cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Randomized Controlled Trial Demonstrating Cost-Effective Method of Olfactory Training in Clinical Practice: Essential Oils at Uncontrolled Concentration.

Objectives Published data examining the efficacy of olfactory training (OT) has used standardized concentrations of odorants and the Sniffin’ Sticks testing method. Although well-validated, these methods are costly and time-intensive for the average otolaryngology practice. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of using essential oils at random concentrations and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Test (UPSIT) for training and testing, and compare this with the existing data on OT. Study Design Randomized Clinical TrialMethods: Patients presenting to a tertiary care rhinology center with subjective loss of smell and olfactory loss measured by UPSIT were randomized to OT or control for 6 months. Only patients with loss of smell greater than one-year duration, and loss associated with post-infectious and idiopathic etiologies were included. Baseline UPSIT was compared to 6-month UPSIT. An accepted 10% change or better was used to establish a significant improvement on UPSIT. Results 43 patients were enrolled. Eight patients were lost to follow-up, with a total of 35 completing the study. Age ranged from 39–71 with an average of 56. Of 19 patients in the OT group, 6 showed significant improvement (32%), while only two out of 16 patients (13%) in the control group improved. Increasing age and duration of loss were significantly correlated to lack of improvement. Conclusion Allowing patients to use random concentrations of essential oils to perform OT is as effective as published data using controlled concentrations of odorants for post-infectious and idiopathic olfactory loss. Level of Evidence 1b.
Persistence of Escherichia coli O157: H7 during pilot-scale processing of iceberg lettuce using flume water containing peroxyacetic acid-based sanitizers and various organic loads

In order to minimize cross-contamination during leafy green processing, chemical sanitizers are routinely added to the wash water. This study assessed the efficacy of peroxyacetic acid and mixed peracid against E. coli O157:H7 on iceberg lettuce, in wash water, and on equipment during simulated commercial production in a pilot-scale processing line using flume water containing various organic loads. Iceberg lettuce (5.4kg) inoculated to contain 106CFU/g of a 4-strain cocktail of non-toxigenic, GFP-labeled, ampicillin-resistant E. coli O157:H7, was shredded using a commercial shredder, step-conveyed to a flume tank, washed for 90s using water alone or two different sanitizing treatments (50ppm peroxyacetic acid or mixed peracid) in water containing organic loads of 0, 2.5, 5 or 10% (w/v) blended iceberg lettuce, and then dried using a shaker table and centrifugal dryer. Thereafter, three 5.4-kg batches of uninoculated iceberg lettuce were identically processed. Various product (25g) and water (50ml) samples collected during processing along with equipment surface samples (100cm2) from the flume tank, shaker table and centrifugal dryer were then assessed for numbers of E. coli O157:H7. Organic load rarely impacted (P>0.05) the efficacy of either peroxyacetic acid or mixed peracid, with typical reductions of >5logCFU/ml in wash water throughout processing for all organic loads. Increases in organic load in the wash water corresponded to changes in total solids, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, maximum filterable volume, and oxidation/reduction potential. After 90s of exposure to flume water, E. coli O157:H7 reductions on inoculated lettuce ranged from 0.97 to 1.74logCFU/g using peroxyacetic acid, with an average reduction of 1.35logCFU/g for mixed peracid. E. coli O157:H7 persisted on all previously uninoculated lettuce following the inoculated batch, emphasizing the need for improved intervention strategies that can better ensure end-product safety.
Lymphocytic thrombophilic arteritis: A distinct inflammatory type I interferon and C5b-9 mediated subcutaneous endovasculitis.

Abstract Background Lymphocytic thrombophilic arteritis is a recently recognized subcuticular larger vessel vasculitis characterized by striking vascular luminal thrombosis. Methods The clinical features, histopathology and phenotypic profile of ten patients with lymphocytic thrombophilic arteritis were explored in an attempt to better define the entity from a clinical and pathophysiologic perspective. Results The patients were all female (mean age of 43) presenting with generally asymptomatic lower and upper extremity hyperpigmented macules. A consistent picture diagnostic of a connective tissue disease syndrome was not seen. The disease was not progressive although it was typically persistent. The morphology was characterized by a temporally heterogeneous subcutaneous arteritis targeting the endothelium and intima with changes ranging from incipient intimal expansion by hyaluronic acid to concentric intimal fibrin deposition to one of an end stage acellular intraluminal obliterative fibrous arteriopathy. The infiltrate was predominated by lymphocytes and histiocytes. The intimal elastic lamina was intact in most cases. All tested cases showed intimal and endothelial C5b-9 deposition, an upregulated type I interferon microenvironment and marked upregulation of the inducible interferon gamma 16 protein. Conclusions Lymphocytic thrombophilic arteritis is a unique form of C5b-9 mediated arteritic endotheliopathy where the brunt of the changes involves the endothelium and intima and that is morphologically distinct from the transmural arteritis of benign cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa.
Red team: how to succeed by thinking like the enemy

The term ‘Red Team’ describes a variety of simulation and assessment techniques used by the business, military, intelligence and law enforcement communities that serve one of two functions. On the ...
The Effect of Cancer Information Seeking on Perceptions of Cancer Risks, Fatalism, and Worry among a U.S. National Sample.

