cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liouvillian solutions of irreducible linear difference equations

In this paper we give a new algorithm to compute Liouvillian solutions of linear difference equations. Compared to the prior algorithm by Hendriks and Singer, our main contribution consists of two theorems that significantly reduce the number of combinations that the algorithm will check.
The phase equilibria in the Mg-Ni-Ca system

Abstract The three binary systems Mg–Ni, Ca–Ni and Mg–Ca have been re-optimized. A self-consistent thermodynamic database of the Mg–Ni–Ca system is constructed by combining the optimized parameters of these three constituent binaries. Lattice stability values are not added to the pure elements Mg-hcp, Ni-fcc, Ca-fcc and Ca-bcc to construct this database. The Redlich–Kister polynomial model is used to describe the liquid and the terminal solid solution phases, and the sublattice model is used to describe the non-stoichiometric phase, in this system. The constructed database is used to calculate the three binary and the ternary systems. The calculated binary phase diagrams along with their thermodynamic properties such as Gibbs energy, enthalpy, entropy and activities are found to be in good agreement with experimental data from the literature. This is the first attempt to construct the ternary phase diagram of the Mg–Ni–Ca system. The established database for this system predicted three ternary eutectic, five ternary quasi-peritectic, two ternary peritectic and two saddle points.
COMPARISON OF TECHNIQUES FOR DETERMINING THE FRACTAL DIMENSIONS OF CLAY MINERALS

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), adsorption and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques were used to determine the fractal dimensions (D) of 3 natural reference clays: 1) a kaolinite (KGa-2); 2) a hectorite (SHCa-1), and 3) a Ca-montmorillonite (STx-1). The surfaces of these clays were found to be fractal with D values close to 2.0. This is consistent with the common description of clay mineral surfaces as smooth and planar. Some surface irregularities were observed for hectorite and Ca-montmorillonite as a result of impurities in the materials. The SAXS method generated comparable D values for KGa-2 and STx-1. These results are supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SAXS and adsorption methods were found to probe the surface irregularities of the clays while the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique seems to reflect the mass distribution of certain sites in the material. Since the surface nature of clays is responsible for their reactivity in natural systems, SAXS and adsorption techniques would be the methods of choice for their fractal characterization. Due to its wider applicable characterization size-range, the SAXS method appears to be better suited for the determination of the fractal dimensions of clay minerals.
Molecular Biology of Steroid Hormone Synthesis

Introduction STEROID hormones are familiar clinically and physiologically as regulators of physiological processes. Five groups of steroid hormones are generally recognized according to their physiological behavior: mineralocorticoids, which instruct the renal tubules to retain sodium; glucocorticoids, which are named for their carbohydratemobilizing properties but have many other effects as well; estrogens, which induce female secondary sexual characteristics; progestins, which are essential for reproduction; and androgens, which induce male secondary sexual characteristics. These classes of steroid hormones are structurally similar and arise from a common series of pathways. They are distinguished by their actions on one or more specific steroid hormone receptors. The hormone/receptor complexes function as tissue-specific transcriptional regulators of distinct domains of genes and, consequently, exert their broad array of physiological effects. (For reviews, see Refs. 1 and 2.) The pathways by which the...
Cryopreservation of cyanate-treated sickle erythrocytes

Metabolic features and in vivo recovery of cryopreserved cyanate-treated erythrocytes from patients with sickle cell anemia were studied. Red cells were treated with the anti-sickling agent sodium cyanate, glycerolized, and frozen at −80 °C. Cyanate increased post-thaw hemolysis of both normal and sickle erythrocytes. The thawed carbamylated sickle erythrocytes maintained high oxygen affinity but lost more than half of their ATP content. Addition of the metabolic nutrients adenine, pyruvate, and inosine (rejuvenation) during cyanate incubation prevented ATP loss. Rejuvenation also increased red cell 2,3-DPG and opposed the cyanate effect by lowering oxygen affinity. Yet cyanate improved by nearly 50% the intravascular recovery of thawed rejuvenated sickle erythrocytes in a rat transfusion model. Cryopreservation of autologous cyanate-treated erythrocytes could lead to their use as an extracorporeal treatment of sickle cell disease.
Region-specific variation in the properties of skeletal adipocytes reveals regulated and constitutive marrow adipose tissues

Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) accumulates in diverse clinical conditions but remains poorly understood. Here we show region-specific variation in MAT adipocyte development, regulation, size, lipid composition, gene expression and genetic determinants. Early MAT formation in mice is conserved, whereas later development is strain dependent. Proximal, but not distal tibial, MAT is lost with 21-day cold exposure. Rat MAT adipocytes from distal sites have an increased proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids and expression of Scd1/Scd2, Cebpa and Cebpb. Humans also have increased distal marrow fat unsaturation. We define proximal ‘regulated’ MAT (rMAT) as single adipocytes interspersed with active haematopoiesis, whereas distal ‘constitutive’ MAT (cMAT) has low haematopoiesis, contains larger adipocytes, develops earlier and remains preserved upon systemic challenges. Loss of rMAT occurs in mice with congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 4, whereas both rMAT and cMAT are preserved in mice with congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 3. Consideration of these MAT subpopulations may be important for future studies linking MAT to bone biology, haematopoiesis and whole-body metabolism.
Water vapor feedback and global warming

