cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of the intestinal and hepatic bile acid transporters for drug delivery

Abstract There are several possible approaches that can be used to increase the oral absorption of drugs. Recently, utilization of carrier-mediated transport mechanisms in the intestinal tract to increase the bioavailability of drugs has drawn a great deal of attention. This review describes the potential use of this approach, using the bile acid carrier system in both the intestinal tract and the liver. The physiology, ontogeny and molecular biology of the ileal and hepatic transporters are described and an overview is presented of the compounds that are transported by these carriers. Furthermore, the structural requirements for recognition by these carrier systems is presented and the current utilization of this mechanism is reviewed. The importance of carrier-mediated bile acid transport in drug delivery is addressed.
The Evolution of Fairness in the Ultimatum Game

The article presents a model on the evolution of strategies in the Ultimatum game. In particular, the model considers the effect of role turnover and interaction structure. Past experimental studies showed that subjects behave more fairly than would be predicted by classical game theory. The goal of this model is to illuminate how fairness emerges in evolution when role turnover and preferential association are in effect. Simulation shows that evolution towards strategies of fairness is plausible. Some empirical implications are also discussed.
Initial ion equatorial pitch angle distributions from medium and high energy neutral atom images obtained by IMAGE

Examples of the extraction of equatorial ion pitch angle distributions from energetic neutral atom images taken by the HENA instrument on June 10, 2000 between 1200 and 1600 UT and MENA on August 12, 2000 at about 1000 UT on board the IMAGE satellite are presented. The extraction is performed using a method of deconvolution that expands the unknown equatorial ion pitch angle distribution in terms of tri-cubic splines, and then finds the expansion coefficients by requiring that the result fit the data and be as smooth as possible.
A review of the taxonomy and nomenclature of North Pacific Harbour seals

The previous multitude of taxa of North Pacific Harbour seals is referable to, at most, three forms: the ice-inhabiting Larga seal, Phoca vitulina largha; the Insular seal of eastern Asia, P. v. stejnegeri; and the coastal Harbour seal of western North America, P. v. richardsi. In the breeding season, largha occurs on the pack ice of the Bering, Okhotsk, Japan, and Po Hai seas as adult pairs with single pup, whereas stejnegeri and richardsi are associated with coastal and insular habitats, around the perimeter of the North Pacific Ocean from Hokkaido to Baja California (i.e. mostly well away from ice), and occur on land in dense aggregations of less than ten to more than a thousand animals. In general, where the ranges of the largha and the stejnegeri-richardsi forms meet or overlap, their respective breeding seasons are about two months apart, which, together with the social and habitat differences, tends to result in reproductive isolation. Apparently, the young of largha are always born with a whitish lanugo, whereas those of stejnegeri and richardsi usually shed their lanugo (either whitish or mottled greyish) in utero and are born with an adult-like pelage. The adult pelage of largha seems always to be pale background with a spattering of small, blackish spots, whereas that of stejnegeri and richardsi ranges from black with scattered whitish rings (dark phase) to pale with small black spots (light phase). Light phase animals usually differ from largha in having some whitish rings on the back. In body and skull size, stejnegeri exceeds the others, but in cranial characters, stejnegeri and richardsi seem very similar and to differ mutually from largha in all respects. They also differ from largha in having abbreviated stylohyals, not connected to the bulla. The complex nomenclatural history of each taxon is reviewed, and the name largha Pallas, 1811 is retained for the ice-inhabiting form. For the insular form, stejnegeri Allen, 1902 has priority, and for the American coastal form, richardsi (Gray, 1864). Largha occurs as eight geographical populations that are morphologically alike, suggesting that they have been separated for a relatively short period in geologic time. The stejnegeri-richardsi complex, conversely, shows a much greater degree of regional differentiation, as indicated by the frequency of occurrence of dark and light colour phases, but appears to be all of one polytypic, trans-Pacific form, which is more similar to the North Atlantic Harbour seals than is largha. Although largha has usually been regarded as a subspecies of P. vitulina, it seems advisable on the basis of this review to accord it specific rank.
Measuring Neck Nerve Strain: An Experimental Investigation

We sought to determine the effects of head rotation, lateral neck flexion, and traction force on brachial plexus (BP) nerve strain, specifically at C5-C6 (Erb’s point), and C7, C8, and T1 roots in a multi-“filament” 3D model of the fetal BP. Using our constructed simulator and a tailored data acquisition system, strain readings were recorded and accurate to within <2%. Using our model and a position-sensing system, controlled loads and deformations were applied to a fetal head attached to a flexible spine. For each simulation, we measured BP strain at Erb’s point, and C7, C8, and T1 roots. Increasing total traction force increases strain in the upper and middle nerves (Erb’s point, C7, and C8). Lateral neck flexion produces the most strain (up to 25.4±6.6% in Erb’s point with 4.5 kg (10 lbs) of traction), with concomitant head rotation magnifying strain levels by up to a factor of 1.7. Increasing head rotation and lateral neck flexion increases the strain in the lower nerve roots more than in the upper roots. in general, upper nerves undergo double the strain of lower nerves. Direct axial traction has the least effect, with 4.5 kg of traction producing a peak strain of 3.6±2.5% at Erb’s point. BP strain can be reduced at Erb’s point, C7, and C8 by maintaining neutral alignment between the head and trunk prior to applying traction, which should be minimized.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
In vitro pulsatile flow hemodynamics of five mechanical aortic heart valve prostheses.

