cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Circulating sphingolipid biomarkers in models of type 1 diabetes.

Alterations in lipid metabolism may contribute to diabetic complications. Sphingolipids are essential components of cell membranes and have essential roles in homeostasis and in the initiation and progression of disease. However, the role of sphingolipids in type 1 diabetes remains largely unexplored. Therefore, we sought to quantify sphingolipid metabolites by LC-MS/MS from two animal models of type 1 diabetes (streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and Ins2Akita diabetic mice) to identify putative therapeutic targets and biomarkers. The results reveal that sphingosine-1-phosphate (So1P) is elevated in both diabetic models in comparison to respective control animals. In addition, diabetic animals demonstrated reductions in plasma levels of omega-9 24:1 (nervonic acid)-containing ceramide, sphingomyelin, and cerebrosides. Reduction of 24:1-esterfied sphingolipids was also observed in liver and heart. Nutritional stress via a high-fat diet also reduced 24:1 content in the plasma and liver of mice, exacerbating the decrease in some cases where diabetes was also present. Subcutaneous insulin corrected both circulating So1P and 24:1 levels in the murine diabetic model. Thus, changes in circulating sphingolipids, as evidenced by an increase in bioactive So1P and a reduction in cardio- and neuro-protective omega-9 esterified sphingolipids, may serve as biomarkers for type 1 diabetes and represent novel therapeutic targets.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF UREA IN COASTAL AND OCEANIC WATERS1

The distribution of urea has been determined for certain coastal and oceanic waters. The presence of urea-nitrogen in surface waters off the continental shelf between Panama and Callao, Peru, was extremely patchy and varied in concentration from 0.54-5.00 pgatom urea-N/liter. The higher values were generally from samples collected within a foam slick or windrow. Surface waters in nonupwelling waters north of Callao, Peru, averaged 1.83 ,ug-atom urea-N/liter while surface waters in upwelling waters south of Callao averaged 3.46. Along the continental shelf of the northeast United States between Cape Cod and Cape May, the concentration of urea ranged from 0.25 ,ug-atom urea-N/liter on the l,OOO-fathom ( 1,830 m) line to a high of 11.20 within New York Harbor. The vertical distribution of urea in Peruvian waters, waters along the northeast United States, as well as Sargasso Sea waters showed considerable fluctuations with depth but there were indications of peaks. The data support the suggestion that urea may serve as an available source of nitrogen for phytoplankton growth.
Interpersonal circumplex vector length and interpersonal decision making

Abstract Interpersonal circumplex scale scores can be combined into a single vector that shows a respondent’s overall dispositions to be communal and agentic. We hypothesized that individuals with longer vectors—reflecting clear but restrictive dispositions with low scores in one region of the interpersonal circle (e.g., hostile dominance) and high scores in the opposite region (e.g., friendly submission)—would more readily resolve interpersonal dilemmas. As predicted, participants (total n = 3758) with longer vectors on circumplex measures of values, self-efficacy, and behavioral traits generally made interpersonal decisions more easily and confidently (although the effects were modest in size and were not uniform across the different measures). We suggest that because a long interpersonal vector may reduce flexibility as well as indecision, optimum vector length may depend on the context.
When misconduct goes unnoticed: The acceptability of gradual erosion in others’ unethical behavior

Four laboratory studies show that people are more likely to accept others’ unethical behavior when ethical degradation occurs slowly rather than in one abrupt shift. Participants served in the role of watchdogs charged with catching instances of cheating. The watchdogs in our studies were less likely to criticize the actions of others when their behavior eroded gradually, over time, rather than in one abrupt shift. We refer to this phenomenon as the slippery-slope effect. Our studies also demonstrate that at least part of this effect can be attributed to implicit biases that result in a failure to notice ethical erosion when it occurs slowly. Broadly, our studies provide evidence as to when and why people accept cheating by others and examine the conditions under which the slippery-slope effect occurs.
Uriah Levy: Reformer of the Antebellum Navy – By Ira Dye

In the early nineteenth century, Uriah Levy achieved the highest possible rank in the U.S. Navy despite being a Jew and surviving no less than six courts‐martial. He was an important figure in the ...
Fixed point theorem utilizing operators and functionals

This paper presents a fixed point theorem utilizing operators and functionals in the spirit of the original Leggett-Williams fixed point theorem which is void of any invariance-like conditions. The underlying sets in the Leggett-Williams fixed point theorem that were defined using the total order of the real numbers are replaced by sets that are defined using an ordering generated by a bordersymmetric set, that is, the sets that were defined using functionals in the original Leggett-Williams fixed point theorem are replaced by sets that are defined using operators.
A robotic sentinel for benthic sampling along a transect