ABSTRACTBackground: Information seeking is crucial in the health behavior context. Cancer information seeking may play a key role in individuals’ perceptions and subsequent health behaviors. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of cancer information seeking on perceptions of cancer worry, fatalism and risk. Methods: Data from the 2014 U.S. Health Information and National Trends Survey were used. Fatality index, lifetime risk perceptions, and cancer worry were dependent variables. Each model included cancer information seeking as the independent variable, controlling for the demographic variables (age, gender, education, income, ethnicity, and marital status), body mass index (BMI), and cancer family history. Results: A majority were females (59.76%; n = 1856). The mean age was 53 and most participants were white (52.19%). A majority had a bachelor’s degree or higher (40.11%), and 40.2% were actively seeking information on cancer. Results show that information seeking was a si...
Double Mental Discounting: When a Single Price Promotion Feels Twice as Nice

AbstractThis research finds that when a single gain has strong associations with multiple costs, consumers often mentally deduct that gain from perceived costs multiple times. For example, with some price promotions (e.g., spend $200 now and receive a $50 gift card to spend in the future), consumers mentally deduct the value of the price promotion from the cost of the first purchase when they receive the promotion, as well as from the cost of the second purchase when they use the promotion. Multiple mental deductions based on a single gain result in consumers’ perceptions that their costs are lower than they actually are, which can trigger higher expenditures. This mental accounting phenomenon, referred to as “double mental discounting,” is driven by the extent to which gains feel associated, or coupled, with multiple purchases. This article also documents methods to decouple promotional gains from purchases, thus mitigating double mental discounting.
Aqueous magnesium as an environmental selection pressure in the evolution of phospholipid membranes on early earth

Abstract Early compartmentalization of simple biomolecules by membrane bilayers was, presumably, a critical step in the emergence of the first cell-like entities, protocells. Their membranes were likely composed of single chain amphiphiles (SCAs), but pure SCA membranes especially those with short-chains are highly unstable towards divalent cations, which are ubiquitous in aqueous environments. The prebiotic synthesis of phospholipids (PLs), even in only trace amounts, may also have been possible. PL membranes are much more stable towards divalent cations. Here, we show the transition of fatty acid membranes to mixed fatty acid-PL and, finally, to PL membranes in the presence of Mg2+, which acts as an environmental selection pressure, and we propose different mechanisms for the observed increased Mg2+-immunity. The “fatal” concentration ([Mg2+]fatal) at which vesicles are disrupted increased dramatically by an order of magnitude from OA to mixed to POPC vesicles. Two mechanisms for the increasing immunity were determined. The negative charge density of the vesicles decreased with increasing POPC content, so more Mg2+ was required for disruption. More interestingly, Mg2+ preferentially bound to and abstracted OA from mixed lipid membranes, resulting in relatively POPC-enriched vesicles compared to the initial ratio. The effect was the most dramatic for the largest initial OA-POPC ratio representing the most primitive protocells. Thus, Mg2+ acted to evolve the mixed membrane composition towards PL enrichment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of selective lipid abstraction from mixed SCA-PL vesicles. These results may hold implications for accommodating prebiotic Mg2+-promoted processes such as non-enzymatic RNA polymerization on early Earth.
Association of antidiabetic medication use, cognitive decline, and risk of cognitive impairment in older people with type 2 diabetes: Results from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

OBJECTIVE To determine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between diabetes treatment type and cognitive outcomes among type II diabetics. METHODS We examined the association between metformin use, as compared to other diabetic treatment (ie, insulin, other oral medications, and diet/exercise) and cognitive test performance and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis among 508 cognitively unimpaired at baseline type II diabetics enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. We created propensity scores to adjust for treatment effects. We used multivariate linear and logistic regression models to investigate the cross-sectional association between treatment type and cognitive test z scores, respectively. Mixed effects models and competing risk regression models were used to determine the longitudinal association between treatment type and change in cognitive test z scores and risk of developing incident MCI. RESULTS In linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, education, body mass index, APOE e4, insulin treatment, medical comorbidities, number of medications, duration of diabetes, and propensity score, we did not observe an association between metformin use and cognitive test performance. Additionally, we did not observe an association between metformin use and cognitive test performance over time (median = 3.7-year follow-up). Metformin was associated with an increased risk of MCI (subhazard ratio (SHR) = 2.75; 95% CI = 1.64, 4.63, P < .001). Similarly, other oral medications (SHR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.19, 3.25; P = .009) and insulin (SHR = 3.17; 95% CI = 1.27, 7.92; P = .014) use were also associated with risk of MCI diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that metformin use, as compared to management of diabetes with other treatments, is not associated with cognitive test performance. However, metformin was associated with incident MCI diagnosis.
Monocyte-platelet aggregates in patients with ischemic heart disease

