cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wave Analysis of In-Plane Vibrations of L-Shaped and Portal Planar Frame Structures

This paper concerns in-plane vibration analysis of coupled bending and longitudinal vibrations in L-shaped and portal planar frame structures. An exact analytical solution is obtained using wave vibration approach. The classical Euler-Bernoulli as well as the advanced Timoshenko bending theories are applied in modeling the flexural vibrations in planar frames. Reflection and transmission matrices corresponding to incident waves arriving at the “L” joint from various directions are obtained. A concise and systematic approach to both free and forced vibration analysis of coupled bending and longitudinal vibrations in L-shaped and portal planar frame structures is presented. Results are compared to the Euler-Bernoulli model results available in the literature. Good agreements have been reached.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and imagery rehearsal in combat veterans with comorbid posttraumatic stress: a case series

ABSTRACTDisrupted sleep is common among combat veterans and can negatively impact response to mental health treatments. A trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) for nightmares was conducted with 14 combat veterans who had been diagnosed with insomnia and who were experiencing posttraumatic stress and/or depression. In the case series that follows, veterans experienced clinically significant changes in sleep, and statistically significant reductions in insomnia, nightmare, depression, and posttraumatic stress severity, following treatment. Combined CBT-I and IRT is a promising treatment for patients with combat-related trauma and psychiatric morbidity.
Family Lives of Lesbian and Gay Adults

How do lesbian and gay identities figure in family lives today? From the standpoint of social science, answers to this question focus on couples, parents, children, other family members, and on their relationships and interactions with one another. In the shifting contexts that contemporary families inhabit, these relationships and interactions are changing over time, and they are shaped in fundamental ways by sexual identities. Likewise, the experiences associated with lesbian and gay identities are affected by their positions in family lives. How to understand the impact of family relationships on lesbian and gay individuals, on the one hand, and the impact of individual lesbian and gay identities on families, on the other, are the twin topics of this essay. Research on lesbian and gay couples is described first, followed by studies of lesbian and gay parents and their children, and by research on other family relationships. The review of research is followed by a discussion of significant theoretical and conceptual issues, an overview of some limitations of existing work, and by suggestions about directions for future research.
Is Sex-Selective Abortion Associated With a Reduction in Gender Differentials in Child Health Investments? Evidence from India

India has experienced an imbalance in sex ratios due to the rapid diffusion of sex-selective abortions. This paper tests whether sex-selective abortions have substituted for postnatal discrimination against girls after birth. I identify the demographic groups that exhibit the greatest take up of sex-selective abortions and then check whether these same groups experienced increases in girls' health investments and outcomes. Since sex selection allows parents to choose the gender of their child, the ‘substitution hypothesis' predicts that girls who would have experienced the greatest postnatal discrimination will be terminated prenatally instead and so we should observe more equitable investments in male and female children (Goodkind 1996). Data from the National Family and Health Survey indicates that wealthy urban households exhibit the largest sex ratio imbalance. This same group exhibits a relative increase in the duration of breastfeeding for girls. In contrast, the largest reduction in the female disadvantage in postneonatal mortality is observed in poorer rural households who are less likely to practice sex selection. This result could be attributed to falling family sizes which frees up household resources which has allowed investments in girls to increase. Overall, the results suggest that sex selection and postnatal gender discrimination are practiced by different socioeconomic groups.
Modus Vivendi: The New Undue Burden of the Federal Equal Protection Clause

Discussion of the history of discrimination by America against the LGBT community, the current arguments of the equal protection clause and the need for a new class of protection for the LGBT community, with a proposal for such a standard.
Quality of Earnings Changes as Reflected by Changes in Earnings Persistence Around Earnings Restatements

With the continuing phenomena of earnings restatements and the extensive use of earnings as a component of forecasting future operating performance, it is important to determine if such restatements fundamentally alter the predictive ability of firms’ earnings. This paper investigates whether the earnings restatement has a larger effect on the persistence of restating firms relative to similar non-restating firms and if restated earnings are more persistent than the originally reported earnings. I show that earnings restatements result in an abnormally large shift in the time-series path of the earnings persistence of restating firms relative to peer non-restaters with restating firms exhibiting a larger increase in earnings persistence from the two-year period before to the two-year period after the restatements. I also find that the restated portion of earnings is incrementally persistent relative to the originally reported earnings and the incremental persistence, although mitigated, is still significant after the passage of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act. Overall, my results provide evidence consistent with the inference that earnings restatements do not just have a temporary effect, but rather earnings restatements lead to a longer-term shift in the persistence and quality of earnings in periods after the restatement.
A Model of Affirmative Intersectional Rehabilitation Counseling With Sexual Minorities A Grounded Theory Study

