cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Xanthurenic acid excretion studies in diabetics with and without retinopathy.

Conclusions and Summary1. Diabetic patients with and without retinopathy excrete on the average significantly greater quantities of xanthurenic acid after an oral test load of 10 g dl-tryptophane than do non-diabetic controls. 2. There is no significant difference in the xanthurenic acid output of diabetic patients who have, and those who have not developed retinopathy.
PS-136 Implementing Flexible Bronchoscopy In A Picu – A Safe And Useful Technique

Background and aims In 2011 we started implementing flexible bronchoscopy in our PICU for management of critically ill patients and children with home ventilation. It was our goal to implement this technique as a routine diagnostic an interventional tool and to characterise possible benefits and risks. Methods This is a prospective study performed in a 10-bed paediatric ICU of a tertiary care children’s hospital. All patients who underwent a bronchoscopy in the years 2012–2013 were included in this study. Olympus and Storz bronchoscopes with 2.2 mm, 2.8 mm and 3.8 mm diameter were used and every procedure was video documented. All procedures were performed by trained paediatric intensive care specialist. Results 151 procedures were performed in 96 patients. Indications were: Treatment of atelectasis and obstruction (78 of 151 procedures), with improvement in ventilation parameters in 61 of 78 procedures (78%); search for airways anatomic pathologies (45 of 151 procedures), with pathological findings in 26 of 45 procedures (58%); Pneumonia and undetermined lung disease in which cases BAL was preformed (29 of 151 procedures), with changed antimicrobial treatment in 17 of 29 cases (59%). We didn’t observe any procedure-related mortality or serious complications. Conclusions Flexible bronchoscopy is a very safe and useful procedure in critical ill infants and children with a variety of diseases, and significantly contributes to their management. In our opinion bronchoscopy should be a routine technique in paediatric intensive care units.
Conservative Semi-Lagrangian Finite Difference WENO Formulations with Applications to the Vlasov Equation

In this paper, we propose a new conservative semi-Lagrangian (SL) finite difference (FD) WENO scheme for linear advection equations, which can serve as a base scheme for the Vlasov equation by Strang splitting [4]. The reconstruction procedure in the proposed SL FD scheme is the same as the one used in the SL finite volume (FV) WENO scheme [3]. However, instead of inputting cell averages and approximate the integral form of the equation in a FV scheme, we input point values and approximate the differential form of equation in a FD spirit, yet retaining very high order (fifth order in our experiment) spatial accuracy. The advantage of using point values, rather than cell averages, is to avoid the second order spatial error, due to the shearing in velocity (v) and electrical field (E) over a cell when performing the Strang splitting to the Vlasov equation. As a result, the proposed scheme has very high spatial accuracy, compared with second order spatial accuracy for Strang split SL FV scheme for solving the Vlasov-Poisson (VP) system. We perform numerical experiments on linear advection, rigid body rotation problem; and on the Landau damping and two-stream instabilities by solving the VP system. For comparison, we also apply (1) the conservative SL FD WENO scheme, proposed in [22] for incompressible advection problem, (2) the conservative SL FD WENO scheme proposed in [21] and (3) the non-conservative version of the SL FD WENO scheme in [3] to the same test problems. The performances of different schemes are compared by the error table, solution resolution of sharp interface, and by tracking the conservation of physical norms, energies and entropies, which should be physically preserved.
Socioeconomic Status and Health: The Problem of Explanation and a Sociological Solution

The task of explaining why socioeconomic status (SES) and health are strongly correlated has grown beyond the special problem of the ‘gradient.' It is now evident that the stepwise relationship of measures of health with years of schooling and similar indicators is only one of several features that must be explained. These include its association with a broad spectrum of diseases, the way SES predicts across the life course and the widening gap between the health status of those with low and high SES. Even more significant than these is the persistence of the correlation despite numerous controls for mediating variables such as medical access, chronic illnesses, and lifestyle indicators. The conclusion that the effect is direct and unmediated is increasingly probable. However, a codification of the biomedical explanation of ‘wellness' reveals that the direct effect contradicts the model. An alternative ‘structural' explanation is outlined that resolves the contradiction but at the price of rejecting the biomedical theory as an explanation of direct social effects like SES. The new theory leaves the biomedical explanation intact for curative medicine and epidemics but it points to a sociological rationale for public health programs oriented to enhancing positive health.
American Circus (Re)Invented: Queering Cirque Du Soleil

This research examines Zumanity: The Sensual Side of Cirque Du Soleil. Written and directed by Dominic Champagne and Rene Richard Cyr, this performance departs from the other Cirque productions by incorporating a sexual theme that conceptually reflects part burlesque, part cabaret performance. Cirque Du Soleil presents an opportunity to ask some important and challenging questions like: Is Zumanity indicative of a change in how nouveau cirque or contemporary circus movement presents masculinity, femininity, and sexual desire? How does Zumanity conform to, or deviate from, binary heteronormative constructions of human sexuality? And finally, is Zumanity ultimately only a profit making product that serves to whet the appetite of a very select audience for titillation and spectatorship?
Procedures for Analysis of Respirable Dust as Related to Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis

Publisher Summary There is some diversity of opinion as to the cause of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). Black lung disease, as it is commonly referred to, often develops after accumulation of respirable coal dust deposits in the lungs. The presence of trace elements in miners' lungs may also be implicated in causing CWP. The chemical nature of organic constituents could conceivably affect the incidence of pneumoconiosis in coal mines. This chapter discusses analytical procedures involving respirable dust weight, free silica, trace elements, and organic components. The respirable dust is collected by size-selective samplers in accordance with Title 30 of the Bureau of Mines. This chapter describes the procedures covering these pollutants.
Modifying a John Deere 9410 Combine for Plot Harvest

HarvestMaster advises the fabricator to build a holding bin similar to the HarvestMaster High Capacity Grain Gauge (HCGG) in physical size and capacity that can be opened and closed with an air cylinder similar to the HCGG. This allows the HarvestMaster to automatically control the holding bin. We decided not to follow this advice, but rather to install an air clutch on the grain supply elevator and have it controlled by the HarvestMaster automated controls.
Liver segmentation using location and intensity probabilistic atlases

In a variety of injuries and illnesses, internal organs in the abdominal and pelvic regions, in particular liver, may be compromised. In the current practice, CT scans of liver are visually inspected to investigate the integrity of the organ. However, the size and complexity of the CT images limits the reliability of visual inspection to accurately assess the health of liver. Computer-aided image analysis can create fast and quantitative assessment of liver from the CT, in particular in the environments where access to skilled radiologists may be limited. In this paper we propose a hierarchical method based on probabilistic models of position and intensity of voxels for automated segmentation of liver that achieves the Dice similarity coefficient of higher than 89%.
Chvátal’s t 0 -Tough Conjecture

In 1973, Chvatal introduced the concept of “tough graphs” and conjectured that graphs with sufficiently high toughness are hamiltonian. Here we look at some personal perspectives of this conjecture, both those of Chvatal and the author. Furthermore, we present the history of the conjecture and its current status.
Shunt tube placement for amelioration of cerebrospinal fluid flow obstruction caused by spinal cord subarachnoid fibrosis in dogs

Objective To describe a novel technique for ameliorating cerebrospinal fluid flow obstruction secondary to pia-arachnoid fibrosis in dogs and report outcome. Study Design Descriptive report and retrospective case series. Animals Dogs with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow obstruction (n = 7). Methods Medical records were searched for dogs that had a subarachnoid-subarachnoid shunt placed for treatment of CSF flow obstruction. Data collected included age, sex, breed, clinical signs and duration of signs prior to examination, neurologic status and localization prior to surgery, pre-surgical diagnostics, surgical technique, histopathology, postoperative neurologic examination, time to discharge from hospital, and outcome. Results All dogs were diagnosed at surgery with a fibrotic adhesion between the arachnoid and pia mater. A subarachnoid shunting tube was implanted to allow CSF flow across the lesion site. Five dogs showed improvement of clinical signs, 3 of which showed complete recovery and 2 of which showed improvement without resolution of all clinical signs. Two dogs showed no change at 7 and 24 months postoperatively. Conclusion Bridging a region of pia-arachnoid fibrosis with a tube placed in the subarachnoid space can ameliorate or prevent progression of associated clinical signs.
Sémiologie urbaine postcoloniale: Impasse Général Bugeaud

This article highlights the relevance of Roland Barthes’ work to the study of contemporary France from a postcolonial perspective. Barthes’ semiological approach, as articulated in Mythologies, is applied to emphasize the presence and impact of colonial ideology in the French quotidian through an examination of the ways in which a street sign can be received as myth. It is argued that recognizing this presence constitutes a crucial step in acknowledging different sites of France’s postcoloniality.
Influence of Microphysical Variability on Stochastic Condensation in a Turbulent Laboratory Cloud

AbstractDiffusional growth of droplets by stochastic condensation and a resulting broadening of the size distribution has been considered as a mechanism for bridging the cloud droplet growth gap between condensation and collision–coalescence. Recent studies have shown that supersaturation fluctuations can lead to a broadening of the droplet size distribution at the condensational stage of droplet growth. However, most studies using stochastic models assume the phase relaxation time of a cloud parcel to be constant. In this paper, two questions are asked: how variability in droplet number concentration and radius influence the phase relaxation time and what effect it has on the droplet size distributions. To answer these questions, steady-state cloud conditions are created in the laboratory and digital inline holography is used to directly observe the variations in local number concentration and droplet size distribution and, thereby, the integral radius. Stochastic equations are also extended to account f...
The New World of the Indigenous Museum