In vitro measurements of velocity, turbulent shear stress, effective orifice area (EOA), and regurgitant fraction were performed on five new-generation low-profile mechanical aortic heart valve designs under pulsatile flow conditions. These were: Medtronic-Hall tilting disc, St. Jude Medical bileaflet, Bjork-Shiley Monostrut tilting disc, Omni-Carbon tilting disc, and Duromedics bileaflet. In general, bileaflet valves have larger EOAs than the tilting disc design, especially in the larger sizes, due to the larger opening angles and lack of obstructive struts. The regurgitant fractions range from 8% for 21-mm valves to 13% for the 29-mm sizes. This increase was largely due to an increase in leakage volume as opposed to closing volume. Furthermore, the leakage volumes increased as the mean aortic pressures increased. The tilting disc valves generally have better regurgitant characteristics compared to the bileaflet valve designs, due to lower leakage volumes and to the smaller opening angle of the occluder providing a more rapid closure of the valve. The velocity and shear stress measurements showed that none of the current valve designs are ideal: all designs create areas of stasis and/or regions of low-velocity reverse flow and regions of elevated turbulent shear stresses capable of causing sublethal and/or lethal damage to the formed elements of blood. It is therefore unlikely that these valve designs will eliminate the problems of hemolysis, thrombosis, and thromboembolic complications.
NMDA receptors mediate amphetamine-induced upregulation of zif/268 and preprodynorphin mRNA expression in rat striatum.

The role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) excitatory amino acid receptors in D-amphetamine (AMPH)-induced behavioral changes and increased expression of the nuclear transcription factors, c-fos and zif/268, and preprodynorphin (PPD) mRNA in various regions of rat forebrain was investigated with quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry. Three hours after a single injection of AMPH (5 mg/kg, i.p.), the mRNA expression of zif/268, but not c-fos, in dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus) and cerebral cortex (sensorimotor cortex), and PPD mRNA in dorsal striatum, was upregulated. Pretreatment of rats with MK-801 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated AMPH-induced striatal and cortical expression of zif/268 mRNA and striatal expression of PPD mRNA, without affecting the behavioral alterations induced by AMPH. A similar, dose-dependent suppression of AMPH-induced zif/268 and PPD mRNA in striatum and cortex was also revealed after systemic administration of (+/-)-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg. CPP, only at the higher dose, slightly attenuated behavioral activity induced by AMPH. MK-801 and CPP (at higher dose) alone suppressed basal (constitutive) zif/268 mRNA levels in both striatum and cortex regions. No significant effect of either antagonist was found on constitutive expression of striatal PPD mRNA. These studies indicate that NMDA receptors mediate, at least in part, activation of zif/268 and PPD gene expression in striatum and sensorimotor cortex by a single injection of AMPH. Furthermore, NMDA receptor-mediated gene regulation more likely is involved in long-term neuronal plasticity to drug exposure than in acute drug effects since NMDA receptor antagonists had little or no effect on the acute behavioral actions of AMPH.
Hadron production in gamma gamma collisions as a background for e+e- linear colliders.

Drees and Godbole have proposed that, at the interaction point of an [ital e][sup +][ital e[minus]] linear collider, one expects a high rate of hadron production by [gamma][gamma] collisions, providing an additional background to studies in [ital e][sup +][ital e[minus]] annihilation. Using a simplified model of the [gamma][gamma] cross section with soft and jetlike components, we estimate the expected rate of these hadronic events for a variety of realistic machine designs.
Gender Differences in Outcomes After Hospital Discharge From Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background— There are few comparative data regarding long-term nonfatal outcomes for women versus men after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study compares gender differences in cardiac events in a population of hospital survivors up to 11 years after isolated CABG surgery in Ontario, Canada. Methods and Results— A population-based cohort study (n=68 774 patients, 15 043 women) between September 1, 1991, and April 1, 2002, was assembled with linked clinical and administrative databases. Cox modeling and propensity score matching were used to compare death, cardiac readmission (angina, heart failure, myocardial infarction), repeat revascularization (angioplasty or CABG), and stroke readmission between men and women. Women were older (65±17 versus 62±13 years), more likely to present with urgent or emergent status (64% versus 56%), and less likely to receive arterial grafts (70% versus 78%). Women had a higher rate of cardiac readmission in the first year after surgery (hazard ratio [HR] of 1.5,...
Quantitative Evaluation of Nonspecific Nitrogen Sources for the Growing Chick