■ Abstract Water vapor is the dominant greenhouse gas, the most important gaseous source of infrared opacity in the atmosphere. As the concentrations of other greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, increase because of human activity, it is centrally important to predict how the water vapor distribution will be affected. To the extent that water vapor concentrations increase in a warmer world, the climatic effects of the other greenhouse gases will be amplified. Models of the Earth’s climate indicate that this is an important positive feedback that increases the sensitivity of surface temperatures to carbon dioxide by nearly a factor of two when considered in isolation from other feedbacks, and possibly by as much as a factor of three or more when interactions with other feedbacks are considered. Critics of this consensus have attempted to provide reasons why modeling results are overestimating the strength of this feedback. Our uncertainty concerning climate sensitivity is disturbing. The range most often quoted for the equilibrium global mean surface temperature response to a doubling of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere is 1.5C to 4.5C. If the Earth lies near the upper bound of this sensitivity range, climate changes in the twenty-first century will be profound. The range in sensitivity is primarily due to differing assumptions about how the Earth’s cloud distribution is maintained; all the models on which these estimates are based possess strong water vapor feedback. If this feedback is, in fact, substantially weaker than predicted in current models, sensitivities in the upper half of this range would be much less likely, a conclusion that would clearly have important policy implications. In this review, we describe the background behind the prevailing view on water vapor feedback and some of the arguments raised by its critics, and attempt to explain why these arguments have not modified the consensus within the climate research community.
Analysis of arm trajectories of everyday tasks for the development of an upper-limb orthosis

Spatiotemporal arm and body movements of able-bodied subjects performing nine everyday tasks were recorded for the purpose of guiding the development of an upper-limb orthosis. To provide a user the opportunity to carry out these tasks with natural movements, the orthosis should allow replication of the measured trajectories. We outline the orthosis architecture, which supports the user's upper arm and forearm, and analyze the movement data to obtain orthosis design specifications. Trajectories were obtained using six-degree-of-freedom magnetic position sensors affixed to the wrist, elbow shoulder, trunk and head. Elbow trajectory data were decomposed into ranges along the principal Cartesian axes to provide a generally useful envelope measure. The smallest Cartesian parallelepiped that contained the elbow trajectories for most tasks was approximately 30 cm front/back, 15 cm side/side, and 17 cm up/down. A rough lower bound estimate obtained by asking subjects to repeat the tasks while minimizing elbow movement substantially reduced movement in the up/down and side/side dimensions. Elbow angles were generally in the range 50/spl deg/-150/spl deg/, and the angle of the forearm with respect to vertical was 10/spl deg/-110/spl deg/.
SHP2 acts both upstream and downstream of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases to promote basal-like and triple-negative breast cancer

Dysregulated receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling is a common occurrence in basal-like and triple-negative breast cancer (BTBC). As a result, RTK-targeting therapies have been initiated but proved difficult, mainly owing to the multiplicity of dysregulated RTKs. Hence, targeting master regulators of RTK signaling might alleviate this obstacle. Before that, however, defining the mechanism of such molecules is required. In this report, we show that the Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (SHP2) is a master regulator of RTK expression and signaling in BTBC. Xenograft tumor growth studies were used to determine the effect of SHP2 inhibition on tumorigenesis and/or metastasis. Cell proliferation rate, anchorage-independent growth, mammosphere formation, and ALDEFLUOR assays were used to compare the relative functional importance of SHP2 and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in BTBC cells. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses were used to determine the state of SHP2 and EGFR coexpression in BTBC. Analysis of mitogenic and cell survival signaling was performed to show SHP2’s role in signaling by multiple RTKs. Inhibition of SHP2 in BTBC cells suppresses their tumorigenic and metastatic properties. Because EGFR is the most commonly dysregulated RTK in BTBC, we first tested the effect of SHP2 inhibition on EGFR signaling and found that SHP2 is important not only for mediation of the Ras/extracellular signal-regulated kinase and the phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathways but also for the expression of the receptor itself. The existence of a tight association between SHP2 and EGFR expression in tumors and cell lines further suggested the importance of SHP2 in EGFR expression. Comparison of relative biological significance showed the superiority of SHP2 inhibition over that of EGFR, suggesting the existence of additional RTKs regulated by SHP2. Indeed, we found that the expression as well as the signaling efficiency of c-Met and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1, two other RTKs known to be dysregulated in BTBC, are SHP2-dependent. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of SHP2 acting both upstream and downstream of RTKs to promote signaling. SHP2 upregulates the expression and signaling of multiple RTKs to promote BTBC. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the superiority of SHP2 inhibition in BTBC.
Nonzero energy of 2 + 1 Minkowski space

