cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 360: Early Life Stress Increases Hematocrit and Endothelin-1 in Mice

In humans, early life stress (ELS) is an independent risk factor for adult cardiovascular disease (CVD). We have shown that mice subjected to ELS by maternal separation with early weaning (MSEW), develop vascular endothelial dysfunction in adulthood. A marker of endothelial dysfunction and CVD is high hematocrit, an abnormally elevated level of circulating red blood cells. Hematocrit is largely regulated by erythropoietin (EPO), a protein that is released predominantly from the kidney under conditions of hypoxia. We hypothesized that MSEW increases circulating EPO and hematocrit in adult male mice. We used the MSEW model in C57BL6J mice to study the mechanisms of ELS-mediated alteration in hematocrit. MSEW litters were subjected to maternal separation 4h/day (postnatal day (PD) 2-5) and 8h/day (PD6-16), and weaned at PD17. Control (CON) litters were undisturbed until weaning at PD21. At 13 weeks of age, blood was collected from CON and MSEW male mice by cardiac puncture and lung tissue was excised. Hematocrit of MSEW mice was significantly higher than CON mice (46.2 ± 0.03 vs 43.3 ± 0.03%, p = 0.004). Plasma EPO, as measured by ELISA, was elevated in MSEW mice, however not significantly (112.89 ± 51.32 vs 61.62 ± 20.73 pg/ml, p = 0.06). We further hypothesized that MSEW enhances circulating endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels, a vasoactive peptide regulated by hypoxia and EPO. We found that plasma ET-1 was significantly increased in MSEW mice compared to CON (1.55 ± 0.41 vs 1.26 ± 0.23 pg/ml, p = 0.02). Endothelin receptor type A and B density and binding in lung, as measured by radioligand binding, was not different between groups, suggesting that increased circulating ET-1 in MSEW mice was not due to decreased ET-1 clearance in the lungs and most likely is due to increased production of ET-1. Taken together, our data suggest that MSEW-induced endothelial dysfunction may be mediated by an interplay of increased circulating red blood cells and elevated ET-1 production. Further studies are necessary to determine the exact role of these factors in this phenomenon.
The Association Between Reduced Inflammation and Cognitive Gains After Bariatric Surgery.

Objective Bariatric surgery is associated with improved cognitive function, although the mechanisms are unclear. Elevated inflammation is common in obesity and associated with impaired cognition. Inflammation decreases after bariatric surgery, implicating it as a possible mechanism for cognitive improvement. The objective of this study was to examine whether reduced inflammation is a possible mechanism for postoperative cognitive improvement in bariatric surgery patients. Methods Participants were 77 bariatric surgery patients who completed cognitive testing before surgery and 1 year postsurgery. Cognitive domains assessed were attention/executive function, language, and memory. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed at both time points. Results Patients exhibited preoperative cognitive impairment, although improvements 1 year postsurgery were seen in both attention/executive function (mean [M; standard deviation {SD}]baseline = 53.57 [8.68] versus M (SD)follow-up= 60.32 [8.19]) and memory (M [SD]baseline= 44.96 [7.98] versus M [SD]follow-up= 51.55 [8.25]). CRP was elevated at baseline and fell into the normative range postsurgery (M [SD]baseline= 0.9 [0.7] versus M [SD]follow-up= 0.2 [0.3] mg/dl). Preoperative CRP was not associated with baseline cognitive function (β values = -0.10 to 0.02) and changes in CRP also did not correspond to changes in cognition postsurgery (β values = 0.02-0.11; p values > .05 for all domains). A trend was detected for smaller improvements in memory among participants with elevated baseline CRP (>0.30 mg/dl) versus those with normal levels (group × time: p = .083). Conclusions Improvements in high-sensitivity CRP were not associated with postoperative cognitive benefits. Future studies are needed to explore other inflammatory markers and potential mechanisms of cognitive improvement after bariatric surgery, including improved glycemic control and neurohormone changes.
Air, atmosphere and climate change

The regulation of atmospheric pollution is one of the earliest and best-developed areas of international cooperation and regulation in the field of the environment. This chapter briefly analyzes customary rules as they apply to atmospheric pollution and then continues with a more detailed examination of treaty regimes in three selected areas: Long range transboundary air pollution; protection of the ozone layer; and climate change. The chapter examines these frameworks in terms of the substantive issues they address, as well as the lessons to be learned from each. These three regimes are arguably the most important and provide lessons for both the future of regulation of atmospheric pollution, and international environmental law as a whole.
Randomized, Prospective Evaluation Comparing Intensity of Lymphodepletion Before Adoptive Transfer of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

PurposeAdoptive cell transfer, the infusion of large numbers of activated autologous lymphocytes, can mediate objective tumor regression in a majority of patients with metastatic melanoma (52 of 93; 56%). Addition and intensification of total body irradiation (TBI) to the preparative lymphodepleting chemotherapy regimen in sequential trials improved objective partial and complete response (CR) rates. Here, we evaluated the importance of adding TBI to the adoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in a randomized fashion.Patients and MethodsA total of 101 patients with metastatic melanoma, including 76 patients with M1c disease, were randomly assigned to receive nonmyeloablative chemotherapy with or without 1,200 cGy TBI before transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphcytes. Primary end points were CR rate (as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors v1.0) and overall survival (OS). Clinical and laboratory data were analyzed for correlates of response.ResultsCR rates were 24% in bo...
Tamoxifen increases photodynamic therapeutic response of U87 and U25ln human glioma cells.