Abstract Several nitrogenous compounds were incrementally added to a purified crystalline amino acid diet adequate in essential amino acids but deficient in total nitrogen to quantitatively evaluate these compounds as sources of nonspecific nitrogen for the growing chick. Experimental diets were fed to 400 male crossbred chicks from day 8 to day 21 posthatching. The slopes from regression analyses using either weight gain or protein retention as the dependent variable and nitrogen consumption from the different nitrogenous compounds as independent variables were compared (slope-ratio technique). Setting l -glutamic acid at 100% efficacy, efficacies for the other compounds were as follows for weight gain and protein retention, respectively: diammonium citrate, 86.6 and 74.3; diammonium phosphate, 26.2 and 17.9; urea, 24.9 and 12.5; glycine, 96.0 and 149.5; l -leucine, 62.1 and 71.0; l -isoleucine, 68.4 and 82.9; l -valine, 73.0 and 80.9; l -proline, 98.8 and 110.2; l -arginine, 36.4 and 56.5; and l -lysine, 50.0 and 67.9%. These efficacy values are corrected for changes in feed consumption. All amino acids had higher efficacy values for protein retention reflecting the fact that they tended to depress voluntary feed consumption of chicks. The amino acids which can be synthesized by chicks had higher efficacy values than those which cannot be synthesized.
Cortical Mechanisms for Shifting and Holding Visuospatial Attention

Access to visual awareness is often determined by covert, voluntary deployments of visual attention. Voluntary orienting without eye movements requires decoupling attention from the locus of fixation, a shift to the desired location, and maintenance of attention at that location. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to dissociate these components while observers shifted attention among 3 streams of letters and digits, one located at fixation and 2 in the periphery. Compared with holding attention at the current location, shifting attention between the peripheral locations was associated with transient increases in neural activity in the superior parietal lobule (SPL) and frontal eye fields (FEF), as in previous studies. The supplementary eye fields and separate portions of SPL and FEF were more active for decoupling attention from fixation than for shifting attention to a new location. Large segments of precentral sulcus (PreCS) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) were more active when attention was maintained in the periphery than when it was maintained at fixation. We conclude that distinct subcomponents of the dorsal frontoparietal network initiate redeployments of covert attention to new locations and disengage attention from fixation, while sustained activity in lateral regions of PPC and PreCS represents sustained states of peripheral attention.
Delay sensitive low-cost security mechanism for mobile IP

With the advances in the processing capabilities of wireless devices such as Smart Phones and laptops, the demand for staying connected to the internet has steadily increased. This demand is strengthened further by the introduction of internet connectivity within the airplanes. Mobile IP is one of the protocols that have been proposed to support user/network mobility. Mobile IP introduces new entities such as Home Agent and Foreign Agent to facilitate user/network mobility. As the user/network (mobile client) move from one network to another all their connections need to be handed off from one mobile agent to another to maintain seamless connectivity. While effective handoff mechanism by itself is an active research field, security combined with effective handoff introduces new challenges. While these security mechanisms help in maintaining security and privacy of the user, they introduce additional processing delay thereby affecting the performance. In this paper, the authors propose a novel low cost security mechanism that ensures the security of the communication. It will be shown that the proposed mechanism will secure mobile node communication without affecting the performance. While the proposed architecture requires the mobility agents to cache additional information, the analysis carried out by the authors indicates that the additional cost is compensated by the added security for the communication between the mobile client and the mobility agents.
Cone-rod interaction over time and space.

Abstract Scotopic background stimulation can elevate photopic increment thresholds by more than 2 log units. This cone-rod interaction is greatest on small backgrounds ( 2 diameter), but is found consistently on large backgrounds as well. Interaction develops and disappears quickly as backgrounds are turned on or off. respectively. The onset, and in some cases the offset, of a background stimulus can produce an additional, transitory interaction that augments the interaction that is maintained by continued presentation of the same background. The majority of the present findings lend support to a simple center-surround model of cone-rod interaction: nearby scotopic excitation raises photopic thresholds and more distant scotopic stimulation primarily antagonizes this interaction.
Chronic Pain in Neuromuscular Disease

Pain is a nocifensive sensation that protects animals from harm. Potentially injurious stimuli of various modalities are transduced and transmitted towards the spinal cord and brain by specific peripheral neurons (nociceptors) to generate unpleasant feelings and induce reflex and conscious responses. Peripheral pain-sensing axons, also known as “small fibers,” consist of thinly myelinated (Aδ) and unmyelinated (C) fibers which, along with sympathetic axons, comprise some 80 % of peripheral axons (Fig. 4.1). Normal nociceptive pain fades quickly as an injury resolves, but in neuromuscular conditions chronic pain can reflect continual injury, such as in inflammatory myopathies. Such pain usually responds to anti-inflammatory and other first-line pain medications, not to mention disease-modifying treatments for the underlying cause. The far larger problem is pain caused by prior injury to peripheral and/or central pain neurons. Because neuropathic pain can develop or persist without associated tissue injury, diagnosis can be difficult, and treatment is different than for acute or nociceptive pain. A confounding feature of neuropathic pain is that unlike the inevitability of acute pain after injury, not all patients develop neuropathic pain even after identical injuries or illnesses (e.g., shingles). Neuropathic pain is a complex disorder with endogenous as well as exogenous causes. Pain caused by injury to the spinal cord or brain is outside the scope of this discussion, but is generally even more difficult to treat than peripheral neuropathic pain.
The Lake-Induced Convection Experiment and the Snowband Dynamics Project