We compute the energy of 2+1 Minkowski space from a covariant action principle. Using Ashtekar and Varadarajan's characterization of 2+1 asymptotic flatness, we first show that the 2+1 Einstein-Hilbert action with Gibbons-Hawking boundary term is both finite on-shell (apart from past and future boundary terms) and stationary about solutions under arbitrary smooth asymptotically flat variations of the metric. Thus, this action provides a valid variational principle and no further boundary terms are required. We then obtain the gravitational Hamiltonian by direct computation from this action. The result agrees with the Hamiltonian of Ashtekar and Varadarajan up to an overall addititve constant. This constant is such that 2+1 Minkowski space is assigned the energy E = -1/4G, while the upper bound on the energy is set to zero. Any variational principle with a boundary term built only from the extrinsic and intrinsic curvatures of the boundary is shown to lead to the same result. Interestingly, our result is not the flat-space limit of the corresponding energy -1/8G of 2+1 anti-de Sitter space.
Utilizing and Adapting the Delphi Method for Use in Qualitative Research

The Delphi method is a pragmatic research method created in the 1950s by researchers at the RAND Corporation for use in policy making, organizational decision making, and to inform direct practices...
The Effectiveness of Coercive and Persuasive Counterinsurgency Practices since 1945

AbstractWhich counterinsurgency approaches are most effective in defeating insurgencies? Counterinsurgency advocates and critics have debated the effectiveness of winning hearts and minds as well as using brute force against ordinary civilians. But little scholarship has sought to systemically compare these counterinsurgency approaches among a broad range of cases. This paper seeks to remedy this gap in the literature with an empirical analysis of 47 counterinsurgency wars from 1945–2000 to evaluate the effectiveness of coercive and persuasive approaches to counterinsurgency. To do so, I use crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), or Boolean analysis, to identify the presence or absence of six coercive and persuasive counterinsurgency practices across all cases. This method enables me to highlight how counterinsurgency victory can be produced by combinations of practices rather than a single set of practices that might be expected to be useful across cases. The results demonstrate that many comb...
Thermoelectric Properties of Some Cobalt Phosphide-Arsenide Compounds

Samples of CoP3, CoAs3 and CoP1.5As1.5 have been synthesized and their thermoelectric properties measured. All three samples show semiconducting behavior. The Seebeck coefficients of CoP3 and CoAs3 are weakly dependent on temperature and are relatively small with maximum values of about 40 and 50 μV/K, respectively. The Seebeck coefficient of the solid solution gradually decreases with increasing temperature and the values are larger than those of CoP3 and CoAs3 in the temperature range investigated, with a maximum value of about 89 μV/K near room temperature. The thermal conductivity of CoP3 and CoAs3 are higher than that of CoSb3, as can be expected from the effect of anionic size on lattice vibration. A substantial reduction in thermal conductivity was observed for the solid solution compared to the constituent binary compounds due to additional phonon scattering from lattice disorder and other possible point defects such as vacancies. Other compositions in the CoP3-xAsx system have also been synthesized and their thermoelectric properties are currently being investigated to provide essential information about lattice thermal conductivity reduction by point defect scattering and to further develop strategies for optimizing the thermoelectric properties of skutterudite materials.
Job Satisfaction, Positive Practice Aspects, Work Activities and Personality Characteristics of Nuclear Chain Pharmacists

In the last ten years, the practice of nuclear pharmacy has changed from academic hospital-based to that of private community centralized service centers (1 ,2). There is some indication that growth of these chain pharmacies has had a positive effect on nuclear pharmacists' working conditions, including higher salaries and greater medical and non-medical benefits (I ,2). However, employment conditions and levels of satisfaction among chain nuclear pharmacists have never been published. In 1982, the Section of Nuclear Pharmacy, Academy of Pharmacy Practice, (APhA), conducted a membership survey (2). Respondents who were commercial nuclear pharmacists numbered 28. The survey included a few measures of satisfaction: to the statement, "Nuclear pharmacy excites me," the chain nuclear pharmacists responded with a mean score of 4.5 on a 5-point scale indicating agreement. They felt neutral about their salaries (3.3). In a recent study (3), Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacists (BCNPs) were surveyed to determine their satisfaction with being board certified. The author concluded that BCNPs are generally satisfied with board certification. The greatest amount of satisfaction was accrued from factors reflecting self recognition/acceptance, the least amount from factors reflecting recognition/acceptance by employers. The purpose of this study was to examine the personal demographics, training, demographics of current nuclear chain pharmacy positions, satisfaction with current positions, and orientation (toward self, interaction, or task) of nuclear chain pharmacists.
Percutaneous absorption of 17β-estradiol in ovariectomized rhesus monkeys: skin and serum pharmacokinetics *