Sexual minority persons (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer [LGBQ]) are at risk for developing chronic illness(es) and/or disabilities (CID); however, there is a dearth of information regarding the practices used by rehabilitation counselors working with this population. This modified grounded theory study aimed to understand the effective practices that rehabilitation counselors reported exhibiting when working with sexual minority persons living with CID. A total of 12 certified rehabilitation counselors were individually interviewed. Interviews were transcribed and recursively analyzed with a research team. Trustworthiness and credibility were ensured via in-depth member checking, researcher triangulation, and collection of rich descriptions from participants. A substantive model of rehabilitation counseling was constructed from the interviews, with Affirmative Intersectionality as the core category. Four supporting categories were also constructed, including professional attributes, alliance, interse...
Optical Imaging of Transformed Breast Epithelial Cells and Breast Tumor Microenvironment

Optical imaging of endogenous fluorophores and exogenous contrast agents can be used to assess changes in cellular metabolism and tumor microenvironment that relate to breast cancer progression.
The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals: Golden ages: profane and sacred empires

Introduction In Greek mythology a golden age may have been conceived of as a utopia of social harmony, political stability, prosperity, and peace, a kind of Arcadia, but when it comes to dynastic politics, golden ages tend to be defined as periods of imperial domination and cultural florescence. Often the idea of a golden age consists of little more than nostalgia for an imagined and imaginary past; but in some cases the elite members of a society, who share an intoxicated sense of their power, privilege, and prestige, acclaim their own age as a climactic moment in the history of their civilization. In the case of the Muslim empires, the Ottoman Sultan Suleyman and the Mughal Padishah Shah Jahan presided over what they and also many of their descendants believed to be an apogee in the history of their own dynasty and, in the Ottoman case, its place in the broader Islamic world. While their respective reigns were as different as the geographic and cultural context and political character of the states they inherited, both men made new claims for their legitimacy, and patronized spectacular architectural projects that seem to ratify their imperious self-images and ensure the favorable verdicts of posterity. The most notable of these structures were the sixteenth-century mosque complexes of the Ottoman imperial architect Sinan, and the seventeenth-century Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan's new imperial city in Delhi.
Out of the Shadows?: The Informal Sector in Post-Reform India

Title List of Tables and Figures Preface 1. Taking a aProduction Lensa to Informality in India 1. Theoretical Perspectives on the Informal Economy 1. Policy Context 1. Change and Continuity in the Indian Informal Manufacturing Sector 1. Firms in the Indian Informal Manufacturing Sector: Their Characteristics and Evolution over Time 1. The Performance of Informal Manufacturing Firms 1. The Determinants of Firm Transition 1. Globalization and Its Effects 1. Out of the Shadows? Appendix I Appendix II List of Abbreviations Bibliography Index About the Authors
Analysis of AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing Service in Tongliao of Inner Mongolia

OBJECTIVE To analysis socio-demographic characteristics and HIV infection status of people receiving AIDS voluntary counseling and testing(VCT) service in Tongliao in order to facilitate the development of local AIDS health education and risk intervention strategy and provide evidence for further expanding VCT service.METHODS The information of clients visiting the VCT unit in 2014 were collected and analyzed.RESULTS 656 clients received AIDS counseling and HIV antibody testing.The clients consisted mainly of male adults aged from 20 to 40 years accounting for 76.37%.The male to female ratio was 1.5:1,and 68.75%of them were married;the main reason for counseling was high-risk sexual behaviors(94.05%).Of all the tested cases,43 were positive and the HIV infection rate was 6.55%;100%of them were infected through sexual intercourse and 37 cases were infected through homosexual contact.CONCLUSION HIV infections were mainly caused by sex transmission.Of the VCT clients the majority are unmarried young men with high education background.High HIV infection rates were found among the MSM group.As result,AIDS health education should be focused on young males,MSM who had lower education background and behavioral intervention should be strengthened among MSM.
P-101: High Ambient Contrast Ratio OLED and Quantum-dot LED without a Circular Polarizer

A high ambient contrast ratio display device using a transparent OLED or transparent Quantum-dot LED (QLED) with embedded multilayered structure and absorber is proposed. With the help of the multilayered structure, the device structure allows almost all ambient light to get through the display and be absorbed by the absorber. Because the reflected ambient light is greatly reduced, the ambient contrast ratio of the display system is improved significantly. Meanwhile, the multilayered structure helps lower the effective refractive index, which in turn improves the outcoupling efficiency of the display system. Potential applications for sunlight readable flexible and rollable displays are emphasized.
The Relationship between Obesity, Prostate Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Macrophages, and Biochemical Failure