We tested the hypothesis that Tamoxifen (TMX), an inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), augments the cytotoxicity of photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of human (U87) and (U25ln) glioma cells. U87 and U251n glioma cells were plated and treated with PDT using Photofrin as the sensitizer. Cells were treated with Photofrin at various doses and with various optical (632 nm) irradiation intensities 24 h later. Cells were also treated with Photofrin at a fixed dose alone and with various doses of Tamoxifen and subjected to laser treatment 24 h later. Tumor response was tested using the (3-94,5-dimethyl-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium (MTT) method. Total toxicity of U87 cells was achieved with PDT at all doses of Photofrin (1, 2.5, 5, 10 μg/ml) with irradiation densities equal to or greater than 200 mJ/cm2. Using an irradiation intensity of 100 mJ/cm2, U87 and U251n cells were killed in a Photofrin dose-dependent manner. Significant cytotoxicity was detected with Photofrin doses of 5 μg/ml (p < 0.05) and 10 μg/ml (p < 0.001). Tamoxifen at a dose of 500 μg/ml and higher, significantly increased the toxicity of the PDT response with 5 μg/ml Photofrin and 100 mJ/cm2 (p < 0.05). In summary, our data demonstrate that Tamoxifen significantly enhances the Photofrin PDT activity of U87 and U251n human glioma cells.
Walleye Population and Fishery Responses after Elimination of Legal Harvest on Escanaba Lake, Wisconsin

AbstractImplementing harvest regulations to eliminate or substantially reduce (≥90%) the exploitation of Walleyes Sander vitreus in recreational fisheries may increase population size structure, but these measures also could reduce angler effort because many Walleye anglers are harvest oriented. We analyzed data collected during 1995–2015 to determine whether Walleye population and fishery metrics in Escanaba Lake, Wisconsin, changed after a minimum TL limit of 71 cm with a one-fish daily bag limit was implemented in 2003. This change eliminated the legal harvest of Walleyes after several decades during which annual exploitation averaged 34%. We detected a significant increase in the loge density of adult females after the regulation change, but the loge density of all adults and adult males did not differ between periods. Mean TL of adult males was significantly greater after the regulation change, but the mean TL of females and the proportional size distribution of preferred-length fish (≥51 cm TL) were...
Biliary Atresia and Choledochal Cyst

Biliary atresia (BA) and choledochal cyst (CC) are two well-known causes of obstructive jaundice in neonates and young infants and have similar clinical presentation.
The use of eye metrics to index cognitive workload in video games

Eye tracking metrics may provide unobtrusive measures of cognitive states such as workload and fatigue and can serve as useful inputs into future human computer interface technologies. To further explore the usefulness of eye tracking for the estimation of cognitive state, the current experiment evaluated saccade, fixation, and pupil-based measures to identify which metrics reliably indexed cognitive workload in a dynamic, unconstrained task (Tetris). In line with previous studies, our results show that some eye movement features are correlated with changes in workload, manipulated here via task difficulty. Among these were blink duration, saccade velocity, and tonic pupil dilation.
Responses of phosphine susceptible and resistant strains of five stored-product insect species to chlorine dioxide

Abstract Adults of phosphine susceptible laboratory strains and phosphine resistant field strains of five stored-product insect species were exposed in vials with 0 or 10 g of wheat for different time periods to 0.54 g/m3 (200 ppm) of chlorine dioxide gas. After exposure, adult mortality was determined 5 d later at 28 °C and 65% r.h. The 5-d mortality was 100% in laboratory and field strains of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.); lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.); maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky; and rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) that were exposed in vials with 10 g of wheat to chlorine dioxide for 26, 16, 24–34, 18–24, and 15–18 h, respectively. Corresponding exposure durations for these species and strains in vials without wheat were 15, 3, 18–20, 7–15, and 5–7 h, respectively. Dosages of chlorine dioxide producing 99% mortality (LD99) of T. castaneum, O. surinamensis, R. dominica, S. zeamais, and S. oryzae strains in vials with wheat ranged from 14.79−22.57, 8.20–8.41, 15.79–21.60, 10.66–14.53, and 7.67–12.20 g-h/m3, respectively. In vials without wheat, corresponding LD99 values for T. castaneum, R. dominica, and S. zeamais strains were 6.51–8.66, 11.46–23.17, and 5.79–10.26 g-h/m3, respectively. LD99 values for O. surinamensis and S. oryzae could not be computed, because of 100% mortality after a 3–5 h exposure to chlorine dioxide. No adult progeny production of T. castaneum and O. surinamensis was observed after 8 weeks in control and chlorine dioxide-exposed samples. Adult progeny production of Sitophilus spp. was found only in the control samples. The dosage for 99% adult progeny reduction relative to control for R. dominica strains ranged from 10.07 to 18.11 g-h/m3. Chlorine dioxide gas is effective in killing phosphine susceptible and resistant strains of five stored-product insect species and suppressing adult progeny production of three out of the five species.
Using an Altimeter‐Derived Internal Tide Model to Remove Tides from In‐Situ Data

