cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal Timing of Noncardiac Surgery After Stents

The planning of noncardiac surgery in patients with a history of coronary artery disease and previous percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation is a topic that elicits clinical concern and discussion. These patients face risks related to their underlying coronary heart disease, as well as potential problems related to the coronary stent or associated antiplatelet medications. Some surgical procedures that confer a significant risk of surgical bleeding may require consideration of interrupting dual antiplatelet therapy. This is particularly challenging within the first year after coronary stenting, for which there are only limited data to guide practice.1–5 Article see p 1355 In this issue of Circulation , Wijeysundera and colleagues6 examine cardiovascular outcomes during the 30 days after elective noncardiac surgery among patients who were previously treated with stents. Using province-wide data from Ontario, including 8116 patients undergoing surgical procedures from 2003 to 2009, they assessed the impact of various time intervals between stent and surgery on outcome. They included subjects undergoing orthopedic, vascular, and oncological surgical procedures. The authors concluded that the risk of the composite outcome of 30-day mortality, readmission for acute coronary syndrome, or repeat revascularization after bare metal stent (BMS) implantation was lowest at 46 to 180 days and, after drug-eluting stent (DES), was lowest more 180 days after the procedure. There are limitations to the data that were available for analysis that the authors acknowledge—no data are available on some key in-hospital outcomes such as perioperative bleeding, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stent thrombosis. The management of antiplatelet therapy around the time of surgery, and clinical factors such that might determine the urgency of surgery, could not be discriminated finely in this administrative database study. Adverse cardiac events after surgery were fairly infrequent (2.1% at 30 …
The integration of high-throughput testing of blood donors for cardiovascular disease risk assessment and prevention.

Abstract Background and objectives Some blood centers provide health screening as a public health measure and to encourage donation. The goal of the current study was to provide cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening to donors using high-throughput testing and web-based communications. Materials and methods CVD risk screening was offered to donors at selected mobile drives in a large metropolitan area. Risk factors were determined by donor questionnaire, laboratory testing (total cholesterol, HDL levels and hemoglobin A1c), and blood pressure measurement. Results were reported to participants via mail and website. A 60-day follow up web-based survey was sent to participants via email to assess the impact of the program on donor’s behavior. Results 9435 donors, 17–75 years old participated with the following risk factors: 61.3% BMIs > 25, 28.8% high total cholesterol, and 31.4% lower than recommended HDL levels. 25.3% of donors that responded to the follow up survey went to see their health care provider based on screening results and 9% of these received new or modified treatment. Conclusion In our sample, blood donors are healthier than the general population, but many still have CVD risk factors, particularly obesity. CVD screening can be successfully used to make donors aware of this important health information and some donors act on this information.
Denoising electrical signal via Empirical Mode Decomposition

Electric signals are affected by numerous factors, random events, and corrupted with noise, making them nonlinear and non-stationary in nature. In recent years, the application of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) technique to analyze nonlinear and non-stationary signals has gained importance. It is an empirical approach to decompose a signal into a set of oscillatory modes known as intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Based on an empirical energy model of IMFs, the statistically significant information content is established and combined. In this paper, we demonstrate an approach to detect power quality disturbances in noisy conditions. The approach is based on the statistical properties of fractional Gaussian noise (fGn).
Modular microchannel cooled heatsinks for high average power laser diode arrays

Detailed performance results for an efficient and low thermal impedance laser diode array heatsink are presented. High duty factor or CW operation of fully filled laser diode arrays is made possible at high average power. Low thermal impedance is achieved using a liquid coolant and laminar flow through microchannels. The microchannels are fabricated in silicon using an anisotropic chemical etching process. A modular rack-and-stack architecture is adopted for the heatsink design, allowing arbitrarily large two-dimensional arrays to be fabricated and easily maintained. The excellent thermal control of the microchannel cooled heatsinks is ideally suited to pump array requirements for high average power crystalline lasers. >
Inhibition and induction of theophylline metabolism by 8-methoxypsoralen. In vivo study in rats and humans.