This paper presents the design of a novel robotic system capable of long-term benthic sampling along a transect. The robot is built to traverse back and forth along a mechanical guide-rail at the bottom of a water body. We present results from localization tests with the robot in a laboratory tank and a shallow swimming pool. A pilot deployment was made at a marina to accurately observe the rate and direction of water flow across a section of the marina inlet. Results from the experiment demonstrate the potential of this platform for monitoring various aquatic phenomena of interest.
Reflections on Sovereignty and Collective Security

This article discusses some of international law's contributions to international security, focusing primarily on the United Nations Charter and related doctrines that emphasize the importance of national territorial sovereignty. I analyze the Charter system's promise and limitations in dealing with certain persistent international security problems, including the existence of noncompliant states, threatening non-state actors, and normative challenges to expansive conceptions of national territorial sovereignty. I report data indicating that the United Nations framework - initially designed primarily to prevent aggressive war - has largely failed to contain violent international crises or to grapple with increases in the prevalence and intensity of civil war. To assess the importance of dealing with internal civil conflict in addition to aggressive war, I estimate the average length and intensity of civil wars taking place during several periods in history. The length of an average civil war has increased from just over 20 months in the 1901-1950 period to about 60 months in the period from 1951-1992, and intensity (measured by the number of battle deaths per hundred thousand people in the population of the country in question) has increased from under 3 (in the 1901-1950 period) to over 6 (1951-1992). I then review theories supporting the claim that international law can contribute to security despite the continuing extent of global conflict and violence, and conclude by discussing strategies to reform the United Nations system and enhance international law's contributions to peace in light of those theories. In particular, I emphasize the importance of two issues that affect international law's contributions but have not received sufficient attention. The first is the need for more empirical analysis of when domestic political bargains become sensitive to international law. The second issue concerns how international law should structure the choice between imposing collective sanctions on the people of a nation-state and using targeted remedies even if they involve incursions into a nation's territorial sovereignty. To address both of these issues, international law scholars may have to further reexamine assumptions about national territorial sovereignty long identified with international law.
Long-Run Equilibrium in a Bertrand Type Oligopoly Model with Cobb-Douglas Demand and Production

This paper explores the character of long-run equilibrium in an oligopoly model with Cobb-Douglas production and demand. The model is a Bertrand type model in that firms choose production, but the product may be differentiated as well as homogeneous in nature. The long run equilibrium explored here does not permit entry or exit, so in that sense it is considered oligopoly.
Morphology of Meliola Floridensis

The black, superficial mycelium of Meliola floridensis on leaves of Persea borbonia produces long, stiff, simple spines, flask-shaped mucronate hyphopodia of undetermined function, and capitate hyp...
Alternative Methods for Drying Fungi and Controlling Insects in Herbaria

Specimens of fleshy fungi are traditionally dried by convection heat on racks placed over the heat source. A few years ago I collected numerous agarics and hypogeous fungi in southern Mississippi in early summer, when the relative humidity remained constantly above 95%. No specimen drier was available, but electric air dehumidifiers were standard in most buildings. For lack of a better plan, I cut the specimens in half and laid them on the floor in front of the dehumidified air output vent of a dehumidifier. The specimens dried rapidly while retaining their original color much better than I was accustomed to with the convection drier at my laboratory. Upon returning home, I acquired an electric dehumidifier having a variable automatic humidistat to maintain a selected relative humidity and a capacity for removing 0.7 1 of water from the air each hour. This was placed at the bottom of a steel storage cabinet with its five solid shelves replaced by screen racks. A hole was drilled through one of the cabinet walls for passage of the electrical cord to a wall receptacle. The dehumidifier was turned on and air circulation in the cabinet checked with smoke. The moist air is taken into the dehumidifier in a vent on one side
Interaction of Ischemic and Antibiotic-Induced Injury in the Rabbit Kidney

The tubular necrosis produced by transient unilateral ischemia, three toxic cephalosporins, and the aminoglycoside neomycin were studied separately and in different combinations in the rabbit kidney. It was found that (1) mildly damaging transient ischemia (25 min) and a minimally toxic dose of the rapidly secreted cephalosporin cephaloglycin (60 mg/kg of body weight) are synergistically damaging; (2) there is no synergy between ischemia and the nonsecreted cephalosporin cephaloridine (90 mg/kg); and (3) ischemia and neomycin (100 mg/kg per day for three days) are not additively damaging, but the aminoglycoside has an additive effect with the combined insults of ischemia and cefazolin (500 mg/kg). Studies of transport showed that ischemia potentiates cephalosporin toxicity probably because it increases postischemic antibiotic concentrations in proximal tubular cells and that this increased uptake is the result of transiently augmented tubular secretion. Although this ischemic protocol reduced inulin clearance by 40%, it increased cephaloglycin secretion by an amount more than sufficient to overcome the decrease in filtration.
Common Bile Duct Obstruction and Anaphylaxis

