cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congressional Redistricting and District Typologies

A previous note in this journal by Niemi and Winsky (1992) shows how aggregate election data reveal the partisan effects of congressional redistricting in the 1980s. Gerrymanders, though, occur through the manipulation of individual district boundaries. This note complements aggregate analysis by providing a typology for examining district-level redistricting changes. The typology is used to analyze the 1980 round of redistricting with data not previously analyzed in redistricting studies. The data illustrate that state legislatures tend to achieve partisan gerrymanders by making electorally safe districts less safe. Partisan gerrymanders, therefore, tend to electorally weaken the safe districts of a state's majority and minority party.
Disrupted Modular Architecture of Cerebellum in Schizophrenia: A Graph Theoretic Analysis

Recent studies of schizophrenia have revealed cognitive and memory deficits that are accompanied by disruptions of neuronal connectivity in cortical and subcortical brain regions. More recently, alterations of topological organization of structural networks in schizophrenia are also being identified using graph theoretical analysis. However, the role of the cerebellum in this network structure remains largely unknown. In this study, global network measures obtained from diffusion tensor imaging were computed in the cerebella of 25 patients with schizophrenia and 36 healthy volunteers. While cerebellar global network characteristics were slightly altered in schizophrenia patients compared with healthy controls, the patients showed a retained small-world network organization. The modular architecture, however, was changed mainly in crus II. Furthermore, schizophrenia patients had reduced correlations between modularity and microstructural integrity, as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA) in lobules I–IV and X. Finally, FA alterations were significantly correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale symptom scores in schizophrenia patients. Taken together, our data suggest that schizophrenia patients have altered network architecture in the cerebellum with reduced local microstructural connectivity and that cerebellar structural abnormalities are associated symptoms of the disorder.
Recent Advances in BioMedical Telemetry

Communication systems for implantable medical devices are rapidly advancing. Cardiac, optical, neurological and auditory devices all utilize this technology. Miniaturized antennas and inductive coupling systems provide the radio interface between air and the implantable device. Miniaturized electronics that can be seamlessly integrated with the medical device provide electrical and communication interfaces. Power transfer ("link budget") and deposition (SAR) issues continue to be explored and better understood. This paper describes advances in each of these system components. The challenges of miniature biocompatible packaging, patient variability, and utilization of new materials was discussed.
Performance Bounds on Turbo Coded Hybrid ARQ

In this paper, based on the transfer function bounding techniques for turbo codes, we propose performance bounds on turbo coded hybrid automatic repeat request (TC-HARQ) under additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. The bounds for both Type-I TC-HARQ and segment selective repeat (SSR)-based TC-HARQ are developed in terms of bit error rate (BER), frame error rate (FER), and throughput. The performance predicted by these bounds are compared with simulation results and show close match in high signal to noise ratio (SNR) regions. The proposed bounds therefore provide good estimates on the error correction performance of TC-HARQ in high SNR regions where simulations are difficult to obtain reasonable results.
The natural history of asthma.

There are numerous problems in studying the “natural history” of a disorder such as asthma. One of the characteristic features of the disease is its responsiveness to therapy. When populations that have ready access to medical care are studied, the inllucnces of treatment on the long-term course of the discasc may be dif6cul: or even impossible to determine. The best accomplishment under these circumstances is a description of the course and prognosis of the disorder in semi: pretlefined population sample receiving “ordinary” medical attention. A second problem relates to the inherent variability of the disea.sc regardless of therapy. Although the traditional epidemiologic approaches used to examine the evolution of chronic disorders may be applicable to very persistent and refractory forms of asthma, such approaches are of qucstiona’3le usefulness in mild or very intermittent forms of the disease. In the latter cases: there l:s total dependence on the subjects’ recall of past evetts, unless the study has been designed specifically I:O examine patients at the time of acute symptomatic exacerbations. This is less of a problem when a series of clinical cases arc being examined than in general population samples. but it is doubtful that cases being followed in most research-oriented ciinics are representative of the total asthma problem. The most difficult problem in studying asthma is the lack of generally accepted diagnostic criteria for the disease, particularly criteria that are applicable to krge scaie epidemiologic investigations. Even in children, [here is no clear distinction between “chronic bronchitis” and “asthma.” A history of wheezing is oue of the most characteristic findings in children with Bronchitis,’ and childhood chronic bronchitis as well as asthma is related to allergy skin test reactivity.‘, 3 A!so, children frequently ha\Tc wheezing complaints ihat are not associated with any clinical diagnosis; these are also more common among atopic than non-
Trends in Thrombolytic Use for Ischemic Stroke in the United States

Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), approved for use in the United States for the treatment for acute ischemic stroke since 1996, improves overall outcomes from ischemic stroke when administered to selected patients.1–4 Several prominent guidelines, including the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association, have recommended increasing the use of tPA for acute ischemic stroke.5–7 In addition, in 2003 the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations developed a disease-specific certification program to designate certain institutions “Primary Stroke Centers,” with one of the performance measures being the availability of thrombolysis.8 Despite guidelines and regulatory agencies promoting the use of thrombolysis for ischemic stroke, previous studies have shown disappointingly low rates of use.9–12 The goals of this study were to assess whether national trends in the use of thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke have increased in light of increased regulatory activity as well as to identify patient characteristics associated with thrombolytic administration.
Constancy of bacterial abundance in surficial marine sediments

Controls on bacterial abundance in marine sediments remain poorly understood despite the importance to biogeochemical processes, benthic ecology, and in situ bioremediation. We report an analysis of direct microscopic counts of widely distributed surficial marine sediments, using a new approach of scaling abundance to the fluid volume of pore water within the sediments (bacteria FV -1 ). The analysis identified a greater constancy in benthic bacterial abundance than has been appreciated previously. Whether tested as a combined dataset or separately according to geographic region, less variance was observed when abundance was scaled to fluid volume rather than the traditional dimension of dry sediment mass. The decrease in variance suggests that the primary controls on abundance, such as nutrient acquisition or predator encounter rate, may also scale with porewater fluid volume. With values centered around 10 9 bacteria ml -1 FV, regulation must differ fundamentally from the water column, where values average 10 5 -10 6 bacteria ml -1 FV.
The Impact of VA ECMO on LV Function

Conclusion: Epistaxis is a common complication in patients supported by CF-LVAD. Smoking, IDDM, and HVAD support were associated with an increased incidence of epistaxis, and patients experienced significant morbidity including lengthy hospitalizations, increased GI bleeding and mortality. Additional study of evaluation and management of this complication are warranted to reduce morbidity and hospital days in these patients.
The duration of the attentional blink in natural scenes depends on stimulus category

Humans comprehend the “gist” of even a complex natural scene within a small fraction of a second. If, however, observers are asked to detect targets in a sequence of rapidly presented items, recognition of a target succeeding another target by about a third of a second is severely impaired, the “attentional blink” (AB) [Raymond, J. E., Shapiro, K. L., & Arnell, K. M. (1992). Temporary suppression of visual processing in an RSVP task: an attentional blink? Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance, 18, 849–860]. Since most experiments on the AB use well controlled but artificial stimuli, the question arises whether the same phenomenon occurs for complex, natural stimuli, and if so, whether its specifics depend on stimulus category. Here we presented rapid sequences of complex stimuli (photographs of objects, scenes and faces) and asked observers to detect and remember items of a specific category (either faces, watches, or both). We found a consistent AB for both target categories but the duration of the AB depended on the target category.
Can the interval between antibody identifications be increased for alloimmunized patients

BACKGROUND New alloantibody formation is unpredictable in patients who have been previously alloimmunized. Pretransfusion testing is designed to detect these antibodies while antibody identification (ABI) techniques are designed to identify the specificity of the antibody. Pretransfusion testing intervals are prescribed by regulatory and accrediting agencies, intervals for ABI in alloimmunized patients are not. Our institution evaluated the safety of increasing the interval from every 72 hours to 14 days. The current 72-hour interval was chosen at our institution to align with AABB Standard 5.14.3.2, which requires a pretransfusion specimen drawn within 3 days of the scheduled transfusion for potentially immunized patients. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Over 2 years, all ABI entries in the laboratory information system were screened. All cases of alloimmunized patients with an additional antibody specificity that developed within 14 days of a previous ABI were reviewed and confirmed by four transfusion medicine physicians. RESULTS Initially, 8948 entries were screened. Thirty patients were identified to have formed 33 newly identified clinically significant alloantibodies within 14 days. After further categorization, only 13 antibodies (0.15% of all ABIs, 0.47% of alloimmunized patients examined) were deemed to be newly formed clinically significant antibodies that would have led to a change in transfusion practice. CONCLUSION Retrospective analysis of ABI results over a 2-year period revealed that 0.47% of previously alloimmunized patients that have samples for pretransfusion testing develop a new clinically significant alloantibody in 14 days or less. While there would be significant resource advantages to increasing the duration between repeat ABI, it does not outweigh the risk of a potential hemolytic transfusion reaction.
Machine perfusion enhances hepatocyte isolation yields from ischemic livers

