cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nursing students on the unit: what's your role?

You arrive on your nursing unit at the beginning of your shift and notice nursing students talking softly among themselves. Checking the assignment board, you see that a student is assigned to one of your patients.Vivid memories of your days as a nursing student on a busy medical-surgical unit come flooding back. You recall Linda, the RN who welcomed you with a warm smile and introduced you to your patient. That initial touch instilled a sense of confidence that you really needed that day. Linda made a point to talk to you throughout the day and even invited you to observe a bedside procedure. Her professionalism and compassion for her patient left such a positive impression that even today you find yourself emulating her.Then, you remember another day during nursing school that was completely different. When you tried to introduce yourself to the nurse assigned to your patient, she cut you off mid-sentence. While giving you a report on your patient, she rushed through the details without making eye contact. But the worst moment came when you were fumbling nervously with a BP cuff. "Haven't you learned how to take a BP yet? Here, let me do it," the nurse said brusquely. You controlled your emotions at the time, but all the way home you wondered whether nursing was the right choice for you.But you did stay in nursing—and vowed you'd never treat a nursing student that way if you were ever lucky enough to have one assigned to you.Modeling Linda's behavior, you welcome the student with a warm smile. This article explores what else you can do to make sure the student has a positive experience on your unit.
Of Alienation, Association, and Adventure: Why German Fighters Join ISIL

This article provides an analysis of German foreign fighters who have left for Syria and Iraq since early 2012 and make up the second largest contingent among Western foreign fighters. It draws on statistical information about German foreign fighters, but also uses case studies in an attempt to shed more detailed light on their motivations and why they became radicalized. Drawing on recently released government data, trial documents, and media reports, the article seeks to contribute to new research on the prevailing mechanisms of Jihadi radicalization. To facilitate this kind of comprehensive analysis, McCauley and Moskalenko’s Friction framework is applied to fourteen prominent German fighters, including Denis Cuspert (who served as medium-level ISIL propaganda official), Philip Bergner and Robert Baum (responsible for ISIL suicide attacks in Iraq and Syria), Kreshnik B. and Harun Pashtoon (among the first returning fighters convicted of ISIL membership and other terrorist activities). The article concludes with a discussion of countermeasures used to prevent foreign fighters from leaving Germany, deradicalize those who have started to embrace violent ideas and/or actions, and deal with returning foreign fighters.
Dichlorobenzene hepatotoxicity strain differences and structure activity relationships.

Environmentally significant halogenated compounds include the three isomers of dichlorobenzene (DCB), i.e. ortho (1,2-DCB), meta (1,3-DCB) and para (1,4-DCB), which have been identified as contaminants in air and water at sites throughout the United States (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1985). This environmental contamination by the dichlorobenzenes reflects their wide-spread use in industry. These compounds are extensively used as solvents, fumigants and intermediates in the production of pesticides and dyes (Hawley, 1971).
Put more "bite" into health promotion: a campaign to revitalize health promotion in the Army Dental Care System. Part IV. Implementation.

During the course of 1998, the Army Dental Care System (ADCS), in collaboration with the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, launched Put More "Bite" into Health Promotion, a campaign to revitalize health promotion in the ADCS. This article discusses implementation issues for health promotion campaigns.
Transplacental passage of pesticides.

The present study has shown the presence of DDT * and its metabolite DDE in the blood of pregnant women, fetal blood, amniotic fluid, and vernix caseosa. Transplacental passage has been clearly demonstrated by the determinations of measurable levels of DDT and DDE in cord blood, amniotic fluid, and vernix caseosa.
Isolated traumatic brain injury in patients with cirrhosis: do different treatment paradigms result in increased mortality?

Abstract Background Cirrhosis is associated with increased mortality in trauma, yet its effects on outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are unclear. We hypothesized that cirrhosis adversely effects mortality and increases complications after TBI. Methods Cirrhotic patients with isolated TBI were matched with noncirrhotic TBI patients in a 3:1 ratio based on age, sex, injury mechanism, and injury severity score at our academic, level 1 trauma center. Results Of the 8,748 patients with isolated TBI, 65 patients had concurrent cirrhosis. Cirrhotic patients had increased mortality compared with matched controls (31% vs 17%, P = .03) and were less likely to undergo emergent neurosurgical operation (12% vs 25%, P = .03). There was no difference in admission Glasgow Coma Score, type of intracranial hemorrhage, length of stay, or complications between the groups. Conclusions Cirrhotic patients have increased mortality after TBI and were less likely to undergo operative intervention. New treatment paradigms may be needed to improve outcomes for cirrhotic patients suffering TBI.
Investigating membrane nanoporation induced by bipolar pulsed electric fields via second harmonic generation