We have elsewhere reported that blockade of the reticulo-endothelial system with India ink or saccharated iron oxide does not materially modify anaphylactic shock in the dog. In the preceding paper we have shown that the hyperbilirubinemia resulting from injections of bilirubin leads to a retention of bromsulphalein. Klein and Levinson1 and more recently Mills and Dragstedt2 have reported studies indicating that reticulo-endothelial blockade causes a retention of bromsulphalein. Interpreting the dye retention from a hyperbilirubinemia as a form of physiological blockade of the reticulo-endothelial system it seemed worth while to repeat our anaphylactic studies on jaundiced animals. Theoretically at least, the blockade occurring in dogs with obstructive jaundice should be more complete than that produced with foreign materials as it is constant and progressive.Anaphylactic shock was induced in 8 horse serum sensitized dogs in which the common bile duct had been obstructed. In one animal the obstruction pre...
Using evidence-based approaches to strategically respond to the nursing shortage.

The current nursing shortage is more severe than any prior shortage and is of primary concern to all associated with healthcare organizations. This article describes how one healthcare system’s recruitment and retention committee used evidence-based methods within the context of the organization’s culture and under the imperative of a financial turnaround, to create a strategic plan for addressing the current and future nursing shortages. The culture of the organization will first be described to establish context. Opportunities and limitations associated with turnaround activities will be discussed. Linking the current nursing shortage literature to strategic goals and initiatives follows. Finally, a strategic plan that integrates cultural, turnaround, and literature-based initiatives will be advanced.
Ibogaine and the Treatment of Opiate Addiction

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a hallucinogen, Ibogaine as a potential treatment for opiate addiction. Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid derived from the roots of a West African shrub called Tabernanthe iboga . It mentions that Ibogaine can reduce drug cravings, lessen withdrawal symptoms and improve self-control. Presently, the drug is said to be a Schedule I Controlled Substance in the United States, which makes it illegal to manufacture, buy or distribute without DEA (drug enforcement administration) license. The pharmacology of Ibogaine is discussed and its physiological effects and administration. The drug has severe side effects resulting in fatalities and so has low potential for addiction. For treatment of opiate addiction, currently three treatments are medically recognized: Methadone, L-alpha-acetyl-methanol (LAAM) and Buprenorphine, but these treatments do not offer a perfect solution. The use of Ibogaine for treatment of opiate addiction could be implemented which could prove more successful than the other drugs. It states that the inclusion of Ibogaine as a Schedule I is inappropriate, as hallucinogens are rarely addictive and potential for abuse and recreational use is low.
Risk of Pulmonary Embolism/Venous Thrombosis

Publisher Summary Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common problem among women in the menopausal age group and is most likely to occur among women with predisposing medical problems. The risk of VTE for women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase two- to threefold from this low level, yielding somewhere between 1 and 6 additional cases per 10,000 HRT users. This is comparable both in relative and absolute terms to the increased risk seen among younger women who use oral contraceptives (OC). As with younger women and OCs, this risk of VTE in HRT users needs to be communicated to potential HRT users so that they can weigh this along with all other risks and benefits in making a decision to use HRT. The VTE risks may be smaller with the use of estrogen alone, with the use of esterified rather than conjugated estrogens, and with the use of transdermal rather than oral preparations; however, each of these associations needs further substantiation. Among menopausal women with chronic medical problems, with a previous deep vein thrombophlebitis, with an inherited predisposition, or among women who will be having surgery or hospitalization for some other reasons, the baseline risk of a VTE is substantially higher.
Terahertz plasmon amplification in RTD-gated HEMTs with a grating-gate

We analyze amplification of terahertz plasmons in a grating-gate semiconductor hetero-structure. The device consists of a resonant-tunneling-diode gated high-electron-mobility transistor (RTD-gated HEMT), i.e. a HEMT structure with a double-barrier gate stack enabling resonant tunneling from gate to channel. In these devices, the key element enabling substantial power gain is the coupling of terahertz waves into and out of plasmons in the RTD-gated HEMT channel, i.e. the gain medium, via the grating-gate itself, part of the active device, rather than by an external antenna structure as in previous works, enabling amplification with associated power gain >> 30 dB at room temperature.
Unified phase variables of relative degree two for human locomotion

A starting point to achieve stable locomotion is synchronizing the leg joint kinematics during the gait cycle. Some biped robots parameterize a nonlinear controller (e.g., input-output feedback linearization) whose main objective is to track specific kinematic trajectories as a function of a single mechanical variable (i.e., a phase variable) in order to allow the robot to walk. A phase variable capable of parameterizing the entire gait cycle, the hip phase angle, has been used to control wearable robots and was recently shown to provide a robust representation of the phase of human gait. However, this unified phase variable relies on hip velocity, which is difficult to measure in real-time and prevents the use of derivative corrections in phase-based controllers for wearable robots. One derivative of this phase variable yields accelerations (i.e., the equations of motion), so the system is said to be relative degree-one. This means that there are states of the system that cannot be controlled. The goal of this paper is to offer relative degree-two alternatives to the hip phase angle and examine their robustness for parameterizing human gait.
Enhancement in Organic Photovoltaics Controlled by the Interplay between Charge-Transfer Excitons and Surface Plasmons