The effects of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) on the metabolism of theophylline were studied in rats and humans. Rats were randomized into three groups and prepared with iv jugular catheters. Group I (N = 4) received a single ip injection of 27 mg/kg of 8-MOP, group II (N = 5) vehicle (corn oil), and group III (N = 4) 50 mg/kg/day of 8-MOP for 3 days. Rats were subsequently administered 15 mg/kg of theophylline iv, and timed blood samples (0.2 ml) were assayed for theophylline by HPLC. Theophylline clearance (ml/min/kg; mean +/- SD) was 1.7 +/- 0.3, 2.4 +/- 0.5, and 9.5 +/- 1.6 in groups I, II, and III, respectively. The half-life (harmonic mean) from 0.5 to 12 hr was 7.2, 3.6, and 0.8 hr. Urinary excretion of unchanged theophylline (mean +/- SD) from 0 to 24 hr was 60 +/- 10, 41 +/- 6, and 13 +/- 3% of the administered dose. In a crossover study, three healthy, male, nonsmokers received 600 mg of oral theophylline. Urine and plasma were collected for 48 hr. One week later, subjects received 1.2 mg/kg of oral 8-MOP followed in 1 hr by 600 mg of oral theophylline. Mean residence time of theophylline increased from 10.7, 17.2, and 12.2 hr in the control period, to 20.3, 19.0, and 18.4 hr after 8-MOP. The AUC (microgram.hr/ml) of theophylline increased from 204, 213, and 204, to 555, 364, and 432, while clearance (ml/min/kg) decreased from 0.74, 0.57 and 0.63, to 0.27, 0.33, and 0.30, respectively. Urinary excretion of unchanged theophylline from 0 to 48 hr increased from 14, 14, and 15, to 24, 21, and 20%. We conclude that 8-MOP administered acutely is a potent inhibitor of theophylline metabolism and chronically in the rat is a powerful inducer.
A Lipidomics Analysis of the Relationship Between Dietary Fatty Acid Composition and Insulin Sensitivity in Young Adults

Relative to diets enriched in palmitic acid (PA), diets rich in oleic acid (OA) are associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. To gain insight into mechanisms underlying these observations, we applied comprehensive lipidomic profiling to specimens collected from healthy adults enrolled in a randomized, crossover trial comparing a high-PA diet to a low-PA/high-OA (HOA) diet. Effects on insulin sensitivity (SI) and disposition index (DI) were assessed by intravenous glucose tolerance testing. In women, but not men, SI and DI were higher during HOA. The effect of HOA on SI correlated positively with physical fitness upon enrollment. Principal components analysis of either fasted or fed-state metabolites identified one factor affected by diet and heavily weighted by the PA/OA ratio of serum and muscle lipids. In women, this factor correlated inversely with SI in the fasted and fed states. Medium-chain acylcarnitines emerged as strong negative correlates of SI, and the HOA diet was accompanied by lower serum and muscle ceramide concentrations and reductions in molecular biomarkers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. This study provides evidence that the dietary PA/OA ratio impacts diabetes risk in women.
Anatomy of a hash-based long read sequence mapping algorithm for next generation DNA sequencing

Motivation: Recently, a number of programs have been proposed for mapping short reads to a reference genome. Many of them are heavily optimized for short-read mapping and hence are very efficient for shorter queries, but that makes them inefficient or not applicable for reads longer than 200 bp. However, many sequencers are already generating longer reads and more are expected to follow. For long read sequence mapping, there are limited options; BLAT, SSAHA2, FANGS and BWA-SW are among the popular ones. However, resequencing and personalized medicine need much faster software to map these long sequencing reads to a reference genome to identify SNPs or rare transcripts. Results: We present AGILE (AliGnIng Long rEads), a hash table based high-throughput sequence mapping algorithm for longer 454 reads that uses diagonal multiple seed-match criteria, customized q-gram filtering and a dynamic incremental search approach among other heuristics to optimize every step of the mapping process. In our experiments, we observe that AGILE is more accurate than BLAT, and comparable to BWA-SW and SSAHA2. For practical error rates (< 5%) and read lengths (200–1000 bp), AGILE is significantly faster than BLAT, SSAHA2 and BWA-SW. Even for the other cases, AGILE is comparable to BWA-SW and several times faster than BLAT and SSAHA2. Availability: http://www.ece.northwestern.edu/~smi539/agile.html. Contact: smi539@eecs.northwestern.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Preimplantation Mammalian Development, Regulation of Gene Expression in

Preimplantation development in the mouse involves expression of about 11 000 genes, only a few hundred of which appear during the transition from maternal to zygotic gene expression. Transcription begins in most, if not all, mammals during the late one-cell stage (phase I), but expression of most zygotic genes is delayed until the 2-cell to the 16-cell stage, depending on the mammal. In mice, a small group of genes is expressed immediately after the first mitosis, while a larger group of genes is expressed during the subsequent G2-phase. Zygotic gene activation (ZGA) is delayed by a time-dependent mechanism (“zygotic clock”) that regulates both transcription and translation. It appears to involve posttranslational modification of RNA polymerases, translational control of maternal gene expression, developmental acquisition of chromatin-mediated repression, and the ability to alleviate this repression with sequence-specific enhancers. This delay allows remodeling of chromatin into a form that globally represses gene activity so that selected genes can then be activated in a temporally and spatially specific program. Some transcription factors (e.g. Sp1, TBP (TATA-binding protein)) function from oocyte to embryo, while others (e.g. Tead2, Oct4) are selectively expressed during ZGA. Dramatic changes also occur in DNA methylation. However, while DNA methylation has been linked directly to X-chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting, and silencing of transposable elements, a direct role for DNA methylation in regulating gene expression during animal development has yet to be demonstrated. For example, the expression pattern of closely linked genes that are expressed in different cell types in adult animals is not determined by differential DNA methylation. DNA methylation appears to serve primarily to restrict gene expression by insuring that repressed genes remain silent. Keywords: Enhancer; Promoter; TATA-box
Impact of Mississippi Healthy Students Act of 2007 on District- and School-Level Health Policies: School Officials' Perspectives