Platelets are a central cellular interface of the thrombotic and inflammatory processes of coronary atherosclerosis and modulate this interface by binding to leukocytes and altering their function. In addition, platelet activation; formation of leukocyte- platelet aggregates (monocyte-platelet aggregates and neutrophil-platelet aggregates); and platelet secretion of inflammatory modulators that affect leukocyte function, such as CD40 ligand, are associated with progression of disease across the entire spectrum of atherothrombosis. Monocyte-platelet aggregates are elevated in stable coronary artery disease and further elevate with plaque rupture, characteristic of percutaneous coronary intervention, acute coronary syndromes, and myocardial infarction. Through this interaction, activated platelets may contribute to the pathogensis of ischemic heart disease by localizing and activating monocytes to the site of the atherosclerotic lesion. These heterotypic aggregates have potential for a number of clinical applications, including measurement as an early marker for plaque rupture, evaluation of the efficacy of antiplatelet therapy, and as a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Additional investigations evaluating these applications as well as the relationship between monocyte-platelet aggregates and outcome are needed.
Striatal Cell-Type Specific Plasticity in Addiction

Abstract The striatum plays a critical role in addiction. Striatal dopamine receptor 1 and 2 (D1 and D2) expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) have functionally distinct output circuits through the basal ganglia network to control behavior. Drugs of abuse enhance mesencephalic dopamine release onto MSNs, which drives MSN plasticity and activity leading to addictive behaviors. Consistent with their differential projections in the basal ganglia, D1- and D2-MSNs have different roles in drug-related behaviors and exhibit differential plasticity adaptations following drug intake. Here, we review and compare how psychostimulants, opiates, and alcohol alter synaptic plasticity on both MSN subtypes via glutamatergic and dopaminergic inputs. In addition, we examine molecular adaptations in MSN subtypes including signaling pathways, transcriptional mechanisms, immediate early genes, and chromatin modifications elicited by these three classes of drugs. This chapter provides a detailed description of the striatal MSN subtype-specific studies, which are crucial to understand the complex neurobiological adaptations underlying addiction.
Not Merely a Matter of Drawing Arrows: The Empirical Consequences of Measurement Model Specification

As the use of multiple-item measures become more prevalent in management and social science research, researchers begin to explore the efficiency and accuracy of the different types of measurement models (i.e., formative, reflective, and MIMIC). Perhaps one of the most important implications from existing research is that measurement specification is not merely a matter of how arrows should be drawn between a construct and its measures – it has empirical consequences (Bagozzi, 2007; Howell, Breivik, & Wilcox, 2007; Jarvis, MacKenzie, & Podsakoff, 2003; Law & Wong, 1999; MacKenzie, Podsakoff, & Javis, 2005). What these empirical consequences are and how substantial they could get are issues which need to be examined more thoroughly. The current study addresses these issues with simulation. Results show that a correctly specified model has significant impact on the estimation of substantive relationships, model fit indices, and factor loadings to various extent. More importantly, we identify items intercorr...
CRANE: A MOOSE-based Open Source Tool for Plasma Chemistry Applications

Numerical simulation of plasma discharges is often performed by models developed in-house and coupling externally and separately written codes. The MOOSE (Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment) framework provides tools for quickly developing and coupling together software in a scalable framework, making it well-suited for plasma simulations. A new MOOSE application, CRANE (Chemical ReAction NEtwork), was developed in order to add an independent chemical kinetics application to the framework. In this work the capabilities of CRANE are detailed, including its use as a standalone solver for global plasma chemistry models. The capability of fully coupling applications in the MOOSE framework is also shown by compiling CRANE directly into the MOOSE-based plasma transport software Zapdos, showing the possibility to solve fully coupled drift-diffusion-reaction plasma chemistry problems. The code is open-source and available at the following url, this https URL.
First-principles investigation of the effect of substitution and surface adsorption on the magnetostrictive performance of Fe-Ga alloys

Materials with large magnetostriction are widely used in sensors, actuators, microelectromechanical systems, and energy harvesters. Binary Fe-Ga alloys (Galfenol) are the most promising rare-earth-free candidates combining numerous advantages such as low saturation magnetic field $(\ensuremath{\sim}200\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Oe})$, excellent ductility, and low cost, while further improving their performance is imperative for practical applications. Using density functional theory calculation, we report the results of the effect of substituting small amounts of additional elements $X$ (e.g., $X=\mathrm{Ag}$ or Cu) on magnetostriction of Fe-Ga alloys, and we find that it may double the magnetostriction with a substitutional percentage of only $1.6%$. Moreover, adsorbents with high chemical activity (e.g., O or Os atoms) may affect the surface energy of different face orientations of Fe-Ga alloys, indicating that proper surface treatments are necessary to tune the alignment of Fe-Ga grains to achieve better performance. These results may be helpful to further optimize the magnetostrictive properties of Fe-Ga alloys for device applications.
Utilizing Quality Improvement Science to Improve Resident Neonatal Resuscitation Skills in the Delivery Room

Background: With the development of duty hour restrictions and increased demands on resident education, pediatric residents spend less time in the neonatal ICU (NICU) and, specifically, the delivery room (DR). Despite decreased training, many community pediatricians continue to cover well-baby nurseries and DRs. It is, therefore, crucial during residency to develop strong Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) skills and become comfortable with resuscitating neonates. AIMs: This project set out with a global aim of improving neonatal outcomes by producing physicians competent and confident in …
Exploring Differences in Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching for Prospective and Practicing Teachers.