In this work, we investigate plasmonic enhancement in poly(3-hexylthiophene):phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester organic photovoltaics (OPVs) by integrating shape- and size-controlled bimetallic gold core–silver shell nanocrystals (Au–Ag NCs) into the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate hole-transport layer. We observed that the best-performing Au–Ag NC-incorporated OPVs improved the power conversion efficiency by 9% via a broadband increase in photocurrent throughout the visible spectrum. Our experimental and computational results suggest that the observed photocurrent enhancement in plasmonic OPVs originates from both enhanced absorption and improved exciton dissociation and charge collection. This is particularly achieved by placing metal NCs near the interface of the active layer and hole-transport layer. The impedance spectroscopy results suggest that Au–Ag NCs reduce recombination and also increase the internal exciton to carrier efficiency by driving the dissociation of bound ch...
Assuring Appropriate Care

Appropriateness is a key concept in the evolving landscape of healthcare, especially with the change from fee-for-service reimbursement to value-based purchasing and reimbursement. Consequently, healthcare providers, leaders, and change agents must be comfortable with defining appropriate care, and then designing systems to both ensure patients receive appropriate care and to prevent the delivery of inappropriate care. This chapter discusses the problem of unexplained variation in clinical care delivery, associated health outcomes, and the high cost of healthcare delivery. Next, the chapter describes the various conceptualizations of appropriateness from the perspective of four key stakeholders: physicians, patients, payers, and researchers. These conceptualizations serve as a framework to illustrate how the various stakeholders define appropriateness of care, and how these different stakeholders develop and use appropriateness criteria to shape care delivery. Lastly, the chapter proposes a three-step process by which healthcare leaders can improve care by using appropriateness criteria, and uses examples from a hospital, a health system, and a state collaborative to illustrate this three-step process in action.
Learning Optimal Personalized Treatment Rules in Consideration of Benefit and Risk: With an Application to Treating Type 2 Diabetes Patients With Insulin Therapies

Individualized medical decision making is often complex due to patient treatment response heterogeneity. Pharmacotherapy may exhibit distinct efficacy and safety profiles for different patient popu...
A Chance-Constrained Programming Model to Allocate Wildfire Initial Attack Resources for a Fire Season

This research developed a chance-constrained two-stage stochastic programming model to support wildfire initial attack resource acquisition and location on a planning unit for a fire season. Fire growth constraints account for the interaction between fire perimeter growth and construction to prevent overestimation of resource requirements. We used this model to examine daily resource stationing budget requirements and suppression resource types and deployments within a fire planning unit. A chance constraint ensures the conditional probability of one or more fire escapes on days with ignitions below a predefined threshold. This chance-constrained approach recognizes that funding for local resources is unlikely to be sufficient for containing all fires in initial attack. For test cases, we used 1,655 fires occurring over 935 historical fire days from the Black Hills Fire Planning Unit in South Dakota. We tested our model under a variety of fire suppression assumptions to estimate appropriate daily stationing budget levels and resource allocations.
Factors Associated With Discordance Between Preoperative Parathyroid 4-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Scans and Intraoperative Findings During Parathyroidectomy.

Importance Parathyroid 4-dimensional computed tomographic scans (4D-CTs) have emerged as an accurate and cost-effective initial localization study for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. However, potential limitations and factors affecting the accuracy of preoperative 4D-CTs remain poorly defined. Objectives To characterize factors associated with missed parathyroid lesions on preoperative 4D-CTs and to investigate patterns of commonly observed errors. Design, Setting, and Participants A prospectively accrued patient database was analyzed from September 1, 2011, through October 31, 2016. The study was performed in a tertiary referral center. Consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism undergoing preoperative 4D-CTs and subsequent parathyroidectomy were included in the study. Main Outcomes and Measures Discordance between preoperative 4D-CTs and intraoperative findings in the number and location of abnormal parathyroid lesions. Results Of 411 patients studied (mean [SD] age, 59 [14] years; 325 [79.1%] female), 123 (29.9%) had discordance between preoperative 4D-CTs and intraoperative findings. Among the 411 patients, 75 (18.2%) had major discordance, including incorrectly localized adenoma on the contralateral side of the neck, missed double adenoma, and absence of any abnormal lesion detected on 4D-CTs. Compared with concordant cases, discordant cases had higher frequencies of multigland disease (66.7% [82 of 123] vs 24.3% [70 of 288], P P = .02). Missed parathyroid lesions were smaller (mean [SD], 0.86 [0.29] vs 1.24 [0.50] cm; P P Conclusions and Relevance Multigland disease was most strongly associated with discordance between preoperative 4D-CTs and intraoperative findings, followed by parathyroid lesion in the inferior position and parathyroid lesion size of 10 mm or less. Awareness of these potential pitfalls may allow surgeons to better leverage this new localization technique in preoperative planning and intraoperative troubleshooting.
Abstract 5933: Reduced Number of Gap Junctions at the Intercalated Disc in the Ventricles of Boxer Dogs Afflicted with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