Museums have long offered simplistic representations of American Indians, even as they served as repositories for Indigenous human remains and cultural patrimony. Two critical interventions–the fou...
Beginning of the Decline (November–December 2014)

In November and December 2014, the Ebola outbreak began to follow different paths in different countries. Liberia experienced a significant drop in cases. The apparent declines seen in Liberia in October 2014 were real. Hospitals that were once filled beyond capacity now had only a few cases. By November 13, 2014, conditions had improved so much that Liberia let its state of emergency expire. In Guinea, caseloads remained relatively stable. Sierra Leone became the epicenter of the outbreak. During November 2014, case numbers in Sierra Leone rapidly increased and the disease reached parts of the country that had not yet been affected. Sierra Leone’s healthcare system was hard-hit. By December 14, 2014, 12 Sierra Leone doctors had been infected. In other parts of the world, the outbreak also presented a mixed picture. The outbreaks in the United States and Spain were over. In Mali, a second Ebola cluster flared up in mid-November. Ebola reached Scotland on December 29, 2014. Despite the increasing number of cases in Sierra Leone and the intermittent sparks around the world, healthcare officials began to think the worst of the outbreak might be over. Trend lines started to point downward.
Probing Metal-Organic Framework Design for Adsorptive Natural Gas Purification.

Parent and amine-functionalized analogues of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), UiO-66(Zr), MIL-125(Ti), and MIL-101(Cr), were evaluated for their hydrogen sulfide (H2S) adsorption efficacy and post-exposure acid gas stability. Adsorption experiments were conducted through fixed-bed breakthrough studies utilizing multicomponent 1% H2S/99% CH4 and 1% H2S/10% CO2/89% CH4 natural gas simulant mixtures. Instability of MIL-101(Cr) materials after H2S exposure was discovered through powder X-ray diffraction and porosity measurements following adsorbent pelletization, whereas other materials retained their characteristic properties. Linker-based amine functionalities increased H2S breakthrough times and saturation capacities from their parent MOF analogues. Competitive CO2 adsorption effects were mitigated in mesoporous MIL-101(Cr) and MIL-101–NH2(Cr), in comparison to microporous UiO-66(Zr) and MIL-125(Ti) frameworks. This result suggests that the installation of H2S binding sites in large-pore MOFs could potenti...
Intimate Partner Violence in Adolescent Romantic Relationships

Intimate partner violence (IPV) in adolescence, also referred to as teen dating violence (TDV), has been linked to a range of serious negative physical and mental health outcomes as well as increased risk for revictimization in adulthood. Advances in research designs and analytic tools have increased understanding of the complexities of TDV, including differing prevalence rates and risk factors among subgroups of adolescents. Applying an ecological framework to TDV has also helped to illustrate how multiple levels of risk factors (e.g., individual, relationship, societal) work together to influence the potential for TDV exposure. Though numerous prevention programs have been designed, limited empirical support exists for their efficacy. Continued rigorous research remains essential to expand our knowledge of TDV and to design, evaluate, and implement effective prevention programs for reducing the rates of TDV.
Averaging and Perturbation from a Geometric Viewpoint

In this chapter we describe some classical methods of analysis which are particularly applicable to problems in nonlinear oscillations. While these methods might be familiar to the reader who has studied nonlinear mechanics and perturbation theory, the present geometrical approach and the stress on obtaining approximations to Poincare maps will probably be less familiar.
Bioética: diálogo y cooperación entre filósofos, médicos e investigadores

No abstracts available.Realidad: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades No. 119, 2009: 9-12
Triad of Metabolic Syndrome, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Coronary Heart Disease With a Focus on Microalbuminuria: Death by Overeating

Coronary heart disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and its incidence is rising worldwide. Because atherosclerosis is a chronic process, and it is often associated with certain lifestyle and risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance, much emphasis is being placed on lifestyle modification and control of risk factors. It is being recognized that some lifestyle patterns such as overeating result in metabolic syndrome, which may play a role in the development of chronic kidney disease and coronary heart disease. Here, we focus on an important relationship between these 3 conditions, and we provide evidence that microalbuminuria develops in many patients with metabolic syndrome, may be an important correlate of chronic kidney disease and coronary heart disease, and may represent an important prognostic marker. Although the pathogenesis of microalbuminuria in metabolic syndrome is not clear, we suggest that microalbuminuria, chronic kidney disease, and coronary heart disease share common pathways involving inflammation and oxidative stress. We also discuss that a healthy lifestyle is essential for preventing and treating chronic kidney disease and coronary heart disease seen in patients with metabolic syndrome.
ADJUSTED REGULARIZATION IN LATENT GRAPHICAL MODELS: APPLICATION TO MULTIPLE-NEURON SPIKE COUNT DATA.