Electric pulses have become an effective tool for transporting cargo (DNA, drugs, etc.) across cell membranes. This enhanced transport is believed to occur through temporary pores formed in the plasma membrane. Traditionally, millisecond duration, monopolar (MP) pulses are used for electroporation, but bipolar (BP) pulses have proven equally effective as MP pulses with the added advantage of less cytotoxicity. With the goal of further reducing cytotoxic effects and inducing non-thermal, intra-cellular effects, researchers began investigating reduced pulse durations, pushing into the nanosecond regime. Cells exposed to these MP, nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) have shown increased repairable membrane permeability and selective channel activation. However, attempts to improve this further by moving to the BP pulse regime has proven unsuccessful. In the present work, we use second harmonic generation imaging to explore the structural effects of bipolar nsPEFs on the plasma membrane. By varying the...
Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a malignant epithelial tumor that occurs almost exclusively in smokers. It accounts for approximately 13% of lung cancer diagnoses in the United States annually. For treatment planning, SCLC is divided into either limited stage disease (LS-SCLC- that is, disease is confined to the chest and can be encompassed within a tolerable radiation field)- or extensive stage disease (ES-SCLC). Approximately 60-70% of patients with SCLC have extensive stage disease (ES-SCLC) at diagnosis. With treatment, the median survival times are about 18-30 months in LS-SCLC and 8-12 months in ES-SCLC.
Optofluidic lasers in blood

The first demonstration of lasing in human whole blood was achieved by using the Indocyanine green as the gain media via an optofluidic ring-resonator, which may lead to novel clinical applications of optofluidic lasers.
Mycotoxins - Their Biosynthesis in Fungi: Biosynthesis of the Trichothecenes.

The biosynthetic pathway as currently postulated for trichothecin, a model 12,13-epoxy-Δ9-trichothecene, involves the following sequence: 3 mevalonic acids → farnesyl pyrophosphate → trichodiene → trichodiol → 12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene → trichodermol → 12,13-epoxy,4β, 8a-dihydroxy-trichothec-9-ene → trichothecolone → trichothecin.
2000 Emotion and the Brain

Emotion is not a function of the primitive brain, sometimes called the limbic system, and can be studied as discrete functions, such as fear, that are assignable to specific anatomical regions of the brain.
BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education): A Research and Mentoring Focused Summer STEM Camp Serving Underrepresented High School Girls

BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education) Camp is a hands-on two-week residential summer science experience on the Fairfield University campus, in Fairfield CT, USA. The annual program targets 24 young women who attend high school in our neighboring city of Bridgeport, CT, the most economically depressed city in CT. The camp, which is free to students, includes three components. The first is the week-long Research Immersion Experience, which engages students in faculty-mentored science research projects assisted by current undergraduate STEM majors. The second component is Career Exploration, which allows students to explore a variety of careers in science, technology, and healthcare, as well as the academic paths required to get there. The third component is College Admissions Counseling, which links campers with Fairfield University’s undergraduate admissions staff for mentoring on the college application process. This program is particularly unique in that it rests entirely on a female staff, engaging Fairfield University’s women STEM faculty and undergraduate STEM majors. BASE Camp was founded and developed through funding from several organizations, and is currently supported by a five-year R25 grant from the NIMHD (National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities), National Institutes of Health. After four years in this format, the program has engaged close to 100 young women. Data collected show nearly 100% camper satisfaction with the program. In addition, we found the camp increased camper perception of their science knowledge and confidence, as well as understanding of skills required to succeed in careers in science and health. Finally, in a follow-up survey we found that 95% have applied to, or plan to apply to, college, and 87% are interested in pursuing a STEM or health-related career. The close mentorship of these young women by female role models at the faculty and undergraduate levels has greatly contributed to the success and efficacy of this experience. We hope our program can be used as a model for others to create programming in an effort to promote and support underrepresented women in the pursuit of STEM careers.
Disparities and change over time in distance women would need to travel to have an abortion in the USA: a spatial analysis

Summary Background Abortion can help women to control their fertility and is an important component of health care for women. Although women in the USA who live further from an abortion clinic are less likely to obtain an abortion than women who live closer to an abortion clinic, no national study has examined inequality in access to abortion and whether inequality has increased as the number of abortion clinics has declined. Methods For this analysis, we obtained data on abortion clinics for 2000, 2011, and 2014 from the Guttmacher Institute's Abortion Provider Census. Block groups and the percentage of women aged 15–44 years by census tract were obtained from the US Census Bureau. Distance to the nearest clinic was calculated for the population-weighted centroid of every block group. We calculated the median distance to an abortion clinic for women in each county and the median and 80th percentile distances for each state by weighting block groups by the number of women of reproductive age (15–44 years). Findings In 2014, women in the USA would have had to travel a median distance of 10·79 miles (17·36 km) to reach the nearest abortion clinic, although 20% of women would have had to travel 42·54 miles (68·46 km) or more. We found substantially greater variation within than between states because, even in mostly rural states, women and clinics were concentrated in urban areas. We identified spatial disparities in abortion access, which were broadly unchanged, at least as far back as 2000. Interpretation We showed substantial and persistent spatial disparities in access to abortion in the USA. These results contribute to an emerging literature documenting similar disparities in other high-income countries. Funding An anonymous grant to the Guttmacher Institute.
A Diazido Mannose Analogue as a Chemoenzymatic Synthon for Synthesizing Di‐N‐acetyllegionaminic Acid‐Containing Glycosides