The skin and serum kinetics of percutaneous estradiol (E 2 ) gel (Oestrogel; Besins-Iscovesco Laboratories, Paris, France) absorption in 11 ovariectomized rhesus monkeys (3 pretreated with diethylstilbestrol [DES]) was studied. The gel (1.5mg E 2 ) mixed with 7.5×10 5 cpm tritiated E 2 ( 3 H-E 2 ) was applied to abdominal skin. Serial skin biopsies were taken from the application area and at 1 and 3cm beyond, as well as from perineum and dorsal skin; and radioactivity measured to estimate tissue levels of E 2 derived from percutaneous delivery. Simultaneous femoral serum samples were taken for RIA of E 2 . Skin 3 H-E 2 reached a peak at approximately 60 minutes, which was sustained for about 10hours. Lateral diffusion of the radiolabeled E 2 was limited to about 1cm. Serum E 2 levels reached a peak at 60 minutes and remained elevated for 20hours after a single application. A strong correlation existed between skin and serum E 2 levels: r =0.828. DES did not modify the E 2 skin absorption kinetics, but in 2 of 3 monkeys DES reduced the E 2 serum levels, suggesting an effect after skin absorption. We conclude that percutaneously delivered E 2 manifests a sustained entry into serum. The steady state of continuous release of E 2 into circulation derives from a postabsorption skin reservoir of estrogen product.
Teaching Civil Engineers to Write CADDD Software

This paper describes a course on the principles and procedures of writing computer programs to be used for computer aided design, drafting, and detailing (CADDD). The need for the course developes from an individuals desire to be more productive. With the proper computer software and hardware an engineer’s productivity can be significantly increased.
Thirty-day readmission and reoperation after surgery for spinal tumors: a National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to use a large national registry to evaluate the 30-day cumulative incidence and predictors of adverse events, readmissions, and reoperations after surgery for primary and secondary spinal tumors. METHODS Data from adult patients who underwent surgery for spinal tumors (2011–2014) were extracted from the prospective National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) registry. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate predictors of reoperation, readmission, and major complications (death, neurological, cardiopulmonary, venous thromboembolism [VTE], surgical site infection [SSI], and sepsis). Variables screened included patient age, sex, tumor location, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical classification, preoperative functional status, comorbidities, preoperative laboratory values, case urgency, and operative time. Additional variables that were evaluated when analyzing readmission included complications during the surgical hospitalizatio...
Wi-Fi as a Commercial Service

While Wi-Fi has enjoyed explosive growth and deployment for use in residential homes, the rollout of commercial Wi-Fi service has been more limited. Part of the holdback on large-scale commercial deployment has been the strategic concern that the commons model to spectrum management lacks the incentives for service providers to invest due to the limited ability to manage interference in the unlicensed band. Today, however, this situation appears to have changed. To explain the new confidence by service providers in commercial Wi-Fi, the activities of the Wi-Fi Alliance and IEEE 802.11 standards body are analyzed to show how these groups essentially replicate many, but not all, of the functions traditionally employed by an effective band manager that is optimizing efficiency on a licensed spectrum block more typically associated with the deployment of commercial services. Consequently, with the Wi-Fi ecosystem functioning as an effective spectrum manager, it is concluded that the service provider investment in Public Wi-Fi networks is rational and the risk posed by saturation or overuse has been reduced to an acceptable level. The strategic implications of this finding on the Wi-Fi platform are the examined. How the requirements from service providers are already significantly influencing the evolution of the Wi-Fi standard is discussed, and an attempt is made to address the risks and liabilities associated with the unlicensed spectrum management model. Thus, service providers increasingly need functionality in Wi-Fi technology to manage interference, and monitor and improve network performance. The current ideas under discussion are elaborated for the next version of Wi-Fi to support both commercial Wi-Fi requirements, which address the interference concerns, but only up to a point, as the unlicensed model intrinsically leaves some risk to participants of spectrum saturation through overuse. This paper analyses the growing deployment of carrier-grade Wi-Fi.The Wi-Fi Alliance and IEEE 802.11 support development of carrier Wi-Fi.Service provider requirements will increasingly influence Wi-Fi.Future Wi-Fi will be cloud-based to manage interference and network performance.
Water age in the Columbia River estuary

Abstract The concept of water age is applied to the Columbia River estuary to investigate water renewing time scales. Water age tracers were implemented in a three-dimensional circulation model. The model was run for a nine month period in 2012, covering both high and low flow conditions. In the lower estuary renewing water age ranges from roughly 20 h during high flow season (typically April–June) to 70 h during lowest river discharge (typically September–October). The age of riverine water is strongly dependent on river discharge. Dense oceanic waters, in contrast, are always relatively young in the estuary (roughly 20 h) although their age does vary with tidal range and river discharge. Compared to the main channels, water age tends to be larger in the lateral bays throughout the simulation period; this is especially true under low flow and neap tides conditions when water age can exceed 120 h in the bays. During low flow conditions a strong lateral circulation pattern emerges and leads to higher water age near Grays Bay. The maximal water age in the main channels is associated with mixed water mass (around 6–12 psu) located in front and above the salt wedge. The circulation model results are used to derive simple regression models that can be used to predict renewing water time scales without the need of a circulation model.
Nonnus’ Dionysiaca and Late-Antique Discourse on Warfare