Abstract A severe 5—day lake—effect storm resulted in eight deaths, hundreds of injuries, and over $3 million in damage to a small area of northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania in November 1996. In 1999, a blizzard associated with an intense cyclone disabled Chicago and much of the U.S. Midwest with 30—90 cm of snow. Such winter weather conditions have many impacts on the lives and property of people throughout much of North America. Each of these events is the culmination of a complex interaction between synoptic—scale, mesoscale, and microscale processes. An understanding of how the multiple size scales and timescales interact is critical to improving forecasting of these severe winter weather events. The Lake—Induced Convection Experiment (Lake—ICE) and the Snowband Dynamics Project (SNOWBAND) collected comprehensive datasets on processes involved in lake—effect snowstorms and snowbands associated with cyclones during the winter of 1997/98. This paper outlines the goals and operations of thes...
Dynamic Pair Breaking in Cuprate Superconductors Via Injection of Spin-Polarized Quasiparticles in Perovskite F-I-S Heterostructures

Abstract We report experimental evidence of dynamic Cooper pair breaking induced by spin-polarized quasiparticles in cuprate superconductors by studying the critical current density and quasiparticle density of states of ferromagnet–insulator–superconductor (F–I–S) heterostructures. The spin diffusion length and relaxation time are also estimated.
EEG CHANGES DURING CAROTID ENDARTERECTOMY: DRUG EFFECT AND EMBOLISM

Clinical neurological status and the electroencephalogram (EEG) were monitored during right carotid endarterectomy under regional anaesthesia in a patient who had suffered two prior cerebral infarctions. No change in EEG or clinical status was seen with occlusion of the carotid artery, but generalized encephalopathic changes were seen after a small dose of narcotic given before carotid occlusion. Bihemispheric changes in EEG and neurological status occurred upon release of carotid occlusion. This case demonstrates three important points. First, EEG changes can be seen with sedative or anaesthetic agents in patients who have previously suffered brain injury. Second, temporary neural dysfunction may be seen remote from the site of a localized injury to the brain—a phenomenon known as diaschisis. Finally, this report reiterates the observation that the risk of injury to the brain during carotid endarterectomy is not limited to the period of possible ischaemia during occlusion of the carotid artery.
Automatic Data Clustering Analysis of Arbitrary Shape with K-Means and Enhanced Ant-Based Template Mechanism

With the advancement of miniature sensors, wireless networking and context awareness, the importance of data-intensive computing is on the rise, with practical applications such as web categorization and data mining. One of the critical challenges in data-intensive computing is data clustering, as effective clustering algorithm will enable researchers and automated systems to analyze and organize massive amount of data much more efficiently. Many data clustering algorithms already exist, but most require a priori knowledge on the number of classes to guide the clustering process. We propose~\emph{$Auto\_Ant\_TM^{s}\_Shape$}, a two-phase algorithm, for automatically forming optimal number of clusters with arbitrary shapes. The first phase uses the hybrid approach of K-means and enhanced Ant-based template mechanism to generate small seed clusters with high purity in each cluster. In the second phase, small clusters are iteratively merged to obtain the final clusters using a merging algorithm. We apply \emph{$Auto\_Ant\_TM^{s}\_Shape$} to 8 widely-used datasets, and compare the clustering results with two approaches based on density-based algorithm (DBSCAN) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The results show that \emph{$Auto\_Ant\_TM^{s}\_Shape$} is very effective and thus achieve good clustering results in near optimal number of clusters without knowing the number of classes in advance.
Impact of female age and nulligravidity on fecundity in an older reproductive age cohort

Objective To provide female age-related estimates of fecundity and incidence of infertility by history of prior pregnancy among women 30–44 years of age. Design Prospective, time-to-pregnancy cohort study. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) Women, between 30 and 44 years of age, attempting to conceive for ≤3 months, and no known history of infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or endometriosis. Intervention(s) Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s) Fecundability and incidence of infertility. Result(s) Compared to women aged 30–31 years, fecundability was reduced by 14% in women 34–35 years of age (fecundability ratio [FR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68–1.08), 19% in women 36–37 years of age (FR 0.81, 95% CI 0.60–1.08, 30% in women 38–39 years of age (FR 0.70, 95% CI 0.48–1.01), 53% in women 40–41 years of age (FR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28–0.78), and 59% in women 42–44 years of age (FR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16–0.93). Fecundability did not differ between women aged 30–31 years and 32–33 years. In general, fecundability and cumulative probability of pregnancy was lower for women who had never had a prior pregnancy. Conclusion(s) Women experience a significant reduction in fecundity and increase in the probability of infertility in their late thirties. At any age >30 years, women who have never conceived have a lower probability of achieving a pregnancy. Clinical Trial Registration Number NCT01028365.
Is it time to stop starving premature infants