Background Obesity reflects a chronic inflammatory environment that may contribute to prostate cancer progression and poor treatment outcomes. However, it is not clear which mechanisms drive this association within the tumor microenvironment. The aim of this pilot study was to examine prostatic inflammation via tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and macrophages characterized by obesity and cancer severity. Methods We studied paraffin-embedded prostatectomy tissue from 99 participants (63 non-obese and 36 obese) from the Study of Clinical Outcomes, Risk and Ethnicity (University of Pennsylvania). Pathologists analyzed the tissue for type and count of lymphocytes and macrophages, including CD3, CD8, FOXP3, and CD68. Pathology data were linked to clinical and demographic variables. Statistical analyses included frequency tables, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman correlations, and multivariable models. Results We observed positive univariate associations between the number of CD68 cells and tumor grade (p = 0.019). In multivariable analysis, CD8 counts were associated with time to biochemical failure (HR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.004–1.192, p-value = 0.041.) There were no differences in lymphocytes or macrophages by obesity status or BMI. Conclusions The number of lymphocytes and macrophages in the tumor microenvironment did not differ by obesity status. However, these inflammation markers were associated with poor prostate cancer outcomes. Further examination of underlying mechanisms that influence obesity-related effects on prostate cancer outcomes is warranted. Such research will guide immunotherapy protocols and weight management as they apply to diverse patient populations and phenotypes.
Energy efficient routing algorithm for patient monitoring in body sensor networks

Wireless body sensor networks are widely used for monitoring individuals in assisted living facilities and has emerged as a promising technology in e-healthcare. Such networks consist of sensors on the body or clothing of an individual for measuring vital signals such as heart beat, body temperature, and electrocardiogram. This enables patients to experience greater physical mobility and independence eliminating the need to stay in the hospital. Efficient and reliable transmission of data from on body sensors to medical personnel via multi-hop routing is critical for continuous health monitoring. In this paper, we propose a new routing algorithm for energy efficient routing in body sensor networks for reliable health monitoring. We model the routing problem as a constrained multi-objective optimization problem maximizing the throughput while minimizing the energy consumption subject to a constraint on end to end latency. We have designed a new constrained multi-objective genetic algorithm (CMOGA) for obtaining energy efficient routes. Simulation results show that CMOGA demonstrates the advantages of multi-objective optimization and outperforms a widely used and well known multi-objective evolutionary algorithm.
Neuromuscular changes after aerobic exercise in people with anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed knees.

Context: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions are common, especially in young, active people. The lower extremity neuromuscular adaptations seen after aerobic exercise provide information about how previously injured patients perform and highlight deficits and, hence, areas for focused treatment. Little information is available about neuromuscular performance after aerobic exercise in people with ACL reconstructions. Objective: To compare dynamic balance, gluteus medius muscle activation, vertical jump height, and hip muscle strength after aerobic exercise in people with ACL-reconstructed knees. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Of 34 recreationally active volunteers, 17 had a unilateral primary ACL reconstruction at least 2 years earlier and 17 were matched controls. Intervention(s): All participants performed 20 minutes of aerobic exercise on a treadmill. Main Outcome Measure(s): We recorded dynamic, single-legged balance electromyograp...
AFM Identification of Beetle Exocuticle: Bouligand Structure and Nanofiber Anisotropic Elastic Properties

One of the common architectures in natural materials is the helicoidal (Bouligand) structure, where fiber layers twist around a helical screw. Despite the many studies that have shown the existence of Bouligand structures, methods for nanoscale structural characterization and identification of fiber mechanical properties remain to be developed. In this study, we used the exocuticle of Cotinis mutabilis (a beetle in the Cetoniinae) as a model material to develop a new experimental-theoretical methodology that combines atomic force microscopy-based nanoindentation and anisotropic contact mechanics analysis. Using such methodology, we studied both the helicoidal structure and the mechanical properties of its constituent fibers. The twist angle between the layers was found to be in the range of 12°–18° with a pitch size of 220 nm for the helicoidal pattern. In addition, the constituent fiber diameter was measured to be approximately 20 nm, which is consistent with the fiber diameters found in helicoids of other arthropod species. The longitudinal, transverse, and shear modulus of the nanofiber were determined to be 710 MPa, 70 MPa, and 90 MPa, respectively. The established experimental-theoretical methodology promises to be a useful tool for nanoscale characterization of helicoidal and other structures found in biological materials.
A Bayesian inference method for estimating the channel occupancy