Dionysus’ earliest battles are portrayed, like those of Christian emperors, as ‘bloodless’ and merciful and aiming at conversion rather than destruction—a characteristic that is then abandoned.
Machine learning based identification of pathological heart sounds

Automated interpretation of heart sounds holds great promise in increasing the diagnostic accuracy and consistency of cardiac auscultation and allowing for use in remote, tele-health settings. However, existing algorithms for classification of hearts sounds have been constrained by limited idealized training sets and methodological issues with validation. As part of the 2016 PhysioNet Challenge competition, we present an algorithm for automated heart sound classification sthat uses Hilbert-envelope and wavelet features to attempt to capture the qualities of the heart sounds that physicians are trained to interpret. We perform a two-step classification of heart sounds into poor quality, normal or abnormal with sensitivity of 0.7958 and specificity of 0.7459.
Cardiac Rehabilitation for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Cardiac rehabilitation is a key component in the management of patients with most forms of cardiovascular disease. Because diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular, it is not surprising that a substantial number of patients who participate in cardiac rehabilitation have diabetes, with estimates of its prevalence ranging between 17 and 27%, which has increased approximately 50% over the past decade. Evidence-based guidelines from several professional organizations recommend cardiac rehabilitation for patients with most forms of cardiovascular disease. Exercise training, a core component of cardiac rehabilitation, is also recommended for patients with diabetes, irrespective of the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Most patients with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Though most patients in cardiac rehabilitation with diabetes are aware of their diagnosis, it is not uncommon for the diagnosis of diabetes to be made at the time of hospitalization or during participation in cardiac rehabilitation. Potential complications of diabetes, such as blindness, nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral artery disease and autonomic neuropathy, sinus tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, absent angina pectoris with myocardial ischemia, peripheral artery disease with claudication, and limb amputation along with adverse psychosocial responses, may make cardiac rehabilitation participation more challenging for some patients. Yet, the benefits of participation have a very favorable risk to benefit ratio. The goals of this chapter are to review the benefits and risks of cardiac rehabilitation for patients with diabetes, guidelines for monitoring blood glucose and hemodynamic responses, and strategies for adjusting the exercise prescription and medications for safety and to assure an effective response resulting from participation.
What Pervasive Computing Is All About

The upcoming industrialization of the 19th century was a result of the steam engine, which was developed by James Watt. Energy was used to extend the power and strength of the workers and soon became a key factor of the economy. Since generated energy could not be transmitted over distances at those times, the engines and machines were concentrated at those locations where energy was produced. Large mills and plants were the typical symbol of that era.
pH-Dependent spin state population and 19F NMR chemical shift via remote ligand protonation in an iron(II) complex

An FeII complex that features a pH-dependent spin state population, by virtue of a variable ligand protonation state, is described. This behavior leads to a highly pH-dependent 19F NMR chemical shift with a sensitivity of 13.9(5) ppm per pH unit at 37 °C, thereby demonstrating the potential utility of the complex as a 19F chemical shift-based pH sensor.
Labored speech: reconsidering how communication studies works

ABSTRACTThis essay introduces a special issue concerned with the state of academic labor in the field of communication studies. Academics first voiced concerns about casualization and the deteriorating state of academic labor over 40 years ago. Predictions made then about the decline of tenure have become reality. A 2018 National Communication Association report found that the field of communication studies has the smallest percentage of total faculty who are either tenured or tenure-track. As academic jobs continue to casualize, the field risks its legitimacy, status, and educational and scholarly commitments by not attending to labor practices. While the problems with academic labor are well documented, alternatives remain elusive, a situation that constitutes a moment of possibility.
Hepatotoxicity in advanced cancer patients receiving immune-based cancer treatment.

67Background: Immune-based cancer treatment (IBCT) is increasingly used to treat a variety of cancers. Despite the promising results, adverse events such as dermatitis, colitis, and hepatitis remain a concern. Hepatitis is usually mild but may be severe, requiring modification or cessation of treatment. Here, we describe several cases of immune-mediated hepatitis. Methods: We identified patients enrolled in clinical trials using IBCT through the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, between January 2010 and July 2015. Charts were reviewed for mention of “autoimmune hepatitis”, “hepatitis” or abnormal transaminases, all of which were attributed to IBCT by the treating physician. Hepatotoxicity was graded based on CTCAE v4.0. Results: We identified 12 cases of immune-related hepatotoxicity out of 290 patients. Three patients (1.03%) had grade 3 elevation of transaminases, designated as “autoimmune hepatitis.” Each required systemic steroids a...
Computer Graphics Techniques for Three-Dimensional Flow Visualization

