue Service nonprofit tax return data. The final database contained 3139 center-year observations from 1178 CHCs. Study design We estimated a system of two generalized linear production functions, with quality of care and volume of services as outputs, using the average percent of diabetic patients with controlled A1C level and hypertensive patients with controlled blood pressure as quality measures. To explore the substitutability and complementarity between staffing categories, we estimated a revenue function. Findings Primary care physicians and advanced practice clinicians achieve similar quality outcomes (3.2 percent and 3.0 percent improvement in chronic condition management per full-time equivalent (FTE), respectively). Advanced practice clinicians generate less revenue per FTE but are generally less costly to employ. Conclusion As quality incentives are further integrated into payment systems, CHCs will need to optimize their workforce configuration to improve quality. Given the relative efficiency of advanced practice clinicians in producing quality, further hiring of these professionals is a cost-effective investment for CHCs.
Water accelerated self-healing of hydrophobic copolymers.

Previous studies have shown that copolymer compositions can significantly impact self-healing properties. This was accomplished by enhancement of van der Waals (vdW) forces which facilitate self-healing in relatively narrow copolymer compositional range. In this work we report the acceleration of self-healing in alternating/random hydrophobic acrylic-based copolymers in the presence of confined water molecules. Under these conditions competing vdW interactions do not allow H2O-diester H-bonding, thus forcing nBA side groups to adapt L-shape conformations, generating stronger dipole-dipole interactions resulting in shorter inter-chain distances compared to ‘key-and-lock’ associations without water. The perturbation of vdW forces upon mechanical damage in the presence of controllable amount of confined water is energetically unfavorable leading the enhancement of self-healing efficiency of hydrophobic copolymers by a factor of three. The concept may be applicable to other self-healing mechanisms involving reversible covalent bonding, supramolecular chemistry, or polymers with phase-separated morphologies. Self-healing of polymers became a vivid research area, but self-healing under water and its mechanistic concepts are less investigated. Here, the authors report water accelerated self-healing in a pMMA/nBA copolymer and demonstrate that perturbation of ubiquitous van der Walls forces upon mechanical damage in hydrophobic polymers in the presence of water is energetically unfavorable and accelerates self-healing.
Room-temperature detection of a single 19 nm super-paramagnetic nanoparticle with an imaging magnetometer

We demonstrate room temperature detection of isolated single 19 nm super-paramagnetic nanoparticles (SPNs) with a wide-field optical microscope platform suitable for biological integration. The particles are made of magnetite (Fe3O4) and are thus non-toxic and biocompatible. Detection is accomplished via optically detected magnetic resonance imaging using nitrogen-vacancy defect centers in diamond, resulting in a DC magnetic field detection limit of 2.4 μT. This marks a large step forward in the detection of SPNs, and we expect that it will allow for the development of magnetic-field-based biosensors capable of detecting a single molecular binding event.