The past 40 years have witnessed a near miraculous increase in the survival of extremely premature babies. The common practice in many neonatal intensive care units that includes withholding enteral feedings for days to weeks, and simultaneously providing very low amino acid and lipid intakes prompted the concern for the subsequent growth, neurodevelopment and adult health of these individuals, and was the focus of an NIH (National Institutes of Health) workshop approximately a decade ago.1 Despite several studies, clinical practice has been slow to change. Could withholding amino acids be tantamount to not providing antenatal steroids, postnatal surfactant, continuous positive airway pressure or mechanical ventilation? The immediate results may not be quite as dramatic, but the effects of limiting these nutrients could be devastating. The two articles in this edition of the Journal of Perinatology2, 3 aptly augment the burgeoning evidence, which, for some, is intuitively obvious—it's really ok to nourish premature infants.
Block Copolymer Templated Synthesis of Core–Shell PtAu Bimetallic Nanocatalysts for the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are an attractive portable energy technology due to their low operating temperatures, high-energy conversion efficiency, and lower pollutant production. For over a half-century, the default electrocatalyst for DMFCs has been platinum (Pt). The barriers to widespread deployment of DMFCs, however, are largely linked to the cost of this precious metal and its propensity to become poisoned in its role as the anode catalyst for the oxidation of methanol. Bimetallic platinum–gold (PtAu) catalysts, however, offer superior activity for the oxidation of methanol and can operate with increased electrocatalytic stability and resistance to poisoning. Here, we demonstrate a block copolymer template strategy for the preparation of arrays of clusters of PtAu nanocatalysts with tailored composition, particle density, and electrochemical activity. A detailed characterization by XPS, TEM, EDX, and electrochemistry was used to assign a core–shell nanostructure to the 3 nm PtAu nanocatalyst...
Sarcoxylon and Entonaema (Xylariaceae)

The taxonomic and nomenclatural histories of Sarcoxylon and Entonaema are discussed. Sarcoxylon is considered to include the type species, S. compunctum, and the new species S. sinensis. Taxa of un...
Rock Shelters as Women's Retreats: Understanding Newt Kash

This paper provides a cultural context for the cache of early domesticated seeds found in Newt Kash Shelter in eastern Kentucky. Based on the abundant fibers, bedding, nuts, cradleboard, bedrock mortar, shell spoons, abundance of potential medicinal plants, infrequent fauna, and arrangement of pits, Newt Kash may have been a women's retreat place during menstruation, birthing, and sickness, and possibly the meeting place of a medicine society. There are other possible retreat shelters in this region and elsewhere.
A Method of Testing Guinea Pigs for Hypersensitiveness to Rhus toxicodendron.

Sensitization of guinea pigs to Rhus toxicodendron was reported by Rackemann and Simon,1 and has been repeated by a number of workers.2 For testing it has been customary to apply an acetone solution of the substance to the skin and to note differences in speed of appearance and intensity of reactions in treated animals and controls. While treated animals react more strongly to these extracts than untreated, the latter also give reactions which develop within 48 hours and make it difficult to interpret results. Recently, hypersensitiveness in guinea pigs was again studied by Ginsberg, Becker, and Becker3 who, attempting to overcome this difficulty, applied several dilutions of acetone extract in the tests. Straus,4 on the other hand, deeming the guinea pig unsatisfactory, used the Rhesus monkey which shows less irritation of normal skin; this finding has been utilized by Straus and Coca5 in further experiments.It seemed desirable to obtain a method of testing guinea pigs that would bring out more clearly d...
Niche contraction of American chestnut in response to chestnut blight

Invasive pathogens can cause native population declines and change native species distributions, but the spatial limitations posed by disease are rarely explored. This study explored spatiotemporal...
Pharmacologic review of thrombolytic agents.

Thrombolytic therapy has emerged as the standard of care for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by significantly reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with AMI. Because of the substantial benefits associated with this therapy, clinical investigations have intensified in search of the optimal thrombolytic agent or agents. Five agents currently are being investigated individually and in various combinations to determine the agent or agents that will outperform the others in terms of reperfusion, patency, mortality reduction, and clinical events. Two of the agents, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and single-chain urokinase plasminogen activator (scu-PA) are considered fibrin selective, whereas the other three, streptokinase (SK), urokinase (UK), and anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex (APSAC) are nonselective. Whether this distinction provides substantial benefit is still not known. The Food and Drug Administration approved agents (SK, t-PA, APSAC) have demonstrated survival benefit and will continue to be administered in AMI patients. Thrombolytic therapy is an intervention for the 1990s and nursing care is essential in maintaining the beneficial effects of this dynamic therapy.
An unusual complication during electroejaculation in an individual with tetraplegia.