Abstract Background High-quality human hepatocytes form the basis of drug safety and efficacy tests, cell-based therapies, and bridge-to-transplantation devices. Presently the only supply of cells derives from an inadequate pool of suboptimal disqualified donor livers. Here we evaluated whether machine perfusion could ameliorate ischemic injury that many of these livers experience prior to hepatocyte isolation. Methods Non-heparinized female Lewis rat livers were exposed to an hour of warm ischemia (34 °C) and then perfused for 3 h. Five different perfusion conditions that utilized the cell isolation apparatus were investigated, namely: (1) modified Williams Medium E and (2) Lifor, both with active oxygenation (95%O 2 /5%CO 2 ), as well as (3) Lifor passively oxygenated with ambient air (21%O 2 /0.04%CO 2 ), all at ambient temperatures (20 ± 2 °C). At hypothermic temperatures (5 ± 1 °C) and under passive oxygenation were (4) University of Wisconsin solution (UW) and (5) Vasosol. Negative and positive control groups comprised livers that had ischemia (WI) and livers that did not (Fresh) prior to cell isolation, respectively. Results Fresh livers yielded 32 ± 9 million cells/g liver while an hour of ischemia reduced the cell yield to 1.6 ± 0.6 million cells/g liver. Oxygenated Williams Medium E and Lifor recovered yields of 39 ± 11 and 31 ± 2.3 million cells/g liver, respectively. The passively oxygenated groups produced 15 ± 7 (Lifor), 13 ± 7 (Vasosol), and 10 ± 6 (UW) million cells/g liver. Oxygenated Williams Medium E was most effective at sustaining pH values, avoiding the accumulation of lactate, minimizing edematous weight gain and producing bile during perfusion. Conclusions Machine perfusion results in a dramatic increase in cell yields from livers that have had up to an hour of warm ischemia, but perfusate choice significantly impacts the extent of recovery. Oxygenated Williams Medium E at room temperature is superior to Lifor, UW and Vasosol, largely facilitated by its high oxygen content and low viscosity.
Quasioptical FrequencySelective Components

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Planar Structures Thick Structure: Perforated Plates Interferometers Interferometers of Other Types Layered Dielectrics Multiple-Grid Filters Diffraction Gratings Resonators Bibliographic Notes ]]>
Studies of serum mucoprotein (seromucoid). I. A turbidimetric method.

Abstract A simple turbidimetric method for determination of serum mucoprotein (seromucoid), applicable to routine use in the clinical laboratory, is described. It measures the entire mucoprotein complex, rather than its constituents. The mean level in normal women was 77.1 ± 14 mg. per cent and in men 81.2 ± 18 mg. per cent. Excellent agreement was obtained with the tyrosine method in the abnormal as well as in the normal range of values.
Dramatic Response to Combination Erlotinib and Crizotinib in a Patient with Advanced, EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer Harboring De Novo MET Amplification

Dramatic Response to Combination Erlotinib and Crizotinib in a Patient with Advanced, EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer Harboring De Novo MET Amplification Justin F. Gainor, MD,* Matthew J. Niederst, PhD, Jochen K. Lennerz, MD, PhD, Ibiayi Dagogo-Jack, MD, Sara Stevens, NP, Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, Lecia V. Sequist, MD, MPH, Jeffrey A. Engelman, MD, PhD Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
How well they meant

Scientists propelled to act by fear of a German bomb soon became alarmed at the consequences of their own success.
Garden Peas Resistant to the Pea Aphid

An attempt was made to find a race of Pisum sativum (L.) more resistant than the race ‘Onward’ to Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) by evaluating 1250 races. On the basis of aphid weight, progeny, and longevity, 20 pea races were Significantly more resistant than Onward. Aphids reared on one race (PI 244160) of peas were 21% lighter in weight than those reared on Onward. Reductions of 28% in number of progeny and 24% in longevity were found in other races. Two pea races (‘Konservenkonigen’ and ‘Scescio Tygodniowy.’) were significantly more susceptible than the susceptible race ‘Perfection’, and aphids on them were ca. 29% heavier.
On the crystal structure of pseudowollastonite (CaSiO3)

A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of synthetic pseuowollastonite (CaSiO 3) shows that this crystal has monoclinic C2/c symmetry, with a = 6.8394(5), b = 11.8704(9), c = 19.6313(7) A, β = 90.667(6)°, and V = 1593.7(2) A 3 . Basic features of the C2/c structure are similar to those previously determined with a C1 symmetry but fewer sites exist for the monoclinic space group: five symmetrically nonequaivalent Ca sites, three Si sites, and nine O sites.
Photoluminescence quantum yields of PbSe and PbS QDs in the range of 1000 nm to 2000 nm(Conference Presentation)