BACKGROUND: Annual evaluations of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act of 2007 (MHSA) were conducted during 2009-2011 (years 1-3) among 4 stakeholder groups: (1) parents of public school students, (2) adolescents, (3) state-level policymakers (ie, legislators and other state officials), and (4) public school officials (ie, superintendents and school board members). METHODS: We examine results from the first state-wide surveys conducted among purposive samples of superintendents (N = 314) and school board members (N = 689) on childhood obesity as it related to MHSA. These school officials were surveyed in years 1-3 to determine their knowledge or attitudes toward MHSA and support of potential policies, such as reporting results of student body mass index (BMI) assessments to parents. RESULTS: Through the 3 years of the study, school officials were supportive of MHSA across a number of variables, although superintendents were consistently more supportive of current policies as compared with school board members. CONCLUSIONS: Results underscore the current and potential role of school officials relative to the process of fully implementing MHSA within all public school districts in Mississippi. Implications and 3 cases that illustrate diverse ways that school districts have chosen to implement effective school-based health initiatives are discussed. Language: en
People Would Talk: Normative Barriers to Cross-Sex Friendships for Elderly Women

A normative explanation for elderly women's lack of male friends is developed by showing that cross-sex friendship is defined as romance, that there are norms inhibiting romance during old age, and that other norms encourage them to reject potential mates who can no longer meet traditional sex role demands. The data were derived from in-depth interviews and observations of 70 non-married, white, elderly women who lived in a middle-class Chicago suburb. It can be expected that future cohorts of elderly women who will have been exposed to models of non-romantic cross-sex friendships early in their lives will have more of these friendships during old age.
Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Tadalafil in Men with Erectile Dysfunction Who Reported No Successful Intercourse Attempts at Baseline

ABSTRACT Introduction Tadalafil is efficacious and well tolerated for erectile dysfunction (ED), but effects in men with “complete ED” are unclear. Aim To investigate effects of once-daily tadalafil in men with no successful intercourse attempts at baseline. Methods Through a post hoc, pooled-data analysis of four randomized, double-blind trials on the effects of tadalafil 2.5 or 5 mg (vs. placebo) in men with ED, we evaluated efficacy and safety in subjects with 0 “yes” responses to Sexual Encounter Profile question 3 (SEP3) during an initial 4-week treatment-free run-in period. Main Outcome Measures Changes from baseline in the SEP diary and the International Index of Erectile Function-erectile function (IIEF-EF) domain were subjected to analysis of covariance models. Results Five hundred ninety-five subjects with no successful attempts at baseline were included in the analysis. The mean (±standard deviation) age was 58.2 ± 10.7 years; and most subjects had ED for ≥1 year (95.0%). ED was severe in 61.5% and moderate in 26.4%. Approximately 45% had diabetes mellitus or hypertension. After 12 weeks, the mean per-patient SEP3 percentage increased from 0% to 32.4% with tadalafil 2.5 mg and to 46.4% with tadalafil 5 mg (each P P P Conclusions The posttreatment intercourse success rate was 32% and 46% for tadalafil 2.5 mg and 5 mg, respectively, in men with no successful intercourse attempts at baseline. Shabsigh R, Seftel AD, Kim ED, Ni X, and Burns PR. Efficacy and safety of once-daily tadalafil in men with erectile dysfunction who reported no successful intercourse attempts at baseline. J Sex Med 2013;10:844–856.
Low frequency noise suppression in space charge limited solid state diodes

Abstract The noise suppression in solid state space charge limited diodes is calculated in two ways. In the first theory the noise in the open-circuited diode is attributed to carrier density fluctuations in the potential minimum. This gives an expression for the noise that contains an unknown parameter. In the second theory the noise in the short-circuited diode is considered as a convection current fluctuation in the potential minimum that is partly suppressed by corresponding fluctuations in the depth of the potential minimum. This gives an expression for the noise that does not contain any unknown parameter. The results indicate that the noise of the device is much less than thermal noise of the differential conductance of the device, and that the noise resistance R n of the device has the low value R n = 1 2 ( kT qI a ) . G80 G80 V
Fourier Space Analysis of Mechanical Wave Dispersion for Transthoracic in vivo Measurements of Left-Ventricular Viscoelasticity