A chemoenzymatic synthon was designed to expand the scope of the chemoenzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates. The synthon was enzymatically converted into carbohydrate analogues, which were readily derivatized chemically to produce the desired targets. The strategy is demonstrated for the synthesis of glycosides containing 7,9-di-N-acetyllegionaminic acid (Leg5,7Ac2 ), a bacterial nonulosonic acid (NulO) analogue of sialic acid. A versatile library of α2-3/6-linked Leg5,7Ac2 -glycosides was built by using chemically synthesized 2,4-diazido-2,4,6-trideoxymannose as a chemoenzymatic synthon for highly efficient one-pot multienzyme (OPME) sialylation followed by downstream chemical conversion of the azido groups into acetamido groups. The syntheses required 10 steps from commercially available d-fucose and had an overall yield of 34-52 %, thus representing a significant improvement over previous methods. Free Leg5,7Ac2 monosaccharide was also synthesized by a sialic acid aldolase-catalyzed reaction.
Neural, Behavioral, and Measurement Considerations in the Detection of Motor Impairment

Motor disorders are closely associated with exposure to most classes of neurotoxic substances as well as aging and a range of neurological disorders. Motor function reflects the output of several components of the central and peripheral nervous system. In animal models, careful observation and the application of certain tests can reveal behavioral effects of exposure and lead to hypotheses about their underlying neural bases. Behavior principles can be used to synthesize customized behavioral applications, achieve a finer-grained characterization of motor disabilities, and identify the effects at low exposure levels. Underlying all of these considerations is measurement. Measurement theory contributes to a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to assessing motor disabilities. These can be brought together to enhance the detection and understanding of overt as well as more nuanced motor effects of drugs and neurotoxicants.
Immune Responses to Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells

The demonstrated capacity and potential of pluripotent stem cells to repair the damaged tissues holds great promise in development of novel cell replacement therapeutics for treating various chronic and degenerative diseases. However, previous reports show that stem cell therapy, in autologous and allogeneic settings, triggers immune responses to stem cells as shown by lymphocyte infiltration and inflammation. Therefore, an important issue to be addressed is how the host immune system responds to engrafted autologous stem cells or allogenous stem cells. In this chapter, we summarize progress in several related topics in this field, including some of our data, in five sections: (1) mechanisms regarding the immunogenicity of stem cells; (2) methods to inhibit immune rejection to allogeneic stem cells; (3) immune responses to cancer (tumor) stem cells; (4) role of CD4+CD25high Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in regulating anti-stem cell immune reactions; and (5) role of mesenchymal stem cells in regulating anti-stem cell immune responses. Improvement of our understanding on these aspects of immune system-stem cell interaction would definitely facilitate development of stem cell-based therapeutics for regenerative purposes.
Catholic Education and Social Justice

Catholic institutions of higher learning compete mightily for students, faculty, and research dollars with other colleges and universities. Yet, the history and tradition of many Catholic institutions offer a unique faith perspective from which to understand and appreciate the role of the Catholic university as serving the common good. Catholic social teaching is an essential part of the Catholic intellectual tradition and is indispensable for fulfilling the Church’s mission through higher education.
Superexchange Mediated Superconductivity in the Single Band Hubbard Model

We discuss the physics of BCS pairing in the strongly correlated single band Hubbard model close to half-filling. In contrast to spin-fluctuation mediated pairing of importance in 3 He and heavy Fermion systems, we argue that the superexchange mediated pairing proposed by Anderson is stabilized by short range antiferromagnetic spin ordering. A mean field calculation shows that coexistence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity is a stable solution for a doped Mott-Hubbard system.
Abstract 4112: Synthetic luciferin, CycLuc1, improves bioluminescence imaging for intracranial glioblastoma xenografts