Infertility in males is a common problem after spinal cord injury, often requiring interventional methods. In the authors’ fertility program they have experienced 4 pregnancies and 3 live births us...
Case Study: Feeding strategy and pasture quality relative to nutrient requirements of dairy cows in the northeastern United States

ABSTRACT Pasture samples (n = 380) collected during the grazing season on 14 dairy farms (2012 to 2014) were analyzed for nutritional composition. The MIXED procedure of SAS was used to test effect of year, month, and farm. Frequency analysis was used to determine the proportion of pasture samples that met minimum NEl, CP, and macro mineral requirements of lactating Holstein and Jersey cows (25 kg of milk/d; NRC, 2001). The Large Ruminant Nutrition System model was used to evaluate feeding strategies that accompanied grazing. Each year, forage quality declined with the advancing grazing season (CP, NEl, P
Biological Treatment of Petrochemical Wastes for Removal of Hazardous Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon Constituents

Biodegradation of recalcitrant petrochemical sludges was carried out in sealed continuous tank stirred reactors (CSTR9s). The specific sludge used in the research contained eight polynuclear aromatics (PNA9s) cited by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as hazardous wastes. Benzo(a)pyrene {B(a)P} was selected in this research as the primary target contaminant due to its strong carcinogenic nature and low allowable release concentrations in sludges. Equilibrium conditions in the strongly stirred aerobic 1 litre reactors, were confirmed by daily monitoring of key control parameters which included: sludge oil & solids mass balances, B(a)P mass balances, pH, culture plating, carbon dioxide respiration, and biomass accumulation. B(a)P loadings varied from 285 mg/kg of dry feed solids to 3475 mg/kg and 10 out of 13 reactors produced solid wastes meeting the 1990 USEPA constituent concentration limit (CCL) for B(a)P of 12 mg/kg for allowable land disposal. Anionic surfactants - Triton N-101, Triton X-100 - were added to all petrochemical sludges augmented with B(a)P at mass concentrations of 1600 mg/kg and higher. All sampling and analytical protocols followed USEPA methodologies. Mass balance removals of B(a)P and other similar aromatic hydrocarbons were found to exceed 90 percent. It is concluded that the high removals of B (a) P demonstrated in aerobic bioremediations in high solids environments, will generate better engineered and more economical commercial waste minimization applications.
Adolescent obesity in contextual settings: a scoping study of multilevel and hierarchical examinations

Multilevel/hierarchical obesity studies analyze adolescent and family, neighbourhood and social settings' characteristics to generate data needed to design prevention interventions. This scoping study summarizes such studies' characteristics and key findings to provide information to decision makers, which allows them to quickly grasp the state of the evidence and potential policy implications for adolescent obesity prevention. PubMed, CINAHLplus, PsychINFO and Sociological Abstracts were searched for peer-reviewed studies spanning 1 January 2000-31 August 2014. Inclusion criteria included (i) outcome weight status, physical activity and weight status, or physical activity alone if the aim was obesity prevention; (ii) 12- to 19-year-old participants in a cross-sectional study, a separate analysis in a cross-sectional study or a longitudinal follow-up. Nineteen studies were published in the United States of America; four in Canada; two in Spain, China and Vietnam, respectively; and one in Germany. Self-efficacy, parental physical activity support, perceived neighbourhood support, social cohesion and access to recreational facilities were associated with increased activity levels; neighbourhood physical disorder and perceived lack of safety associated with reduced physical activity levels. Overweight or obesity was associated with sugar-sweetened beverage intake and household availability thereof; reduced odds were reported with fruit and vegetable intake and household availability of these, daily breakfast and family meal frequency. Potential adolescent obesity risk regulators may be found at the individual, family or social contextual levels.
An Inquiry into Southern Baptist and Evangelical Attitudes on Social Programs

In 2006, journalist and former Republican strategist Kevin Phillips wrote, "Evangelicals, Southern Baptist Convention adherents and others oppose government social and economic programs because they interfere with a person’s individual responsibility for his or her salvation." My paper investigates whether Southern Baptists and Evangelicals oppose welfare programs for religious reasons.
Race and depression: does race affect the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression?

While it is recognized that medical and neurological comorbidities complicate the accurate diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression, the possibility that patient race or even gender may affect management decisions is less discussed. This article reviews the current literature on racial differences in the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression, including recent studies on physician contribution to disparities. These studies suggest that physician bias, based simply on patient race, is not a likely explanation for diagnostic and treatment differences and that other factors may be involved. Suggestions for the culturally-informed late-life depression assessment are included.
The race paradox in subjective wellbeing among older Americans

