cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seasonality of the Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis in Northern Korea, with Refutation of Previous Assumptions of Korean Breeding

Standard reviews list Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis as a probable breeder in northern Korea, as well as passage migrant; the most recent states that spring passage begins c. 10 April and finishes within May. Near-daily structured counts in north-central Korea (Pyongyang and Hyangsan) during 2000–2003 showed, by contrast, that regular spring passage runs from early-mid May into early June, and that autumn return begins in early August, dates reflecting modern data from elsewhere in East Asia. Specific searches in the Myohyang Mountains, site of most postulated ‘breeding’ records, found no evidence of summer residency, let alone breeding. Korean breeding was assumed from records outside the then-perceived passage seasons, but these perceptions were flawed and, combined with misidentification, led to the unsupportable conclusions of breeding. In fact, a summer gap in acceptable past records spans almost the same dates as today's summer absence from Pyongyang and Hyangsan, both undoubtedly only passage...
The Autocorrelation Structure of Tausworthe Pseudorandom, Number Generators

Given that the autocorrelations for any repeating number sequence are known, this paper gives an algorithm for determining the autocorrelation structure of a new sequence obtained from the original sequence by proper decimation. Therefore, for certain random number generators, it is possible to choose a proper decimation which results in a long interval in which the autocorrelations are small for all shifts.
A comparison of canopy evapotranspiration for maize and two perennial grasses identified as potential bioenergy crops

In the Midwestern US, perennial rhizomatous grasses (PRGs) are considered one of the most promising vegetation types to be used as a cellulosic feedstock for renewable energy production. The potential widespread use of biomass crops for renewable energy production has sparked numerous environmental concerns, including the impacts of land-use change on the hydrologic cycle. We predicted that total seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) would be higher for PRGs relative to maize resulting from higher leaf area and a prolonged growing season. We further predicted that, compared with maize, higher aboveground biomass associated with PRGs would offset the higher ET and increase water-use efficiency (WUE) in the context of biomass harvests for liquid biofuel production. To test these predictions, ET was estimated during the 2007 growing season
Improving human immunodeficiency virus testing rates with an electronic clinical reminder.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a major global public health problem. In the United States alone, 1 to 1.18 million people are affected, of whom approximately one quarter are unaware of their diagnosis. In the early stage of the epidemic, when effective therapy was not available, testing for HIV was done primarily to protect the nation’s blood supply. However, with the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV is highly treatable, and those infected can live longer. Because more than one third of patients diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome within 1 year after diagnosis, it is likely that many patients are infected for many years before diagnosis. Furthermore, beause approximately 20,000 new infections in the United tates are transmitted by people unaware of their HIV positive tatus, early detection of HIV has the potential to decrease ew infections and prevent complications from advanced disase and has been shown to be cost-effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends offering routine screening for HIV in health care settings for all patients aged 13 to 64 years, unless the prevalence of undiagnosed infection has been documented to be less than 0.1%.
Classification of patients from time-course gene expression

Classifying patients into different risk groups based on their genomic measurements can help clinicians design appropriate clinical treatment plans. To produce such a classification, gene expression data were collected on a cohort of burn patients, who were monitored across multiple time points. This led us to develop a new classification method using time-course gene expressions. Our results showed that making good use of time-course information of gene expression improved the performance of classification compared with using gene expression from individual time points only. Our method is implemented into an R-package: time-course prediction analysis using microarray.
Living Organism (Animal) Patents

Animal Patents refers to the granting of utility patents to higher animals. The application of patents to animals is a recent development in patent law with the first formal decision (in the United States) dating to only 1987. This extension of patent law raises for some legal, practical, and moral issues, yet others see patent protection as an essential incentive for the development of specialized animals for uses in medical research, medicine production, agricultural/aquaculture uses, and even pets. By 2004, some 600 animal patents had been granted worldwide, 80% in the United States, and most relating to “animal models” for medical research. Indeed, the first animal patent in 1987, for the “Harvard” mouse, was for cancer research. The World Trade Organization agreement, while specifying minimal Intellectual Property Rights protection allowable in member states, does specifically allow countries to exclude patents for animals while offering no alternative protection systems. Hence, besides the United States and European Union (EPO members), only three countries presently allow patents for animals. Animal patents are likely to remain geographically limited for some time, but scientific advances and commercial realities will eventually lead to pressures on governments to grant protection. Public opinion surveys show the best acceptance for patented animals providing clear benefits to humans. Keywords: Animal Patent; Intellectual Property Rights (IPR); Patent; Transgenic Animal
Ab Initio Calculation of Nonbonded Interactions: Are We There Yet?