Diastolic dysfunction causes close to half of congestive heart failure and is associated with increased stiffness in left-ventricular myocardium. A clinical tool capable of measuring viscoelasticity of the myocardium would be beneficial in clinical settings. Here, we present a technique based on the previously reported Lamb wave Dispersion Ultrasound Vibrometry (LDUV) for in vivo noninvasive measurements of myocardial elasticity and viscosity. In vivo open-chest measurements of myocardial elasticity and viscosity obtained using a Fourier space based analysis of Lamb wave dispersion are reported. The approach was used to perform ECG-gated transthoracic in vivo measurements of group velocity, elasticity and viscosity throughout a single heart cycle. Group velocity, elasticity and viscosity in the frequency range 50–500 Hz increased from diastole to systole, consistent with contraction and relaxation of the myocardium.
Take a Pass on the Pass-On Defense

When confronted with large refund claims by businesses that have paid unconstitutional or otherwise illegal taxes, state governments sometimes invoke a pass-on defense, arguing that businesses have passed on at least part of the tax to consumers in the form of higher prices and should not receive refunds for the amounts passed on. The argument for the pass-on defense seems straightforward: Granting a business a full refund of taxes that it has passed on to consumers is a form of unjust enrichment. To be sure, the appeal of the argument is undermined by the failure of most states that invoke the defense to offer refunds to the consumers who are said to be the real injured parties. After denying refunds to businesses, states generally propose to simply retain the unlawfully obtained funds. In any event, the argument for the pass-on defense suffers from a fundamental flaw. If the tax is passed on to consumers, the refund is also passed on to them (in expected value). As a result, denying the defense does not result in unjust enrichment. Moreover, allowing the defense harms consumers as well as producers. Drawing on a recent survey of this issue by Jacob Nussim and my own past writing, in this article I elaborate on those economic flaws.
Synthesis and structural characterization of high spin M/Cu (M = Mn, Fe) heterobimetallic and Fe/Cu2 trimetallic phosphinoamides.

The heterobimetallic complexes [Mn(iPrNPPh2)3Cu(iPrNHPPh2)] (1) and [Fe(iPrNPPh2)3Cu(iPrNHPPh2)] (2) have been synthesized by the one pot reaction of LiNiPrPPh2, MCl2 (M = Mn, Fe), and CuI in high yield. Addition of excess CuI into 2 or directly to the reaction mixture led to the formation of a heterotrimetallic [Fe(iPrNPPh2)3Cu2(iPrNPPh2)] (3) in good yield. Complexes 1–3 have been characterized by means of elemental analysis, paramagnetic 1H NMR, UV–vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and single crystal X-ray analysis. In all three complexes, Mn or Fe are in the +2 oxidation state and have a high spin electron configuration, as evidenced by solution Evans’ method. In addition, the oxidation state of Fe in complex 3 is confirmed by zero-field 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. X-ray crystallography reveals that the three coordinate Mn/Fe centers in the zwitterionic complexes 1–3 adopt an unusual trigonal planar geometry.
Flow past airfoils as a Riemann-Hilbert problem

Potential flow past an arbitrary airfoil is formulated in terms of analytic functions, as an exterior Riemann-Hilbert problem. An explicit solution is obtained by Gakhov's method of regularizing factor. Apart from showing the classical flow problem from an unconventional viewpoint, this approach appears to be effective in generalizing the concept of contour distributions of singularities. IL Complex Variables Approach As illustrated in Fig.l, the airfoil is represented by a simply closed, counterclockwise oriented contour C, which divides the complex plane into the interior domain D and the exterior (flow) domain D~. The angle between the outward normal to C and the real axis is denoted by v. The free stream velocity vector Voo is assumed to be of unit magnitude and angle a with respect to the real axis.
Next Generation Science Standards and edTPA: Evidence of Science and Engineering Practices

Science teacher educators in the United States are currently preparing future science teachers to effectively implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and, in thirteen states, to successfully pass a content-specific high stakes teacher performance assessment, the edTPA. Science education and teacher performance experts have developed a crosswalk designed to highlight specific tasks within the secondary science edTPA; in these tasks preservice science teachers are prompted to plan, teach, and assess their students as they engage in learning science explicitly aligned with the NGSS (author). The researchers in this study used qualitative methods to analyze archived actual preservice science teacher edTPA portfolio artifacts to test the efficacy of this crosswalk. Evidence of student engagement in the NGSS scientific practices was found, comfirming some components, and modifications of the NGSS and edTPA Crosswalk are suggested based on the results.
A Systematic Evaluation of Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Back and Limb Pain.