A major challenge in contemporary neuroscience is to analyze data from large numbers of neurons recorded simultaneously across many experimental replications (trials), where the data are counts of neural firing events, and one of the basic problems is to characterize the dependence structure among such multivariate counts. Methods of estimating high-dimensional covariation based on $\ell_{1}$-regularization are most appropriate when there are a small number of relatively large partial correlations, but in neural data there are often large numbers of relatively small partial correlations. Furthermore, the variation across trials is often confounded by Poisson-like variation within trials. To overcome these problems we introduce a comprehensive methodology that imbeds a Gaussian graphical model into a hierarchical structure: the counts are assumed Poisson, conditionally on latent variables that follow a Gaussian graphical model, and the graphical model parameters, in turn, are assumed to depend on physiologically-motivated covariates, which can greatly improve correct detection of interactions (nonzero partial correlations). We develop a Bayesian approach to fitting this covariate-adjusted generalized graphical model and we demonstrate its success in simulation studies. We then apply it to data from an experiment on visual attention, where we assess functional interactions between neurons recorded from two brain areas.
Quantum Well Solar Cells: Principles, Recent Progress, and Potential

Quantum well solar cells, as a promising approach for next-generation photovoltaic technology, have received great attention in the last few years. Recent developments in materials growth and device structures of quantum wells have opened up new avenues for the incorporation of quantum well structures in next-generation III/V multi-junction solar cells. In this paper, the advantages and challenges of growing quantum wells in the unintentionally doped (i) region of p-i-n solar cells are reviewed. We focus on the recent progress in 1.1–1.3 eV strain-balanced InGaAs/GaAsP, 1.6–1.8 eV strain-balanced and lattice-matched InGaAsP/InGaP, and >2.1 eV strained InGaN/GaN quantum well solar cells, including optimization of the quantum well growth conditions and improving the solar cell structure. For each material system, the challenges associated with materials growth and device performance such as critical layer thickness constraints, strain balance, bandgap tunability, and carrier transport limitations, are discussed. The performance of each quantum well solar cell is compared with bulk absorber operating in the same bandgap range, with the advantages of each being highlighted. The effect of the unintentional background doping on carrier collection (by drift) is presented through modeling and recent experimental results. The recent strategies to enhance the electric field distribution across the quantum well region are reviewed. The potential of incorporating quantum well structures in next-generation multi-junction devices is also discussed.
Prescribing of different antibiotics, rates of bacteremia/septicemia and associated mortality in the US and England, and the utility of antibiotic replacement vs. reduction in prescribing

Abstract Background Antibiotic use contributes to the rates of bacteremia, sepsis and associated mortality, particularly through lack of clearance of resistant infections following antibiotic treatment. At the same time, there is limited information on the effects of prescribing of some antibiotics vs. others, of antibiotic replacement and of reduction in prescribing on the rates of severe outcomes associated with bacterial infections. Methods For each of several antibiotic types/classes, we looked at associations (univariate, and multivariable for the US data) between the proportions (state-specific in the US, Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)-specific in England) of a given antibiotic type/class among all prescribed antibiotics in the outpatient setting, and rates of outcomes (mortality with septicemia, ICD-10 codes A40-41 present on the death certificate in different age groups of adults in the US, and E. coli or MSSA bacteremia in England) per unit of antibiotic prescribing (defined as the rate of outcome divided by the rate of prescribing of all antibiotics). Results In the US, prescribing of penicillins was positively associated with rates of mortality with septicemia for persons aged 75-84y and 85+y between 2014-2015, while multivariable analyses also suggest an association between the percent of individuals aged 50-64y lacking health insurance, as well as the percent of individuals aged 65-84y who are African-American and rates of mortality with septicemia. In England, prescribing of penicillins other than amoxicillin/co-amoxiclav was positively associated with rates of both MSSA and E. coli bacteremia for the period between financial years 2014/15 through 2017/18. Additionally, as time progressed, correlations between prescribing for both trimethoprim and co-amoxiclav and rates of bacteremia in England decreased, while correlations between amoxicillin prescribing and rates of bacteremia increased. Conclusions Our results suggest that prescribing of penicillins is associated with rates of E. coli and MSSA bacteremia in England, and rates of mortality with septicemia in older US adults, which agrees with our earlier findings. Those results, as well as the related epidemiological data suggest that antibiotic replacement rather than reduction in prescribing may be the more effective mechanism for reducing the rates of severe bacterial infections.
The Impact of Coronary Artery Disease and Statins on Survival after Liver Transplantation