Teaching mathematics requires a wide range of knowledge, including types of mathematical knowledge specialized to the work of teaching. Because specialized content knowledge is a form of professional knowledge, it is important to emphasize in professional preparation. In this paper, we present results comparing the performance of prospective and practicing teachers on the Learning Mathematics for Teaching (LMT) assessments. While the results show that practicing teachers score higher on the LMT assessments than prospective teachers, only about half of the individual items are significantly more difficult for prospective teachers. To gain a more nuanced understanding of the mathematical knowledge assessed by the LMT items, we also compared the performance of prospective and practicing teachers for items organized by the mathematical work of teaching. We discuss implications for identifying types of professional mathematical knowledge important to emphasize in teacher education.
Analysis of Distribution Test-based and Feature-based Approaches toward Automatic Modulation Classification

Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is a signal processing approach to determine a received signal’s modulation scheme without any a priori information about that signal’s configuration. Three main approaches have been proposed for this task, namely Likelihood-based, Feature-based and Distribution Test-based AMC. Each of these approaches has different levels of computational complexity affecting their ability to conduct AMC in real-time and achieving different levels of modulation classification accuracy. Thus, there is a trade-off between computational complexity and classification accuracy in this domain. This paper investigates the real-world scenarios of AMC applications with the emphasis on the two most feasible low-complexity approaches: Feature-based (FB) and Distribution Test-based (DT) AMC. This study has specifically evaluated these approaches with focus on their classification accuracy and their computational complexity. For comprehensive evaluation purposes the study encompassed signals utilizing 8-ASK, 8-FSK, 32-PSK and 32-QAM modulation schemes, as representatives of the most prominent modulation schemes in current wireless systems. Our analysis shows that DT classifiers exhibit on average a 17.5% lower computational complexity than the investigated FB classifier, with about on average 12% higher classification accuracy in SNRs in the range of 0 to 10 dB. On the other hand, the DT approach classifiers show not only on average 31% higher computational complexity than the FB classifier, but it also has an approximately 10% lower classification accuracy for SNRs in the range of -10 to 0 dB.
Sub-lens System based on Dispersion Phenomenon of LED Integral Imaging

It is usual problem that the chromatic dispersion and crosstalk in the LED integral imaging naked-eye stereo display because one pixel in the color LED display is composed of three primary colors. By analyzing the luminescent property of LED and the spatial distribution functions, a sub-lens system to solve the problem of light divergence in optical reconstruction is proposed in this paper. The element image(EI) is improved at the sub-pixel level according to the pixel relationship between adjacent micro-lenses of LED integral imaging. The sub-lens design and the corresponding sub-pixel rearrangement theory are proposed, and the mapping relationship from the conventional pixel arrangement to the sub-pixel arrangement is calculated. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively solve the dispersion, reduce the crosstalk between pixels, and improve the display quality of the reconstructed light field.
Arm-mounted optical coherence tomography angiography in extremely low birth weight neonates with retinopathy of prematurity.

Abstract Purpose To assess the feasibility of imaging extremely low birth weight infants, defined as infants born weighing less than 1000 g or before 27 weeks of gestational age, with an arm-mounted optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) device. Methods Cross-sectional case series conducted at a single site in-patient academic center. Subjects included infants who had been born premature and met ROP screening criteria. Birth history such as gestational age and birth weight were collected. Subjects were imaged with OCTA in a supine position during ROP screening and treatment. Segmental errors were manually corrected and FAZ area was calculated from the superficial and deep capillary plexus (SCP, DCP) layers. Main outcomes measures were foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, ROP stage and treatment. Results Seven ELBW infants were included with an average gestational age of 25 weeks (range = 23-4/7 to 26 weeks) and average postmenstrual age of 54.7 weeks (range = 43–80 weeks) at the time of imaging. Average birth weight was 615 g (range 500–680 grams). Thirteen eyes had ROP treatment including primary laser, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection with delayed laser, and scleral buckle. Six infants were imaged under general anesthesia and one infant was imaged without sedation. Average FAZ area was 0.17 mm2 (range = 0.03 mm2–0.37 mm2) in the SCP and 0.04 mm2 (range 0 mm2–0.09 mm2) in the DCP. FAZ area correlated positively to the ratio of outer retinal layer thickness to inner retinal layer thickness at the foveal center in the SCP and DCP (r2 = 0.48, p = 0.02; r2 = 0.46, p = 0.02) and negatively with inner retinal layer thickness in the SCP (r2 = 0.56, p = 0.008). Conclusions and Importance Arm-mounted OCTA was feasible in ELBW infants and provided information about the developing fovea. Measurement of FAZ area and retinal thickness using this modality may be used to study the effects of ELBW, peripheral ROP and ROP treatment on foveal development.
Regulation of alpha 2 integrin gene expression in cells with megakaryocytic features: a common theme of three necessary elements