The proliferation of mobile devices has led to an increasing demand for radio spectrum resources. Currently, the spectrum allocation is static, which has resulted in underutilization of this resource. This situation has motivated the search for solutions to address the spectrum scarcity problem. The channel occupancy rate is a piece of information that can assist the decision making process regarding reallocation of spectral resources. This information can be useful for DSA (Dynamic Spectrum Access) systems, spectrum decision, and spectrum regulators. In most of the spectrum usage surveys, frequentist inference techniques are used to scan the spectrum and estimate the occupancy rate of particular frequency bands. This approach has several limitations that are addressed in this work through Bayesian inference in order to build a spectrum decision framework able to deal with uncertainty. This paper presents a work in progress, whose goal is to build a probabilistic model to assist the spectrum decision process in cognitive radios.
From natural products to Alzheimer experimental therapeutics, eserine based drugs as symptomatic and disease altering agents

Summary Based on the hexahydropyrroloindole backbone of the natural product and alkaloid, (-)-physostigmine (eserine) – a short-acting non-selective reversible cholinesterase inhibitor, three series of compounds were designed and developed to overcome its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic shortfalls to provide experimental therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and pharmacological tools to define brain function in health, aging and disease. Posiphen and analogues are amyloid-b precursor protein (APP) and amyloid-b peptide (Ab) lowering agents that are cholinergically inert but generate metabolites with anticholinesterase action. (-)-Bisnorcymserine and analogues are potent, centrally active, reversible, selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors, whereas (-)-phenserine and analogues are similar but selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and each additionally lowers APP and Ab generation as a secondary action. Defining the clinical value of these agents in AD and related dementias is a key focus of current research. A partire da prodotti naturali per la terapia sperimentale nell’Alzheimer, farmaci a base di eserina come agenti in grado di alterare la malattia e la sintomatologia Riassunto Basandosi sullo scheletro esaidropirroloindolico del prodotto naturale e alcaloide (-)-fisostigmina (eserina), un inibitore reversibile non selettivo a breve durata d’azione della colinesterasi, sono state progettate e sviluppate tre serie di composti con duplice scopo: per superare le sue carenze farmacocinetiche e farmacodinamiche in modo da allestire terapie sperimentali per la malattia di Alzheimer (MA) e come strumenti farmacologici per definire le funzioni cerebrali in materia di salute, invecchiamento e patologia. Il Posiphen e analoghi, che promuovono l’abbassamento dei livelli della proteina precursore b-amiloide (APP) e del peptide b-amiloide (Ab), sono colinergicamente inerti ma generano metaboliti con azione anticolinesterasica. (-)-Bisnorcymserina e analoghi sono potenti, attivi a livello centrale, reversibili, inibitori selettivi della butirilcolinesterasi, mentre (-)-fenserina e analoghi sono simili ma inibitori selettivi dell’acetilcolinesterasi, e ciascuno abbassa ulteriormente la produzione di APP e di Ab come azione secondaria. Definire il valore clinico di questi agenti nella MA e nelle demenze correlate e un obiettivo chiave delle ricerche in corso.
Shared Principles in History and Social Science Education

Barton describes key principles shared by history and social science education. These include perspective, causation, agency, evidence and the wider area of conceptual development. He examines the centrality of these principles to understanding both history and the social sciences, and he provides examples of their application to a variety of historical and contemporary topics found in school curricula. He describes the pedagogical challenges teachers face in addressing these principles, especially in light of research on the development of students’ understanding. He argues that educational efforts would be more effective if both official curricula and local practices were more carefully designed to capitalize on areas of similarity between seemingly distinct subjects, but also cautions that this would require substantial professional development for teachers.
Standard Precautions for Handling Human Fluids, Tissues, and Cells

A broad range of infectious agents can be found in the blood at different stages of infection in humans. Most agents are present at high levels during a brief amount of time (i.e., septicemic phase), rarely are transmitted by blood, and therefore, are not usually categorized as “blood-borne” pathogens. Some agents, particularly viruses that induce a latent-phase or long-term carrier state, can be transmitted to other humans through blood or body fluid contact. The three most common examples of viruses existing in long-term carrier states that frequently exist as an asymptomatic infection are human HIV-1, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Occupational infections with these blood-borne pathogens have been documented globally and can occur when blood or body fluids containing these agents are transferred directly to the worker, e.g., through needlestick exposures to contaminated needles or blood or body fluid contact with mucous membranes or nonintact skin. The study of how these infections occur provides insight into the risks associated with other blood-borne pathogens that may be present in a carrier state in the blood such as Plasmodium (malaria), West Nile virus, Treponema pallidum (syphilis), or viral hemorrhagic fever viruses (e.g., Ebola).
Internal Waves Over the New England Shelf

Abstract : This study focused on investigating several aspects of the internal wave field over the New England Shelf, considered to be representative of a general class of broad, gently-sloping shelves. Specifically, we worked to characterize the horizontal and vertical structure of the internal wave field over the shelf and to examine how coastal geometry, stratification and background flow act to modify the near-inertial response to impulsive wind forcing.
Early Initiation of Substance Use as an Indicator of Problematic Substance Use Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men (YMSM).