This study aims to assess racial differences in subjective wellbeing (SWB) and to examine whether the pathways of social support and social engagement to SWB vary by racial groups in the United States of America. Using a local sample (N = 1,035) and a nationally representative sample of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 7,718), we compared life satisfaction and happiness between non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks aged 55 and over. We evaluated the extent to which race, other socio-demographic characteristics, health, social engagement and social support explained the variances in SWB and examined the moderation effects of race on the relationships of SWB with age, social support and social engagement. Multiple regression analyses showed that non-Hispanic Blacks were at least as satisfied as, and even happier than White peers, after equalising social resources and health variables. Social support was significantly related to SWB, and it seemed that positive support was more important to Whites than to Blacks in predicting life satisfaction. In addition, the racial crossover effect existed, that is, the old-old (80+) Blacks were happier than their White peers. Findings indicate a national trend of the race paradox in SWB and underscore the importance of social support in promoting older adults’ wellbeing. Future research is recommended to investigate other potential mechanisms among Black older Americans to explain their relatively better SWB.
Radiomics Features Differentiate Between Normal and Tumoral High-Fdg Uptake.

Identification of FDGavid- neoplasms may be obscured by high-uptake normal tissues, thus limiting inferences about the natural history of disease. We introduce a FDG-PET radiomics tissue classifier for differentiating FDGavid- normal tissues from tumor. Thirty-three scans from 15 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and 68 scans from 23 patients with Ewing sarcoma treated on two prospective clinical trials were retrospectively analyzed. Disease volumes were manually segmented on FDG-PET and CT scans. Brain, heart, kidneys and bladder and tumor volumes were automatically segmented on PET images. Standard-uptake-value (SUV) derived shape and first order radiomics features were computed to build a random forest classifier. Manually segmented volumes were compared to automatically segmented tumor volumes. Classifier accuracy for normal tissues was 90%. Classifier performance was varied across normal tissue types (brain, left kidney and bladder, hear and right kidney were 100%, 96%, 97%, 83% and 87% respectively). Automatically segmented tumor volumes showed high concordance with the manually segmented tumor volumes (R2 = 0.97). Inclusion of texture-based radiomics features minimally contributed to classifier performance. Accurate normal tissue segmentation and classification facilitates accurate identification of FDGavid tissues and classification of those tissues as either tumor or normal tissue.
Reynolds number dependence of vortex patterns in accelerated flow around airfoils

Reynolds number dependence of vortical patterns visualized by smoke technique in accelerating flow behind airfoils is documented in photographic sequences at angles of attack 20° and 60°. At low Reynolds numbers the vortical pattern development is quite simple. With increasing Reynolds numbers these patterns become increasingly complex, and onset of turbulence occurs early and generates large scale turbulent vortex patterns.
Trends in Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis and Heart Valve Surgery, 2007 to 2017: A Study of Statewide Discharge Data.

Background Drug use-associated infective endocarditis (DUA-IE) is increasing as a result of the opioid epidemic. Infective endocarditis may require valve surgery, but surgical treatment of DUA-IE has invoked controversy, and the extent of its use is unknown. Objective To examine hospitalization trends for DUA-IE, the proportion of hospitalizations with surgery, patient characteristics, length of stay, and charges. Design 10-year analysis of a statewide hospital discharge database. Setting North Carolina hospitals, 2007 to 2017. Patients All patients aged 18 years or older hospitalized for IE. Measurements Annual trends in all IE admissions and in IE hospitalizations with valve surgery, stratified by patients' drug use status. Characteristics of DUA-IE surgical hospitalizations, including patient demographic characteristics, length of stay, disposition, and charges. Results Of 22 825 IE hospitalizations, 2602 (11%) were for DUA-IE. Valve surgery was performed in 1655 IE hospitalizations (7%), including 285 (17%) for DUA-IE. Annual DUA-IE hospitalizations increased from 0.92 to 10.95 and DUA-IE hospitalizations with surgery from 0.10 to 1.38 per 100 000 persons. In the final year, 42% of IE valve surgeries were performed in patients with DUA-IE. Compared with other surgical patients with IE, those with DUA-IE were younger (median age, 33 vs. 56 years), were more commonly female (47% vs. 33%) and white (89% vs. 63%), and were primarily insured by Medicaid (38%) or uninsured (35%). Hospital stays for DUA-IE were longer (median, 27 vs. 17 days), with higher median charges ($250 994 vs. $198 764). Charges for 282 DUA-IE hospitalizations exceeded $78 million. Limitation Reliance on administrative data and billing codes. Conclusion DUA-IE hospitalizations and valve surgeries increased more than 12-fold, and nearly half of all IE valve surgeries were performed in patients with DUA-IE. The swell of patients with DUA-IE is reshaping the scope, type, and financing of health care resources needed to effectively treat IE. Primary funding source National Institutes of Health.
US Counterpoint to Chapter 17

Chapter 17 on ossicular implants is well written and comprehensive. This commentary focuses on the primary mission of this textbook: the long-term care and follow-up of patients with implanted prosthetic devices.
SiGe Channel CMOS: Understanding Dielectric Breakdown and Bias Temperature Instability Tradeoffs