The objective of this research has been to develop techniques by which the flow characteristics of an incompressible, heated fluid could be displayed in three-dimensions using computer graphics. The numerical model used to analyze the flow characteristics is the Simplified Marker-and-Cell (SMAC) technique developed at Los Alamos. This technique uses a forward-time, center-space (FTCS) finite differencing scheme to solve for velocities, pressures, and temperatures at selected nodal locations in the flow field.
Photographs of 250 Nebulae

The photographs featured here are sections from plates taken with long exposure times and with the largest Schmidt telescopes. Therefore, they display far more stars than visible in any amateur telescope. They do not at all represent the view in an eyepiece. Detail clearly displayed in the outer parts of many nebulae may never become visible in an eyepiece. On the other hand, the photographs do not show every detail an experienced observer will notice in a telescope. The central areas of many nebulae are completely overexposured and saturated in these photographs, while they may display rich detail in a telescopic view. Some of the star clusters are visible in binoculars and may stand out well, while in the photographs printed here, they may be hard to discern among the thousands of stars surrounding the clusters. Nevertheless, the photographs give a good impression about the variety of types of nebulae. While some nebulae may look like a “smudge” on first view, a closer look may reveal the variety of features which gives each nebula its distinct personality.
A targeted initiative to discharge surgical patients earlier in the day is associated with decreased length of stay and improved hospital throughput.

Abstract Background The timing of inpatient discharges can impact hospital throughput with later discharges leading to decreased patient satisfaction, increased length of stay (LOS), and longer boarding times. Methods A 12-month targeted intervention that included both pre-operative and inpatient components was implemented across all surgical inpatient services to increase the proportion of patients discharged by noon. Results Discharge by noon rates increased from 14.3% to 21.5% during the 12-month initiative (p Conclusions A targeted initiative to discharge surgical patients earlier resulted in a 50% increase in the proportion of patients discharged by noon. Associated with this finding were improvements in hospital throughput as measured by aLOS and boarding times in the ED, ICUs, and PACU.
Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) with ipilimumab treatment of advanced melanoma: A single institution review.

e21533Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) are the mainstay for melanoma treatment. CPI pose a unique set of side effects and a complete understanding of irAEs is critical in reducing mor...
Factors Affecting the Cost and Profitability of Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

Purpose To examine the cost metrics and profitability of rotator cuff repairs (RCRs) in a large health care system. Methods A retrospective study was performed using value analysis team data from 2 hospitals within a large metropolitan health system from 2010 to 2014. Cost and profit metrics were collected and compared against surgeon volume, surgeon subspecialty training, implant costs, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding, length of stay, and hospital site. Results A total of 5,899 RCRs were identified with a mean contribution margin of $2,133. Surgical supplies were the largest contributor to direct costs. Hospital site also significantly affected contribution margin ($1,912 at hospital 1 vs $3,129 at hospital 2, P Conclusions Our overall findings show that improvement in the profitability of arthroscopic RCR for hospital systems is possible, both by examining institutions' direct costs and by providing individual surgeons with cost breakdowns and contribution margin information to improve the profitability of their practice. Level of Evidence Level IV, economic and decision analysis.
Modular Proteoglycan Perlecan/HSPG2: Mutations, Phenotypes, and Functions

Heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2) is an essential, highly conserved gene whose expression influences many developmental processes including the formation of the heart and brain. The gene is widely expressed throughout the musculoskeletal system including cartilage, bone marrow and skeletal muscle. The HSPG2 gene product, perlecan is a multifunctional proteoglycan that preserves the integrity of extracellular matrices, patrols tissue borders, and controls various signaling pathways affecting cellular phenotype. Given HSPG2’s expression pattern and its role in so many fundamental processes, it is not surprising that relatively few gene mutations have been identified in viable organisms. Mutations to the perlecan gene are rare, with effects ranging from a relatively mild condition to a more severe and perinatally lethal form. This review will summarize the important studies characterizing mutations and variants of HSPG2 and discuss how these genomic modifications affect expression, function and phenotype. Additionally, this review will describe the clinical findings of reported HSPG2 mutations and their observed phenotypes. Finally, the evolutionary aspects that link gene integrity to function are discussed, including key findings from both in vivo animal studies and in vitro systems. We also hope to facilitate discussion about perlecan/HSPG2 and its role in normal physiology, to explain how mutation can lead to pathology, and to point out how this information can suggest pathways for future mechanistic studies.
Climate Change-Induced Environmental Hazards and Aila Relief Measures Undertaken to Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India