ARVC is an inherited myocardial disease associated with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, sudden cardiac death, and replacement of RV myocardium with fatty or fibro-fatty tissue. Lethal arrhythmias often occur in young patients, before apparent structural damage. It has been hypothesized that loss of Cx43 gap junctions (GJ) may act as a substrate for ventricular arrhythmias in these patients. An inherited form of ARVC is present in the boxer, with clinical symptoms and pathological features similar to those of humans. Here, we used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to assess the ultrastructure of the intercalated disc (ID) in ARVC-afflicted boxers. Samples from the right and left ventricles (RV and LV) of 1 unafflicted beagle, and 3 ARVC afflicted boxers were examined by TEM. Samples from beagle tissue showed normal morphology, good alignment of the sarcomeres and myofibrils, and attachment of myofibrils to the ID. Samples from the ARVC-afflicted boxer lacked myofibril organization, with few attachments to the ID. Within RV and LV longitudinal sections from one afflicted and one control animal, three parameters were measured: ID length, individual GJ length, and number of GJ per ID. No significant differences were found in the length of IDs or of GJs from RV or LV samples of ARVC vs. control. ID length (μm) was 26.8 +/− 5.4 and 44.9+/− 10.6 in control RV and LV, respectively. ID length in afflicted samples was 31.2+/− 5.0 and 52.3+/−13.5 (pNS). GJ length (μm) was .5+/−.03 and .5+/.05 for RV and LV of the control group, and .4+/−.07 and .6+/−,13 in samples obtained from RV and LV of ARVC afflicted animals (pNS). However, our data indicated a significant (p This research has received full or partial funding support from the American Heart Association, AHA Founders Affiliate (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont).
Prediction of Soil Compaction under Vehicles

Summary Modeling of soil compaction processes in agriculture provides a means to evaluate harmful vs. desired soil compaction. The steps involved in the development of a basic soil compaction simulation model include: (1) prediction of surface applied forces from farm vehicles; (2) representation of soil stress-strain relationships; (3) modeling the propagation of stresses in the soil profile. Simple relationships are available that predict the surface stress from easily measurable parameters, such as inflation pressure, applied load and tire characteristics. Because of the presence of lugs on tires, prediction of surface stress is much more complicated and needs additional research. Stress-strain relationships obtained from both uniaxial or triaxial laboratory tests have been shown to be adequate for describing soil compaction from farm vehicles. In general, uniaxial tests are easy and inexpensive, whereas triaxial tests are more accurate and apply to many different soil conditions. All existing models of stress propagation in soil are based on the theory of elastic deformation. These models can be categorized into two groups: finite element models and analytical models. Both groups of models have been shown to be adequate for a limited set of experimental conditions. Much more research is needed to make these models acceptable in everyday use by researchers and practitioners. The procedures to link soil compaction models to crop growth models and the research needed both in methods to estimate parameters of the model and in describing the missing processes are also discussed.
Developmental analysis of SV2 in the embryonic chicken corneal epithelium

Abstract Intraepithelial corneal nerves (ICNs) help protect the cornea as part of the blink reflex and by modulating tear production. ICNs are also thought to regulate the health and homeostasis of the cornea through the release of trophic factors. Disruption to these nerves can lead to vision loss. Despite their importance little is known about how corneal nerves function and even less is known about how the cornea is initially innervated during its embryonic development. Here, we investigated the innervation of the embryonic chicken cornea. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to characterize the localization of the synaptic vesicle marker SV2, a molecule thought to be involved in the release of trophic factors from sensory nerves. The data show that both SV2 and synaptotagmin co-localize to ICNs. Nerves in the conjunctiva also contained SV2 and synaptotagmin, but these were localized to below the basal layers of the conjunctiva epithelium. SV2 isolated from corneal epithelium migrates in western blot at a heavier weight than SV2 isolated from brain, which suggests a role in vesicle targeting, as the deglycosylating enzyme PnGase does not affect corneal SV2.
The Training of Physical Education Teachers for the Field of Health Education

(1928). The Training of Physical Education Teachers for the Field of Health Education. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 4-5.
Controlling Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Cold-Adapted Crystallin Proteins from the Antarctic Toothfish.