Background: Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) of firefly luciferase expressing cells is widely used for analysis of growth, metastasis and drug response in tumor xenografts. D-luciferin, a commonly used luciferase substrate, has limited brain distribution that may undermine BLI for intracranial xenografts. The synthetic luciferin cyclic alkylamino-luciferin (CycLuc1) is a purported brain penetrant luciferase substrate not yet tested in intracranial xenografts. We compared BLI with CycLuc1 and D-luciferin in a glioblastoma (GBM) xenograft model. Methods: GBM6 cells were lentivirally transduced to express LUC2=tdTomato fusion protein. In vivo BLI were performed in orthotopic and heterotopic xenografts established in athymic nude mice. Concentrations of D-luciferin and CycLuc1 were measured by LC-MS/MS. Results: In a dose-response analysis, CycLuc1 at 5 mg/kg provided robust and reproducible imaging; however, an increased photon flux was observed with 10 mg/kg, while escalation to 15 or 20 mg/kg provided marginal additional gains in photon flux. In comparison of CycLuc1 (5 or 25 mg/kg) and D-luciferin (30 or 150 mg/kg, respectively) with serial, crossover BLI at both dose levels, CycLuc1 resulted in less variability and significantly higher photon flux as compared to D-luciferin in GBM6 intracranial xenografts (15 days after implantation). On average BLI with 25 mg/kg CycLuc1 resulted in ~8 fold greater photon flux from these early-stage xenografts as compared to 150 mg/kg D-luciferin (2.9±0.6x106 vs. 3.3±2.8x105 p/sec/cm2, p Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that CycLuc1 may be a superior BLI substrate as compared to D-luciferin for monitoring tumor growth of intracranial GBM xenografts. Citation Format: Shiv K. Gupta, Minjee Kim, Bianca-Maria Marin, Lihong He, Katelyn Swanson, Tuma Tuma, Brett L. Carlson, Mark A. Schroeder, William F. Elmquist, Jann N. Sarkaria. Synthetic luciferin, CycLuc1, improves bioluminescence imaging for intracranial glioblastoma xenografts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4112.
An Adaptive Actuator Failure Compensation Scheme for A Hexarotor System with Parameter Uncertainties

In this paper, an adaptive control design is developed for hexarotor systems subject to uncertain parameters and unknown actuator failures. The developed control scheme consists of a control signal distributor and a state feedback controller equipped with adaptive laws. It is verified that the control distribution matrix ensures that under different uncertain actuator failure patterns the controlled system has high frequency gain matrices whose equivalent signs are invariant. A nominal control scheme is first constructed for the case of known parameters and failures, to demonstrate the existence of the plant and reference model matching parameters. A multivariable model reference adaptive controller is developed to deal with system and failure uncertainties, using an LDS gain matrix decomposition based parametrization for the derivation of the estimation error and adaptive law. Such a control design effectively utilizes the controller adaptation and system actuation redundancy to compensate for possible uncertain actuator failures in the presence of system uncertainties. Simulation results are presented to verify the desired performance of the adaptive compensation scheme developed for hexarotor systems.
Engineering Identity Formation and Communication in a Digital Age

To investigate what today’s students think about communication’s role in an engineering career, and about related aspects of their engineering identity, the authors developed the Engineering Communication Identity Survey and administered it to students in selected freshman courses at their own college. This paper reports on some of the results, including a notable finding that students’ responses were generally much more “pro-communication” than expected. The authors hope to engage future collaborators from a range of engineering programs and industrial settings to compile and compare data as well as anecdotal observations and evidence.
Iron(II) tetrafluoroborate complexes of new tetradentate C-scorpionates as catalysts for the oxidative cleavage of trans-stilbene with H2O2

Attachment of a 2-methylpyridyl group onto the unique 1-nitrogen atom on nitrogen-confused C-scorpionates with either pyrazol-1-yl or 3,5 dimethylpyrazol-1-yl donors gives two new cis-directing tetradentate-N4 ligands (L and L*). The complexes [(L or L*)Fe(CH3CN)2](BF4)2 (1 or 2) were prepared, fully characterized, and investigated for their ability to catalyse the oxidative cleaveage of trans-stilbene in CH3CN. Complexes 1 and 2 are capable of catalysing stilbene cleavage when H2O2 is used as an oxidant but up to six different products are formed, with C[double bond, length as m-dash]C cleavage products (benzaldehyde and benzoic acid) dominating over four products of oxygen transfer. Catalytic amounts of 1 or 2 enhance the ability for the organic photocatalyst riboflavin tetraacetate to use atmospheric oxygen and blue light irradation (450-460 nm) to selectively cleave stilbene to benzaldehyde. However, when benzaldehyde oxidizes further to benzoic acid, the iron species begin giving increasing amounts of stilbene oxygenation products.
Exposure in an Increasingly Bilingual World: Native Language Exposure Therapy With a Non-Language Matched Therapist:

Language is an essential part of psychotherapy and experts in cultural competence encourage the consideration of language as an element in cultural adaptation to therapy. Providing clients with ser...
A process approach to understanding multiple open source innovation contests – Assessing the contest structures, execution, and participant responses in the android developer challenges