Internal waves at tidal frequencies, i.e., the internal tides, are a prominent source of variability in the ocean associated with significant vertical isopycnal displacements and currents. Because the isopycnal displacements are caused by ageostrophic dynamics, they contribute uncertainty to geostrophic transport inferred from vertical profiles in the ocean. Here it is demonstrated that a newly developed model of the main semidiurnal (M2) internal tide derived from satellite altimetry may be used to partially remove the tide from vertical profile data, as measured by the reduction of steric height variance inferred from the profiles. It is further demonstrated that the internal tide model can account for a component of the near-surface velocity as measured by drogued drifters. These comparisons represent a validation of the internal tide model using independent data and highlight its potential use in removing internal tide signals from in situ observations.
Stochastic Control of Pharmaco-Kinetic Systems: Open-Loop Feedback Strategies

Abstract Control theory, in the context of pharmacokinetic models, can be employed in the individualization of dosing regimens. We implement four approaches to this problem and examine their behavior with respect to a one compartment model of theophylline kinetics. Two of the methods treat the model parameter vector as a random variable and employ the optimization of an objective function that involves the density of the parameters. Target interval stochastic control seeks to maximize the probability that the output will fall within a specified region while quadratic stochastic control minimizes an expected sum of weighted squared deviations from specified target levels of the output. The other two strategies use separation principle control, one based on weighted lecLst squares estimates of the model parameters and the other based on maximum a posteriori probability estimation. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations are reported and analysed.
Firing of a Cannon: Biomechanical Evaluation of Ergonomic Hazards

Musculoskeletal-related occupational illnesses and injuries are endemic in the military and make up a majority of medical visits resulting in decreased combat readiness and degraded human performance. Twenty-five U.S. Marines were involved in a two-day observational study of their live fire exercise. Sixteen (64%) reported becoming injured after returning from combat during a “Call for Fire” exercise and four (16%) were on limited duty at the time of the study. Biomechanical modeling using Three Dimensional Static Strength Prediction Program 6.0.2 found elevated risk for the wrist and low back. The study also uncovered that the exposure profile during the support of the “Call for Fire” exercise is leading to degradations in physical performance and increased exposure to physical work place risk factors resulting in various soft tissue injuries.
White-Collar Crime in a Postmodern, Globalized World

We live in a world of boundaries. They include boundaries between academic disciplines and within disciplines, boundaries between areas of specialization. We live in a world of temporal boundaries, where it is common to differentiate between past, present, and future.We live in aworld of geographical boundaries between communities, states, and nations. The erosion of boundaries in all of these realms, or the reconfiguration of such boundaries, is one of the guiding themes of this chapter. Developments pertaining to white-collar crime and its control bring this theme into especially sharp relief.
Outline of Historical Development of Geochemistry

Prior to 1905 geologists, chemists, and other scientists had established estimates for the chemical composition of many rocks, minerals, and waters. A major and lasting contribution to the then infant science of geochemistry was made by the American geochemist F. W. Clarke (1847–1934) who collected, classified, and synthesized this information in his classic book The Data of Geochemistry, originally published in 1908. So well did he complete his task that the book went through five editions in his lifetime, and the last was published sixteen years after the first (Clarke, 1924). This source of geochemical information has been used as a starting point for training generations of geochemists and is still quoted as a reference.
Attaching-and-Effacing Pathogens Exploit Junction Regulatory Activities of N-WASP and SNX9 to Disrupt the Intestinal Barrier.