Background Traditional tonic spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been approved by FDA for chronic pain of intractable back and limb pain. However, it induces paresthesia and relieves pain poorly to some extent. Recently, burst SCS has been developed for pain reduction without the mandatory paresthesia. Study Design A systematic review of burst SCS for chronic back and limb pain. Objective The objective of this systematic review is to determine the effects of burst SCS on pain relief without paresthesia for various conditions including failed back surgery syndrome, painful diabetic neuropathy, and radiculopathy. Methods The available literature on burst SCS in managing chronic pain without paresthesia was reviewed. The 2011 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Classification of Evidence Guidelines Process Manual was used to grade the evidence and risk of bias. Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed, MEDLINE/OVID, SCOPUS, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles. Outcome Measures The primary outcome measure was pain relief and paresthesia status. Secondary outcome measures were improvement in pain quality, functional status, and complications. Results For this review, five studies including a total of 117 patients met the eligibility criteria. All studies were graded a Class IV study. Limitations: The limitations of this systematic review include an overall paucity of high quality studies. Conclusion Burst SCS is a new approach that possibly causes more pain reduction for short-term duration than tonic SCS without eliciting paresthesia. The evidence based on this systematic review for burst SCS in treating chronic intractable pain is considered fair and limited. This is an AAN recommendation level U. Further research is needed with a larger sample size and a standardized study design.
Determination of 11 kinds of food additives in seafood with reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography

Objective:To develop a method for determination of 11 kinds of food additives in seafood by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography.Methods: The additives was extracted with 30% acetonitrile solution.The separation was carried out on a synergy C18 column(250×4.6 mm,5 μm) with 20 mmol/L KH2PO4-acetonitrile as mobile phase,gradient elution.The quantification was accomplished by external standard method.Results: The calibration curves showed good linearity for 11 target compounds with detection limits of 0.0077 mg/L～0.045 mg/L.The spiked recoveries in seafood samples ranged from 90% to 100% with RSDs less than 5%.Conclusion: The method was simple,sensitive,accurate,and which was suitable for the determination of 11 kinds of food additives in seafood.
Application of High-tower Separation Technique for Condensate Polishing

High-tower separation technique for condensate polishing is quite popular application along with supercritical(ultra-supercritical) power unit put into production.Taking an example of condensate polishing system for a 600MW supercritical unit,the application of high-tower separation technique in the system has been described in the paper together with introduction of the process of resin transportation,separation,regeneration and mixing.Existing problems have also been discussed in the paper based on the summing-up of the characteristics and operation ways of regeneration process.
Paradoxical activation of MEK/ERK signaling induced by B-Raf inhibition enhances DR5 expression and DR5 activation-induced apoptosis in Ras-mutant cancer cells.

B-Raf inhibitors have been used for the treatment of some B-Raf–mutated cancers. They effectively inhibit B-Raf/MEK/ERK signaling in cancers harboring mutant B-Raf, but paradoxically activates MEK/ERK in Ras-mutated cancers. Death receptor 5 (DR5), a cell surface pro-apoptotic protein, triggers apoptosis upon ligation with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) or aggregation. This study focused on determining the effects of B-Raf inhibition on DR5 expression and DR5 activation-induced apoptosis in Ras-mutant cancer cells. Using chemical and genetic approaches, we have demonstrated that the B-Raf inhibitor PLX4032 induces DR5 upregulation exclusively in Ras-mutant cancer cells; this effect is dependent on Ras/c-Raf/MEK/ERK signaling activation. PLX4032 induces DR5 expression at transcriptional levels, largely due to enhancing CHOP/Elk1-mediated DR5 transcription. Pre-exposure of Ras-mutated cancer cells to PLX4032 sensitizes them to TRAIL-induced apoptosis; this is also a c-Raf/MEK/ERK-dependent event. Collectively, our findings highlight a previously undiscovered effect of B-Raf inhibition on the induction of DR5 expression and the enhancement of DR5 activation-induced apoptosis in Ras-mutant cancer cells and hence may suggest a novel therapeutic strategy against Ras-mutated cancer cells by driving their death due to DR5-dependent apoptosis through B-Raf inhibition.
Developmental assessment. Its role in comprehensive psychiatric assessment of young children.

Developmental evaluations are aimed at providing important information about the child: acquired skills for dealing with environmental demands, developmental strengths and weakness, and manner of approaching tasks and problems. The role of developmental assessment as part of the comprehensive psychiatric assessment of young children is reviewed. Some of the more common assessment instruments are highlighted. Guidelines are provided for clarifying referral questions, generating developmental hypotheses, selecting appropriate assessment tools, and interpreting findings.
Partially Conserved Axial-Vector Current and theπ0→2γDecay Rate

The difference between applying partial conservation of axial-vector current (PCAC) to the amplitude for ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decay, which involves products of local currents, and to amplitudes involving composite hadrons, where it has enjoyed its notable successes-viz., the Goldberger-Treiman relation, the Adler-Weisberger sum rule, and the Adler consistency condition-is analyzed. Using the Bell-Jackiw-Adler theory of the PCAC anomaly, we show that this difference provides a mechanism for removing the factor-of-10 discrepancy that is usually claimed to exist between the observed decay rate and the one calculated on the basis of the original Gell-Mann-Zweig quark model with one triplet of fractionally charged quarks. An essential dynamical assumption is that pion-pole dominance is valid only for those matrix elements of the divergence of the axial-vector current taken with composite hadronic states; this is akin to features in the "weak PCAC" of Brandt and Preparata. A specific model of the hadron as a Bethe-Salpeter bound state of two pointlike constituents is used to illustrate the underlying dynamical mechanism. It follows from this that there should be a sizable enhancement above the PCAC prediction by Adler for forward-angle high-energy very inelastic neutrino-hadron cross sections. Verification of this prediction will be a crucial test of our theory.
Applications of pHLIP Technology for Cancer Imaging and Therapy