Background and Objectives: Much research has documented that young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are at higher risk for substance use-related problems. This study examined the age of substance u...
Autocatalytic Pyrolysis of Wastewater Biosolids for Product Upgrading

The main goals for sustainable water resource recovery include maximizing energy generation, minimizing adverse environmental impacts, and recovering beneficial resources. Wastewater biosolids pyrolysis is a promising technology that could help facilities reach these goals because it produces biochar that is a valuable soil amendment as well as bio-oil and pyrolysis gas (py-gas) that can be used for energy. The raw bio-oil, however, is corrosive; therefore, employing it as fuel is challenging using standard equipment. A novel pyrolysis process using wastewater biosolids-derived biochar (WB-biochar) as a catalyst was investigated to decrease bio-oil and increase py-gas yield for easier energy recovery. WB-biochar catalyst increased the py-gas yield nearly 2-fold, while decreasing bio-oil production. The catalyzed bio-oil also contained fewer constituents based on GC-MS and GC-FID analyses. The energy shifted from bio-oil to py-gas, indicating the potential for easier on-site energy recovery using the relat...
Abstract 98: Bilateral Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage Association With Simultaneous Bilateral Stroke

Introduction: Bilateral ischemic strokes are often attributed to central or cardiac embolic sources, especially in the absence of severe bilateral carotid stenosis. Carotid MRI detects carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), a marker of stroke risk independent of stenosis. Hypothesis: MRI-detected carotid IPH better identifies bilateral carotid source strokes compared to stenosis alone. Methods: In this retrospective cross sectional study, patients undergoing stroke workup were imaged with carotid and brain MRI. Stroke was determined by the AHA definition of CNS infarction. Patients with non-carotid stroke sources (e.g. cardiac sources), occluded or near-occluded carotids were excluded. A total of 425 patients were analyzed. Carotid imaging findings were recorded, including IPH and NASCET stenosis along with clinical cerebrovascular risk factors and medications. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the predictive value (area under the curve, AUC) of carotid imaging findings. Results: Carotid IPH was present in 89/425 of cases, and was bilateral in 24/89 (27.0%). Bilateral carotid IPH was a good predictor of bilateral stroke (AUC=.808), performing better than bilateral stenosis with ≥50%, ≥60% or ≥70% cutoffs (AUC=.565 p=.001, AUC=.550 p Conclusions: Bilateral carotid IPH is associated with bilateral stroke, and adds significant discrimination of bilateral carotid stroke sources compared to stenosis. In the setting of bilateral stroke, carotid MRI may help uncover potential stroke sources undetected by lumen imaging alone.
The State of the Art in Azaborine Chemistry: New Synthetic Methods and Applications.

Boron–nitrogen heteroarenes hold great promise for practical application in many areas of chemistry. Enduring interest in realizing this potential has in turn driven perennial innovation with respect to these compounds’ synthesis. This Perspective discusses in detail the most recent advances in methods pertaining to the preparation of BN-isosteres of benzene, naphthalene, and their derivatives. Additional focus is placed on the progress enabled by these syntheses toward functional utility of such BN-heterocycles in biochemistry and pharmacology, materials science, and transition-metal-based catalysis. The prospects for future research efforts in these and related fields are also assessed.
Transferrin Receptors TfR1 and TfR2 Bind Transferrin through Differing Mechanisms.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), a disease marked by chronic iron overload from insufficient expression of the hormone hepcidin, is one of the most common genetic diseases. One form of HH (type III) results from mutations in transferrin receptor-2 (TfR2). TfR2 is postulated to be a part of signaling system that is capable of modulating hepcidin expression. However, the molecular details of TfR2’s role in this system remain unclear. TfR2 is predicted to bind the iron carrier transferrin (Tf) when the iron saturation of Tf is high. To better understand the nature of these TfR–Tf interactions, a binding study with the full-length receptors was conducted. In agreement with previous studies with truncated forms of these receptors, holo-Tf binds to the TfR1 homologue significantly stronger than to TfR2. However, the binding constant for Tf–TfR2 is still far above that of physiological holo-Tf levels, inconsistent with the hypothetical model, suggesting that other factors mediate the interaction. One possible fa...
Assessment of coronary vascular function with cardiac PET in relation to serum uric acid