PbS and PbSe quantum dots (QDs) are promising strong infrared emitters. We have developed several synthetic routes to producing PbS and PbSe QDs with a variety of sizes such that the bandgap can be continuously tuned from 2000 to 1000 nm. We provide a simple and accurate synthetic route to reproducibly produce PbS QDs with a narrow size-distribution and high chemical yield. The different synthetic routes lead to differences in their surface chemistry and to differences in their air stability and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY). To characterize the PLQY we directly measured the PLQY IR-26 (a standard IR emitting organic dye) at a range of concentrations as well as the PLQY of PbS and PbSe QDs for a range of sizes. We find that the PLQY of IR-26 has a weak concentration dependence due to reabsorption, with a PLQY of 0:048_0:002% for low concentrations, lower than previous reports by a full order of magnitude. We also find a dramatic size dependence for both PbS and PbSe QDs, with the smallest dots exhibiting a PLQY in excess of 60% while larger dots fall below 3%. A model, including nonradiative transition between electronic states and energy transfer to ligand vibrations, appears to explain this size dependence. These findings provide both a better characterization of photoluminescence for near infrared emitters. Halogen surface passivation provides both a larger PLQY (~ 30% improvement) as well as increased air stability.
Analysis on epidemiological characteristic of hepatitis C in Haizhu District of Guangzhou City from 2004-2013

[Objective]To analyze the epidemiological characteristic of hepatitis C in Haizhu District of Guangzhou City from2004-2013,provide the scientific basis for prevention and control of Hepatitis C.[Methods]The descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the epidemic data of hepatitis C,which were reported by network in Haizhu District from 2004-2013. SPSS software was adopted to conduct the chi-square test. [Results]A total of 2 271 hepatitis C cases were reported in Haizhu District from 2004-2013,with the average annual incidence rate of 15. 398 5 /lakh. No obvious seasonal characteristic was observed,and all cases were sporadic. The male cases were more than female cases. Most of cases were young and middle-aged people,there was a high peak in 30-59 year-old age group(60. 99%),and the patients below 15 years old were rare. The distribution of occupation showed that retired enterprise employees,housekeepers and people waiting for employment were predominated in all cases.[Conclusion]The incidence rate of hepatitis C shows an upward trend in Haizhu District. In future,it is necessary to enhance the control of hepatitis C,focus on the key populations,interrupt the pathway of transmission,and formulate the comprehensive prevention and control measures.
Dielectrics for Surface Mount Technology Applications

(1990). Dielectrics for Surface Mount Technology Applications. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 4, No. 11, pp. 3-3.
Learning Viewpoint Invariant Signatures

When it comes to recognizing and matching the identity of a person, finger prints and face are considered the most representative and discriminative from the perspective of biometrics, which are also considered as the “signatures” of a person. In person re-identification community, although features and representations have been studied extensively for human re-identification, most of them only work under strong assumptions such as ignoring perspective distortion or difference in camera viewpoints. Although these representations show promising results on benchmark datasets, they are likely to fail in real-world scenarios.
Using Program Analysis to Synthesize Sensor Spoofing Attacks

In a sensor spoofing attack, an adversary modifies the physical environment in a certain way so as to force an embedded system into unwanted or unintended behaviors. This usually requires a thorough understanding of the system's control logic. The conventional methods for discovering this logic are manual code inspection and experimentation. In this paper, we design a directed, compositional symbolic execution framework that targets software for the popular MSP430 family of microcontrollers. Using our framework, an analyst can generate traces of sensor readings that will drive an MSP430-based embedded system to a chosen point in its code. As a case study, we use our system to generate spoofed wireless signals used as sensor inputs into AllSee, a recently proposed low-cost gesture recognition system. We then experimentally confirm that AllSee recognizes our adversarially synthesized signals as "gestures."
Investigation of Notch-Type Damage Identification by Using a Continuously Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer System

This paper experimentally investigates a notch-type damage identification methodology for beams by using a continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system. The velocity response of a beam along a scan line under sinusoidal excitation is measured by the CSLDV system and a corresponding operating deflection shape (ODS) of the beam is obtained by the demodulation method. The ODS of the associated undamaged beam is obtained by using a polynomial with a proper order to fit the corresponding ODS from the demodulation method. The curvature of an ODS (CODS) can be calculated with a high quality due to a dense measurement grid of the ODS. A curvature damage index (CDI) is proposed to identify a notch with a length of 1 mm along a beam and a depth of 0.9 mm under different sinusoidal excitation frequencies. The CDI uses the difference between CODSs associated with ODSs that are obtained by the demodulation method and the polynomial fit. The notch is successfully identified near regions with high values of CDIs at different excitation frequencies.
Genome editing via delivery of Cas9 ribonucleoprotein

The CRISPR-Cas genome editing system is very powerful. The format of the CRISPR reagents and the means of delivery are often important factors in targeting efficiency. Delivery of recombinant Cas9 protein and guide RNA (gRNA) as a preformed ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex has recently emerged as a powerful and general approach to genome editing. Here we outline methods to produce and deliver Cas9 RNPs. A donor DNA carrying desired sequence changes can also be included to program precise sequence introduction or replacement. RNP delivery limits exposure to genome editing reagents, reduces off-target events, drives high rates of homology-dependent repair, and can be applied to embryos to rapidly generate animal models. RNP delivery thus minimizes some of the pitfalls of alternative editing modalities and is rapidly being adopted by the genome editing community.
Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction: patient selection and perspectives