Acidity is a biomarker of cancer that is not subject to the blunting clonal selection effects that reduce the efficacy of other biomarker technologies, such as antibody targeting. The pH (low) insertion peptides (pHLIP®s) provide new opportunities for targeting acidic tissues. Through the physical mechanism of membrane-associated folding, pHLIPs are triggered by the acidic microenvironment to insert and span the membranes of tumor cells. The pHLIP platform can be applied to imaging acidic tissues, delivering cell-permeable and impermeable molecules to the cytoplasm, and promoting the cellular uptake of nanoparticles. Since acidosis is a hallmark of tumor development, progression, and aggressiveness, the pHLIP technology may prove useful in targeting cancer cells and metastases for tumor diagnosis, imaging, and therapy.
Leveraging All-Spin Logic to Improve Hardware Security

Due to the globalization of Integrated Circuit (IC) design in the semiconductor industry and the outsourcing of chip manufacturing, third Party Intellectual Properties (3PIPs) become vulnerable to IP piracy, reverse engineering, counterfeit IC, and hardware trojans. A designer has to employ a strong technique to thwart such attacks, e.g. using Strong Logic Locking method [1]. But, such technique cannot be used to protect some circuits since the inserted key-gates rely on the topology of the circuit. Also, it requires higher power, delay, and area overheads compared to other techniques. In this paper, we present the use of spintronic devices to help protect ICs with less performance overhead. We then evaluate the proposed design based on security metric and performance overhead. One of the best spintronic device candidates is the All Spin Logic due to its unique properties: small area, no spin-charge signal conversion, and its compatibility with conventional CMOS technology.
The perspectives of practicing African American female superintendents in the Commonwealth of Virginia regarding the impact of spirituality on their leadership practices

THE PERSPECTIVES OF PRACTICING AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE SUPERINTENDENTS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA REGARDING THE IMPACT OF SPIRITUALITY ON THEIR LEADERSHIP PRACTICES Shannon Smith, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Director: Dr. Charol Shakeshaft Department Chair, Educational Leadership Department School of Education This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach to discover how African American female superintendents in Virginia integrated spirituality into their leadership practices. The struggles and experiences of these women as a population have been uniquely marginalized by both race and gender. These distinct influences have resulted in the development of generations of women who freely proclaim to be grounded in the spiritual. To investigate this topic, data were collected in face-to-face interviews conducted on site in the school division where each superintendent was employed. The data were analyzed using a modified version of Moustakas as proposed by Creswell (2007). Once the interviews were coded for themes, two distinctive themes emerged regarding the leadership practices of these women and the integration of spirituality. Theme One addressed the characteristics of the participants‘ spiritual belief systems and their relationship with God according to how they conceptualized the abstract concept of spirituality and used it in their professional decision-making processes. Theme Two delineated more precisely how these women used their personal beliefs to lead from a spiritual center. The discoveries that surfaced via this study add greater validation to Benefiel‘s (2005) theory pertaining to spiritual leadership, which emphasizes the actions of the leader who relies on spiritual leadership. This leader-centered perspective contrasts with Fry and Whittington (2005), who suggested that spiritual leadership cannot be understood without also considering the perspectives of those being led. In summary, this study found that each of these women led from a spiritual center and professed to practice spiritual leadership. In other words, they made and carried out decisions that resulted in the fostering of successful school divisions without compromising their biblical principles. They believed that a leader must be more than a managerial or an instructional leader. A leader must lead from within, while at the same time considering the affective aspects of leadership that encompass the whole person and the needs of the entire organization.
Abstract LB-229: Mutation spectra of aflatoxin B1invivoestablish biomarkers of exposure for human hepatocellualr carcinoma