The alpha 2 beta 1 integrin mediates interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix molecules, collagen and/or laminin. The alpha 2 beta 1 integrin is expressed in a variety of cell types, but in cells of hematopoietic lineage, expression is restricted to megakaryocytes and platelets. Increased expression of the alpha 2 beta 1 integrin during megakaryocytic differentiation is a consequence of transcriptional activation of the alpha 2 gene. We have begun to characterize the role of the 52 flanking region of the alpha 2 integrin gene in regulating expression during megakaryocyte differentiation. A 5-kb fragment of the 52 region directs both cell type and differentiation-dependent expression of a reporter gene in the pluripotent hematopoietic K562 cells upon megakaryocytic differentiation and in the megakaryocytic cell line, Dami. Analysis of a series of 52 deletion mutants indicates that expression of the alpha 2 integrin gene in cells with megakaryocytic features requires a core promoter region, a silencer region, and megakaryocytic enhancers in the distal 52 end. The organization of these three distinct regulatory regions of the alpha 2 promoter/enhancer suggests a common theme for megakaryocytic gene regulation shared with other megakaryocyte-specific proteins, including alpha IIb integrin subunit and platelet factor 4.
Examining the effects of internal versus external coaching on preschool teachers’ implementation of a framework of evidence-based social-emotional practices

Coaching is becoming widely recognized as a tool to help early childhood educators enhance teaching and build professional skills. Although effective, the use of an external coach can be cost and t...
Rapid Soft Material Actuation Through Droplet Evaporation

Soft material actuation is a promising field that can potentially solve several limitations of traditional robotic systems. These systems comprise soft and flexible materials to achieve high degrees of freedom and compliance with their surroundings. One method to actuate such structures is to vaporize liquid that is embedded inside the soft material. The soft elastomers are inflated since the generated vapor occupies a much larger volume after phase transformation. The simplest and widely used design to vaporize such liquids is installing a heating element near the liquid. Heating the system beyond the boiling point rapidly boils the liquid and deforms the structure. However, this technique possesses several limitations, such as the heating element must be in the liquid's vicinity, and boiling the liquid requires high temperatures. In addition, embedding a small amount of liquid for faster boiling prevents the use of valves to exhaust the vapor. Instead, the structure is slowly cooled until it returns to its original position. In this study, these limitations are addressed by combining heating with vibrating mesh atomization. The atomizer disperses the liquid into small droplets, which vaporize much faster as compared with simply heating the bulk liquid. Actuation through vibrating mesh atomization was first characterized and compared with other techniques. Then, the introduced method was used to demonstrate cyclic actuation, and a bistable structure was designed and fabricated to demonstrate gripping motion.
LBP19: EXTENDED COVERAGE BY NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING METHODS REFINES THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE COMMON AND WELL DOCUMENTED HLA ALLELES

The accurate identification of the true allele frequency of HLA genes in various ethnic groups may be a challenging task. The current methodology to catalog the common and well-documented (CWD) HLA alleles is based on the 3rd or 4th field made from assumptions for gene segments that were not tested by Sanger Sequencing methods. We examined the allelic frequencies in all HLA loci by leveraging the power of Next Generation Sequence (NGS) and long range PCR to interrogate the entire sequence of the class I genes and most of the extent Class II genes. In a HLA typing study of 6,000 subjects we unexpectedly found several examples of alleles with common occurrence that were thought to be rare, and represent the most common allele of the 1st-2nd fields allele group. For example, we found that the alleles B ∗ 40:01:02 and DRB1 ∗ 08:01:03 represent the common alleles of their groups while the alleles with the lowest digit number (B ∗ 40:01:01, DRB1 ∗ 08:01) were absent. Extending the sequences also failed to find alleles thought to be common, while other alleles appeared to replace them; DRB3 ∗ 02:24 that associates tightly with DRB1 ∗ 14:01:01 is common while the closely related allele DRB3 ∗ 02:01 thought to be common, was not found; these alleles differ in exon-3, that had not been tested frequently. Our study also showed that several subtypes of the allele groups A ∗ 29:02, B ∗ 44:02, B ∗ 18:01, B ∗ 52:01, C ∗ 05:01, C ∗ 06:02, C ∗ 07:01, C ∗ 07:02, DQA1 ∗ 01:01, DQA1 ∗ 01:02, DQA1 ∗ 01:03, DQA1 ∗ 05:01, DQA1 ∗ 05:05, DQB1 ∗ 03:01 and DQB1 ∗ 05:01 differing at non coding regions or by silent substitutions at areas not tested frequently, are very common. Intriguingly, the alleles differing in areas not tested routinely in previously used assays, show distinctive associations with alleles of contiguous or close loci and contrary to previous predictions indicate that the evolutionary processes in HLA are more complex and modern populations show strongly conserved common haplotype blocks. Our findings show that HLA diversity may have arisen from opposing mechanisms such as allele diversification and convergent evolution.
Supramolecular tools for polymer additive manufacturing