We present calculations for the nonbonded interactions in the dimeric complexes: methane dimer, ammonia dimer, water dimer, H2O·(NH3), CH4·(NH3), and (FHF)- as a function of theory level (HF, DFT(B3LYP), MP2, LMP2, MP3, MP4, CCSD(T), and others) and basis set (6-31G**, cc-pVXZ, X = D, T, Q, 5). Dimer minimum energy structures are determined at the MP2 theory level for the cc-pVTZ basis set employing analytical second derivatives. For HF and DFT levels of theory, methane dimer and one structure of CH4·(NH3) are not bound. The basis set superposition error (BSSE) begins to converge (becomes systematically small) for basis sets larger than cc-pVTZ. For hydrogen-bonded systems, most levels of theory seem to give reasonable estimates of the experimentally known binding energies, but here, too, the BSSE overwhelms the reliability of the binding energies for the smaller basis sets. The CH4·(NH3) dimer has two minimum energy conformations with similar binding energies, but very different BSSE values especially f...
β cell-specific IL-2 therapy increases islet Foxp3+Treg and suppresses type 1 diabetes in NOD mice

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a critical cytokine for the homeostasis and function of forkhead box p3–expressing regulatory T cells (Foxp3+Tregs). Dysregulation of the IL-2–IL-2 receptor axis is associated with aberrant Foxp3+Tregs and T cell–mediated autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Treatment with recombinant IL-2 has been reported to enhance Foxp3+Tregs and suppress different models of autoimmunity. However, efficacy of IL-2 therapy is dependent on achieving sufficient levels of IL-2 to boost tissue-resident Foxp3+Tregs while avoiding the potential toxic effects of systemic IL-2. With this in mind, adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector gene delivery was used to localize IL-2 expression to the islets of NOD mice. Injection of a double-stranded AAV vector encoding IL-2 driven by a mouse insulin promoter (dsAAVmIP-IL2) increased Foxp3+Tregs in the islets but not the draining pancreatic lymph nodes. Islet Foxp3+Tregs in dsAAVmIP-IL2–treated NOD mice exhibited enhanced fitness marked by increased expression of Bcl-2, proliferation, and suppressor function. In contrast, ectopic IL-2 had no significant effect on conventional islet-infiltrating effector T cells. Notably, β-cell–specific IL-2 expression suppressed late preclinical type 1 diabetes in NOD mice. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that β-cell–specific IL-2 expands an islet-resident Foxp3+Tregs pool that effectively suppresses ongoing type 1 diabetes long term.
Facing the Next Pandemic: Ready or Not

Abstract Influenza pandemics generally occur at 30-40 year intervals and it has been nearly 40 years since the last one. A global pandemic will result in devastating social, economical, and health consequences. Preparedness is crucial to minimize the threat to hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients. Vaccines, antivirals, and infection control measures are important elements of prevention. Antivirals, often given presumptively, are the mainstay of therapy.
Is lesser severity of child sexual abuse a reason more males report having liked it

The present study tested the possibility that more males than females have positive feelings about child sexual abuse and/or regard the experience as inconsequential because their abuse is less serious (i.e., less invasive) due perhaps to the lesser incidence of incestuous abuse in males. College students who self-reported child sexual abuse on an anonymous sex survey and who described the nature of their abuse were compared on two measures of severity of abuse: (1) the objective severity of what they said happened and (2) the subjective amount of stress they felt at the time it occurred and now. Results affirmed that males were more likely than females to report retrospectively having liked the child sexual abuse (28% vs. 5%), and absolutely more males than females reported having experienced no stress from the abuse in the past or now (21% vs. 7%). As expected, incestuous child sexual abuse was objectively more severe than non-incestuous abuse, and there was a much greater incidence of incestuous abuse of females. Unexpectedly, however, the abuse of males was not significantly less severe than the abuse of females, whether measured objectively or subjectively.
Aquitalea magnusonii gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel Gram-negative bacterium isolated from a humic lake

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming betaproteobacterium (TRO-001DR8T) was isolated from humic-lake samples collected from northern Wisconsin, USA. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain TRO-001DR8T belonged to the family Neisseriaceae, and the phylogenetic distance from its closest relative, Chromobacterium violaceum, was 95 %. Strain TRO-001DR8T lacked the violet pigmentation of C. violaceum and shared only 26 % DNA-DNA relatedness with C. violaceum. The DNA G+C content of strain TRO-001DR8T was 59 mol%. The predominant fatty acids were C(16 : 1)omega7c + C(16 : 1)omega7c 2-OH iso (52.5 %), C(16 : 0) (21.7 %), C(18 : 1)omega7c (8.0 %) and C(12 : 0) (5.1 %). Strain TRO-001DR8T grew optimally at 35 degrees C and pH 6.0, did not utilize sucrose, but did use glucose, some organic acids and most protein amino acids. Biochemical, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses showed that strain TRO-001DR8T could not be assigned to any known genus of the Betaproteobacteria. Therefore, the isolate represents a novel genus and species, for which the name Aquitalea magnusonii gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TRO-001DR8T (=ATCC BAA-1216T = BCCM/LMG 23054T).
Pulse compression via velocity bunching with the LLNL Thomson X-ray source photoinjector