Background Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels have been independently associated with cardiovascular disease. Stress myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography (PET) allows for measurement of absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF) and quantification of global left ventricular coronary flow reserve (CFR). A CFR <2.0 is considered impaired coronary vascular function, and it is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We evaluated the relationship between SUA and PET-measured markers of coronary vascular function. Methods We studied adults undergoing a stress myocardial perfusion PET on clinical grounds (1/2006-3/2014) who also had ≥1 SUA measurement within 180 days from the PET date. Multivariable linear regression estimated the association between SUA and PET-derived MBF and CFR. We also stratified analyses by diabetes status. Results We included 382 patients with mean (SD) age of 68.4 (12.4) years and mean (SD) SUA level of 7.2 (2.6) mg/dl. 36% were female and 29% had gout. Median [IQR] CFR was reduced at 1.6 [1.2, 2.0] and median [IQR] stress MBF was 1.5 [1.1, 2.1] ml/min/g. In the adjusted analysis, SUA was inversely associated with stress MBF (β = -0.14, p = 0.01) but not with CFR. Among patients without diabetes (n = 215), SUA had a negative association with CFR (β = -0.15, p = 0.02) and stress MBF (β = -0.19, p = 0.01) adjusting for age, sex, extent of myocardial scar and ischemia, serum creatinine and gout. In diabetic patients (n = 167), SUA was not associated with either CFR or MBF. Conclusions In this cross-sectional study, higher SUA is modestly associated with worse CFR and stress MBF among patients without diabetes.
On a microcontinuum model of pulsatile blood flow

Based on a microcontinuum model, an initial value investigation is made of the pulsatile blood flow through a rigid circular tube with entrance effects due to the impulsive action of an arbitrary as well as particular pressure gradient. The solutions for the unsteady velocity field as well as the microrotation velocity of the blood red cells are explicitly determined. The asymptotic behavior of the solutions is studied with physical significance. Special attention is given to the investigation of the entrance effects on the structure of the blood flow. It is shown that the entrance effects are reflected in the solutions of the problem through the terms containing the exponential factor exp (−zbδ/V), and the solutions are significantly different from those of the fully developed flow. It is also predicted that the present theory gives rise to a boundary layer phenomenon not present in the previous works in the microcirculation of blood. This new boundary layer is introduced by the influence of the entrance effects. This analysis reveals the generation and propagation of waves in the blood vessels travelling downstream with velocityV/b. These waves are primarily caused by the entrance effects and eventually decay within the boundary layer distance of the orderV/(bδ). An exact as well as an approximate equation for the oscillatory inlet length is derived. Several limiting cases of physical interest are also discussed.
Validation of an automated segmentation algorithm for lower leg MR images, applied to sodium quantification

Objective: To develop and validate an automated segmentation algorithm for the lower leg using a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging protocol. Methods: An automated algorithm combining active contour and intensity-based thresholding methods was developed to identify skin and muscle regions from proton Dixon MR images of the lower leg. Tissue sodium concentration was then computed using contemporaneously acquired sodium images with calibrated phantoms in the field of view. Resulting sodium concentration measurements were compared to a gold standard manual segmentation in 126 scans. Results: Most cases had no observable errors in segmentation of muscle and skin. Six cases had minor errors that were not expected to affect quantification; in the worst, 126 mm2 (2%) of a muscle area of 8,042 mm2 was misclassified. In one case the algorithm failed to separate the tibia from the muscle compartment. Correlation between automated and manual measurements of sodium concentration was R2 = 0.84 for skin, R2 = 0.99 for muscle. Additionally, the RMSE was 2.4mM for skin and 0.5mM for muscle; the observed physiological range was 8.5 to 37.4mM. Conclusion: For the purpose of estimating sodium concentrations in muscle and skin compartments, the automated segmentations provided equally accurate results compared to the more time-intensive manual segmentations. Sodium quantification serves as a biomarker for disease progression, which would assist with early diagnostic treatments. The proposed algorithm will improve workflow, reproducibility, and consistency in such studies.
Primary Prevention of Sexually Transmitted HIV Infections: Transferring Behavioral Research Technology to Community Programs

Behavioral research to prevent the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has made significant progress over the past decade. Most importantly, studies have repeatedly shown that theory-based prevention interventions that build self-efficacy through self-management and communication skills training successfully reduce HIV risk behaviors. Simultaneously, communities have mobilized to develop programs that assist persons in reducing their risk for HIV infection. The degree to which behavioral sciences have contributed to community-based HIV prevention programming is examined in this paper through a systematic assessment of technology transfer in the area of sexual risk behavior reduction. We analyzed the content of twelve community-based HIV risk-reduction programs targeting gay and bisexual men developed by seven of the nation's largest AIDS service organizations. Telephone interviews were conducted with community program developers to determine the source of their programs and whether they had been influenced by behavioral sciences. Evidence was mixed with respect to the degree to which behavioral sciences have contributed to the development of community-based programs. Program elements often reflected research-based models but with questionable fidelity. Evidence for diffusion of research-based information occurred most often when community organizations received direct consultation from behavioral scientists. We suggest that technology transfer in HIV prevention requires behavioral scientists working in communities to serve as translators of theoretical constructs for practical applications. Preventing the spread of HIV could therefore be improved through partnerships between behavioral researchers and communities.
Prenatal cardiovascular adaptation.