Advances in additive manufacturing have been mostly driven by developments in software and hardware for 3D printing. However, the limited number of printable polymers still restricts the applications of this technique. Researchers have made progress in the development of advanced polymeric materials that are compatible with 3D printing, by using a wide array of chemical interactions. In this prospective article, we discuss how 3D-printing technology can benefit from a supramolecular toolbox of dynamic covalent and non-covalent bonds. Furthermore, we aim to highlight how this toolbox is helping to overcome the main challenges in processability, functionality, and sustainability for 3D printing.
Design of a Smart Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) for RF Energy Harvester

Continuous enhancement of the performance of energy harvesters in recent years has broadened their arenas of applications. On the other hand, ample availability of IoT devices has made radio freque...
Promoting allyship among South Asian and Arab Muslims toward Black and Latino/a Muslims in American Islamic centers

Increased social justice awareness in the United States and shifting demographics are giving birth to a more diverse and egalitarian generation. Improving relations across social categories has been a key topic in diversity, equity, and inclusion work, but less emphasis has been placed on cross-racial allyship within minority populations. While allyship in racial contexts is often perceived as a White versus non-White issue, this binary position erases the diversity that exists within communities of color. A dichotomous approach to allyship that positions White heterosexual males as the primary holders of privilege does not address the disparities that exist within and across minoritized communities. While Arabs and South Asians are minorities in the US on a macrolevel, they often hold privileged positions in Islamic centers and other Muslim spaces—even though Black Americans make up a larger percentage of the Muslim population. Additionally, there is an increasing number of Latino/a Muslims in the US, but they are often invisible in larger conversations about Islam in America as well as in discourse among Muslim Americans. In this chapter, we explore the concept of allyship and how South Asian and Arab Muslims can support and advocate for Black and Latino/a Muslims in American Islamic centers. We also discuss Islamophobia in the US as well as the anti-Blackness and racism that exists within Muslim communities and provide suggestions on how Islamic centers can serve as spaces of allyship and cross-racial dialogue.
Extreme Sensitivity of Hurter's Spadefoot Toad (Scaphiopus hurterii) Tadpoles to Suspended Particulates of Finely Ground and Powdered Rations

Herein we report the high mortality of larval Hurter's spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus hurterii) tadpoles when fed dry powdered feeds. The evidence implies that dry powders remain suspended in the water column where they enter and clog the filtering apparatus of the tadpoles. When the same foods were wetted to a paste and dropped into the aquaria as a moist pellet, the ration fell directly to the substrate and did not become suspended in the water column. Mortalities of tadpoles fed dry powdered rations were severe, whereas mortalities when fed wetted feed were inconsequential. We recommend that that rations made of ground or powdered components not be fed unless first wetted. Further, we speculate that sediment and siltation of natural waters may contribute to amphibian losses via the same mechanism.
Cefepime-Induced Neurotoxicity.

Cefepime is a common antibiotic used to treat various infections such as pneumonia, skin infections, and intra-abdominal infections due to its broad gram-positive and gram-negative spectrum. However, patients with acute kidney injury, end-stage renal disease, and renal transplantation are disproportionately at higher risk of developing complications from administration of cefepime, secondary to its predominant renal excretion. Current guidelines prescribe cefepime renal-dosing, dependent on the glomerular filtration rate, to prevent toxicity. This study presents a rare case where an acutely hospitalized patient undergoing chronic renal transplant rejection was administered renal-dose cefepime. Despite renal dosing, the patient developed neurotoxicity that manifested as delirium, inability to tolerate oral intake, and non-convulsive status epilepticus. Solely adjusting for renal dysfunction may be inadequate to prevent the accumulation of cefepime metabolites, which may present in an atypical manner in the patient. Such possibilities emphasize the need for continued evaluation of a patient’s mentation in case of cefepime administration. Cefepime-induced neurotoxicity incidences need to be evaluated and researched thoroughly.
Readability Analysis of Spanish Language Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Laryngology.