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major contributor to longterm mortality after liver transplantation (LT) necessitating aggressive modification of CVD risk. However, it is unclear how coronary artery disease (CAD) and the development of dyslipidemia following LT impacts clinical outcomes and how management of these factors may impact survival. Patients undergoing LT at Virginia Commonwealth University from January 2007 to January 2017 were included (n = 495). CAD and risk factors in all potential liver transplantation recipients (LTRs) over the age of 50 years were evaluated via coronary angiography. The impact of pre-LT CAD after transplantation was evaluated via a survival analysis. Additionally, factors associated with new-onset dyslipidemia, statin use, and mortality were assessed using multiple logistic regression or Cox proportional hazards models. The mean age of the cohort was 55.3 ± 9.3 years at the time of LT, and median follow-up was 4.5 years. CAD was noted in 129 (26.1%) patients during the pre-LT evaluation. The presence or severity of pre-LT CAD did not impact post-LT survival. Dyslipidemia was present in 96 patients at LT, and 157 patients developed new-onset dyslipidemia after LT. Statins were underused as only 45.7% of patients with known CAD were on therapy. In patients with new-onset dyslipidemia, statin therapy was initiated in 111 (71.1%), and median time to initiation of statin therapy was 2.5 years. Statin use conferred survival benefit (hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.12-0.49) and was well tolerated with only 12% of patients developing an adverse event requiring the cessation of therapy. In conclusion, pre-LT CAD did not impact survival after LT, potentially suggesting a role of accelerated atherosclerosis that may not be captured on pre-LT testing. Although statin therapy confers survival benefit, it is underused in LTRs.
For The Uninsured In Memphis, A Stronger Safety Net

A new model moves high-need patients out of the emergency department and into a rich network of social supports.
Risky Teen Driving in a Rural Southern State.

Objective Alabama is one of the five US states with the highest teen driving mortality. We recruited teen drivers to participate in a questionnaire regarding high-risk driving behaviors. Methods Teens were recruited from a large county school system to participate in a voluntary anonymous survey. Questions were taken in part from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Descriptive statistics and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results A total of 1023 teen drivers participated (46% boys, 47% African American, 39% white, 6% Latino, and 7% other). In all, 526 students (52%) reported inconsistent seat belt use. Half of the teens surveyed reported using a cellular telephone while driving within the past 30 days (51%); 10% admitted to driving after drinking alcoholic beverages in the past 30 days, with 23% saying they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking. Conclusions High-risk teen driving behaviors were reported by many of the participants in our study. The majority of teens surveyed do not routinely wear seatbelts. Common misperceptions still exist regarding seatbelts and should be a focus of future education. Future research should focus on parental behaviors and correcting misperceptions of young drivers.
Talmudic Ethics and its Reliance on Values Rather than Rules

The question as to whether ethics should be rule-driven or value-driven has been addressed by several professional organizations. There is a belief by some organizations that overemphasizing rules can actually result in unethical behavior. People will do everything to game the rules and not be concerned with ethics. The sages of the Talmud recognized the danger of making religion rule-based and therefore came up with several legal devices to improve the law and make it more ethical. Indeed, the Talmud blamed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Romans on the fact that people insisted on following the strict letter of Torah law and not doing more than the law required. The major device used to enhance the law and make it more value based was the use of aggadah, the non-legal side of the Talmud that includes narratives and maxims.
Identifying Arguments of Space-Time Fractional Diffusion: Data-Driven Approach

A plethora of dynamical complex systems, from disordered media to living systems, exhibit anomalous diffusion behavior that is characterized by a nonlinear mean-square displacement relationship. From a mathematical perspective, the anomalous behavior is described by a partial differential equation (PDE) model that often involves fractional derivatives. In general, PDEs represent various physical laws/rules governing complex dynamical systems. Since prior knowledge about the physical laws is not available, in the diverse areas of engineering involving complex systems, we aim to discover the PDE and its parameters from system's evolution data. Towards deciphering non-trivial mechanisms driving a complex system, we propose a data-driven approach that estimates the parameters of a PDE model associated with the anomalous diffusion. We study the space-time fractional diffusion model that describes a complex stochastic process, where the magnitude and the time increments are stable processes. Starting from time-series data recorded while the system is evolving, we develop a higher order moments-based approach to determine the parameters of a generalized fractional PDE. We formulate a regression problem to allow us to estimate the arguments of the fractional diffusion. Finally, using extensive simulation studies, we show that the proposed approach is effective at retrieving the relevant parameters of the space-time fractional PDE.
The Administrative Law of the Eighth (and Sixth) Amendment

On the surface, few similarities exist between modern administrative law and the modern constitutional law of sentencing. Administrative law is preoccupied with structural constitutional law, statutory interpretation, and regulatory policy. Constitutional sentencing law is overwhelmingly concerned with individual constitutional rights, blame, and punishment. Scholars thus rarely draw connections between the two. This Chapter—written for a forthcoming volume on “The Eighth Amendment and Its Future in a New Age of Punishment”—does just that. Administrative law and the constitutional law of sentencing can be seen as sharing a fundamental concern about the structure of decision-making: how to ensure that difficult, value-laden judgments best reflect and filter the viewpoints and concerns of those they affect. Just as the institutional and procedural structure of administrative law evolved in large part to address issues of voice and perspective in the regulatory context, we might understand the arc of constitutional sentencing law over the last half-decade as slowly moving in a parallel direction.
Patient Satisfaction with Telephone Neuropsychological Assessment.