The causes and the pathogenesis of almost all congenital anomalies of the cardiovascular system are unknown. Most must originate at a time when the complex folding and septation of the original embryonic vascular channels take place, i.e. within the first six weeks of development. While some genetic factors have been implicated (Zetterqvist, 1971) in most cardiovascular anomalies no strictly genetic basis is ascertained. Conversely, maternal environmental disturbances of embryonic development have been cited occasionally as possible causes of defective fetal growth (Douglas, 1958) and the assumption is made that some of these may affect cardiovascular development as well (Uchida and Rowe, 1957).
Automated C-Terminal Sequencing of Peptides

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of a chemical method for the sequential degradation of a protein or peptide from the carboxy-terminus. The development of a C-terminal method involves the combination of several diverse areas of research, all of which must be considered concurrently. These include the design of an instrument capable of performing the sequencing chemistry, the choice of a solid support stable to the conditions used for sequencing, the optimization of methodology to covalently couple polypeptide samples to the solid support in high yield, and the development of chemistry to specifically derivatize and hydrolyze the C-terminal amino acid. The chemistry used for C-terminal sequencing consist of three steps: 1) the activation of the C-terminal carboxylic group with acetic anhydride to form an oxazolinone, 2) the derivatization of the C-terminal amino acid to a thiohydantoin with trimethylsilylisothiocyanate, and 3) the specific cleavage of the derivatized amino acid with sodium trimethylsilanolate.
Pathologic Fibroblasts in Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis Amplify Local Inflammatory Signals

ObjectiveTo characterize the phenotype and function of fibroblasts derived from airway scar in idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) and to explore scar fibroblast response to interleukin 17A (IL-1...
Addressing Systemic Health Literacy Issues and Patient Safety through a Grassroots Collaborative

An innovative Health Literacy Collaborative between academia and the Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council Foundation (DFWHCF) which encompasses 80-member organizations. The collaborative works to bui...
A Preoperative Educational Time-Out is Associated with Improved Resident Goal Setting and Strengthens Educational Experiences.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a preoperative Educational Time-Out (ETO) with structured postoperative feedback on resident preoperative goal-setting and the educational experience of a clinical rotation. DESIGN A preoperative ETO was developed during which trainees and faculty jointly identified an operative goal and discussed the trainee's operative autonomy. Postoperative feedback with a smartphone application was encouraged. From November 2016 to October 2017, the intervention was piloted with 1 surgical service. Outcomes included ETO completion rate, goal setting rate, and subjects’ perception of the impact of the ETO on identification of performance deficits, trainee autonomy, and receipt of feedback. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. SETTING This study was performed in an institutional hospital setting. PARTICIPANTS Third-year general surgery residents and surgical faculty in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center took part in the intervention. RESULTS Seven residents and 7 attending surgeons participated in this study. Residents performed a median of 15 procurements during an average of 6.5 weeks each on service. The ETO completion rate was 83%. Resident-reported preoperative goal setting increased after the intervention (from 36% to 78%, p = 0.015). Subjects reported a positive impact of the intervention, with high resident agreement that the ETO helped identify deficits (82% median agreement), increased autonomy (82% median agreement), and increased receipt of feedback (84% median agreement). Residents and attendings agreed that the educational experience was stronger due to the ETO (median 81% and 77%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The ETO intervention improved rates of resident preoperative goal setting and strengthened perceived educational experiences. Resident participants also reported improvements in autonomy and rates of postoperative feedback. Broader implementation of this brief preoperative pause is an easy way to emphasize procedural education in the operating room.
Identifying obesity‐related multimorbidity combinations in the United States

Interest in understanding the effects of multimorbidity on outcomes has increased in recent years. This paper presents the most common obesity-related groupings of multimorbidity in the United States. Using Cerner HealthFacts data, we applied the frequent pattern growth algorithm to identify prevalent multimorbidity groupings of 3 or more diseases (one being obesity) by race using a dataset of 574 172 patients with obesity from all over the United States. We set the minimum prevalence to 10% and identified groupings of ICD10-CM diagnoses that occur in our dataset at or above the minimum prevalence level. We provide binomial proportion confidence interval estimates to demonstrate the validity of the proportions. We performed g-test for independence to validate differences in prevalence by race. We found 18 multimorbidity combinations with prevalence higher than or equal to 10%. Our results indicate that there are multiple common multimorbidities groupings for patients with obesity. Each multimorbidity combination is composed of diseases from the following clinical categories: endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases; diseases of the circulatory system; diseases of the digestive system; diseases of the nervous system; and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. For each multimorbidity pattern, the prevalence was found to be significantly different by race according to the g-test with P-value < .001. Most frequent patterns include essential hypertension or disorder of lipid metabolism. This study identifies common groupings of multimorbidity. We believe our data can be useful for those developing integrated care plans, particularly for those serving diverse communities.
The Role of Arachidonic Acid Metabolites in the Pathophysiology of Bartter’s Syndrome