Responding to a need to identify the mutational processes that are responsible for malignant transformation, highly accurate duplex sequencing (DS) was employed to monitor acquisition of context-dependent high-resolution mutational spectra (MS) during the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and/or hepatitis B and C viruses are risk factors for human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Available evidence supports the interpretation that formation of AFB1-DNA adducts in hepatocytes seeds a population of mutations, mainly G:C>T:A, and viral processes synergize to accelerate tumorigenesis, perhaps via inflammation. Four-day old male mice were treated with AFB1 using a regimen that induced hepatocellular carcinoma within 72 weeks. The DS technology revealed a distinctive MS of AFB1 at 10 weeks after dosing, well before evidence of neoplasia. Importantly, 25% of all mutations were G>T in one trinucleotide context (5’-CGC-3’), which is also a hotspot mutation in human liver tumors whose incidence correlates with AFB1 exposure. At 72 weeks, livers were separated into tumor tissue and normal surrounding cellular fractions (primarily hepatocytes). The MS in normal cells surrounding the tumors revealed clear evidence of previous AFB1 exposure with predominantly G:C>T:A mutations and strong representation of the CGC>CTC hotspot. Analysis of tumor tissue revealed a more complex pattern than that observed in surrounding hepatocyte fraction; tumor MS were a composite of the 10-week spectrum and a more heterogeneous set of mutations that emerged during tumor outgrowth. The 10-week AFB1-exposed mouse MS was then used as bait to computationally identify human HCC sequences that have similarity to it. This analysis revealed that the mouse spectrum has striking similarity to human HCCs from hepatitis B infected people who have the R249S mutation in P53. The data also provide insight into the molecular basis for the synergism between hepatitis B exposure and AFB1. The MS provided by DS technology provides a method to identify mutational processes in normal and tumor tissues enabling reconstruction of the molecular etiology of human hepatocarcinogenesis and other genetic diseases. Citation Format: Supawadee Chawanthayatham, Charles C. Valentine III, Bogdan I. Fedeles, Stephen L. Slocum, Gerald N. Wogan, Robert G. Croy, John M. Essigmann. Mutation spectra of aflatoxin B1 in vivo establish biomarkers of exposure for human hepatocellualr carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-229. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-229
Chocolate and The Consumption of Forests: A Cross-National Examination of Ecologically Unequal Exchange in Cocoa Exports

This study explores the potential links between specialization in cocoa exports and deforestation in developing nations through the lens of ecologically unequal exchange. Although chocolate production was once considered to have only minimal impacts on forests, recent reports suggest damaging trends due to increased demand and changing cultivation strategies. I use two sets of regression analyses to show the increased impact of cocoa export concentration on deforestation over time for less-developed nations. Overall, the results confirm that cocoa exports are associated with deforestation in the most recent time period, and suggest that specialization in cocoa exports is an important form of ecologically unequal exchange, where the environmental costs of chocolate consumption in the Global North are externalized to nations in the Global South, further impairing possibilities for successful or sustainable development.
Workplace violence injury in 106 US hospitals participating in the Occupational Health Safety Network (OHSN), 2012-2015.

Background Workplace violence is a substantial occupational hazard for healthcare workers in the United States. Methods We analyzed workplace violence injury surveillance data submitted by hospitals participating in the Occupational Health Safety Network (OHSN) from 2012 to 2015. Results Data were frequently missing for several important variables. Nursing assistants (14.89, 95%CI 10.12-21.91) and nurses (8.05, 95%CI 6.14-10.55) had the highest crude workplace violence injury rates per 1000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Nursing assistants' (IRR 2.82, 95%CI 2.36-3.36) and nurses' (IRR 1.70, 95%CI 1.45-1.99) adjusted workplace violence injury rates were significantly higher than those of non-patient care personnel. On average, the overall rate of workplace violence injury among OHSN-participating hospitals increased by 23% annually during the study period. Conclusion Improved data collection is needed for OHSN to realize its full potential. Workplace violence is a serious, increasingly common problem in OHSN-participating hospitals. Nursing assistants and nurses have the highest injury risk.
Obesity Prevention Interventions in US Public Schools: Are Schools Using Programs That Promote Weight Stigma?

Introduction Despite substantial research on school-based obesity prevention programs, it is unclear how widely they are disseminated. It is also unknown whether schools use obesity programs that inadvertently promote weight stigma or disordered weight-control behaviors. Methods In spring 2016, we distributed an online survey about school wellness programming to a simple random sample of US public school administrators (N = 247 respondents; 10.3% response rate). We analyzed survey responses and conducted immersion/crystallization analysis of written open-ended responses. Results Slightly less than half (n = 117, 47.4%) of schools offered any obesity prevention program. Only 17 (6.9%) reported using a predeveloped program, and 7 (2.8%) reported using a program with evidence for effectiveness. Thirty-seven schools (15.0%) reported developing intervention programs that focused primarily on individual students' or staff members' weight rather than nutrition or physical activity; 28 schools (11.3% of overall) used staff weight-loss competitions. School administrators who reported implementing a program were more likely to describe having a program champion and adequate buy-in from staff, families, and students. Lack of funding, training, and time were widely reported as barriers to implementation. Few administrators used educational (n = 12, 10.3%) or scientific (n = 6, 5.1%) literature for wellness program decision making. Conclusion Evidence-based obesity prevention programs appear to be rarely implemented in US schools. Schools may be implementing programs lacking evidence and programs that may unintentionally exacerbate student weight stigma by focusing on student weight rather than healthy habits. Public health practitioners and researchers should focus on improving support for schools to implement evidence-based programs.
An Investigation of Internal Resonance in Aeroelastic Systems

