cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of vehicle front end profile on pedestrian kinematics and biomechanical responses using a validated numerical model

Traumatic injuries and biomechanical responses of a pedestrian depend on vehicle front end characteristics as well as the pedestrian anthropometric details in vehicle-pedestrian crashes. A number of laboratory experiments were conducted using post mortem human subjects (PMHS) to understand the biomechanics behind the injuries in a pedestrian crash. However, different vehicular front ends were used in these studies making comparisons among studies impossible. The current research work focuses on validating simulated pedestrian kinematics and accelerations responses of MADYMO full body pedestrian model with the experimental results. In general, overall kinematics of the body for pedestrian models were also compared with that recorded in the video snapshots from the cadaveric experimental tests at 50 ms time intervals. Along with the validation of kinematics of pedestrian, the acceleration responses of head, chest, pelvic and lower leg of the pedestrians were also validated against the corresponding experimental data. Other responses like head angle as well as head impact velocity during primary impact with the hood were analyzed at different impact speeds. Once the responses were validated for a particular front end of the vehicle, a series of numerical parametric studies were further conducted using several front end profiles based off a mid-sized sedan. For the parametric study, different pedestrian models representing three pedestrian sizes, a 50th male, a 5th female, and a 6 years-old child, were used in the simulations. Finite element model of a vehicle front end was changed in terms of the heights of bumper, bonnet leading-edge, and bonnet rear reference-line using a mesh-morphing technique. In most simulations, primary head impact location depends on the pedestrian size, and the secondary impact with ground at the head region is affected by type of vehicle and its front end profile. Kinematics of the pedestrians as well as the angle of primary head impact varies a great deal based upon the front-end profile of the striking vehicle (e.g., raised front-end profile or lowered front-end profile). Leg and pelvis accelerations were found to be high in vehicles with raised front end profiles. Chest and head accelerations were also found to be affected by vehicle front end profile and pedestrian size. However, it should be noted that there were some front-end profiles that help in avoiding pedestrian secondary head impact with the ground.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
VAGINITIS: Diagnosis and Treatment

The organisms causing the three major types of vaginitis produce fairly distinctive symptoms, are quite easy to isolate in the laboratory, and account for more than 95 percent of vaginitides. This leaves little or no room for “nonspecific vaginitis.” Now that effective treatment for trichomonal vaginitis is available, candidal vaginitis has become the most important type, and the most obstinate.
Workplace Perceptions of Veterans and Nonveterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs

Much has been written about veterans and their reintegration into civilian society, but little or no information is available about veterans’ workplace perceptions and how these might differ from t...
Evaluation on Health Education of Schistosomiasis in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

Objective To learn and evaluate the effect of health education of schistosomiasis in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,so as to provide scientific basis for establishing the comprehensive prevention and control model in potential epidemic area of schistosomiasis.Methods Through adopting the multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method,the questionnaires were distributed to residents selected randomly from the demonstration,inside and outside control areas.The survey data were input with EpiData 3.0 software by two reviewers,and the differences among groups were analyzed by using SPSS 18.0 software to further evaluate the effect of health education of schistosomiasis.Results All the questionnaires distributed to 1 420 residents were retrieved(100%).The results of analysis showed that for the residents in the demonstration area,the average score of being aware of schistosomiasis prevention was(7.51±2.89),which was markedly higher than those in the inside(2.52±2.97) and the outside(3.13±3.51) control areas,with significant differences(P0.05);and the passing rates were 78.15%,which was also obviously higher than those in the inside(17.26%) and the outside control areas(32.16%),with significant differences(P0.05).Conclusion The health education of schistosomiasis can improve residents' knowledge about schistosomiasis prevention,and it is very important to prevent and control the potential prevalence of schistosomiasis in the Three Gorges Area.
Gas-generation evaluation of deep hydrocarbon source rocks in Xujiaweizi fault depression

Based on open and restriction simulation experimental system,the gas-generation process and evolvement condition of methane carbon isotope of deep hydrocarbon source rocks in Xujiaweizi fault depression were quantitatively evaluated by using hydrocarbon-generation and methane carbon isotope kinetic methods combined with heat and burial history.The results show that the source rocks of Shahezi Formation began to generate gases at the time of Denglouku Formation.The gas-generation peak period is from Quantou Formation to Qingshankou Formation.The gas-generation threshold depths of mudstone and coal are nearly 2 100 m and 1 750 m,corresponding to the vitrinite reflectance of 0.7% and 0.6% respectively.The cumulative gas-generation amounts are 201.37×1011m3 and 88.39×1011m3 respectively.The average gas-generation intensities of the mudstone and coal are 250×108m3/km2 and 100×108m3/km2 respectively.The natural gas methane carbon isotopic value of Yingcheng Formation is between the cumulative carbon isotopic value of mudstone-formed methane and coal-formed methane in Xushen 1 well,which shows that hydrocarbon source rock is similar to coal measures strata of Shahezi Formation and the accumulation is a long-term in the gas pool.
Placental Mechanics in the Zika-Microcephaly Relationship.