We report the compression of a high brightness, relativistic electron beam to rms lengths below 300 femtoseconds using the velocity compression technique in the LLNL Thomson X-ray source photoinjector. The results are consistent with analytical and computational models of this process. The emittance evolution of the beam during compression is investigated in simulation and found to be controllable with solenoid focusing.
Oblique transition in a laminar Blasius boundary layer

Oblique transition was experimentally investigated in a Blasius boundary layer formed on a flat plate. This transition mechanism was provoked by exciting a pair of oppositely oriented oblique Orr{Sommerfeld (O{S) modes given by (!=!ts;=ts )= (1;1) in the frequency{wavenumber (spanwise) space. Surface waviness with height h and a well-dened wavenumber spectrum that is synchronized with the neutral O{S wavenumber at Branch I, (w;w )=( ts;I;ts;I), was used to provide a steady velocity perturbation in the near-wall region. A planar downstream-travelling acoustic wave of amplitude was created to temporally excite the flow near the resonance frequency, !ts(= 2fo), of an unstable eigenmode corresponding to kts = kw (where k =[ 2 + 2 ] 1=2 ). Possible mechanisms leading to laminar-to-turbulent breakdown were examined for various forcing combinations, h. For small values of h ,a peak{valley structure corresponding to a spanwise wavenumber of 2w was observed. As expected, the maximum r.m.s. narrow-band streamwise velocity fluctuations,ut(fo), occur at peak locations, which correspond to regions with mean streamwise velocity, U, decits. For the largest value of h, signicant mean-flow distortion was observed in the spanwise proles of U. Large spanwise velocity gradients, jdU=dj, exist between peaks and valleys and appear to generate an explosive growth in the velocity fluctuations. The maximum values of ut no longer occur at peak locations of the stationary structure but at locations of spanwise inflection points. The magnitude of ut scales withjdU=dj. A nonlinear interaction of two non-stationary modes was conjectured as a possible mechanism for the enhancement of the streak amplication rate.
Long-Term Outcomes of Verbal Aggression: The Role of Protective Factors

The present study examined the long-term outcomes of parental verbal aggression, as well as the influence of possible protective factors. Participants completed measures of physical and psychological maltreatment, family cohesion, parental emotional bonding, use of coping strategies, depression, aggression, self-esteem, and interpersonal sensitivity. Results indicated that an association existed between verbal aggression and negative outcomes. However, protective factors, particularly family cohesion, were found to be better predictors of psychological adjustment than verbal aggression alone. Furthermore, although overall psychological adjustment and available protective factors were found to be similar for males and females, a history of verbal aggression was more likely to be related to negative outcomes in females. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Previous Investigations of Fine Manipulation and Grasping

Efforts to improve the performance of industrial robots in fine manipulation tasks have employed both active methods, in which the robot controller compensates for sources of error, and passive techniques, involving mechanical redesign of the arm.
Forward Pricing Strategies for the South Central Illinois Corn Producer

Price volatility and current agricultural economic conditions have induced a need for grain farmers to develop pricing strategies that take advantage of favorable pricing opportunities. This paper identifies eighteen pricing strategies, evaluates them over a four-year historical optimization period, and compares the average price received to the cash delivery price at harvest. Twelve of the eighteen strategies resulted in an average net price higher than the harvest delivery base. The strategies were then tested with a fifth year of data to evaluate their effectiveness outside the optimization period. Only one of the twelve optimum strategies from the historic period produced a lower net price in the 1984 test period than the harvest delivery price.
The Review of Economics and Statistics: Breaking Trends and the Money-Output Correlation

This paper examines the impact on the money-output correlation of a univariate specification that allows time series to be characterized as stationary around a broken trend function. Though pretesting suggests that U.S. real output (industrial production) can be described as broken-trend stationary, this result has only limited impact on the money-output correlation. Before 1985 there is a strong Granger causal relationship between money and broken- detrended output (but not first-differenced output), even when different short-term interest rates are used as regressors. However, after 1985 this relationship weakens significantly, whether or not one determines that output has a unit root.
Mobile phone: marketplace icon

ABSTRACTThe mobile phone is an essential component of early twenty-first century societies, markets, and economies. The mobile handset in particular has become the synechdocal symbol of major socio-economic transformations the world over. Through an abbreviated history of mobile handsets, touching on each of the first three generations of mobile phones, this Marketplace Icon installment traces the evolution of the look, feel, and function of mobiles from the earliest analog “bricks” to the latest digital smartphones. Based on this history, the frictions of technologies, bodies, individuals, and institutions emerge as key forces in the construction of mobiles and mobility. In light of these, the possibility of an end to the iconic mobile phone era is augured and some contours for a new era of mobility are suggested, one in which handsets are less prominent and consumer embodiment is taken more seriously as the true heart of mobility, mobile technologies, and mobile markets.
FINE-GRAINED SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN SELECTION DOES NOT MAINTAIN GENETIC VARIATION IN ERIGERON ANNUUS.