Abstract As organizations recognize the importance of open innovation, understanding emerging mechanisms for soliciting outside participation is a growing area of academic interest. Strategies can be as diverse as hosting innovation contests, sponsoring open source software (OSS) communities, or engaging in bilateral partnerships. While these have been studied as distinct strategies, more recent work has identified the possibility for combining these approaches, or deploying different methods at different times. Because each of these open innovation strategies are characterized by different incentive systems as well as different work and social practices, the combination of these can reveal unexpected participant responses (e.g., collaboration in innovation contests, competitive behavior in OSS communities). This study examines an explicit attempt to combine these strategies, to host an open source innovation contest. Through the case of Google's Android Developer Challenge, a series of multi-million dollar innovation contests used to launch an OSS community over several years, this study utilized a process approach to understanding open source innovation contests to understand how participants responded and also how the contest conditions changed over time. We found several practices of competition and collaboration that worked around the short term and long term incentives and constraints posed by the contest. We also followed the contest through various transition phases and found that participants reacted strongly to changes in structure, execution, and shifting conditions over time. Through this case, we extend our understanding of innovation contests as a process and specifically the promises and pitfalls of open source innovation contests.
Towards Provably Correct Probabilistic Flight Systems

Safety envelopes are meant to determine under which conditions and state space regions a probabilistic property of a data-driven system can be asserted with high confidence. Dynamic data-driven applications systems (DDDAS) can make use of safety envelopes to be cognizant of the formal warranties derived from their models and assumptions. An example of safety envelopes is presented as the intersection of two simpler concepts: \(z\)-predictability and \(\tau \)-confidence; which correspond to state estimation and classification, respectively. To illustrate safety envelopes, stall detection from signal energy is shown with data gathered by piezo-electric sensors in a composite wing inside a wind tunnel under varying angles of attack and airspeed configuration. A formalization of these safety envelopes is presented in the Agda proof assistant, from which formally proven sentinel code can be generated.
Interleukin-6 promotes primitive endoderm development in bovine blastocysts

Interleukin-6 (IL6) was recently identified as an embryotrophic factor in bovine embryos, where it acts primarily to mediate inner cell mass (ICM) size. This work explored whether IL6 affects epiblast (EPI) and primitive endoderm (PE) development, the two embryonic lineages generated from the ICM after its formation. Nuclear markers for EPI (NANOG) and PE (GATA6) were used to differentiate the two cell types. Increases (P < 0.05) in total ICM cell numbers and PE cell numbers were detected in bovine blastocysts at day 8 and 9 post-fertilization after exposure to 100 ng/ml recombinant bovine IL6. Also, IL6 increased (P < 0.05) the number of undifferentiated ICM cells (cells containing both PE and EPI markers). The effects of IL6 on EPI cell numbers were inconsistent. Studies were also completed to explore the importance of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-dependent signaling in bovine PE cells. Definitive activation of STAT3, a downstream target for JAK2, was observed in PE cells. Also, pharmacological inhibition of JAK2 decreased (P < 0.05) PE cell numbers. To conclude, IL6 manipulates ICM development after EPI/PE cell fates are established. The PE cells are the target for IL6, where a JAK-dependent signal is used to regulate PE numbers.
Subhadra: Self-sacrifice to Protection and Prosperity

Subhadra is the sister of Krishna and Balarama, with whom she is worshipped in classical India as Goddess Ekanamsa/Subhadra. Three narrative elements form an important part of her story in the Mahabharata and the other Puranas. Story of Subhadra, the multi-faceted feminine divine of India is preserved in the Harivamsa and the Mahabharata in addition to brief narration in the Jain texts, which are examined in this chapter. As a wife of Arjuna, mother of Aniruddha, she is an important link between the families of Yadavas and Pandavas and the subsequent history of Mathura and Hastinapura. Her journeys are symbolic of the feminine divine as well as feminine heroic.
The Impact of Payday Lending on Crimes

Police departments located in states allowing payday lending report 14.34% more property crimes than the police departments located in states not allowing payday lending. I also find that the police departments located in counties bordering with states allowing payday lending report more property crimes. Those results are driven by the financial pressure induced by payday loans. Furthermore, the impact of payday lending concentrates in areas with a higher proportion of the minority population.
Patient-Specific Factors Drive Intensive Care Unit and Total Hospital Length of Stay in Operative Patients with Brain Tumor.

Background Hospital length of stay (LOS) is an important cost driver in neurosurgery. Broader surgical literature has shown that patient-related factors, including comorbidities, and procedure-related factors, such surgeon experience, may be associated with LOS. Because value optimization strategies may be targeted toward either domain, this study investigated the contributions of patient-related and procedure-related factors in predicting prolonged intensive care unit LOS (iLOS) and total hospital LOS (tLOS). Methods Data for adult patients undergoing brain tumor surgery (2017–2019) were collected. Bivariate analyses for iLOS and tLOS were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact test. Variables associated with either outcome with P Results Our 654 patients had a mean age of 57.54 years (standard deviation, ± 14.34 years). For iLOS, the patient-only model significantly outperformed the procedure-only model (P Conclusions Patient-specific factors are the main drivers of prolonged iLOS and tLOS among patients with brain tumor. Frailty was significantly associated with both iLOS and tLOS on multivariate analysis. Efforts to improve care value should focus on strategies to optimize patient status, such as prehabilitation and enhanced recovery after surgery.
Transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy: elucidating prevention strategies and identifying high-risk patients.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is a severe complication of transplant. TA-TMA is a multifactorial disease where generalized endothelial dysfu...
Improved outcomes using laparoscopy for emergency colectomy after mitigating bias by negative control exposure analysis