Background & Aims Neural Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein (N-WASP) is a key regulator of the actin cytoskeleton in epithelial tissues and is poised to mediate cytoskeletal-dependent aspects of apical junction complex (AJC) homeostasis. Attaching-and-effacing (AE) pathogens disrupt this homeostasis through translocation of the effector molecule early secreted antigenic target-6 (ESX)-1 secretion-associated protein F (EspF). Although the mechanisms underlying AJC disruption by EspF are unknown, EspF contains putative binding sites for N-WASP and the endocytic regulator sorting nexin 9 (SNX9). We hypothesized that N-WASP regulates AJC integrity and AE pathogens use EspF to induce junction disassembly through an N-WASP– and SNX9-dependent pathway. Methods We analyzed mice with intestine-specific N-WASP deletion and generated cell lines with N-WASP and SNX9 depletion for dynamic functional assays. We generated EPEC and Citrobacter rodentium strains complemented with EspF bearing point mutations abolishing N-WASP and SNX9 binding to investigate the requirement for these interactions. Results Mice lacking N-WASP in the intestinal epithelium showed spontaneously increased permeability, abnormal AJC morphology, and mislocalization of occludin. N-WASP depletion in epithelial cell lines led to impaired assembly and disassembly of tight junctions in response to changes in extracellular calcium. Cells lacking N-WASP or SNX9 supported actin pedestals and type III secretion, but were resistant to EPEC-induced AJC disassembly and loss of transepithelial resistance. We found that during in vivo infection with AE pathogens, EspF must bind both N-WASP and SNX9 to disrupt AJCs and induce intestinal barrier dysfunction. Conclusions Overall, these studies show that N-WASP critically regulates AJC homeostasis, and the AE pathogen effector EspF specifically exploits both N-WASP and SNX9 to disrupt intestinal barrier integrity during infection.
Trade and Public Health: Product Regulation and Labeling Measures under the SPS and TBT Agreements

Some form of product regulation is likely to play an important role in any comprehensive policy to address noncommunicable disease associated with tobacco, alcohol, or diet. The concept of product regulation encompasses a variety of measures. In some cases, product regulation may function as a means of prohibition, such as where a good is deemed by government to be too harmful to be sold lawfully. In a similar vein, product regulation may be a means of reducing the harmfulness associated with consumption of a product category, such as where the product is prohibited in its more harmful forms. Alternatively, product regulation might prohibit products from taking particular forms not because of a direct relationship between form and harmfulness, but because of the attractiveness of specific product forms to identifiable consumer groups such as children. In addition, the regulation of product packaging may play an important role in providing information to consumers or in attempts to dissuade consumption. Examples of product regulation of the first two types can be found in the context of diet. Some Pacific Island states have banned the sale of mutton flaps and turkey tails, which are cuts of meat that are extremely high in fat and often discarded in developed countries. Similarly, a number of WTO Members are working to eliminate artificial trans fat from their food supply and to replace it with cis-unsaturated acids.
Deep Truth and the Mythic Veil: Werner Herzog's New Mythology in Land of Silence and Darkness

This article begins with Werner Herzog's programmatic statements on new images and deep truth and connects it to ideas of Nietzschean aesthetics, mainly the Apollonian image and the Dionysian horro...
Biomechanics of ankle giving way: A case report of accidental ankle giving way during the drop landing test.

Abstract Background Several case studies observed that the lateral ankle sprain resulted from a sudden increase in ankle inversion accompanied by internal rotation. However, without sufficient ankle kinetics and muscle activity information in the literature, the detailed mechanism of ankle sprain is still unrevealed. The purpose of our case report is to present 2 accidental ankle giving way incidents for participants with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and compare to their normal trials with data of kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography (EMG). Case description Two young female participants accidentally experienced the ankle giving way when landing on a 25° lateral-tilted force plate. 3D kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity were recorded for the lower extremity. Qualitative comparisons were made between the giving way trials and normal trials for joint angles, angular velocities, moments, centers of pressure and EMG linear envelopes. Results One participant's giving way trial displayed increased ankle inversion and internal rotation angles in the pre-landing phase and at initial contact compared to her normal trials. Another participant's giving way trial exhibited greater hip abduction angles and delayed activation of the peroneus longus muscle in the pre-landing phase versus her normal trials. Conclusion A vulnerable ankle position (i.e., more inverted and internally rotated), and a late activation of peroneus activity in the pre-landing phase could result in the ankle giving way or even sprains. A neutral ankle position and early activation of ankle evertors before landing may be helpful in preventing ankle sprains.
A variant of Nim

Abstract We discuss a version of Nim in which players are allowed to use a move from the traditional form of Nim or to split a pile after adding some predetermined number q of coins to the pile. When q is odd or negative, the play proceeds as in regular Nim. For q even and non-negative, we find three patterns: q = 0 , q = 2 and q ⩾ 4 .
The Product Life Cycle and Product Design

Many firms’ products fail not because they are poorly designed. They fail because firms do not successfully manage their products over time. This chapter introduces the product life cycle theory, which divides the life of the product into four major stages (Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline) and discusses its design implications. Subsequently, Ansoff’s Growth Matrix is used to illustrate how firms can extend the life of growing and mature products. The chapter leverages Beats Electronics’ design strategy to illustrate the intricacies of the product life cycle.
Off-diagonal radiative-decay-coupled optical transitions in double quantum wells