Because interactions among plants are spatially local, the scale of environmental heterogeneity can have large effects on evolutionary dynamics. However, very little is known about the spatial patterns of variation in fitness and the relative magnitude of spatial and temporal variation in selection. Replicates of 12 genotypes of Erigeron annuus (Asteraceae) were planted in 288 locations within a field, separated by distances of 0.1 to 30.0 m, and replicated in two years. In a given year, most spatial variation in relative fitness (genotype-environment (G X E) interactions for fitness) occurred over distances of only 50 cm. Year effects were as large or larger than the spatial variation in fitness; in particular there was a large, three-way, genotype-year-environment interaction at the smallest spatial scale. The genetic correlation of fitness across years at a given location was near zero, 0.03. Thus, the relative fitness of genotypes is spatially unpredictable and a map of the selective environment has constantly shifting locations of peaks and valleys. Including measurements of soil nutrients as covariates in the analysis removed most of the spatial G X E interaction. Vegetation and microtopography had no effect on the G X E terms, suggesting that differential response to soil nutrients is the cause of spatial variation in fitness. However, the slope of response to NH4 and P04 was negative; therefore the soil nutrients are probably just indicators of other, unknown, environmental factors. We explored via simulation the evolutionary consequences of spatial and temporal variation in fitness and showed that, for this system, the spatial scale of variation was too fine grained (by a factor of 3 to 5) to be a powerful force maintaining genetic variation in the population. The inclusion of both spatial and temporal variation in fitness actually reduced the coexistence of genotypes compared to pure spatial models. Thus the presence of spatial or temporal variation in selection does not guarantee that it is an effective evolutionary force maintaining diversity. Instead the pattern of selection favors generalist genotypes.
Influence of meteorological factors on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Qinhuangdao City

[Objective]To analyze the relationship between incidence of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) and meteorological factors. [Methods]The temperature,humidity,rainfall,sunshine hours and HFRS incidence of Qinhuangdao City during 2005-2012 were collected for correlation analysis and linear regression by SPSS13.0 statistical software. [Results]The ordinary regression analysis was suitable(adjusted R2 =0.218),positive correlation was found between the average monthly temperature and the incidence,and negative correlation was obtained between the average monthly humidity and the incidence.[Conclusion]The HFRS incidence is associated with meteorological factors which can be used to predict the incidence.
Benzocaine/Lidocaine/Tetracaine Cream: Report of Corneal Damage and Review.

Topical anesthetics are now widely used in dermatologic procedures. Application of topical anesthetics has proven to decrease pain and discomfort associated with these procedures, including cosmetic procedures, such as filler injectables, laser hair removal, and skin resurfacing with laser and light-based devices.1,2 To date, there are several compounded topical anesthetics available for physicians for in-office use on their patients. One of the most commonly used is benzocaine, lidocaine, tetracaine, which can vary in percent as well as rheology, namely yielding a gritty or smooth texture.1 However, no standard guidelines exist for optimal use, dosage, formulation, and safety of all topical anesthetics. Improper use of topical anesthetics can lead to severe consequences, including death.1,3,4 In this article, the authors report the case of corneal abrasions due to a compounded topical anesthetic: benzocaine 20%, lidocaine 8%, tetracaine 4% (BLT). The bilateral corneal abrasions occurred after skin resurfacing treatment despite the use of corneal shields throughout the procedure. The authors present this case to alert physicians to be aware of the potential for such complications and suggest the need for better formulation of these topical anesthetic creams.
Psychological well-being in midlife.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses psychological well-being in midlife. Psychological well-being during midlife has not been an explicit target of prior scientific inquiry. The formulations draw attention to developmental aspects of psychological well-being, such as how different life periods may involve distinct psychological challenges and gains. The criterion of psychological well-being entails feelings of, and striving toward, exploration and development. The desire and attempt to grow characterize self-actualizers. To understand human variation in psychological well-being, the experiential substance of people's lives for explanatory influences have been looked at. The chapter draws aspects of social psychological theory to elaborate how people give meaning to their life experiences. Rosenberg's (1979) self-concept theory, which incorporates numerous social-psychological perspectives to explicate the mechanisms whereby people derive meaning from their experiences, provided initial conceptual guidance. The theory articulates four mechanisms of self-assessment reflecting distinct ways that people construe events.
Body Mass Index: Obesity, BMI, and Health: A Critical Review