SUMMARY Background Laryngologists use patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) to determine the efficacy of an intervention or to evaluate a patient's symptomatology. PROMs should be developed for a diverse target audience, including patients of all literacy levels. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that PROMs are written at or below the sixth- grade level. In recent studies, readability scores for otolaryngology PROMs in English were above the recommended reading level. To date, there is limited data regarding the readability of Spanish PROMs. Thus, this study aims to report the readability of Spanish language PROMs in laryngology. Methods This study analyzed nine Spanish language laryngology PROMs. The authors queried PROMs from PubMed and Google scholar based upon English language laryngology PROM systematic reviews. Common categories included voice, airway, dysphagia, and other laryngology PROMs. Only nine laryngology PROMs were translated and validated in the Spanish language and publicly available. The readability of Spanish PROMs was determined using a multi-lingual readability software by two readability indices: Fernandez Huerta and INFLESZ. Results The mean and standard deviation (SD) Fernandez-Huerta was 75.25 (27.12) and INFLESZ was 71.25 (26.98). The average readability score per PROM in Spanish was: DI (84.19), EAT-10 (11.54), MDADI (64.92), RSI (57.22), SWAL-QoL (70.98), TVQ (87.64), VFI (99.46), VHI-10 (95.04), and VRQoL (88.28). Conclusion The mean readability of Spanish language laryngology PROMs was above the recommended reading level. Patient readability should be considered when developing laryngology PROMs translations and validations. Robust development and testing of novel PROMs are important to address the persistent, pervasive risks for Spanish speaking patients.
Development of a preoperative risk score predicting allogeneic red blood cell transfusion in children undergoing spinal fusion.

Background Children undergoing spinal fusion often receive blood products. The goal of this study was to develop a preoperative score to help physicians identify those who are at risk of allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. Study design and methods This retrospective study of children undergoing spinal fusion in the ACS-NSQIP Pediatric database (2016-2019) aimed at identifying risk factors associated with allogeneic RBC transfusion. Univariable logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression were performed using preoperative patient characteristics and aided in the creation of a simplified scoring system. Results Out of 13,929 total patients, 2990 (21.5%) were transfused. We created a risk score based on 10 independent predictors of transfusion: age, sex, race, weight Discussion Our score, based on routinely available preoperative data, accurately estimates the risk of allogeneic RBC transfusion in pediatric patients undergoing spinal fusion. Future studies will inform whether patient blood management interventions targeted to high-risk patients can help reduce the need for transfusion and improve outcomes.
TORTS Wrongful Death: Designate Guardian for Children in Wrongful Death Recoveries

This Act designates who controls wrongful death recoveries intended to benefit a surviving child. For awards less than $15,000, the natural guardian shall hold and use the money for the benefit of the child. A guardian of the property shall be appointed to hold and use awards of $15,000 or more to benefit the child.
Consumer Perceptions of Qualified Health Claims in Advertising

This working paper presents the findings of copy test research on consumer perceptions of food and dietary supplement print advertisements containing qualified health claims for diet-disease relationships that lack a high level of scientific support. The research was motivated by court decisions that struck down the Food and Drug Administration's outright ban on such claims in labeling. The decisions effectively have placed the burden on the government to allow qualified claims for these diet-disease relationships unless it can demonstrate that consumers are unable to understand qualifications characterizing the true level of certainty in the relevant scientific evidence. My findings indicate that qualified language can have a significant impact on consumer evaluation of scientific certainty. My research also suggests, however, that it will be a difficult task to craft qualifications in advertising that communicate a low level of scientific certainty. None of the tested disclaimers, whether appearing in real advertisements for real products or in fictitious advertisements, communicated serious limitations in scientific evidence (i.e. science that FDA would rate at a "D" level). In addition, consumers interpreted all of the tested advertisements in widely disparate fashion. For example, although consumers seeing an ad for a fictitious antioxidant vitamin supplement on average rated the degree of scientific evidence correctly at a "C" level of support, approximately two-thirds of the consumers either overestimated or underestimated the certainty of the science.
One-Class Clustering in the Text Domain

Having seen a news title "Alba denies wedding reports", how do we infer that it is primarily about Jessica Alba, rather than about weddings or reports? We probably realize that, in a randomly driven sentence, the word "Alba" is less anticipated than "wedding" or "reports", which adds value to the word "Alba" if used. Such anticipation can be modeled as a ratio between an empirical probability of the word (in a given corpus) and its estimated probability in general English. Aggregated over all words in a document, this ratio may be used as a measure of the document's topicality. Assuming that the corpus consists of on-topic and off-topic documents (we call them the core and the noise), our goal is to determine which documents belong to the core. We propose two unsupervised methods for doing this. First, we assume that words are sampled i.i.d., and propose an information-theoretic framework for determining the core. Second, we relax the independence assumption and use a simple graphical model to rank documents according to their likelihood of belonging to the core. We discuss theoretical guarantees of the proposed methods and show their usefulness for Web Mining and Topic Detection and Tracking (TDT).
Variability of C02 distributions and sea-air fluxes in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific during the 199–1994 El Nin˜o