Abstract Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins is important to a variety of biological processes both functional and deleterious, including the formation of membraneless organelles, molecular condensations that sequester or release molecules in response to stimuli, and the early stages of disease-related protein aggregation. In the protein-rich, crowded environment of the eye lens, LLPS manifests as cold cataract. We characterize the LLPS behavior of six structural γ-crystallins from the eye lens of the Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni, whose intact lenses resist cold cataract in subzero waters. Phase separation of these proteins is not strongly correlated with thermal stability, aggregation propensity, or cross-species chaperone protection from heat denaturation. Instead, LLPS is driven by protein–protein interactions involving charged residues. The critical temperature of the phase transition can be tuned over a wide temperature range by selective substitution of surface residues, suggesting general principles for controlling this phenomenon, even in compactly folded proteins.
Spin dependent resonant electron tunneling through planar graphene barriers

Abstract We study spin-dependent electron transport properties of two dimensional graphene double and triple barrier junctions via first-principles calculations. The double barrier junction consists of two graphene leads, a quantum well of zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) in the center, and two vacuum barriers separating the ZGNR from the two leads. Resonant electron tunneling occurs when the energy bands of graphene and ZGNR are well aligned in energy and wavevector. Highly spin-polarized electron transmission arises in such junctions when the two edges of the center ZGNR are in the ferromagnetic configuration. The spin polarization of the electron transmission at the Fermi energy can be tuned by gate voltage. We further investigate the dependence of the electron transmission on the width of the ZGNR, effects on barrier height when replacing vacuum by h-BN, and the consequence of replacing a double barrier by a triple barrier.
Aprender fuera: ¿una pedagogía de la opresión?

En septiembre de 1990 viaje a California, EUA, con mi esposo y mis dos pequenos hijos, para emprender estudios de maestria. A escasos 200 kilometros de la frontera con Mexico, la estancia en la Universidad de Riverside resulto una experiencia sorprendente por razones inesperadas: ser mexicana en esas latitudes me mostro las realidades del racismo; el nacionalismo desplegado por la Guerra del Golfo en un condado conservador, generaba un ambiente dificil para la convivencia; la escuela de mis hijos me exigia que hablara ingles en casa; y el medio en el departamento academico que me acogia, me obligaba a apartarme de aquellos intereses que me proponia estudiar. La habilidad de traduccion/adaptacion requerida, superaba por mucho el bilinguismo. Con base en la autoetnografia, interrogo la manera en que los desplazamientos academicos modifican mucho mas que nuestro nivel de comprension intelectual. Estos influyen en nuestras subjetividades y, por ende, en aquello que traemos de vuelta a casa y ponemos a disposicion de colegas y alumnado.
“Unstable angina” in a man aged 53 years

A man aged 53 years presented to the emergency department with several hours of substernal chest pain radiating to his left arm. He had multiple myeloma treated with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone. ECG showed inferior ST segment elevations. Troponin I was >73 ng/mL on hypersensitive troponin assay. Cardiac catheterisation was performed without obstructive coronary disease. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed normal left ventricular ejection fraction with abnormal global longitudinal strain of −10%. The patient developed ventricular tachycardia requiring electrical cardioversion. Repeat echocardiogram 48 hours later showed …
Traumatic Orbital Subperiosteal Hematoma With Acute Visual Compromise: Role of the Head and Neck Surgeon

The primary goal was to report our institutional experience of a rare, vision-threatening complication following craniomaxillofacial trauma. A retrospective review was performed between January 2016 and January 2018 to identify 3 patients with traumatic orbital subperiosteal hematoma (OSPH). Visual acuity, intraocular pressures (IOPs), and the need for surgical intervention were abstracted. The age range was 36 to 88 years. Indications for surgical intervention include relative afferent pupillary defect, gaze restriction, visual impairment, and elevated IOP. Preoperatively, IOP range was 15.0 to 25.0. Two patients required OSPH evacuation via a medial brow approach. Follow-up after ocular injury ranged from 25 to 41 days, with IOP range of 13.0 to 16.0. Traumatic OSPH is an uncommon clinical finding; prompt assessment with consideration of surgical intervention may mitigate deleterious long-term morbidity, chiefly sudden blindness. Further research efforts may elucidate the optimal method in the management of this complex clinical entity.
Change Detection Performance under Divided Attention with Dynamic Driving Scenarios

This study investigated the effect of cognitive load on the relationship between confidence in detecting changes and actual change detection performance. Two experiments simulated glancing away from the roadway by periodically blanking the driver’s view for one second. Experiments were conducted in a driving simulator where participants were asked to detect changes in the location and appearance of other vehicles while driving on a multi-lane suburban roadway. In addition, cognitive load was imposed using messages that participants were asked to listen to and answer questions about. Participants’ sensitivity (d’) to vehicle changes was calculated and compared with subjective ratings of confidence in detecting those changes. Results indicated a positive relationship between d’ and confidence, suggesting that participants were aware of the factors that influenced their change-detection performance. However, the strength of the relationship was situation-dependent. The strength of the relationship decreased when the detection task was more difficult and in the presence of cognitive load.
Spatial transcriptome sequencing of FFPE tissues at cellular level