Abstract Background Laparoscopy is superior to open surgery for elective colectomy, but its role in emergency colectomy remains unclear. Previous studies were small and limited by confounding because surgeons may have selected lower-risk patients for laparoscopy. We therefore studied the effect of attempting laparoscopy for emergency colectomies while adjusting for confounding using multiple techniques in a large, nationwide registry. Methods Using National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data, we identified emergency colectomy cases from 2014 to 2018. We first compared outcomes between patients who underwent laparoscopic versus open surgery, while adjusting for baseline variables using both propensity scores and regression. Next, we performed a negative control exposure analysis. By assuming that the group that converted to open did not benefit from the attempt at laparoscopy, we used the observed benefit to bound the effect of unmeasured confounding. Results Of 21,453 patients meeting criteria, 3,867 underwent laparoscopy, of which 1,375 converted to open. In both inverse probability of treatment weighting and regression analyses, attempting laparoscopy was associated with improved 30-day mortality, overall morbidity, anastomotic leak, surgical site infection, postoperative septic shock, and length of hospital stay compared with open surgery. These effects were consistent with the lower bounds computed from the converted group. Conclusion Laparoscopic surgery for colorectal emergencies appears to improve outcomes compared with open surgery. The benefit is observed even after adjusting for both measured and unmeasured confounding using multiple statistical approaches, thus suggesting a benefit not attributable to patient selection.
Recent HVPE grown solar cells at NREL

In this work we present solar cells grown via hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) in NREL’s dynamic HVPE reactor. We show single junction GaAs and GaInP solar cells with efficiencies as high as 25.5% and 15.2% respectively, and dual junction solar cells with an efficiency of 24.9%.
Reconstruction, optimization, and design of heterogeneous materials and media: Basic principles, computational algorithms, and applications

Abstract Modeling of heterogeneous materials and media is a problem of fundamental importance to a wide variety of phenomena with applications to many disciplines, ranging from condensed and soft materials, fuel cells, alloys, and composite media, to biological materials such as proteins, and even such large-scale structure as field-scale porous media and clusters of galaxies. While several approaches have been developed over the past several decades to address this class of problems, it has become increasingly clear that a most fruitful approach to the problem is by reconstruction: given a certain amount of data for a given medium, how should one develop a model for the medium that not only honors (reproduces) the data, but also provides accurate predictions for those properties of the medium for which no data are available, or are hard to measure. Although deterministic approaches were developed to address the problem, given that the amount of available data is typically limited, the uncertainty in the models is large and, at the same time the deterministic approaches cannot provide any quantitative measure of the uncertainty in the models. Thus, it became clear that the best that one can hope for is developing stochastic methods of reconstruction that not only can generate plausible realizations of the media of interest, but also provide quantitative measures of the uncertainty in the realizations. The literature on the subject is rich. Some have formulated the problem as one of optimization: one begins with a “guess” for the structure of a medium, and defines an “energy” or “cost” function that represents a quantitative measure of the difference between the data and the corresponding “predictions” of the model. There are many optimization techniques, ranging from simulated annealing and its variants, to Nature-inspired methods, such as the genetic algorithm. Through optimization one varies systematically the initial guess for the morphology of the medium in order to finally identify a structure for the medium that minimizes the energy in a global sense. the cost or energy function may be based on direct measurements of some properties, or based on various two- or three-point statistical correlation functions. A second approach attempts to mimic the physical process that gave rise to the medium. The third approach uses a global cross-correlation function, together with some concepts from graph theory in order to achieve the goal of reconstruction. This Review describes and discusses the current important methods of reconstruction. After describing the relevant theoretical and computational aspects of reconstruction and the various approaches to the problem, a wide variety of applications are described, and comparison is made between the reconstructed systems and their properties and the existing data. Finally, the problem of developing new classes of materials with specific properties, based on reconstruction techniques is discussed.
Microstructures and Stabilization Mechanisms of Nanocrystalline Iron-Chromium Alloys with Hafnium Addition

The low thermal stability of nanocrystalline metals severely limits their applications at high temperatures. In this study, we investigate the nanocrystalline stabilization mechanisms for Fe-14Cr alloys with 1, 2, and 4 at. pct Hf addition at 1173 K (900 °C). Microstructural characterizations using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveal high density of HfO2 nanoparticles with sizes of ~4 nm dispersed throughout the ferritic matrix. This indicates that kinetic stabilization by HfO2 nanoparticle pinning is primarily responsible for the observed high thermal stability. In addition, some Hf and Cr segregation on grain boundaries is observed in the Fe-14Cr-4Hf, suggesting the existence of thermodynamic stabilization at high Hf content. Second-phase precipitations such as hafnium carbide, M23C6, and Fe-Cr-Hf intermetallic phase are also found in the Fe-14Cr-4Hf, but their large sizes and inter-spacing suggest that their contribution to stabilization is minimal.
Fabrication of high aspect ratio doping region by using trench filling of epitaxial Si growth