The body mass index (BMI) is the metric currently in use for defining anthropometric height/weight characteristics in adults and for classifying (categorizing) them into groups. The common interpretation is that it represents an index of an individual's fatness. It also is widely used as a risk factor for the development of or the prevalence of several health issues. In addition, it is widely used in determining public health policies.The BMI has been useful in population-based studies by virtue of its wide acceptance in defining specific categories of body mass as a health issue. However, it is increasingly clear that BMI is a rather poor indicator of percent of body fat. Importantly, the BMI also does not capture information on the mass of fat in different body sites. The latter is related not only to untoward health issues but to social issues as well. Lastly, current evidence indicates there is a wide range of BMIs over which mortality risk is modest, and this is age related. All of these issues are discussed in this brief review.
Fate of nitrogen-15 in a long-term nitrogen rate study: II. Nitrogen uptake efficiency

Increased fertilizer N uptake efficiency (FNUE) leads to more economical corn (Zea mays L.) production and lower environmental impact. Excessive N application reduces FNUE and may affect subsequent crop response through its influence on NO 3 -N carryover and the amount of readily mineralizable organic N in the soil. Our objective was to determine how prior fertilizer N application rate affects (i) grain yield and agronomic optimum N rate, (ii) contributions of fertilizer- and soil-derived N to N uptake, and (iii) FNUE. Labeled 15 NH 4 15 NO 3 was applied at 0, 67, 134, 201, or 268 kg N ha -1 to subplots within a continuous corn long-term N rate study. Estimates of FNUE were higher by the difference method (49-69%) than with the isotope ( 15 N) method (31-37%), and different trends were observed with each method as N application rate increased. The disparity between methods is consistent with a differential effect of long-term N application rate on mineralization-immobilization. Recovery of labeled N from the plant-soil system ranged from 71% at the 67 kg ha -1 N application rate to 64% at the 201 kg ha -1 application rate. Fertilizer N accounted for an increasing proportion of crop N uptake as the N rate was increased, but soil N uptake was always more extensive, accounting for 54 to 83% of total plant N. Crop uptake of labeled N during the second growing season after 15 N application ranged from 2.2 kg ha -1 with the lowest N rate to 7.8 kg ha -1 with the two highest rates.
Detection of Requirement Errors and Faults via a Human Error Taxonomy: A Feasibility Study

Background: Developing correct software requirements is important for overall software quality. Most existing quality improvement approaches focus on detection and removal of faults (i.e. problems recorded in a document) as opposed identifying the underlying errors that produced those faults. Accordingly, developers are likely to make the same errors in the future and fail to recognize other existing faults with the same origins. Therefore, we have created a Human Error Taxonomy (HET) to help software engineers improve their software requirement specification (SRS) documents. Aims: The goal of this paper is to analyze whether the HET is useful for classifying errors and for guiding developers to find additional faults. Methods: We conducted a empirical study in a classroom setting to evaluate the usefulness and feasibility of the HET. Results: First, software developers were able to employ error categories in the HET to identify and classify the underlying sources of faults identified during the inspection of SRS documents. Second, developers were able to use that information to detect additional faults that had gone unnoticed during the initial inspection. Finally, the participants had a positive impression about the usefulness of the HET. Conclusions: The HET is effective for identifying and classifying requirements errors and faults, thereby helping to improve the overall quality of the SRS and the software.
Translesion Synthesis of 2'-Deoxyguanosine Lesions by Eukaryotic DNA Polymerases.

With the discovery of translesion synthesis DNA polymerases, great strides have been made in the last two decades in understanding the mode of replication of various DNA lesions in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. A database search indicated that approximately 2000 articles on this topic have been published in this period. This includes research involving genetic and structural studies as well as in vitro experiments using purified DNA polymerases and accessory proteins. It is a daunting task to comprehend this exciting and rapidly emerging area of research. Even so, as the majority of DNA damage occurs at 2′-deoxyguanosine residues, this perspective attempts to summarize a subset of this field, focusing on the most relevant eukaryotic DNA polymerases responsible for their bypass.
Psychological mislabeling of chronic pain: lessons from migraine in the 20th century