Patellofemoral instability is a painful and often recurring disorder with many negative long-term consequences. After a period of failed nonoperative management, surgical intervention has been used to reduce the incidence of patellar subluxation and dislocations. Medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction successfully addresses patellofemoral instability by restoring the deficient primary medial patellar soft tissue restraint. When planning MPFL reconstruction for instability, it is imperative to consider the patient's unique anatomy including the tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance, trochlear dysplasia, and patella alta. Additionally, it is important to individualize surgical treatment in the skeletally immature, hypermobile, and athletic populations.
Tethered Venues: Discerning Distant Influences on a Field Site:

Ethnographers often study those who periodically meet to interact in multiple venues. This article focuses on how people who share and engage in tasks in recurrently visited venues define and chang...
Clinical experience with 5-FU/DDP +/- OHDW combination chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma.

Many avenues are being explored in an effort to develop more effective and selective treatment of patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma. One approach termed biochemical modulation is based on “immortal”, although minimal, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) activity. At least six types of modulation have been attempted based on the current understating of 5-FU metabolism: 1) Methotrexate, 2) Thymidine, 3) PALA, 4) Allopurinol, 5) Folinic acid (FA), and 6) cisPlatin (DDP).
Mild condition dissolution of high molecular weight cotton cellulose in 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate/N,N‐dimethylacetamide solvent system

To investigate the effective dissolution of high molecular weight (MW) cellulose macromolecules at ambient conditions, cellulose (DP > 4,000) derived from cotton fiber waste was dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIMAc)/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solvent in this study. High MW cotton cellulose achieves a solubility between 3% and 5% cellulose concentrations using BMIMAc/DMAc solvent at ambient conditions. Rheological studies showed that all cellulose/solvent solutions displayed a shear thinning behavior. Results from the physical characterization revealed that well-dissolved cotton cellulose exhibited highly porous structure and the crystalline structure of cotton cellulose was highly disrupted during dissolution and regeneration processes. This study is the first to report on the ability of BMIMAc/DMAc solvent system to dissolve high MW cellulose under ambient conditions, which represents an energy-saving and environmentally friendly approach. As cellulose used in this study was derived from low quality waste cotton fibers, the potential utilization of such cotton cellulose may create a competitive market for low quality cotton and target advanced applications of cellulose-based products for green materials and energy. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45928.
What Makes a Good MOOC: A Field Study of Factors Impacting Student Motivation to Learn

Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) research indicates that lack of student motivation to learn generally plays a significant role in student attrition and dropouts. Aside from this, very little is k...
The Role of Inflammation in the Pain, Fatigue, and Sleep Disturbance Symptom Cluster in Advanced Cancer.

Abstract Context Symptom researchers have proposed a model of inflammatory cytokine activity and dysregulation in cancer to explain co-occurring symptoms including pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance. Objectives We tested the hypothesis that psychological stress accentuates inflammation and that stress and inflammation contribute to one's experience of the pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance symptom cluster (symptom cluster severity, symptom cluster distress) and its impact (symptom cluster interference with daily life, quality of life). Methods We used baseline data from a symptom cluster management trial. Adult participants (N = 158) receiving chemotherapy for advanced cancer reported pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance on enrollment. Before intervention, participants completed measures of demographics, perceived stress, symptom cluster severity, symptom cluster distress, symptom cluster interference with daily life, and quality of life and provided a blood sample for four inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein). Results Stress was not directly related to any inflammatory biomarker. Stress and tumor necrosis factor-α were positively related to symptom cluster distress, although not symptom cluster severity. Tumor necrosis factor-α was indirectly related to symptom cluster interference with daily life, through its effect on symptom cluster distress. Stress was positively associated with symptom cluster interference with daily life and inversely with quality of life. Stress also had indirect effects on symptom cluster interference with daily life, through its effect on symptom cluster distress. Conclusion The proposed inflammatory model of symptoms was partially supported. Investigators should test interventions that target stress as a contributing factor in co-occurring pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance and explore other factors that may influence inflammatory biomarker levels within the context of an advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment.
On-Device Learning in Memristor Spiking Neural Networks

In this paper, a memristor spiking neuron and synaptic trace circuits for efficient on device learning are presented. A key feature of these circuits is the use of memristors to emulate the membrane potential of spiking neurons, as opposed to the conventional use of a capacitor. The circuits are designed in IBM 65nm technology node and validated on a small-scale spiking neural network. It was observed that a 3×3 spiking neural network consumes 19.1 μW of power at 100 MHz.
Transcranial Two-Photon Imaging of Synaptic Structures in the Cortex of Awake Head-Restrained Mice