Objective Telephone-based neuropsychological assessment (TeleNP) has been shown to be a valid alternative to in-person or video-based assessment. However, there is limited information regarding patients' satisfaction with TeleNP. This report presents satisfaction survey data from a diverse, clinical sample who received TeleNP during the coronavirus disease pandemic. Method A total of 43 adult patients (30.2% Hispanic/Latinx, 32.6% Black), aged 24-75, who received TeleNP as part of routine clinical care participated in a postassessment satisfaction survey. Responses were analyzed qualitatively and via nonparametric comparisons based on demographic factors. Results Given options of "Not Satisfied," "Somewhat Satisfied," "Satisfied," or "Very Satisfied," 97.7% of patients reported satisfaction with their visit as well as the visit length, and 80% felt the visit met their needs ("Good" + "Very Good"). There were no significant differences in responses based on age, race/ethnicity, sex, or education. Endorsed advantages of TeleNP included "Avoid potential exposure to illness" and "Flexibility/Convenience," and 20% reported difficulty communicating, concentrating, and/or connecting with their provider as potential disadvantages. Although 67.7% reported a preference for in-person visits, 83.7% expressed interest in another "virtual visit" (telephone or video conference) with their provider. Conclusions TeleNP was well received by the sample and demonstrated good patient satisfaction. These results in conjunction with other research supporting the validity of TeleNP support consideration of this assessment modality for patients who might not otherwise have access to in-person or video conference-based neuropsychological services. Based on these findings, a greater focus on rapport building may be warranted when utilizing TeleNP to enhance patients' sense of connection to their provider.
The Artisan Economy and the New Spirit of Capitalism

Against the backdrop of deindustrialization and the rise of the service economy, small artisan businesses have been promoted as a liberatory alternative to large-scale enterprise and mass productio...
Choice of Ribonucleases for Ribosome Profiling Experiments

In the past 10 years, standard transcriptome sequencing protocols were optimized so well that no prior experience is required to prepare the sequencing library. Often, all enzymatic steps are designed to work in the same reaction tube minimizing handling time and reducing human errors. Ribosome profiling stands out from these methods. It is a very demanding technique that requires isolation of intact ribosomes, and thus there are multiple additional considerations that must be accounted for (McGlincy and Ingolia, Methods 126:112-129, 2017). In this chapter, we discuss how to select a ribonuclease to produce ribosomal footprints that will be later converted to the sequencing library. Several ribonucleases with different cutting patterns are commercially available. Selecting the right one for the experimental application can save a lot of time and frustration.
Temperature-dependency of ferroelectric behavior in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films measured by the Sawyer–Tower method

The wide range of optoelectronic properties found in inorganic–organic metal halide perovskites offers the potential for numerous applications. Research on these materials remains limited due to the electronic and ionic contributions to conductivity and their soft lattice structure. As a result, the existence and impact of ferroelectricity in methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) are still under debate. Here, we use a Sawyer–Tower (ST) measurement circuit to examine the variations in the polarization–electric field (P–E) hysteresis of a MAPbI3 perovskite capacitor at temperatures ranging from 100 to 300 K. Ferroelectric hysteresis was not observed in the perovskite capacitor in the temperature range. A critical point of change in P–E loops was found at roughly 160 K, which is attributed to a change in the crystal structure from the tetragonal to the orthorhombic phase. These results provide insights into understanding the material and device properties of halide perovskites.
Chromosome assembled and annotated genome sequence of Aspergillus flavus NRRL 3357

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic pathogen of crops, including peanuts and maize, and is the second leading cause of aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. A. flavus is also a major producer of the mycotoxin, aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen, which results in significant crop losses annually. The A. flavus isolate NRRL 3357 was originally isolated from peanut and has been used as a model organism for understanding the regulation and production of secondary metabolites, such as aflatoxin. A draft genome of NRRL 3357 was previously constructed, enabling the development of molecular tools and for understanding population biology of this particular species. Here, we describe an updated, near complete, telomere-to-telomere assembly and re-annotation of the eight chromosomes of A. flavus NRRL 3357 genome, accomplished via long-read PacBio and Oxford Nanopore technologies combined with Illumina short-read sequencing. A total of 13,715 protein-coding genes were predicted. Using RNA-seq data, a significant improvement was achieved in predicted 5' and 3' untranslated regions, which were incorporated into the new gene models.
The Meaning(s) of “Is”: Normative vs. Naturalistic Views of Language