Starting with Freud, psychoanalytically oriented practitioners described a complex of unconscious conflicts, desires and personality traits they believed to be the primary cause of a wide range of medical disorders. This was the psychogenic model. With the advance of basic research and pharmacotherapy, the psychogenic model was gradually replaced by a biopsychobehavioral model. This model treats chronic pain as a biologically based disorder that can be influenced by psychological factors and lifestyle. The present paper argues that many patients with chronic pain may not be significantly impacted by psychological factors, and that for those who are, cognitive–behavioral therapy is the treatment of choice.
Rituximab Treatment for Recalcitrant Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Importance Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an autoimmune blistering condition seen in the context of celiac disease. While typically managed by gluten-free diet and dapsone, treatment of DH refractory to standard treatments is not well defined. Observations A man in his 80s with DH not controlled by gluten-free diet (with poor adherence), dapsone, and conventional immune-suppressing agents responded to treatment with rituximab according to the lymphoma protocol (4 weekly infusions of 375 mg/m 2 ). Thirteen months after treatment, the patient had achieved complete resolution of pruritus and clinical manifestations of the disease, as well as normalization of antibodies against epidermal and tissue transglutaminases. He achieved complete clinical and serological remission and has remained symptom-free up to 18 months following treatment. Conclusions and Relevance We present here the first case of a patient with DH treated with rituximab who achieved complete clinical and serological remission. We suggest rituximab as a viable treatment option for recalcitrant DH.
Student pharmacists' perceptions of immunizations.

Abstract Purpose The primary aim of this study was to explore changes in knowledge level, perceived importance and apprehension of immunizations by first year pharmacy students pre- vs. post-immunization education and training. Educational Activity First year pharmacy students at the University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (UC San Diego SSPPS) completed a pre- and post-immunization training course questionnaire. Knowledge base and perceived importance level of immunizations including hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), varicella, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal and human papilloma virus (HPV) were assessed. In addition, apprehension of needle administration and fears regarding safety and efficacy were evaluated. Findings Of 120 students, 85 (71%) completed pre- and post-course questionnaires for this study. Mean knowledge test scores increased from 56% pre-course to 83% post-course. Pre-course, 73% of participants considered immunizations as very important in preventing future disease outbreaks. Post-course, this percentage climbed to 94%. Prior to taking the course, 52% of students were apprehensive about administering injections; however, after completing the course this percentage declined to 33%. The majority of students who had been fearful prior to the course retained their fears of receiving needle injections. The proportion of students believing immunizations should be a personal choice, not mandatory, did not significantly change from pre-course (49%) to post-course (44%). Summary The UC San Diego SSPPS immunization course increased student knowledge of immunization facts and the perceived importance of immunizations. However, a substantial portion of students retained apprehension about administering and receiving needle injections and the proportion believing immunizations should be a personal choice, almost half, did not change appreciably.
Sample Preparation for Drug Metabolism Studies

Determination of metabolic stability and metabolite profiles of the new chemical entities (NCEs) plays a key role in the drug discovery and development process. At an early stage of drug discovery, information on the metabolic fate of the NCEs can direct medicinal chemists to synthesize metabolically more stable analogs by blocking sites of metabolism, and potentially creating NCEs with superior pharmacology and safety profiles. In the development stage, the focus is shifted to characterization of human metabolites, which enables the judicious selection of animal species used for safety evaluation and ensure that the selected animal species are exposed to all major metabolites formed in humans. The traditional method for metabolite characterization, HPLC-MS, requires extensive sample preparation prior to analysis. A correctly selected processing method results in cleaner samples, less background, and easier data interpretation. This chapter covers various aspects of sample preparation for studying metabolism of the drug candidates. An overview of the sample preparation approaches for both in vitro and in vivo studies including metabolic stability studies and screening for reactive metabolites is presented. Aspects of planning and conducting biotransformation in vivo studies starting from a sample collection, pooling, extracting drug-derived material are discussed. In addition, recommendations on how to investigate sample stability and to prevent degradation of metabolites are given.
Stories of Narrative: On Social Scientific Uses of Narrative in Multiple Disciplines

This paper explores how narrative is understood and used by scholars in multiple disciplines to investigate social scientific issues. This is not, however, a traditional literature review. It is a report on an empirical study that involved systematic methods of data collection and analysis. The data in this case are scholarly literature on narrative, and an inductive analysis reveals three emergent themes. The first is the general tendency to view narrative as a formative mechanism in the construction of self and reality. The second addresses the ways narrative is conceptualized in terms of linguistic features, including structural and formal qualities, and how these features are studied in relation to social interaction. The third theme addresses how narrative is understood and employed as a method of social research. This paper contributes a valuable resource on narrative studies for scholars working within multiple disciplines.
Pornography Use and Virginity Status: Examining the Correlations of Pornography Consumption for Virgins and Non-virgins

Few studies have examined the influence of pornography consumption based on virginity status. Therefore, this study examines the associations between pornography consumption and emerging adult sexual and relationship development based on virginity status. Quantitative data comes from 133 emerging adults (85.7% female; Mean age: 21.24; 24.1% virgins). Qualitative data comes from 21 participants. Results illustrated that pornography consumption was not associated with virgins’ affectionate and sexual behaviors. Additionally, pornography consumption was marginally associated with increased commitment for non-virgins’ romantic quality. Qualitative analyses revealed that consuming pornography provided unrealistic sex expectations or material to improve sexual experiences. Pornography may have mixed effects on emerging adult development.
Breast Cancer Development in a Transgender Male Receiving Testosterone Therapy.