Transcranial two-photon microscopy allows long-term imaging of neurons, glia, and vasculature in the intact cortex of living animals. So far, this technique has been primarily used to acquire images in anesthetized animals. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for high-resolution two-photon imaging of neuronal structures in the cortex of awake head-restrained mice. Surgery is done within 1 h in anesthetized mice. After animals recover from anesthesia, two-photon imaging can be performed multiple times over minutes to days, allowing longitudinal studies of synaptic plasticity and pathology without the complication induced by anesthesia reagents.
Rheumatoid Factors in Human Disease

Publisher Summary Rheumatoid factors (RFs) are antibodies to IgG, the major immunoglobulin class in human serum. They are not limited to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but are also found infrequently in the serum of some normal persons and in the serum of patients with connective tissue diseases or infections, such as chronic hepatitis, tuberculosis, and subacute bacterial endocarditis. The clinical importance of RF rests upon their measurement as a laboratory aid for the differential diagnosis of several rheumatic diseases with similar features and in their role in the formation of immune complexes that may increase joint inflammation or produce vasculitis. The RF that are measured clinically are usually in the IgM class; however, IgG and IgA antibodies directed against IgG have also been found. The commonly used tests for RF may be divided into two types: the aggregation of particles coated with human IgG and the aggregation of particles coated with rabbit IgG.
Hall Occupational Orientation Inventory

Grades 7 through 12, and young adults. The main purpose of the Second Edition of the HOOI is to present the counselee with material for self-analysis; the objective is to foster personal insight in...
Community Choice in Large Cities: Selectivity and Ethnic Sorting Across Neighbourhoods

This chapter begins with a discussion of the literatures on the causes of ethnic and racial segregation. It is argued that there are three separate literatures, and that the role of income is underplayed in the literature on differences in neighbourhood choice between ethnic and racial groups. Using data from the US this study shows that choice and sorting outcomes reinforce existing patterns of ethnic and racial segregation in neighbourhoods, that strong ethno centric preferences by race and ethnicity means that racial separation is likely to remain important in cities, and that socio-economic status combined with racial preferences increase the levels of segregation in the urban fabric. The study shows that neighbourhood outcomes by socio-economic status are more diverse than those by race and ethnicity, although most people choose a neighbourhood similar to their previous one. This chapter re-emphasises that sorting within the existing urban fabric is a powerful factor in understanding processes of neighbourhood formation and neighbourhood change. When moving, not all households end up in a neighbourhood with the same characteristics as their neighbourhood of origin and it is this change which changes the urban fabric. There is clear evidence that ethnic and racial groups are advantaged when they have greater resources. Money matters in the choices of ethnic combinations and in moving up the status scale.
Advances in the Understanding and Management of Chronic Pain in Multiple Sclerosis: a Comprehensive Review

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system that can lead to severe physical, cognitive, and neurological deficits that often manifest in young adults. Central neuropathic pain is a common presenting symptom, often prompting patients to seek treatment with opioids, NSAIDS, antiepileptics, and antidepressants despite minimal effectiveness and alarming side-effect profiles. Additionally, spasticity occurs in more than 80% of MS patients and is an important consideration for further study in treatment. Related to inconsistencies in pain presentation and clinical reporting, current studies continue to investigate clinical patient presentation to define chronic pain characteristics to optimize treatment plans. Although often neuropathic in origin, the complex nature of such pain necessitates a multimodal approach for adequate treatment. While psychiatric comorbidities typically remain unchanged in their severity over time, physical conditions may lead to worsening chronic pain long-term, often due to decreased quality of life. The prevalence of neuropathic pain is ~ 86% in patients with multiple sclerosis and most commonly presents as extremity pain, trigeminal neuralgia, back pain, or headaches. As MS symptoms are frequently unremitting and poorly responsive to conventional medical management, recent attention has been given to novel interventions for management of pain. Among these, medicinal cannabis therapy, targeted physical therapy, and neuromodulation offer promising results. In this review, we provide a comprehensive update of the current perspective of MS pathophysiology, symptomatology, and treatment.
Role of Narratives in Visualizing Product Form

Designers intuitive responses are often derived from their own experience, but there has been little research that studies the use of narratives rooted in designers’ lived experiences. This paper explores whether the use of narratives could help designers to work more effectively when generating product form. The approach to understanding how designers generate product form considers evidence that comes from observation, experiment, analysis, and reflection. I have drawn upon research literature and the works of contemporary and famous designers to consider the role of narratives in the design process. By building on this narrative schema, designers have discovered that design is not set apart from daily life but springs forth from the visual impressions of their experiences. According to the research results, the use of narrative helps designers to work more effectively on generating product form during the preliminary phase of the design process.
Interval Optimization for Robust Economic Dispatch in Active Distribution Networks Considering Uncertainty