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are the most abundant archivable specimens in clinical tissue banks, but unfortunately incompatible with single-cell level whole transcriptome sequencing due to RNA degradation in storage and RNA damage in extraction. We developed an in-tissue barcoding approach namely DBiT-seq for spatially revolved whole transcriptome sequencing at cellular level, which required no tissue dissociation or RNA exaction, thus potentially more suited for FFPE samples. Herein, we demonstrated spatial transcriptome sequencing of embryonic and adult mouse FFPE tissue sections at cellular level (25um pixel size) with high coverage (>1000 genes per pixel). Spatial transcriptome of an E10.5 mouse embryo identified all major anatomical features in the brain and abdominal region. Integration with single-cell RNAseq data for cell type identification indicated that most tissue pixels were dominated by single-cell transcriptional phenotype. Spatial mapping of adult mouse aorta, atrium, and ventricle tissues identified the spatial distribution of a variety of cell types. Spatial transcriptome sequencing of FFPE samples at cellular level may provide enormous opportunities in a wide range of biomedical research. It may allow us to exploit the huge resource of clinical tissue specimens to study human disease mechanisms and discover tissue biomarkers or therapeutic targets.
Abstract 17085: The Modified US Heart Allocation System Improves Waitlist Mortality for Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: On October 18, 2018, the US donor heart allocation policy was restructured to better stratify patients, decrease status exemptions, and improve inequities. Previously, HCM patients ex...
HAT-DRL: Hotspot-Aware Task Mapping for Lifetime Improvement of Multicore System using Deep Reinforcement Learning**This work is supported in part by NSF grants under No. CCF-1816361, in part by NSF grant under No. CCF-2007135 and No. OISE-1854276.

In this work, we propose a novel learning-based task to core mapping technique to improve lifetime and reliability based on advanced deep reinforcement learning. The new method, called HAT-DRL, is based on the observation that on-chip temperature sensors may not capture the true hotspots of the chip, which can lead to suboptimal control decisions. In the new method, we first perform data-driven learning to model the hotspot activation indicator with respect to the resource utilization of different workloads. On top of this, we propose to employ deep reinforcement learning algorithm to improve the long-term reliability and minimize the performance degradation from NBTI/HCI effects. It penalizes continuously stressing the same hotspots and encourages even stressing of cores. The proposed algorithm is validated with an Intel i7-8650U four-core CPU platform executing CPU benchmarks for various hotspot activation profiles. Results show that HAT- DRL balances the stress between all cores and hotspots, and achieves 50% and 160% longer lifetime compared to non-hotspot-aware and Linux default scheduling respectively. The proposed method can also reduce the average temperature by exploiting the true-hotspot information.
The Socioeconomics of College Inequity: A Review of Armstrong and Hamilton’s Paying for the Party

The way in which postsecondary institutions — and their social and academic infrastructures—support affluent, socially-oriented students produces a magnifying effect upon micro-circumstances which in turn affect macro-level post-postsecondary advantages and disadvantages is the chief phenomenon discovered and examined in the 2013 text, Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality (Harvard University Press). Drawing from a single case study, Armstrong and Hamilton followed a cohort of freshman female students who occupied the same floor in the same dorm at a midwestern flagship public research university — dubbed Midwest University or “MU” — during the 2003-2004 academic year. Both researchers lived in the dorm from 2003-2004 with the women, and per the study’s methodology, approximately ninety students were interviewed over the course of the year and provided follow-up information through the 2007-2008 academic year regarding their choices to stay at the university, transfer from the university, or leave postsecondary education entirely. The researchers were able to maintain communication with nearly the entire cohort over the course of the study, which allowed the researchers to connect not only pre-college circumstances but also experiences at MU and beyond to each student’s postsecondary outcomes. Their answers, coupled with intensive socioeconomic background information about each of the students, paints a picture of the university that is inherently biased against non-affluent students, less-social students, and students without substantial financial and social support from parental structures.
Management of Neuroblastoma in Pediatric Patients

Surgeons caring for patients with neuroblastoma must be familiar with recent developments in assessing risk. In particular, the Children's Oncology Group, along with major international groups, uses the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Staging System as a risk assessment tool. Accurate risk determination is essential for optimal surgical therapy. Some tumors like neonatal adrenal neuroblastomas and those in the metastatic category can be observed. Very-low-risk and low-risk neuroblastomas can be treated with surgery alone. Intermediate-risk tumors also often require systemic chemotherapy.
Trends in hospitalizations of newborns with hyperbilirubinemia and kernicterus in United States: an epidemiological study.