Context. To describe a case of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in a transgender male receiving testosterone therapy for gender-affirming treatment. Case Description. A 28-year-old transgender male receiving intramuscular testosterone was found to have a breast mass on ultrasound after self-exam revealed a palpable breast lump. Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy revealed estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) negative, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) positive, invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. He underwent neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy along with bilateral mastectomy. At patient request, his testosterone injections were permanently discontinued. Conclusion. Fewer than 20 cases of breast cancer in transgender male patients have been reported in medical literature. While studies have shown increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with higher testosterone levels, data regarding premenopausal women is conflicting and little is known about breast cancer risk in transgender individuals receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), with inconclusive results regarding correlation between testosterone therapy and breast cancer. More research is required to evaluate whether a possible increased risk of breast cancer exists for transgender men receiving gender-affirming therapy.
Techno-economic evaluation of geothermal-solar power plant in Nisyros island in Greece

Abstract The environmental degradation caused by the increased use of fossil fuels in the energy sector, call for an urgent switch to alternative energy sources which can assure sustainability, energy security and reliability. So far, solutions based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) have been proved reliable in providing energy even in autonomous networks, if they combine different sources (e.g. solar and wind) or combined with conventional energy generators. Among the promising solutions to the energy problem is the geothermal energy which consists of stored energy in the earth in the form of water or steam at high pressure and temperature. The countries which are most likely to possess a high geothermal potential are those located in seismic zones close to destructive and constructive plate margins. Greece is among the countries that, due to location, possesses a remarkable geothermal potential of medium and high enthalpy fields. The interest in exploiting geothermal energy in Greece for electricity generation is mainly focused on non-interconnected islands, where energy is produced from oil-based generators with high energy cost, mainly during the summer months which is a period of rapid increase in energy demand. In this respect, the present study investigates, through an economic evaluation, the optimum sizing of a hybrid solution, which includes a geothermal power plant and a solar field of concentrated collectors able to cover the energy needs of an isolated island. The combination of solar and geothermal energy source aims to maintain the long-term productivity of the geothermal field by reducing its degradation ratio. The thermal energy, generated by the solar installation, increases the temperature of the geothermal brine before injected it back into the well and therefore reduces its energy degradation. In this study, different cases of solar field sizes are evaluated in order to achieve the optimum combination of the geothermal power plant and the concentrated solar array. According to the results, the proposed installation can guarantee energy autonomy with increased economic efficiency and competitive energy production cost, compared to the current prices in small isolated Aegean Sea islands.
A New Class of Medicines through DNA Editing.

Clinical Genome Editing Therapeutic editing of the human genome has long been a holy grail of genetic medicine. Different approaches are founded on a bedrock of basic laboratory discovery. This art...
A Comparative Study of Carbon Supports for Pd/Au Nanoparticle-Based Catalysts

Carbon materials are promising supports for heterogeneous catalysis compared to oxide supports, such as titania, alumina, mesoporous silica, and hydrotalcite, because of their stability and relative chemical inertness. Additionally, the unique surface structures of carbon supports help control the growth, aggregation, and uniformity of the catalytic nanoparticles (NPs) hybridized with them. However, the effect of carbon supports on these NP catalysts is not well understood, affecting the optimization of this type of catalysts. In this study, palladium-gold (Pd/Au) carbon composites were systematically investigated, and the most favorable carbon support was identified. Carbon-supported Pd/Au NPs have often been favored for catalytic hydrodehalogenation (HDH) of volatile organic compounds. Hence, this study uses trichloroethylene (TCE) as model contaminant to investigate the effects of four types of carbon supports—granular activated carbon (GAC), carbon black, graphite, and graphite nanoplates—on the formation of catalytic Pd/Au NPs and their correlations to HDH reactions. Each support was chosen based on a desirable quality: GAC has a large surface area and substantial absorption capabilities, carbon black has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio and good chemical stability, graphite is the most stable form of carbon with a layered structure and thermal stability, and graphite nanoplates have large surface areas with structural stability. Characterizations of these Pd/Au-carbon composites show different NP sizes on each support, with GAC and carbon black generating smaller NPs. The HDH results suggest GAC, carbon black, and graphite nanoplates composites generate fast reaction rates. However, when comparing particle size and surface area, Pd/Au-GAC composites generate the fastest TCE degradation, providing a bigger boost to HDH rates than other types of carbon supports. More advantageously, GAC is widely available commercially with relatively low cost, and its high surface area is enabled by its high porosity, making GAC the preferred carbon support for Pd/Au NP catalyst mass production.
Nudging Good Samaritans: Opting Out of Organ Donation.