When a laser is applied to resonantly excite a multi-level atomic system, there exists quantum interference in the absorption and emission spectra. A proper theory [1] for the radiative decay of excited electrons in an atomic system requires a quantum electrodynamic treatment of photons and electrons in second quantization. In addition to the usual diagonal radiative-decay time, there is an off-diagonal radiative-decay coupling (ODRDC) that becomes important when two or more electron transition energies are very close. [2] The effect of ODRDC describes a nearly resonant absorption of a spontaneously emitted photon from one downward electron transition by another upward electron transition. With the existence of ODRDC, any two nearly-degenerate electron transitions which are excited by a pump laser and share a common initial state will be coupled and interfere with each other, giving rise to a zero absorption [2, 3, 4] in the region between the two overlapping absorption peaks. In this paper, we study the effect of ODRDC on optical transitions of electrons in double-quantum wells (DQW’s) which provides two nearly-degenerate excited states by electron tunneling. [5]
Implications of host mortality on the economics of Fopius arisanus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) mass rearing

Fopius (= Biosteres) arisanus (Sonan) (= Opius oophilus Fullaway) is an egg-pupal parasitoid of tephritid fruit flies. Our breakthrough in the development of a laboratory-adapted strain of F. arisanus facilitated insectary rearing of parasitoids in large numbers. First colonized in captivity in 1989, F. arisanus has been reared routinely on the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera (= Dacus) dorsalis (Hendel), its natural host. Parasitization by F. arisanus results in the latent death of developing hosts. Host mortality data are presented in a life table to estimate cost of parasitization on the economics of F. arisanus mass rearing. Percent kills of 10, 32, and 76% exerted by F. arisanus on the egg, larval, and pupal stages of the rearing hosts, respectively, resulted in a mean parasitoid recovery of 23.6%. The production cost was estimated by integrating life table data with the costs of rearing supplies and materials and personnel-hours requirements. Production of 1 million parasitoid adults requires the exposure of 4.2 million B. dorsalis eggs (= propagation hosts). We estimated the cost of producing 1 million parasitoids to be $2,363.30 and identified the most expensive aspects of F. arisanus rearing. Recommendations for streamlining the rearing process to reduce costs are provided.
Comparing MLM and SEM Approaches to Analyzing Developmental Dyadic Data: Growth Curve Models of Hostility in Families

The kinds of data that developmental psychologists collect are often inherently interdependent. For example, the subdiscipline has been defined, in part, as the study of the changes that occur within individuals across the life span (e.g., Baltes, Reese, & Nesselroade, 1977) and developmentalists often investigate interrelations between individuals and their families and peers. These kinds of data are either interdependent within individuals, across relationship partners, or both. As such, developmental researchers and methodologists who specialize in the analysis of nonindependent data should be natural partners.
Neighborhood Environment and DNA Methylation: Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

Exposure to chronic stress such as living in disadvantaged neighborhoods has been related to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Chronic stress may increase the risk for CVD by increasing levels of systemic inflammation (e.g., higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines). Differential DNA methylation of inflammation-related candidate genes is also related to higher risk for CVD. Thus, the purpose of this review was to examine the association of neighborhood disadvantage with DNA methylation. A search of literature was conducted using Scopus, CINAHL, PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases. The keywords neighborhood, neighborhood disorder, neighborhood crime, neighborhood violence, neighborhood safety, built environment, and housing vacancy were combined with the keywords DNA methylation and epigenetics. Five studies were included in this review (n = 3 adult blood samples and n = 2 fetal blood samples). Four of the five studies reported an association of neighborhood socioeconomic status, social environment, and crime with either global or gene-specific DNA methylation. Only two studies examined the association of neighborhood disadvantage with inflammation-related candidate genes. One of these studies found a significant association of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and social environment with DNA methylation in inflammation-related candidate genes. Thus, data are limited on the association between neighborhood disadvantage and DNA methylation of inflammation-related candidate genes, as well as genes in other potential mechanistic pathways including psychosocial stress, toxin response, and adiposity. Future studies should examine these associations and the potential epigenetic mechanisms by which neighborhood disadvantage increases the risk for CVD.
Inactivation of bradykinin in the pulmonary circulation

Bradykinin is very efficiently inactivated on passage through the pulmonary circulation by enzymes on the vascular walls. Several different cleavages of the bradykinin molecule have been observed; one appears to be due to angiotensin converting enzyme. Several types of inhibitors have been useful in the study of these pulmonary peptidases and have helped increase understanding of the functioning of the angiotensin and plasma kinin systems.
Resilience and psychiatric symptoms as mediators between perceived stress and non-medical use of prescription drugs among college students.