Significant increases in renewable uptake at the distribution system level, especially solar photovoltaics (PV), can bring about operational challenges for active distribution network (ADN) operators. These challenges primarily stem from the uncertainty inherent in renewable injections and result in dispatch cost risks. Further uncertainty comes in the form of available demand response or dispatchable load. Interval analysis and optimization is a robust problem-solving and decision-making technique that effectively handles parametric uncertainties. In this paper, a novel interval optimization technique is used to formulate and solve the economic dispatch problem of an ADN given renewable generation and dispatchable load capacity uncertainties. The approach is tested and verified on a modified IEEE 13 bus system. The results demonstrate that the proposed interval optimization-based method can properly model the uncertain parameters as intervals to provide insights to operators regarding risks associated with renewable uncertainties.
GLADAS: Gesture Learning for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is crucial for the safety of lives as autonomous vehicles (AVs) become commonplace. Yet, little effort has been put toward ensuring that AVs understand humans on the road. In this paper, we present GLADAS, a simulator-based research platform designed to teach AVs to understand pedestrian hand gestures. GLADAS supports the training, testing, and validation of deep learning-based self-driving car gesture recognition systems. We focus on gestures as they are a primordial (i.e, natural and common) way to interact with cars. To the best of our knowledge, GLADAS is the first system of its kind designed to provide an infrastructure for further research into human-AV interaction. We also develop a hand gesture recognition algorithm for self-driving cars, using GLADAS to evaluate its performance. Our results show that an AV understands human gestures 85.91% of the time, reinforcing the need for further research into human-AV interaction.
Neurogranin Protein Expression Is Reduced after Controlled Cortical Impact in Rats

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to cause short- and long-term synaptic changes in the brain, possibly underlying downstream cognitive impairments. Neuronal levels of neurogranin, a calcium-se...
CRT-600.12 Rates of Permanent Pacemaker Insertion With the Latest-Generation CoreValve Evolut Pro Transcatheter Aortic Valve

Permanent pacemaker insertion (PPI) rates in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with self-expanding valves have improved with each generation of TAVR devices. Here we report the rates of PPI using the next-generation CoreValve Evolut PRO at a high-volume US center. Patients with
Recent advances in human norovirus research and implications for candidate vaccines.

Noroviruses are a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. An estimated 21 million illnesses in the United States and upwards of 684 million illnesses worldwide are attributed to norovirus...
A Framework to Support Interdisciplinary Engagement with Learning Analytics

Learning analytics can provide an excellent opportunity for instructors to get an in-depth understanding of students’ learning experiences in a course. However, certain technological challenges, namely limited availability of learning analytics data because of learning management system restrictions, can make accessing this data seem impossible at some institutions. Furthermore, even in cases where instructors have access to a range of student data, there may not be organized efforts to support students across various courses and university experiences. In the current chapter, the authors discuss the issue of learning analytics access and ways to leverage learning analytics data between instructors, and in some cases administrators, to create interdisciplinary opportunities for comprehensive student support. The authors consider the implications of these interactions for students, instructors, and administrators. Additionally, the authors focus on some of the technological infrastructure issues involved with accessing learning analytics and discuss the opportunities available for faculty and staff to take a multi-pronged approach to addressing overall student success.
Massive MIMO Channel Prediction Using Recurrent Neural Networks

Massive MIMO has been classified as one of the high potential wireless communication technologies due to its unique abilities such as high user capacity, increased spectral density, and diversity among others. Due to the exponential increase of connected devices, these properties are of great importance for the current 5G-IoT era and future telecommunication networks. However, outdated channel state information (CSI) caused by the variations in the channel response due to the presence of highly mobile and rich scattering is a major problem facing massive MIMO systems. Outdated CSI occurs when the information obtained about the channel at the transmitter changes before transmission. This leads to performance degradation of the network. In this work, we demonstrate a low complexity channel prediction method using neural networks. Specifically, we explore the power of recurrent neural network utilizing long-short memory cells in analyzing time series data. We review various neural network-based channel prediction methods available in the literature and compare complexity and performance metrics. Results indicate that the proposed methods outperform conventional systems by tremendously lowering the complexity associated with channel prediction.
Cytoskeletal remodeling slows cross-bridge cycling and ATP hydrolysis rates in airway smooth muscle.