One of the founders of modern logic, G. Frege, has insisted on the variety of meanings of the little word ‘‘is.’’ He explicitly distinguished four such meanings (sheer predication or subsumption, identity, assertion, and existence); a fifth meaning (subordination) follows from Frege‘s new theory of predication. It is part of the Fregean doctrine that special symbols corresponding to different meanings of ‘‘is’’ are to be used. Such distinctions have been strongly challenged by J. Hintikka, in a twofold way: theoretically and historiographically. Neither challenge is regarded as successful. Behind the conflict on ‘‘is’’ two opposite conceptions of language may be perceived: language as culture versus language as nature (‘‘natural language’’).
Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus in bovine kidney cells: II. Virus development and ultrastructural alterations in cultured cells

Abstract The sequence of events in the development of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus and the attendant ultrastructural alterations in permissive bovine kidney cell (BKC) cultures were studied by determining a single-step growth cycle of the virus and by electron microscopical examination of monolayer cell cultures. During the latent phase of the growth cycle, alterations in the infected cells suggested that there was an active synthesis of proteins. In the second or logarithmic growth phase, the infected cells revealed viral particles in various stages of assembly. The first discernible viral form in the genesis of an IBR virus particle appeared to be a partially or a fully assembled viral capsid. Viral forms found subsequently in the course of virion development were, in turn, the capsids with light cores, and then capsids with dense nucleoids and finally enveloped virus particles. In addition, unique ultrastructural alterations of the infected cells involved nearly all of the cellular organelles. For example, the endoplasmic reticulum of these cells appeared to be modified into channels for the release of virus particles. In the final phase of infection that was characterized by a decline in virus yield, the cells progressively degenerated.
Dietary management of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (LCHADD). A case report and survey

Current dietary management of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD; long-chain-(S)-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA:NAD+ oxido-reductase, EC 1.1.1.211) deficiency (LCHADD) is based on avoiding fasting, andminimizing energy production from long-chain fatty acids. We report the effects of various dietary manipulations on plasma and urinary laboratory values in a child with LCHADD. In our patient, a diet restricted to 9% of total energy from long-chain fatty acids and administration of 1.5g medium-chain triglyceride oil per kg body weight normalized plasma acylcarnitine and lactate levels, but dicarboxylic acid excretion remained approximately ten times normal. Plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n−3) was consistentlylow over a 2-year period; DHA deficiency may be related to the development of pigmentary retinopathy seen in this patient population. We also conducted a survey of metabolic physicians who treat children with LCHADD to determine current dietary interventions employed and the effects of these interventions on symptoms of this disease. Survey results indicate that a diet low in long-chain fatty acids, supplemented with medium-chain triclyceride oil, decreased the incidence of hypoketotic hypoglycaemia, and improved hypotonia, hepatomegaly, cardiomyopathy, and lactic acidosis. However, dietary treatment did not appear to effect peripheral neuropathy, pigmentary retinopathy or myoglobinuria.
Circuit synthesis of clock distribution networks based on non-zero clock skew

A methodology is presented in this paper for synthesizing clock distribution networks by inserting circuit structures to emulate the delay values assigned to specified branches of the clock tree. These clock distribution networks are designed with localized non-zero clock skew so as to improve circuit performance and reliability. The design methodology is targeted for CMOS technology. The clock lines are transformed from distributed resistive-capacitive interconnect lines into purely capacitive interconnect lines by partitioning the RC interconnect lines with inverting repeaters. The inverters are specified by the geometric size of the transistors, the slope of the ramp shaped input/output waveform, and the output load capacitance. The branch delay model integrates both an inverter delay model and an interconnect delay model. Maximum errors of less than 3% for the delay of the clock paths and 6% for the clock skew between any two registers belonging to the same global data path are obtained as compared to SPICE Level-3. >
DISCRETE-TIME MARKOVIAN STOCHASTIC PETRI NETS

We revisit and extend the original definition of discrete-time stochastic Petri nets, by allowing the firing times to have a ``defective discrete phase distribution''''. We show that this formalism still corresponds to an underlying discrete-time Markov chain. The structure of the state for this process describes both the marking of the Petri net and the phase of the firing time for of each transition, resulting in a large state space. We then modify the well-known power method to perform a transient analysis even when the state space is infinite, subject to the condition that only a finite number of states can be reached in a finite amount of time. Since the memory requirements might still be excessive, we suggest a bounding technique based on truncation.
V -Particle Production by 1.9-Bev π − Mesons