In “Ethical Criteria for Health-Promoting Nudges: A Case-by-Case Analysis,” Engelen (2019) argues that nudging can be done ethically, especially if we take seriously the criticisms of the practice....
Analysis of a U-slot Patch Using Characteristic Mode Analysis and Coupled Mode Theory

Patch antennas incorporating a U-shaped slot are well-known to have relatively large (about 30%) impedance bandwidths. This paper uses Characteristic Mode Analysis to show a classic U-slot patch geometry supports in-phase and anti-phase coupled modes that occur within Coupled Mode Theory.
Current practices in naloxone prescribing upon hospital discharge.

Objective: To evaluate current practices in naloxone prescribing upon hospital discharge. Design: Electronic cross-sectional survey. Setting: Academic medical center. Participants: Inpatient physicians and advanced practice providers. Main outcome measures: Respondents completed survey items including current naloxone prescribing practices, barriers to naloxone prescribing, and methods to improve naloxone prescribing. Results: The survey response rate was 51.6 percent. Greater than 90 percent of respondents agreed that naloxone should be prescribed for patients with an active opioid use disorder, history of overdose, and use of greater than 50 morphine milligram equivalents per day. Lack of patient education on proper use of naloxone was the most identified barrier to prescribing. Conclusions: Providers agree with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to prescribe naloxone to high-risk patients. Certain barriers affect the rate of naloxone prescribing at discharge, including lack of time, patient education, provider training, and concern for increasing riskier behaviors.
Indications and Limitations of Conventional Imaging – Current Clinical Practice in the Context of Standard Therapy

Imaging has critical roles in the management of glioma; MRI is routinely performed for initial diagnostic evaluation, preoperative planning, and posttreatment monitoring for tumor recurrence. In this chapter, standard therapy for high- and low-grade gliomas is outlined with emphasis on how imaging contributes to various stages of treatment. Limitations of conventional imaging techniques for these roles are also discussed to highlight the need of developing advanced imaging methods to overcome these limitations.
Impacts of Coal Use on Health.

This article reviews evidence for the public health impacts of coal across the extraction, processing, use, and waste disposal continuum. Surface coal mining and processing impose public health ris...
General Approach to the Clinical Care of Solid Organ Transplant Recipients with COVID-19 Infection: Management for Transplant Recipients.

Insufficient knowledge about COVID-19 and the potential risks of COVID-19 are limiting organ transplantation in wait-listed candidates and deferring essential health care in solid organ transplant recipients. In this review, we expand the understanding and present an overview of the optimized management of COVID-19 in solid organ transplant recipients. Transplant recipients are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19. The unique characteristics of transplant recipients can make it more difficult to identify COVID-19. Based on the COVID-19 data to date and our experience, we present testing, management, and prevention methods for COVID-19. Comprehensive diagnostic tests should be performed to determine disease severity, phase of illness, and identify other comorbidities in transplant recipients diagnosed with COVID-19. Outpatients should receive education for preventative measures and optimal health care delivery minimizing potential infectious exposures. Multidisciplinary interventions should be provided to hospitalized transplant recipients for COVID-19 because of the complexity of caring for transplant recipients. Transplant recipients should strictly adhere to infection prevention measures. Understanding of the transplant specific pathophysiology and development of effective treatment strategies for COVID-19 should be prioritized.
Determination of hard X-ray polarization from two-dimensional images

An estimate of synchrotron hard X-ray incident beam polarization is obtained by partial two-dimensional image masking followed by integration. With the correct polarization applied to each pixel in the image, the resulting one-dimensional pattern shows no discontinuities arising from the application of the mask. Minimization of the difference between the sums of the masked and unmasked powder patterns allows estimation of the polarization to ±0.001.
Human-Centered and Psychological Concepts in Undergraduate Engineering Project Documentation:

The success of engineering and design is facilitated by a working understanding of human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In this study, we explored how undergraduate engineering students include...
Primary Chest Wall Tumors

Abstract Forty-five chest wall tumors have been diagnosed in patients at Vanderbilt University Hospital since 1940. Twenty-two of these patients had benign lesions, and all were treated by wide excision without recurrence or death. Of the 23 patients with malignant tumors, only 1 patient with a tumor of skeletal origin survived more than ten years without recurrence. The remaining 3 patients who were ten-year survivors had deep soft-tissue or neural sarcoma. No patient with primary malignant tumor of the chest wall survived more than five years without radical excision. Of the 6 patients surviving five years or more, 1 had reexcision at eight years and another at ten years. This suggests that early wide excision of all primary chest wall tumors and all recurrent chest wall tumors is the treatment of choice.