During isometric activation of airway smooth muscle (ASM), cross-bridge cycling and ATP hydrolysis rates decline across time even though isometric force is sustained. Thus, tension cost (i.e., ATP hydrolysis rate per unit of force during activation) decreases with time. The "latch-state" hypothesis attributes the dynamic change in cross-bridge cycling and ATP hydrolysis rates to changes in phosphorylation of the regulatory myosin light chain (rMLC20 ). However, we previously showed that in ASM, the extent of rMLC20 phosphorylation remains unchanged during sustained isometric force. As an alternative, we hypothesized that cytoskeletal remodeling within ASM cells results in increased internal loading of contractile proteins that slows cross-bridge cycling and ATP hydrolysis rates. To test this hypothesis, we simultaneously measured isometric force and ATP hydrolysis rate in permeabilized porcine ASM strips activated by Ca2+ (pCa 4.0). The extent of rMLC20 phosphorylation remained unchanged during isometric activation, even though ATP hydrolysis rate (tension cost) declined with time. The effect of cytoskeletal remodeling was assessed by inhibiting actin polymerization using Cytochalasin D (Cyto-D). In Cyto-D treated ASM, isometric force was reduced while ATP hydrolysis rate increased compared to untreated ASM strips. These results indicate that external transmission of force, cross-bridge cycling and ATP hydrolysis rates are affected by internal loading of contractile proteins.
Discordance in activated partial thromboplastin time and anti-factor Xa levels in COVID-19 patients on heparin therapy.

• aPTT correlates poorly with anti-Xa in COVID-19 patients receiving unfractionated heparin. • aPTT potentially underestimates heparin activity compared with anti-Xa in COVID-19 patients receiving unfractionated heparin. • Elevated fibrinogen levels did not correlate with refractory aPTT in COVID-19 patients.
The Talent Development Megamodel: A Domain-Specific Conceptual Framework Based on the Psychology of High Performance

In this chapter, the authors present a comprehensive conception of talent development that draws from research in the psychological sciences and is applicable across diverse domains, from academics and athletics to the visual and performing arts. The model is distinguished by the following components: (a) recognizing the varied beginnings of domain trajectories from the earliest manifestations of talent to expertise and beyond; (b) promoting the role of opportunities not only inside, but outside, and beyond school; and (c) the increasing importance of malleable social and mental skills as well as insider knowledge as individuals progress to higher stages of performance and creative productivity.
Feasibility and efficacy of integrating resiliency training into a pilot nurse residency program.

Abstract The high stress associated with the nursing profession can negatively affect the health of nurses and the quality of patient care that they provide. This quasi-experimental study aimed to 1) assess the feasibility of integrating a Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program within a nine-month pilot nurse residency program and 2) assess the effects of the program on participants’ stress, anxiety, mindfulness, and resilience relative to a comparison group. A pre- and post-intervention survey design was used, with measurements taken at baseline and at 1, 3, 9, and 12 months after baseline. We enrolled 51 registered nurses (intervention group, n = 23; comparison group, n = 28) at a Midwestern US academic medical center. Nurses in the intervention group had a participation rate of 93%–100% with SMART program events. Despite the relatively limited adherence to the protocol by intervention group participants, significant improvements were noted for stress (P
GALEX DISCOVERY OF A DAMPED Lyα SYSTEM AT REDSHIFT z ≈ 1* **

We report the first discovery of a QSO damped Lyα system (DLA) by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The system was initially identified as an Mg II absorption-line system (z abs = 1.028) in the spectrum of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) QSO J0203-0910 (z em = 1.58). The presence of unusually strong absorption due to metal lines of Zn II, Cr II, Mn II, and Fe II clearly suggested that it might be a DLA with N H I ≥ 2 × 1020 atoms cm–2. Follow-up GALEX NUV grism spectroscopy confirms that the system exhibits a DLA absorption line, with a measured H I column density of N H I = 1.50 ± 0.45 × 1021 atoms cm–2. By combining the GALEX N H I determination with the SDSS spectrum measurements of unsaturated metal-line absorption due to Zn II, which is generally not depleted onto grains, we find that the system's neutral-gas-phase metal abundance is [Zn/H] = –0.70 ± 0.22, or ≈20% solar. By way of comparison, although this system has one of the largest Zn+ column densities, its metal abundances are comparable to other DLAs at z ≈ 1. Measurements of the abundances of Cr, Fe, and Mn help to further pin down the evolutionary state of the absorber.
Epigenetic regulation of drosophila germline stem cell maintenance and differentiation

Gametogenesis is one of the most extreme cellular differentiation processes that takes place in Drosophila male and female germlines. This process begins at the germline stem cell, which undergoes asymmetric cell division (ACD) to produce a self-renewed daughter that preserves its stemness and a differentiating daughter cell that undergoes epigenetic and genomic changes to eventually produce haploid gametes. Research in molecular genetics and cellular biology are beginning to take advantage of the continually advancing genomic tools to understand: (1) how germ cells are able to maintain their identity throughout the adult reproductive lifetime, and (2) undergo differentiation in a balanced manner. In this review, we focus on the epigenetic mechanisms that address these two questions through their regulation of germline-soma communication to ensure germline stem cell identity and activity.