Background: Due to the high prevalence of non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD; i.e., use of these drugs without a doctor’s prescription) among college students, it is important to identify...
A Qualitative Study of Pulmonary and Palliative Care Clinician Perspectives on Early Palliative Care in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Guidelines recommend that pulmonary clinicians involve palliative care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, integration before advanced stage, that is, early pallia...
Epidemiological shift of hepatitis A in EAGLE countries - a projection.

PURPOSE Many world regions are developing quickly and experiencing increasing levels of sanitation, causing an epidemiological shift of hepatitis A in these areas. The shift occurs when children avoid being infected with the disease until a later age due to cleaner water sources, food, and hygiene practices in their environment; but if they are infected at later age, the disease is much more severe and lost productivity costs are higher. The purpose of this paper is to examine what could occur if an epidemiological shift of the disease continues in these regions, and what type of future burden hepatitis A may have in a hypothetical rapidly developing country. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH Initially, annual hepatitis A mortality was regressed on the Human Development Index (HDI) for each country classified as an emerging and growth-leading economy (EAGLE) to provide an overview of how economic development and hepatitis A mortality related. Data from the various EAGLE countries were also fit to a model of hepatitis A mortality rates in relation to HDI, which were both weighted by each country's 1995-2010 population of available data, in order to create a model for a hypothetical emerging market country. A second regression model was fit for the weighted average annual hepatitis A mortality rate of all EAGLE countries from the years 1995 to 2010. Additionally, hepatitis A mortality rate was regressed on year. FINDINGS Regression results show a constant decline of mortality as HDI increased. For each increase of one in HDI value in this hypothetical country, mortality rate declined by 2.3016 deaths per 100,000 people. The hypothetical country showed the HDI value increasing by 0.0073 each year. Also, results displayed a decrease in hepatitis A mortality rate of 0.0168 per 100,000 people per year. Finally, the mortality rate for hepatitis A in this hypothetical country is projected to be down to 0.11299 deaths per 100,000 people by 2030 and its economic status will fall just below the HDI criteria for a developed country by 2025. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The hypothetical country as a prototype model was created from the results of regressed data from EAGLE countries. It is aimed to display an example of the health and economic changes occurring in these rapidly developing regions in order to help understand potential hepatitis A trends, while underscoring the importance of informed and regular policy updates in the coming years. The author believes this regression provides insight into the patterns of hepatitis A mortality and HDI as these EAGLE countries undergo rapid development.
The impact of intra-operative high field magnetic resonance imaging on clinical decision making during oncologic neurosurgical procedures

19599 Background: Existing image guided surgical (IGS) technology used during resection of brain tumors is based on preoperative imaging modalities and are limited by their inability to demonstrate...
Care of immunocompromised patients with head and neck cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: Two challenging and informative clinical cases.

Background and methods There is an added level of complexity in the management of head and neck cancer patients with underlying immunosuppressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Head and neck oncologists are tasked with balancing the dual risks of cancer progression in the setting of impaired tumor immunity and increased susceptibility to life-threatening complications from exposure to viral infection for patients and providers. Through two cases of immunocompromised patients with newly diagnosed head and neck malignancies, we aim to provide guidance to clinicians struggling with how to best counsel and manage this unique subset of patients under these difficult circumstances. Results After careful consideration of the options, we took different approaches in the care of these two patients. Conclusions Ultimately, there is no uniform set of rules to apply to this heterogeneous group of immunocompromised patients. We provide some general principles to help guide patient management during the current pandemic.
Evaluation and Management of the Critically Ill Adult With Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Abstract Background Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a hyperglycemic emergency that presents commonly to the emergency department. Severe DKA has the potential for significant morbidity and mortality if not recognized early and treated appropriately. It is incumbent on the emergency clinician to be vigilant in the management of these critically ill patients. Objective This narrative review evaluates the emergency medicine management of the adult patient with severe DKA. Discussion DKA is a condition found most commonly in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes, often due to nonadherence with diabetic medications or an inciting event, such as infection or ischemia. The severity of DKA is classified based on the level of acidosis present rather than absolute glucose level. The management of severe DKA involves assessing and treating the inciting event, fluid hydration, insulin, and potassium repletion. Close monitoring is necessary to prevent the complications that can occur. Conclusions DKA is a medical condition that has the potential for significant morbidity and mortality if not recognized and managed appropriately.
Sugar Twice Enslaves: Consequences for the People of the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay region was highly involved in the colonial era triangle trade that connected the sugar colonies of the Caribbean to Western Europe and Africa. This brought both sugar and slavery to the Chesapeake. While chattel slavery has passed, virtual slavery to sugar persists as this addictive substance is widely consumed by African Americans and only somewhat less so by others in the Chesapeake region today. The excess calories from added sugars combines with increased consumption of animal products to set up widespread nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that leads to diabetes and obesity. Per capita annual sugar consumption in the US increased 20-fold between 1820 (3 kg) and 2016 (60 kg). Sweetened beverages, candies and pastries, provide the bulk of added dietary sugars, but 22% is hidden in a large variety of processed foods including soups, meats, prepared meals and condiments. Non-caloric artificial sweeteners also promote weight gain. Retraining the pallets of consumers to accept shifting to a whole-food plant-based diet promises to free the population from type-2 diabetes and other obesity related diseases.
Identification of profibrotic cells in the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) lung