How the Zika virus (ZIKV) accesses the embryo remains unknown. In this issue, Quicke et al. (2016) use an in vitro model of the human placenta to show that placental macrophages are more permissive to ZIKV infection than trophoblasts, which may be refractory to infection (Bayer et al., 2016).
Design, Simulation, and Testing of a Novel Bending Stage for Mechanical Characterization of Materials

A novel bending stage is proposed to study the mechanical behavior of materials at small scale. The working principle of the stage is presented along with an experimental evidence using 3D printed prototype. The stage and the specimen are designed to be co-fabricated to avoid the specimen handling and misalignment problems. Analytical and numerical models of the stage are developed to predict the deflection and stresses in the specimen beam upon loading. Good agreement is found between the predictions from the two models. A stage and a sample are 3D printed with a plastic material (PA 2200) to test the feasibility of the proposed design. Bending test is carried out on the sample using the 3D printed stage. Elastic modulus of PA2200 is obtained from the load-deflection data. For comparison, uniaxial tension test was also performed on a PA2200 sample. The modulus of elasticity obtained by the two methods match with each other.
Balancing housing growth and land conservation: conservation development preserves private lands near protected areas.

Abstract Housing development has emerged as a primary driver of land-use change around the world. In the United States, there is particular concern about low-density residential development on rural lands, which often occurs in places with abundant natural amenities. Conservation development (CD), housing development that incorporates protected open space, has emerged as a tool that can accommodate development and achieve land protection, potentially forming networks with existing protected areas. To assess how these developments contribute to housing and conservation at the landscape level, we gathered data on 343 CDs in 13 counties throughout the State of Colorado, U.S.A., including the number, location, and open space configuration of these housing developments. We found that although CDs comprise a small proportion of housing (4% on average), they account for a mean of 11% of privately owned protected lands, and they are often located in close proximity to protected areas (on average
Microbiological Profiles of Egyptian Raw Vegetables and Salads.

Two hundred-fifty samples of raw vegetables and salads that were collected from hotels, restaurants, small foodservice shops, markets and street vendors in Egypt were tested for Salmonella , Shigella and aerobic colony (30°C) count. Thirty-six of these samples were tested for Staphylococcus aureus . Salmonella was isolated from two samples of green leafy vegetables (greens) and one sample of mixed salad that most likely contained greens. Shigellae were isolated from one sample of greens, one sample of parsley, and three samples of mixed salads. Most samples of raw vegetables and salads were at either room or outside temperature just before sampling. Eighty percent of the samples had aerobic colony counts of more than 106 CFU/g. Three of 36 samples contained ca. 1 × 103 S. aureus /g.
The Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Dasatinib Enhances Glucocorticoid-Induced Apoptosis and Sensitizes Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells to Dexamethasone.

Abstract 4811 Glucocorticoid hormones are frequently used as part of front-line therapy to treat lymphoid neoplasms. However, relative to acute lymphoblastic leukemia and many types of B cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells are intrinsically resistant to glucocorticoids and the mechanism governing this resistance has not been fully investigated. Here we report that that the Src inhibitor dasatinib enhances glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in lymphoid cells and sensitizes primary CLL cells to dexamethasone. This finding evolved from the observation that the Src kinase Lck was downregulated by dexamethasone in glucocorticoid sensitive T cells in order to suppress immunoreceptor activation and signaling. In contrast, aberrantly expressed Lck was not downregulated by dexamethasone in CLL cells. However, inhibition of Lck phosphorylation by dasatinib significantly enhanced cell killing to nanomolar concentrations of dexamethasone. Collectively, these data indicate that dasatinib sensitizes primary CLL cells to glucocorticoids, and thus, the combination of these agents may have therapeutic efficacy in patients with aggressive or refractory CLL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
In Vitro Studies of the Folding and Assembly Mechanism of Hemoglobin

Deriving the pathway for human hemoglobin assembly is important both for developing treatments for hemoglobinopathies and for designing robust acellular hemoglobin oxygen carriers. The adult human hemoglobin (HbA) comprises two globin heterodimers, (α1β1)(α2β2), with each subunit containing a heme group for coordination of oxygen and having a tertiary structure very similar to the monomeric paralog, myoglobin.In order to determine the complete folding mechanism, we have measured and analyzed guanidinium-induced unfolding curves for both apo- and holo-hemoglobin. This approach expands on previous work done in our lab with myoglobin and has allowed us to deconvolute the globin unfolding pathway and the heme-binding effects for the various folding states. When heme is extracted from human Hb, the resulting apohemoglobin dissociates to an α1β1 heterodimer. Unfolding occurs in two major phases. The first involves melting of the heme pockets to generate a dimeric molten globule, followed by dissociation into almost completely unfolded monomers. Structural identification of these phases was achieved by comparing the unfolding curves for native HbA, recombinant HbF, a N-to-C termini linked α Hb variant, and a series of Hb mutants with large, hydrophobic residues replacing the distal histidine and valine in the α and β heme pockets.Previously, we showed that monomeric apoglobin stability, and not hemin affinity, is the determining factor for myoglobin expression. In the case of hemoglobin, the individual monomers are unstable, but associate strongly to form a stable molten globule dimeric state, which binds hemin and facilitates the overall assembly of the hemoglobin.Supported by the NIH Grant HL110900 and by Grant C-0612 from Robert A. Welch Foundation.
Investigating target versus impactor influences on Martian crater morphology at the simple‐complex transition