Environmental degradation induced by climate change has affected lives and livelihoods of the residents of the Sundarbans in both India and Bangladesh. The Sundarbans has been severely affected by sea level rise, salinity intrusion, increasing sea surface temperature, rainfall variability, storm surges, increased frequency of river flood, storms, over- siltation of the rivers, soil erosion, and island subsidence. In addition, the Bay of Bengal coast is a breeding place of tropical cyclones in the World. This chapter is primarily an extensive literature review on the climate change-induced environmental hazards and their impact on the ecosystem and human livelihoods in the Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh. In addition, this chapter also provides a detailed account of the recent cyclonic storm Aila that had hit the Bay of Bengal coast in 2009, the loss suffered, and the emergency relief operations that were undertaken. Finally, the structural and non-structural adaptation measures to environmental degradation and sudden onset disasters like storms, as well as, some cyclone mitigation strategies to reduce life loss and damage from future cyclones have been suggested in this chapter.
Multistep Phase Transitions in Sea Surface Microlayer Droplets and Aerosol Mimics using Microfluidic Wells

Oceanic sea spray is one of the largest contributors of atmospheric aerosol particles worldwide. The phase of aerosol particles is known to impact radiative forcing and cloud nucleation. However, a...
How can an understanding of the C9orf72 gene translate into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis therapies

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with few available treatments. The discovery of the mutation in the C9orf72 gene as the most common cause of familial ...
Capture of CO 2 from Concentrated Sources and the Atmosphere

As the rapid rise of the atmospheric CO2 concentration has aroused increasing concern worldwide on the global climate change, the research activities in CO2 capture both from the concentrated CO2 sources and the atmosphere have grown significantly. The amine based solid sorbents exhibited great promise in the near-future application for CO2 capture owing to their advantages including high CO2 capacity even at extremely low CO2 concentration (e.g., 400 ppm), excellent CO2 sorption selectivity, no need for moisture pre-removal (moisture even shows promotion effect), lower energy consumption, less corrosion and easy handling compared to liquid amine. Among them, PEI-based sorbents have been considered as one of most promising candidates and have been extensively studied. Great progress has been made in the past two decades. Hence, in this review, we summarize the recent advances with supported PEI sorbents for CO2 capture, with an emphasis on (1) sorbent material development including the effects of support and polymer structure; (2) CO2 sorption mechanism; (3) CO2 sorption kinetics, (4) sorbent deactivation, and (5) practical implementation of PEI-based sorbent materials. At last, the remaining problems and challenges that need to be addressed to improve the competitiveness of sorbent-based capture technologies are discussed. Through the current review, we expect it will not only offer a summary on the recent progress on the supported PEI sorbents, but also provide possible links between fundamental studies and practical applications.
GEM-NET: Lessons in Multi-Institution Teamwork Using Collaboration Software

The Center for Genetically Encoded Materials (C-GEM) is an NSF Phase I Center for Chemical Innovation that comprises six laboratories spread across three university campuses. Our success as a multi-institution research team demanded the development of a software infrastructure, GEM-NET, that allows all C-GEM members to work together seamlessly-as though everyone was in the same room. GEM-NET was designed to support both science and communication by integrating task management, scheduling, data sharing, and collaborative document and code editing with frictionless internal and public communication; it also maintains security over data and internal communications. In this Article, we document the design and implementation of GEM-NET: our objectives and motivating goals, how each component contributes to these goals, and the lessons learned throughout development. We also share open source code for several custom applications and document how GEM-NET can benefit users in multiple fields and teams that are both small and large. We anticipate that this knowledge will guide other multi-institution teams, regardless of discipline, to plan their software infrastructure and utilize it as swiftly and smoothly as possible.
“Scientific Inference” vs. “Legal Reasoning”? —Not So Fast!

To understand why the interactions of science with the legal system can be so problematic, it’s not enough to gesture vaguely towards a supposed contrast between scientific and legal “modes of thinking”; we need to look, instead, to the consequences of the different purposes of science and the law, the different constraints under which they pursue those purposes, and the different cultures of the two enterprises. From this perspective we can see why the law sometimes asks more of science than science can give, and sometimes gets less from science than science could give; and also why a simple dichotomy of “scientific inference” vs. “legal reasoning” is more misleading than helpful.
The Evolving Literature of School Psychology

The professional literature of school psychology has developed from varied educational and psychological sources. Only in the past 25 years has a specific school psychology literature been identifi...
Knowledge-Guided Statistical Learning Methods for Analysis of High-Dimensional -Omics Data in Precision Oncology

High-dimensional -omics data such as genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data offer great promise in advancing precision medicine. In particular, such data have enabled the investigation of co...
Resin infiltration of enamel white spot lesions: An ultramorphological analysis.