Rationale: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a lethal disease with a mechanism of onset and progression that is not fully understood. Past genomic studies, focused on fibrotic lungs, provided valuable insights of its pathophysiology, but an important unanswered question remains: what are the cellular and molecular changes in the histologically normal looking parts of IPF lungs? The answer may help understand the early disease stages and unveil biological pathways that precede and likely lead to the histological changes in IPF. Methods: We reanalyzed our published single cell expression data from healthy controls and IPF patients (Morse et al, 2019, ERJ) . We used Seurat to identify cell types and perform all analyses. Results: We identified 20 cell types and further focused on 4 fibroblast sub-clusters. Two of the sub-clusters were significantly enriched for cells originating from the IPF lungs. Analysis of differentially expressed genes in each cluster identified unique expression profiles for IPF/control states. Interestingly, IPF upper non-fibrotic and lower fibrotic lobes didn’t show significant differences in these profiles. This result shows that fibroblast types such as myofibroblasts which have been associated with the IPF state, are present in parts of the lung that are histologically non-fibrotic. We also found an enrichment in multiple copper-binding proteins supporting the role of metal copper in IPF pathogenesis. Conclusion: We showed histologically normal tissue in IPF lungs is a profibrotic environment representing an earlier stage where many disease-associated cellular alterations have not yet occurred. This establishes a more appropriate environment to study early interventions.
Effective Subcarrier Pairing for Hybrid Delivery in Relay Networks

The emerging 5G adopts OFDM modulation and deploys small-cell amplify and forward (AF) relays for in-cell capacity enhancement and energy efficiency. However, hybrid delivery services for multiple users where broadcast and unicast coexist are inefficient and unfair due to their different QoS requirements. Most existing work considering hybrid broadcast and unicast traffic focuses on different scheduling schemes in onehop scenarios. For dual-hop relay networks, subcarrier mapping or pairing has been studied, but none considers hybrid traffic with both broadcast and unicast. In this paper, we propose an effective subcarrier pairing (ESP) protocol, which exploits the performance diversity in subcarrier pairing at relays to improve the overall performance of hybrid broadcast and unicast traffic. ESP exquisitely pairs subcarriers of two hops into two kinds of subcarrier pairs separately. ESP then allocates subcarrier pairs with low outage probability for broadcast and subcarrier pairs with high capacity for unicast. In ESP design, we study several important metrics such as end-to-end outage probability, capacity, and bit-error-rate (BER) in AF assisted OFDM-CDMA relay networks. We conduct Monte Carlo simulations to verify the effectiveness and fairness of our approach in hybrid transmission. Results show that ESP is efficient in hybrid delivery for relay networks and improves the performance of broadcast services significantly without sacrificing unicast services.
Public Law and Economics: Private Governance and Government Functions

Sharing economy repurposed the concept of private governance in law and economics literature. This concept emerged as an institution that exercises political power tied to public governance. It mostly appears in a political context in international scale with regard to economy and environment. The domestic notion of this concept is not in a legal context. It is mostly in a political context as private politics. In the context of sharing economy we educe three general approaches shaping the legal position of this concept; recognition, regulation, and restriction. In regard to the general concept of private governance in the context of law and economics, this article aims: to identify the legal models and legal frameworks of private governance; to analyze the legal position of private governance; and to locate the public governance in relation to private governance.
Retaining Problems or Solutions? The Post-Acquisition Performance Implications of Director Retention

Research Summary Director retention is a common practice during acquisitions, whereby the acquiring firm adds at least one director from the target onto its board. Despite the regularity of the phenomenon, little is understood about the post‐acquisition financial implications of director retention. In this exploratory study, we investigate the financial impact (via long‐term investor value appropriation) of director retention in a sample of acquisitions among publicly traded firms. Our empirical analyses consistently illustrate negative financial ramifications of director retention for the acquiring firm across multiple analytic models, time horizons of performance, and samples. We delineate implications for research on boards of directors and acquisitions, and we offer preliminary theoretical logic and empirical analyses for future scholarship to elucidate the mechanisms driving antecedents and outcomes of director retention. Managerial Summary Despite the prevalence of director retention—a practice where an acquirer adds at least one director from the target onto the board of the ongoing firm—research on the topic is equivocal about the financial implications of this practice. We argue this is a crucial oversight because new directors can have an incredible influence on the trajectory of the firm and its subsequent performance, a fact that is particularly true in the turbulent post‐acquisition period. In our study, we empirically examine the impact of director retention on post‐acquisition performance. Across multiple analyses and time intervals of performance, we consistently find that director retention is negatively associated with the performance of the acquiring firm. Accordingly, our findings suggest that acquirers should generally approach direction retention with caution.
Decompressive Craniectomy and Risk of Wound Infection After Microsurgical Treatment of Ruptured Aneurysms.