Although the study of internal resonance in mechanical systems has been given significant consideration, minimal attention has been given to internal resonance for systems which consider the presence of aerodynamic forces. Herein, the investigators examine the possible existence of internal resonances, and the related nonlinear pathologies that such responses may have, for an aeroelastic system which possesses nonlinear aerodynamic loads. Evidence of internal resonance is presented for specific classes of aeroelastic systems, and such adverse response indicates nonlinearities may lead to aeroelastic instabilities that are not predicted by traditional (linear) approaches.
Between Authoritarianism and Liberalism: The Potential and Limits of Elections

“Democracy in Crisis,” the title of the 2018 Freedom house data warns against the declining political rights and civil liberties in the world politics. Following the global pattern the countries of the East Mediterranean region has the average score of 41.5 out of 100 (see the Fig. 1 below for regional and country specific scores). What distinguishes the region from others, however, is the incredibly uneven scores and the concerning decline. On the one hand, the current situation in Syria introduced a rare rating of negative one, on the other hand the relatively high scores of Israel and Greece and designation as “free,” do not eliminate the concerns regarding declining some liberties and freedom. For instance, Israel’s civil liberties score declined because of new legislation aimed at tightening restrictions on critical nongovernmental organizations and denying them access to international support.
Clinical Approach to the Treatment of Infectious Diseases

A clinician approaching a patient with an infectious disease needs to consider both the host and the pathogen. Different hosts may be more or less likely to be infected with a particular pathogen. Therefore, the clinician needs to pay considerable attention to the status of the host. Is the patient someone who has just received chemotherapy and therefore has no circulating neutrophils? If so, this patient will be predisposed to aerobic gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial infections and should be treated even if minimal signs of infection are present. On the other hand, if this patient is a normal host, one would expect the infected individual to manifest signs and symptoms characteristic of a localized infection. For example, most people presenting with bacterial pneumonia will have the classic triad of fever, productive cough, and signs of consolidation on physical examination and chest X-ray. Most of these people will have pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae, making the therapeutic decisions about what antibiotic to use very easy. In the case of a patient without circulating neutrophils, productive cough or sputum will be absent because in order to generate sputum or have a productive cough, one needs neutrophils. Similarly, neutrophils that migrate to the site of the bacterial infection initiate the release of inflammatory cytokines that cause the local accumulation of fluid that leads to changes on chest X-rays and related findings on physical examination. The clinician will hear the consequences of fluid in the lung as “signs of consolidation,” usually detected as egophony, on physical exam.
Enhancement and Detection of Mechanical Damage MFL Signals from Gas Pipeline Inspection

Natural gas is transported in United States through a vast network of transmission pipelines that requires routine maintenance for safe and efficient transport of this cheap form of energy [1]. In order to ensure the integrity of the system, the pipelines are periodically inspected using tools called “pigs” which are propelled inside the pipe under the pressure of natural gas. Figure 1 shows the schematic of a typical pig structure. The pig, in brief, is a magnetizer-sensor assembly, employing the magnetic flux leakage (MFL) technique for assessing the condition of the pipe. A strong permanent magnet in the pig saturates the pipe wall with magnetic flux flowing in the axial direction. When the pig encounters an anomaly as it traverses the pipe, a part of the flux leaks out. This MFL signal is detected by a flux sensitive device such as an Hall-effect sensor. An array of Hall sensors is usually installed around the circumference of the pig (between the two poles of the magnetizer) for this purpose. The signal picked up by the sensor array can be interpreted as an “magnetic image” of the condition of pipeline, where the shape and amplitude of the signal is indicative of the nature of the anomaly. The MFL data is recorded and stored using an on-board data acquisition system, and subsequently analyzed by data analysts.
Emergency department neuroimaging for epileptic seizures.

Objective To determine the frequency and yield of neuroimaging in patients with known seizure disorders presenting to the emergency department (ED) with recurrent (nonindex) seizures. Methods We reviewed 822 consecutive ED visits for nonindex seizures at the Oregon Health & Science University and the VA Portland Health Care System. For each visit, we abstracted details of the clinical presentation, whether neuroimaging was obtained, the results of neuroimaging, and the results of previous neuroimaging studies, when available. We determined whether ED neuroimaging led to an acute change in patient management (yield). Clinical factors associated with obtaining ED neuroimaging, and with the yield of neuroimaging, were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression. Results A majority (78%) of ED seizure visits were for nonindex seizures. Neuroimaging was obtained in 381 of 822 nonindex seizure visits (46%). Of these, 11 imaging studies (3%) led to an acute change in patient management, 8 (2%) after excluding false-positive scans. Acute head trauma, prolonged alteration of consciousness, and a focal neurologic examination at presentation were associated with an increased yield of ED neuroimaging. Absent any of these 3 clinical factors the true positive yield of neuroimaging was zero. Significance ED neuroimaging was performed in nearly half of all patients presenting with nonindex seizures. A more conservative use of ED neuroimaging for nonindex seizures, based on clinical factors at presentation, could decrease imaging frequency with minimal loss of yield.