Objective There is not a clear understanding of the ultramorphology of enamel white spot lesions (WSLs). The purpose of this study is to characterize resin infiltration of enamel WSLs using electron microscopy. Materials and methods Enamel sections with sound enamel and WSLs were sectioned from extracted teeth and assigned to three groups: (a) left untreated; (b) etched with 15% hydrochloric acid (Icon-Etch); (c) restored with the resin infiltration sequence (Icon-Etch, Icon-Dry, and Icon-Infiltrant). Restored specimens were demineralized to obtain replicas. Observations were carried out under a field-emission scanning electron microscope. Results Icon-Etch resulted in an array of pits and funneled holes on the WSL. Replicas of WSLs depicted 0.5-6.0-μm-thick shaggy resin tags up to a depth of 465 μm. Enamel crystallites were enveloped with resin at the bottom of the WSL forming a hybrid layer. Conclusions The resin infiltrant filled the spaces between the crystallites and resulted in an enamel hybrid layer. Clinical significance In addition to masking enamel WSLs, resin infiltration is able envelop residual enamel crystallites forming an enamel hybrid layer. This hybridization makes resin-embedded enamel more resistant to acid attack than sound enamel.
Dependence of superconducting transition temperature on doping and structural distortion of the CuO2 planes in La2−xMxCuO4 (M=Nd, Ca, Sr)

We have separated the structural and doping effects on the superconducting transition temperature in La2−xMxCuO4 (M=Nd, Ca, Sr). At a fixed doping level, the highest Tc is found for flat and square CuO2 planes in the tetragonal structure. Tc is reduced proportionally to the structural distortions of the CuO2 planes in the orthorhombic structure. The local minimum of Tc vs doping is observed for both orthorhombic Ca- and Sr-substituted materials around x∼0.12. This minimum may be related to the intrinsic dependence of the electronic density of states at EF due to a weakly split singularity of DOS.
Terlipressin in the treatment of neonatal refractory hypotension caused by septic shock: a case report.

Background While the clinical benefits of terlipressin (TP) have been reported in adults and children with refractory hypotension, data in neonates are limited. Case Herein, we report a case of off-label rescue TP therapy in a neonate with septic shock and persistent hypotension. The patient`s blood pressure was normalized, and tissue perfusion improved without serious adverse reactions. However, genetic testing revealed mitochondrial gene defects in the patient, and the parents subsequently elected to stop treatment after 25 doses of TP (20 μg/kg/min every 4 h for 100 h). Conclusion While TP treatment appeared to help control hypotension and may prolong the survival time, there are no conclusive data regarding the safety and efficacy of TP in neonates.
The regulatory function of the AAA4 ATPase domain of cytoplasmic dynein

Abstract Cytoplasmic dynein is the primary motor for microtubule minus-end-directed transport and is indispensable to eukaryotic cells. Although each motor domain of dynein contains three active AAA+ ATPases (AAA1, 3, and 4), only the functions of AAA1 and 3 are known. Here, we use single-molecule fluorescence and optical tweezers studies to elucidate the role of AAA4 in dynein’s mechanochemical cycle. We demonstrate that AAA4 controls the priming stroke of the motion-generating linker, which connects the dimerizing tail of the motor to the AAA+ ring. Before ATP binds to AAA4, dynein remains incapable of generating motion. However, when AAA4 is bound to ATP, the gating of AAA1 by AAA3 prevails and dynein motion can occur. Thus, AAA1, 3, and 4 work together to regulate dynein function. Our work elucidates an essential role for AAA4 in dynein’s stepping cycle and underscores the complexity and crosstalk among the motor’s multiple AAA+ domains.
Anxiety Sensitivity and Arousal Symptom Implicit Association Task Performance: An Event-Related Potential Study of Cognitive Processing of Anxiety-Relevant Stimuli.

Abstract Background Anxiety sensitivity (AS), or the fear of anxious arousal, is a transdiagnostic risk factor. Despite the proliferation of self-report research showing AS is related to anxiety, cognitive processes underlying AS are poorly understood. Specifically, AS may reflect processes related to early attentional orientation and response monitoring (reflecting automatic processes), or later engagement and assigning emotional salience towards stimuli (reflecting conscious processes). Methods To elucidate cognitive processes underlying AS, event-related potential (ERP) components were elicited in the current study during a novel implicit association task (IAT) in which participants paired self (versus other) words with anxious arousal (versus calm) words. Analyses were then conducted in a sample of community adults (N = 67; M age 39.43, SD = 15.33, 61.2% female) to investigate the association between AS and ERP markers indicative of cognitive processing derived during the IAT. Results AS was not related to performance on the arousal-IAT and that ERP components did not differ by IAT condition. AS predicted overall late positive potential (LPP) amplitude, particularly in the me/anxiety condition. Elevated IAT scores (reflecting greater ease pairing self-words with anxiety-words) predicted greater P300 amplitude in the me/anxiety condition. Limitations The sample was relatively small, and bottom-up processes were not assessed. Conclusions These findings are inconsistent with the claim that AS is related to top-down cognitive processes driving self-arousal automatic associations. Instead, AS may relate to cognitive processes regulating emotional engagement with stimuli. Further investigations of cognitive processes underlying AS are needed to inform novel interventions targeting AS.