Breakdown and bias temperature instability for n/pFETs are studied on a wide composition of SiGe channels on different strain relaxation buffers. This study represents the first in-depth look at AC/DC PBTI trends of low Ge% SiGe nFinFETs. Dielectric breakdown is shown to be largely independent of channel composition over the region studied. Finally, we calculate the end-of-life performance benefit compared to Si, demonstrating the potential benefit of CMOS SiGe as a technology element.
Microbial Exchange via Fomites and Implications for Human Health

Fomites are inanimate objects that become colonized with microbes and serve as potential intermediaries for transmission to/from humans. This review summarizes recent literature on fomite contamination and microbial survival in the built environment, transmission between fomites and humans, and implications for human health. Applications of molecular sequencing techniques to analyze microbial samples have increased our understanding of the microbial diversity that exists in the built environment. This growing body of research has established that microbial communities on surfaces include substantial diversity, with considerable dynamics. While many microbial taxa likely die or lay dormant, some organisms survive, including those that are potentially beneficial, benign, or pathogenic. Surface characteristics also influence microbial survival and rates of transfer to and from humans. Recent research has combined experimental data, mechanistic modeling, and epidemiological approaches to shed light on the likely contributors to microbial exchange between fomites and humans and their contributions to adverse (and even potentially beneficial) human health outcomes. In addition to concerns for fomite transmission of potential pathogens, new analytical tools have uncovered other microbial matters that can be transmitted indirectly via fomites, including entire microbial communities and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Mathematical models and epidemiological approaches can provide insight on human health implications. However, both are subject to limitations associated with study design, and there is a need to better understand appropriate input model parameters. Fomites remain an important mechanism of transmission of many microbes, along with direct contact and short- and long-range aerosols.
Inpatient Outcomes in Dialysis Dependent Patients Undergoing Elective Cervical Spine Surgery for Degenerative Cervical Conditions.

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective:To evaluate inpatient outcomes in dialysis dependent patients undergoing elective cervical spine surgery.Methods:A total of 1605 dialysis dependent...
NetDyna: Mining Networked Coevolving Time Series with Missing Values

This paper presents a novel algorithm for recovering missing values of co-evolving time series with partial embedded network information. The idea is to connect two sources of data (time series data and embedded network data) through a shared low dimensional latent space. The proposed algorithm, named NetDyna, is an Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm, and uses the Kalman filter and matrix factorization approaches to infer the missing values both in the time series and embedded network. Our experimental results on real datasets, including a Motes dataset and a Motion Capture dataset, show that (1) NetDyna outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms, especially with partially observed network information; (2) its computational complexity scales linearly with the time duration of time series; and (3) the algorithm recovers the embedded network in addition to missing time series values.
Diabatization by Machine Intelligence

Understanding nonadiabatic dynamics is important for chemical and physical processes involving multiple electronic states. Direct nonadiabatic dynamics simulations are often employed to observe such processes on a femtosecond time scale. One often needs to do the simulation on a longer time scale, but direct simulation based on electronic structure calculations of the surfaces and couplings is expensive due to the large number of electronic structure calculations needed for ensemble averaging or simulation of longer-time processes. An alternative approach is to construct an analytical representation of potential energy surfaces (PESs) and couplings, which allows for faster dynamics calculations. Diabatic representations are preferred for such purposes because of the smoothness of the surfaces and couplings and the scalar nature of the couplings. However, many diabatization procedures are complicated by the need to consider orbitals or vector coupling elements, and these can make the process very labor-intensive. To circumvent these difficulties, we here propose diabatization by a deep neural network (DDNN) based on a new architecture for a deep neural network that requires neither orbital input nor vector input. The DDNN method allows convenient and semiautomatic diabatization, and it is demonstrated here for a model problem and for producing diabatic potential energy matrices for thiophenol.
Template Design and Analysis: Integrating Informatics Solutions to Improve Clinical Documentation.

Background Electronic health record templates have served a variety of functions, such as improving documentation for reliable reporting of health care outcomes. Standardizing template documentation has been important for accurately capturing case workload and supporting quality improvement initiatives. Methods North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System consists of 2 Florida-based hospitals: Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MRVAMC) in Gainesville, and Lake City Veterans Affairs Medical Center (LCVAMC). In the first quarter of fiscal year 2017, MRVAMC and LCVAMC had a below-average case severity index (CSI) of 0.76 and 0.81, respectively, compared with that of the 0.96 national average for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). An innovative history and physical template design with embedded informatics tools was created to improve clinical documentation. Results Compliance with standardized history and physical medicine template use was monitored for about 1 year after standardized template implementation. Compliance improved from 43.2% in June 2018 to 89.9% in June 2019 at MRVAMC and increased from 48.2% in June 2018 to 96.9% in June 2019 at LCVAMC. CSI improved to 0.97 at MRVAMC and 1.07 at LCVAMC in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, which exceeded the VHA national average of 0.89 during the same period. Conclusions NF/SGVHS integrated informatics solutions within template design was associated with an increase in CSI via improved clinical documentation.