A new trench filling epitaxial Si growth process has been proposed for the high aspect ratio doping region. This epitaxial process realizes the reducing void size in the trench compared with a conventional epitaxial process. The influence of the micro-void on multi-RESURF effect has been estimated by using numerical simulation. The decrease of breakdown voltage of simulated structures with micro-void that reflect experimental results is below 2.5% compared with ideal non-void structure.
N-Body Methods and the Formation of Large-Scale Structure

I review the N-body techniques that have been used to study the evolution of large-scale structure in the Universe. After a brief summary of the initial conditions expected in universes dominated by weakly interacting massive particles, I discuss the nonlinear structure found in neutrino-dominated and cold dark matter dominated models. The cold dark matter model currently appears the most attractive possibility and is able to reproduce observed structures from galaxy halos up to rich galaxy clusters. The distribution of galaxy formation sites in this model may be biased in the manner required to make a flat universe consistent with dynamical constraints from galaxy groups and clusters and from the Local Supercluster.
Application of nonlinear observers for rotor position detection on an induction motor using machine voltages and currents

The principles and operation of a unique, terminal properties-based speed and position sensing approach for induction machines are demonstrated. A closed-loop nonlinear observer is proposed which uses an analytical model to calculate, in real time, the mechanical states of rotor speed and position given the torque command to the system and the induction motor terminal voltages and line currents. The uniqueness of this observer is that it uses inherent machine magnetic saliency and winding asymmetry to develop a magnetic encoder model of the machine itself. The error between the measured and calculated spatial harmonic EMFs is then used to drive the observer to accurate position and speed estimates in the presence of model parameter errors. Experimental data are included which show harmonic flux terms identified, measured and compared with an analytical model using a slip-ring induction motor with the rotor windings open and short circuited. >
Surviving success : policy reform and the future of industrial pollution in China

China's recent industrial growth, a remarkable success story, has been clouded by hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and incidents of serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to industrial air pollution. Seriously contaminated by industrial discharges, many of China's waterways are largely unfit for direct human use. This damage could be substantially reduced at modest cost. Industrial reform combined with stricter environmental regulation has reduced organic water pollution in many areas and has curbed the growth of air pollution. But much higher levels of emissions controls (of particulates and sulfur dioxide) are warranted in China's polluted cities. For the cost-benefit analysis that led to this conclusion, the authors developed three scenarios projecting pollution damage under varying assumptions about future policies. Their findings are: Even if regulation is not tightened further, continued economic reform should have a powerful effect on pollution intensity. Organic water pollution will stabilize in many areas and actually decline in some. Air pollution will continue growing in most areas but at a much slower pace than industrial output. The cost of inaction would be high--most of China's waterways will remain heavily polluted, and many thousands of people will die or suffer serious respiratory damage. Continuing current trends in tightened regulation for water pollution will lead to sharp improvements; adopting an economically feasible policy of much stricter regulation will restore the health of many waterways. The stakes are even higher for air pollution because regulatory enforcement has weakened in many areas in the past five years. Reversing that trend will save many lives at extremely modest cost. China's National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) has recommended a tenfold increase in the air pollution levy; adopting NEPA's very conservative recommendation would produce a major turnaround in most cities. For representative Chinese cities, a fiftyfold increase in the levy is probably warranted economically. To be cost-effective, heavy sources of particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions should be targeted for abatement. Reducing emissions from large private plants is so cheap that only significant abatement makes sense -- at least 70 percent abatement of sulfur dioxide particulates and even greater abatement of particulates in large urban industrial facilities.
Effects of Mannose on the Growth of N(2)-Fixing Azotobacter vinelandii.

Mannose is not a suitable substrate for N2-fixing Azotobacter vinelandii. However, when H2 gas is provided, A. vinelandii can grow mixotrophically with H2 as the energy source and mannose as the carbon source (T.-Y. Wong and R. J. Maier, J. Bacteriol. 163:528-533, 1985). In this report, seven sugars were used to determine whether A. vinelandii could derive energy from these sugars for mannose utilization. Supplementation of fructose- or galactose-limited medium with mannose did not influence the biomass produced by N2-fixing A. vinelandii. The presence of mannose in glucose- or maltose-limited cultures increased cell yield slightly. The addition of mannose decreased the total biomass in the melibiose-limited culture slightly. Mannose was a potent inhibitor of growth when sucrose or turanose was used as the primary sugar. The inhibitory effect of mannose on utilization of sucrose and turanose seems to be related to the energy requirement of the N2-fixing processes.
Exploring computer science with Scheme