Almost 20 years ago Frederic Bartter, John Gill, and their co-workers described an unusual form of secondary hyperaldosteronism in two children.1 Their patients had a number of clinical and metabolic abnormalities which characterize the syndrome now referred to as Bartter’s syndrome. The clinical features of this syndrome are illustrated in Table I.
Trajectory Forecasts in Unknown Environments Conditioned on Grid-Based Plans

We address the problem of forecasting pedestrian and vehicle trajectories in unknown environments, conditioned on their past motion and scene structure. Trajectory forecasting is a challenging problem due to the large variation in scene structure and the multimodal distribution of future trajectories. Unlike prior approaches that directly learn one-to-many mappings from observed context to multiple future trajectories, we propose to condition trajectory forecasts on plans sampled from a grid based policy learned using maximum entropy inverse reinforcement learning (MaxEnt IRL). We reformulate MaxEnt IRL to allow the policy to jointly infer plausible agent goals, and paths to those goals on a coarse 2-D grid defined over the scene. We propose an attention based trajectory generator that generates continuous valued future trajectories conditioned on state sequences sampled from the MaxEnt policy. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation on the publicly available Stanford drone and NuScenes datasets shows that our model generates trajectories that are diverse, representing the multimodal predictive distribution, and precise, conforming to the underlying scene structure over long prediction horizons.
Effectiveness of Rain Cleaning on Artificially Soiled PV Modules With and Without Anti-soiling Coatings

A simple, inexpensive methodology for testing the effectiveness of rain cleaning on artificially soiled single-cell and multi-cell photovoltaic (PV) modules having anti-soiling coatings has been developed. Using an indoor soil deposition chamber and methodology as described in our previously published work, multiple layers of soil were deposited on to the glass surface of single-cell PV modules subjected to controlled temperature and humidity cycles. Three single-cell monocrystalline PV modules are reported in this study, two of which had different anti-soiling (AS) coatings applied to the surface and the third did not have any AS coating. The set-up and operation of a rain-simulator is described as well as the rain cleaning parameters the PV test modules were exposed to. The purpose of this work is to determine the effectiveness of anti-soiling coatings and cleaning techniques, so vendor claims can be quantitatively validated using an appropriately controlled soil deposition chamber and a rain simulating spray nozzle.
Expression, purification, and glycosylation of epidermal growth factor-like repeat 27 from mouse NOTCH1

Notch receptors have large extracellular domains containing up to 36 tandem epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats, which facilitate cell signaling by binding ligands on neighboring cells. Notch receptors play major roles in a variety of developmental processes by controlling cell fate decisions. Each EGF repeat consists of about 40 amino acids with 3 conserved disulfide bonds. Many of the EGF repeats are modified by O-linked fucose glycans, and more than half have calcium-binding sites, but the sequences of the EGF repeats vary giving distinct roles to each repeat. EGF repeat 27 (EGF27) from mouse NOTCH1 is modified with O-fucose and is 1 of 7 repeats that is differentially modified by specific Fringe enzymes, which are known to regulate NOTCH1 activation and ligand binding. To better understand the role of EGF27 in NOTCH1 function and regulation, the 3-dimensional structures of EGF27 and its glycoforms are being pursued. E. coli cells were used to produce EGF27 in sufficient quantities for nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Previous attempts to express the repeat alone and refold the repeat under a steady redox environment were unsuccessful due to low yields and extensive mixed-disulfide bond cross-linking. A new strategy using a cleavable maltose binding protein fusion tag increased the solubility and yield of EGF27. With the fusion tag, EGF27 was refolded to produce the correct disulfide bond arrangement, which was verified enzymatically with the glycosyltransferases, Protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1) and Lunatic Fringe (LFNG).
Cancer and Scleroderma

Individuals with scleroderma have an increased risk of cancer compared with the general population. This heightened risk may be from chronic inflammation and tissue damage, malignant transformation provoked by immunosuppressive therapies, or a common inciting factor. In unique subsets of patients with scleroderma, there is a close temporal relationship between the onset of cancer and scleroderma, suggesting cancer-induced autoimmunity. This article discusses the potential mechanistic links between cancer and scleroderma, the serologic and clinical risk factors associated with increased cancer risk in patients with scleroderma, and implications for cancer screening.