BACKGROUND Hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common diagnosis in newborn nurseries in United States. Universal pre-discharge bilirubin screening decreased the incidence of extreme hyperbilirubinemia and risk of kernicterus. OBJECTIVES We sought to assess temporal population trends of hyperbilirubinemia, kernicterus and usage of phototherapy, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and exchange transfusion. DESIGN/METHODS Data from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)-the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) obtained for years 1997-2012. All neonatal discharges with ICD-9 codes for neonatal jaundice (774.2, 774.6), kernicterus (773.4, 774.7) and procedure codes for phototherapy (99.83), IVIG infusion (99.14), exchange transfusion (99.01) were extracted. We compared the trends of diagnosis of hyperbilirubinemia, kernicterus, use of phototherapy, IVIG, and exchange transfusion. RESULTS During the study period, the proportion of infants diagnosed with hyperbilirubinemia increased by 65% (9.4% vs. 15.5%; p<.001) in term infants and 34.5% (33.5% vs. 45%; p<.001) in preterm infants, respectively. Rate of kernicterus discharges significantly reduced from 7 to 1.9 per 100,000 newborns. Overall, the number of exchange transfusions has decreased by 67% during study period while phototherapy and IVIG use increased by 83% and 170%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In last two decades, there was a significant decrease in neonatal discharges with a history of exchange transfusion or with a diagnosis of kernicterus. However, there was a significant increase in number of neonates discharged home with a history of phototherapy during birth hospitalization and decreased number of exchange transfusions were observed during the study period. Incremental implementation of universal predischarge bilirubin screening and treatments based on 2004 AAP recommended risk-based strategies might have contributed to timely interventions in infants with significant hyperbilirubinemia.
Relationships Among Stress, Resilience, and Incivility in Undergraduate Nursing Students and Faculty During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Policy Implications for Nurse Leaders

Abstract Background Developing successful targeted interventions to reduce incivility for undergraduate nursing students and educators will require understanding the differences in their unique experiences. Although resilience may act as protective buffer against stressors, little is known about the relationships between stress, resilience, and perceptions of the frequency of incivility in the academic environment. Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare relationships among and differences between perceptions of incivility frequency and self-reported stress and resilience levels in undergraduate nursing students and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method A comparative descriptive and correlational research design was utilized. An online survey was used to collect data from undergraduate nursing students and faculty (n = 710) at one public university. Results Students were significantly more stressed and less resilient than faculty. Faculty reported significantly greater low and high-level student and low-level faculty incivility behaviors than students. Conclusion Understanding student and faculty perceptions of uncivil behavior frequency occurring at the intersection of high stress and moderate resilience levels is key to the creation of targeted interventions and policy development.
Controlling the electrical, optical, and morphological properties of sol–gel spin-coated indium tin oxide films

In this research, transparent conductive films of indium tin oxide (ITO) were deposited by solution processing sol–gel ink through spin coating on soda-lime glass and sheet glass substrates. The processing parameters evaluated include the deposition humidity, spin coating speed, and ink concentration. The optical transmittance of the ITO thin films was collected by UV–vis spectrophotometry, while the electrical properties were studied by sheet resistance measurements and impedance spectroscopy (IS) using an in-plane configuration. The lowest sheet resistance achieved for a single layer film is 104 Ω/□, with a corresponding low frequency impedance magnitude of 2 × 105. These values were obtained at medium humidity values while maintaining high optical transparency (>90%) in the visible light region. High humidity values were found to affect the substrate wetting property of the ITO ink and increased the possibility of hydrolysis during deposition, resulting in the formation of non-uniform surface patterns. A spin coating speed of 4000 rpm or more is required to obtain a uniform ITO film with desirable electrical and optical properties. Once the optimum combination of parameters is obtained, the sheet resistance and impedance magnitude can be reduced to ∼102 Ω/□ through multilayer deposition and annealing in a reducing atmosphere with minimal effect on the optical transmittance (>90%) and surface morphology, making these materials useful as electrodes for electro-optic applications. When the optimal values of the main deposition parameters are used, the ink concentration was found to have minimal effect on the quality and properties of the ITO films.
Trust, Epistemic Normativity, and Rationality

A virtue-based trust model involves a more dynamic conception of trust that is not reducible to the subjective probability, estimation, or belief that a network entity will behave or act as expected. A species of virtue epistemology called virtue perspectivism provides a theoretical anchor for a general theory of rationality that allows us to interpret trust and reason as complementary cognitive mechanisms or competences that guide our rational conduct at two different epistemic levels. Whereas basic trust is defined as an innate competence at the level of animal knowledge that is rational but not reason-based which helps us form beliefs that are truth-conducive, intellectual virtues are defined as reason-based, cultivated competences at the level of reflective knowledge which help us do a better job of what we do naturally. The notion of epistemic rationality or normativity allegedly allows us to relate these distinct types of competences in a non-circular fashion.