Abstract As part of the U.S. JGOFS Program and the NOAA Ocean-Atmosphere Carbon Exchange Study (DACES), measurements of C02 partial pressure were made in the atmosphere and in the surface waters of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific during the boreal spring and autumn of 1992, the spring of 1993, and the spring and autumn of 1994. Surface-water p C0 2 data indicate significant diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations. The largest variations were associated with the 1991–1994 ENSO event, which reached maximum intensity in the spring of 1992. The lower values of surface-water Δ p C0 2 observed during the 1991–1994 ENSO period were the result of the combined effects of both remotely and locally forced physical processes. The warm pool, which reached a maximum eastward extent in January-February of 1992, began in September of 1991 as a series of westerly wind events lasting about 30 days. Each wind event initiated an eastward propagating Kelvin wave which caused a deepening of the thermocline. By the end of January 1992 the thermocline was at its maximum depth, so that the upwelled water was warm and C0 2 -depleted. In April of the same year, the local winds were weaker than normal, and the upwelling was from shallow depths. These changes resulted in a lower-than-normal C02 flux to the atmosphere. The results show that for the one-year period from the fall of 1991 until the fall of 1992, approximately 0.3 GtC were released to the atmosphere; 0.6 GtC were released in 1993, and 0.7 GtC in 1994, in good agreement with the model results of Ciais et al. [ Science , 269 ,1098–1102; J. Geophys. Res. , 100 , 5051–5070]. The net reduction of the ocean-atmosphere C02 flux during the 1991–1994 El Nifio was on the order of 0.8 – 1.2 GtC. Thus, the total amount of C02 sequestered in the equatorial oceans during the prolonged 1991–1994 El Nin˜o period was about 25% higher than the severe El Nin˜o of 1982–1983.
Improving evaluation theory through the empirical study of evaluation practice

Articles should deal with topics applicable to the broad field of program evaluation. Implications for practicing evaluators should be clearly identified. Examples of contributions include, but are...
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand: Presidential Address to the Peace Science Society:

The ante-bellum history of the United States is modelled as the competing expansion of urban, slave and citizen fanners expanding into a frontier occupied by indigenous Native American and Mexican peoples. The resulting “irrepressible conflict” illustrates a circumstance in which all of the actors can be described as exhibiting democratic political institutions to a significant degree. In this instance, peoples rationalized their opposed interests and implemented them through representative governments. Wars are likely to be particular events to be analyzed as an aspect of a total social conjuncture and are unlikely to be explicable in a uniform fashion across various economic and political circumstances. 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved–I do not expect the house to fall–but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the ...
STUDIES ON THE FLEXNER GROUP OF DYSENTERY BACILLI : II. THE CHEMICAL DEGRADATION OF THE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN OF TYPE Z SHIGELLA PARADYSENTERIAE (FLEXNER)

The chemical and enzymatic dissociation of the specific antigen of Type Z Shigella paradysenteriae has been studied. The chemical, toxic, and serological properties of the products of degradation have been investigated. The nature of the toxic component has been discussed.
Insider Attack Identification and Prevention Using a Declarative Approach

A process is a collection of steps, carried out using data, by either human or automated agents, to achieve a specific goal. The agents in our process are insiders, they have access to different data and annotations on data moving in between the process steps. At various points in a process, they can carry out attacks on privacy and security of the process through their interactions with different data and annotations, via the steps which they control. These attacks are sometimes difficult to identify as the rogue steps are hidden among the majority of the usual non-malicious steps of the process. We define process models and attack models as data flow based directed graphs. An attack A is successful on a process P if there is a mapping relation from A to P that satisfies a number of conditions. These conditions encode the idea that an attack model needs to have a corresponding similarity match in the process model to be successful. We propose a declarative approach to vulnerability analysis. We encode the match conditions using a set of logic rules that define what a valid attack is. Then we implement an approach to generate all possible ways in which agents can carry out a valid attack A on a process P, thus informing the process modeler of vulnerabilities in P. The agents, in addition to acting by themselves, can also collude to carry out an attack. Once A is found to be successful against P, we automatically identify improvement opportunities in P and exploit them, eliminating ways in which A can be carried out against it. The identification uses information about which steps in P are most heavily attacked, and try to find improvement opportunities in them first, before moving onto the lesser attacked ones. We then evaluate the improved P to check if our improvement is successful. This cycle of process improvement and evaluation iterates until A is completely thwarted in all possible ways.
Detecting improvement using Shewhart attribute control charts when the lower control limit is zero

In this paper, we present a method to monitor count data so as to be able to detect improvement when the counts are low enough to cause the lower limit to be zero. The method, which is proposed as an add-on to the conventional Shewhart control chart, consists in counting the number of samples in which zero defectives or zero defects per unit occur and signaling an increase in quality if k-in-a-row or 2-in-t samples have zero counts of defectives or zero defects per unit. This method enjoys some similarities to the very popular Shewhart control chart in that it is easy to design, understand and use. It is flexible, robust, and, like the Shewhart chart, yields detection frequencies that are optimal for very large shifts and good for other shifts. Some comparisons with traditional CUSUM charts are provided. Figures enabling Shewhart control chart users to easily design low-side add-on control charts are given for c and np charts.