Background Owing to prolonged hospitalization and the complexity of care required for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), these patients have a high risk of complications. The risk for wound infection after microsurgical treatment for aSAH was analyzed. Methods All patients who underwent microsurgical treatment for aSAH between August 1, 2007, and July 31, 2019, and were recorded in the Post–Barrow Ruptured Aneurysm Trial database were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were analyzed for risk factors for wound infection after treatment. Results Of 594 patients who underwent microsurgical treatment for aSAH, 23 (3.9%) had wound infections. There was no significant difference in age between patients with wound infection and patients without infection (mean, 52.6 ± 12.2 years vs. 54.2 ± 4.0 years; P = 0.45). The presence of multiple comorbidities (including diabetes, tobacco use, and obesity), external ventricular drain, ventriculoperitoneal shunt, pneumonia, or urinary tract infection was not associated with an increased risk for wound infection. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in mean operative time between patients with wound infection and those without infection (280 ± 112 minutes vs. 260 ± 92 minutes; P = 0.38). Patients who required decompressive craniectomy (DC) were at increased risk of wound infection (odds ratio, 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.8–14.1; P = 0.002). Among the 23 total infections, 9 were diagnosed following cranioplasty after DC. Conclusions Microsurgical treatment for aSAH is associated with a relatively low risk of wound infection. However, patients undergoing DC may be at an increased risk for infection. Additional attention and comprehensive wound care are warranted for these patients.
The Artificial Pacemaker: A Life-Giver

Since the advent of electricity, it was postulated that control of the heartbeat could potentially save countless lives. But artificially pacing the heart remained a dream for most of human history. In this chapter, the author discusses the contributions of inventors in the field of cardiac pacing from the mid-twentieth century to today. The next frontier for cardiac pacing called leadless pacemakers and the advent of biventricular pacing for ventricular resynchronization in heart failure are also addresses.
The Effect of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence on Children’s Academic Functioning: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure threatens healthy child development by compromising outcomes across a range of domains including academic functioning. However, research suggests variability in the strength and nature of the association between IPV exposure and academic functioning, and the extent to which it varies by different academic outcomes and co-occurring risk factors (e.g., child maltreatment). This systematic review seeks to clarify the relation between IPV exposure and academic functioning by distilling overall outcome trends and critically assessing the existing literature’s strengths and limitations. Seven databases were searched to identify relevant articles published through August 2020. Studies were included if (a) at least 80% of the sample were from birth to 18 years of age; (b) valid tools were used to measure outcome variables, and (c) outcomes of children exposed to IPV were compared with children who experienced other forms of violence and/or no violence exposure. After screening, the review yielded 13 articles examining academic functioning. The majority (76.9%, n = 10) of the studies found a negative association between IPV exposure and academic functioning, but results varied among subdomains of academic functioning (subjective performance, objective performance, and conduct). Findings from several studies indicate that the combined experience of IPV exposure and maltreatment negatively affects academic functioning. Results highlight the need for: 1) additional research examining IPV exposure and academic functioning 2) early detection of IPV-exposed children, and 3) the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to support academic functioning.
The Eeffect of Shark Liver Oil on Milk and Butter Fat Production

Summary The effect of feeding various levels of shark liver oil of high vitamin potency to milking cows has been studied and the following results obtained. 1.Blood plasma and milk carotene of all the cows fed shark liver oil decreased during the experimental period while high amounts of vitamin A were being administered. 2.The administration of shark liver oil was effective in increasing the blood plasma vitamin A concentration. Coincident with the increased levels of blood plasma vitamin A there was a 3- to 5-fold increase in the vitamin A content of milk. These increases were effected within limits, by the vitamin concentration of the oil, the dosage given, and the length of the feeding period. Thus the vitamin A in both the blood plasma and milk rose as the result of feeding high vitamin A potency shark liver oil to cows fed practical rations. 3.Feeding shark liver oil containing high concentrations of vitamin A to cows resulted in no increase in milk or butter fat production. The per cent of butter fat was not affected. Stage of lactation, season, or the yield of milk up to 60 pounds per day had no favorable effect upon the reaction to shark liver oil feeding. The feeding of as much as 90 cc. of shark liver oil per cow per day tended to increase the normal rate of decline of milk production with the advance of lactation.