A twenty-atmosphere hydrogen-filled diffusion cloud chamber located in a magnetic field of 10 500 gauss was exposed to a beam of 1.9-Bev ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ mesons from the Brookhaven Cosmotron. Out of 20 000 pictures taken of the chamber there are two examples of $V$-particle production in the gas of the chamber, and 78 examples of decays of $V$ particles which were presumably produced in the stainless steel walls of the chamber. One of the production events in the gas of the chamber is best interpreted as ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}+{K}^{0}+{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$, while the other is an example of ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+{K}^{+}$. The 63 neutral decays observed include 28 identified ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$ particles and 11 identified ${\ensuremath{\theta}}^{0}$ particles. Momentum and angular distributions for the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$ and ${\ensuremath{\theta}}^{0}$ particles were obtained. Six of the ${V}^{0}$ decays, or about 10%, were classified as anomalous. Of these, three seemed to represent the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of neutral $V$ particles into ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}+{e}^{\ensuremath{\mp}}+\ensuremath{\nu}$. From the data on neutral $V$-particle decays the mean lifetime of the ${{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{2}}^{0}$ was qualitatively measured as being probably between ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ and ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ sec. The cross section for $V$-particle production by 1.9-Bev ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ mesons on protons is estimated to be \ensuremath{\sim}1 mb. Some evidence was found which suggests the existence of a heavy cascade $K$ meson which decays into a conventional $K$ meson and a pion.
Estimates in the Generalized Morrey Space for Linear Parabolic Systems

The purpose of this paper is to study the parabolic system $u_t^i-D_\alpha(a_{ij}^{\alpha\beta}D_\beta u^j)=-div f^i$ in the generalized Morrey Space $L_{\phi}^{2,\lambda}$ . We would like to understand the regularity of the solutions of this system. It will be shown that 1: if $a_{ij}^{\alpha\beta}\in C(\bar{Q_{T}})$ then $Du\in L_\phi^{2,\lambda}$, and 2: if $a_{ij}^{\alpha\beta}\in VMO(Q_{T})$ then $Du\in L_\phi^{2,\lambda}$. Moreover we will be able to obtain estimates on the gradient of the solutions to the system, which will tell us about the regularity of the solutions.
Optimal QRS detector.

The problem of detecting the QRS complex in the presence of noise was analysed. Most QRS detectors contain a filter to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and compare the signal with a threshold. In an earlier paper we identified an optimal filter. Various techniques to generate threshold and detector designs were studied. Automatic gain-control circuits with a fixed threshold have a very slow response to different rhythms. Automatic threshold circuits based on simple peak-detection schemes have a fast response, but are very sensitive to sudden variations in QRS amplitudes and noise transients. None of the methods described to date present any optimisation criteria for detecting the signal (QRS complex) in the presence of noise. The probabilities of FPs (false positives) and FNs (false negatives) were investigated and an optimised threshold criterion based on FP/FN was developed. Presently, data are being collected to compare various techniques from their ROC (receiver operating characteristics).
An empirical comparison of Java remote communication primitives for intra-node data transmission

This paper presents a benchmarking suite that measures the performance of using sockets and eXtensible Markup Language remote procedure calls (XML-RPC) to exchange intra-node messages between Java virtual machines (JVMs). The paper also reports on an empirical study comparing sockets and XML-RPC with response time measurements from timers that use both operating system tools and Java language instrumentation. By leveraging packet filters inside the GNU/Linux kernel, the benchmark suite also calculates network resource consumption. Moreover, the framework interprets the response time results in light of memory subsystem metrics characterizing the behavior of the JVM. The empirical findings indicate that sockets perform better when transmitting small to very large objects, while XML-RPC exhibits lower response time than sockets with extremely large bulk data transfers. The experiments reveal trade-offs in performance and thus represent the first step towards determining if Java remote communication primitives can support the efficient exchange of intra-node messages.
Cigarette smoking in infertile men is highly correlated with leukocytospermia and oxidative stress.

CORRELATED WITH LEUKOCYTOSPERMIA AND OXIDATIVE STRESS Ramadan A. Saleh, Rakesh K. Sharma, Engin Kandirali, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Donald P. Evenson, South Dakota State University, Anthony J. Thomas, Ashok Agarwal, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Objective: Epidemiological studies have indicated an association between cigarette smoking and decreased fecundity. However, the impact of smoking on male fertility remains controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate semen quality, levels of seminal oxidative stress (OS) and sperm DNA damage among infertile men with a history of smoking.
Evolution of an automated crack sealer: a study in construction technology development

Demographic, regulatory and competitive forces impose increasing pressures on the construction industry. Automated pavement crack sealing is a typical example of the technology developments that are emerging in response to these industry pressures. Development of automated construction technology such as the crack sealer involves several issues including the design cycle, economic feasibility analysis, financing, and implementation. An examination of these issues, using the development of the crack sealer as a case study, leads to the conclusion that revolutionary construction technology developments are feasible and that in the United States (US) they will be financed and carried out in the form of a variety of industry, government, and academic consortia.