A presentation of the central and basic concepts, techniques, and tools of computer science, with the emphasis on presenting a problem-solving approach and on providing a survey of all of the most important topics covered in degree programmes. Scheme is used throughout as the programming language and the author stresses a functional programming approach to create simple functions so as to obtain the desired programming goal. Such simple functions are easily tested individually, which greatly helps in producing programs that work correctly first time. Throughout, the author aids to writing programs, and makes liberal use of boxes with "Mistakes to Avoid." Programming examples include: * abstracting a problem; * creating pseudo code as an intermediate solution; * top-down and bottom-up design; * building procedural and data abstractions; * writing progams in modules which are easily testable. Numerous exercises help readers test their understanding of the material and develop ideas in greater depth, making this an ideal first course for all students coming to computer science for the first time.
Comparison of biotinylated DNA and RNA probes for rapid detection of varicella-zoster virus genome by in situ hybridization.

Abstract We describe a general method for the production of nonisotopic DNA and RNA probes for the detection of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) genome by in situ hybridization. VZV DNA was extracted from purified viral nucleocapsids, cleaved with restriction enzyme (RE) BamHI, and cloned into plasmid pBR322 by the standard vector insert procedure. We cloned over 85% of the VZV genome and obtained 18 recombinants. Plasmids containing the B, F, G, H, and J fragments of VZV DNA were labeled by the nick translation method with biotin-11-dUTP as the dTTP analog. Additionally, the B fragment was cleaved with RE AvaI, subcloned into the plasmid pGEM-4 transcription vector, and subsequently linearized with REs PstI and EcoRI. RNA was transcribed with T7 or SP6 polymerase, with a substitution of allylamine-UTP as the UTP analog, and labeled with epsilon-caproylamidobiotin-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester. The DNA and RNA probes were used under full-stringency conditions for in situ hybridization with alkaline phosphatase as the detector and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate-Nitro Blue Tetrazolium as the substrate. When tested under comparable conditions, the RNA probe was slightly more sensitive than was the DNA probe: both probes showed homology only with VZV-infected cells and clinical tissues and not with the other herpesviruses. Probes prepared from variable regions of the genome (fragments F and J) performed as well as did those from conserved regions (fragments B. G. and H). Biotinylated probes have distinct advantages over isotopic probes and retain their full potency for more than 2 years when stored properly.
Dietary n-3 fatty acids differentially modulate cecal bacterial populations and intestinal inflammation in colitis-prone mice (382.4)

30% of adults in the United States take n-3 supplements. Dietary lipids, including n-3 fatty acids, alter an individual’s risk for developing inflammatory bowel disease. However, the effect of diet...
The Riemann Integral of a Bounded Function

Let [a,b] be a closed interval in ℝ, let f be a bounded function [a,b] →ℝ, and let M be a bound for f, so that |f(x)| ≤ M for each x ∈ [a,b]. The notations [a,b], f, and M will be used in this sense throughout this section.
Simulating proton translocations in proteins: Probing proton transfer pathways in the Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction center

A general method for simulating proton translocations in proteins and for exploring the role of different proton transfer pathways is developed and examined. The method evaluates the rate constants for proton transfer processes using the energetics of the relevant proton configurations. The energies (DeltaG((m))) of the different protonation states are evaluated in two steps. First, the semimicroscopic version of the protein dipole Langevin dipole (PDLD/S) method is used to evaluate the intrinsic energy of bringing the protons to their protein sites, when the charges of all protein ionized residues are set to zero. Second, the interactions between the charged groups are evaluated by using a Coulomb's Law with an effective dielectric constant. This approach, which was introduced in an earlier study by one of the authors of the current report, allows for a very fast determination of any DeltaG((m)) and for practical evaluation of the time-dependent proton population: That is, the rate constants for proton transfer processes are evaluated by using the corresponding DeltaG((m)) values and a Marcus type relationship. These rate constants are then used to construct a master equation, the integration of which by a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method yields the proton population as a function of time. The integration evaluates, 'on the fly,' the changes of the rate constants as a result of the time-dependent changes in charge-charge interaction, and this feature benefits from the fast determination of DeltaG((m)). The method is demonstrated in a preliminary study of proton translocation processes in the reaction center of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. It is found that proton transfer across water chains involves significant activation barriers and that ionized protein residues probably are involved in the proton transfer pathways. The potential of the present method in analyzing mutation experiments is discussed briefly and illustrated. The present study also examines different views of the nature of proton translocations in proteins. It is shown that such processes are controlled mainly by the electrostatic interaction between the proton site and its surroundings rather than by the local bond rearrangements of water molecules that are involved in the proton pathways. Thus, the overall rate of proton transport frequently is controlled by the highest barrier along the conduction pathway. Proteins 1999;36:484-500.