Comparing craters of identical diameter on a planet is an empirical method of studying the effects of different target and impactor properties while holding total impact energy nearly constant. We have analyzed the Martian crater population within a narrow diameter range (7 km < crater diameter < 9 km) at the simple-complex crater transition using three approaches. We looked for correlations of morphology with surface geology using a global crater database and global geologic map. We examined selected regions in detail with high-resolution images to further understand the relationship between crater morphology and bulk target properties. Finally, we examined craters in close proximity to each other in order to hold target properties constant, so that we could isolate impactor effects on crater morphology. We found a strong correlation between target properties and interior crater morphology, and we found little evidence that impactor properties (other than impact angle) affect crater appearance. Central uplift and wall slumping are enhanced for less consolidated targets. Layered targets affected both the excavation and modification stages of complex crater formation; the resulting craters have pseudoterraces, flat floors, and central pits.
The development of cognitive empathy and concern in preschool children: A behavioral neuroscience investigation

This developmental neuroscience study examined the electrophysiological responses (EEG and ERPs) associated with perspective taking and empathic concern in preschool children, as well as their relation to parental empathy dispositions and children's own prosocial behavior. Consistent with a body of previous studies using stimuli depicting somatic pain in both children and adults, larger early (~200 ms) ERPs were identified when perceiving painful versus neutral stimuli. In the slow wave window (~800 ms), a significant interaction of empathy condition and stimulus type was driven by a greater difference between painful and neutral images in the empathic concern condition. Across early development, children exhibited enhanced N2 to pain when engaging in empathic concern. Greater pain-elicited N2 responses in the cognitive empathy condition also related to parent dispositional empathy. Children's own prosocial behavior was predicted by several individual differences in neural function, including larger early LPP responses during cognitive empathy and greater differentiation in late LPP and slow wave responses to empathic concern versus affective perspective taking. Left frontal activation (greater alpha suppression) while engaging in affective perspective taking was also related to higher levels of parent cognitive empathy. Together, this multilevel analysis demonstrates the important distinction between facets of empathy in children; the value of examining neurobehavioral processes in development. It provides provoking links between children's neural functioning and parental dispositions in early development.
Margin Analysis: Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity

This article primarily focuses on defining terms including negative margin, close margin, and positive margin. Furthermore, this review delineates the current role of frozen section analysis and adjuvant therapy in treating oral squamous cell carcinoma with respect to surgical margin status.
Impulsive Forcing and Spin-Up

On the equatorial beta-plane, the response of the flow in the linear shallow water wave equations to wind stress which is a step function in time can be formally solved by Laplace transform integrals (multiplied by the usual Hermite functions). Although these transform integrals must evaluated numerically, it is still possible to analyze the oceanic response to jumps in the wind. The work of Anderson and Rowlands (J Mar Res 34(3):295–312, 1976) [1] and Cane and Sarachik (J Mar Res 35(2):395–432, 1977) [2] is the point of entry to the complex wave patterns that result.
Morphological and genetic factors shape the microbiome of a seabird species (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) more than environmental and social factors.

The microbiome provides multiple benefits to animal hosts that can profoundly impact health and behavior. Microbiomes are well-characterized in humans and other animals in controlled settings, yet assessments of wild bird microbial communities remain vastly understudied. This is particularly true for pelagic seabirds with unique life histories that differ from terrestrial bird species. This study was designed to examine how morphological, genetic, environmental, and social factors affect the microbiome of a burrow-nesting seabird species, Leach’s storm petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). These seabirds are highly olfactory and may rely on microbiome-mediated odor cues during mate selection. Composition and structure of bacterial communities associated with the uropygial gland and brood patch were assessed using 16S rRNA amplicon-based Illumina Mi-Seq analysis and compared to burrow-associated bacterial communities. This is the first study to examine microbial diversity associated with multiple body sites on a seabird species. Results indicate that sex and skin site contribute most to bacterial community variation in Leach’s storm petrels and that major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotype may impact the composition of bacterial assemblages in males. In contrast to terrestrial birds and other animals, environmental and social interactions do not significantly influence storm petrel-associated bacterial assemblages. Thus, individual morphological and genetic influences outweighed environmental and social factors on microbiome composition. Contrary to observations of terrestrial birds, microbiomes of Leach’s storm petrels vary most by the sex of the bird and by the body site sampled, rather than environmental surroundings or social behavior.
Evaluating transferability of flow–ecology relationships across space, time and taxonomy

Environmental flow assessments are becoming increasingly central to ecologically-sustainable river management. Rigorous evaluations of flow–ecology relationships serve a vital role in guiding these assessments to meet targeted ecosystem objectives. However, limited resources and widespread environmental change are outpacing the ability to gain knowledge of species’ flow responses and assess environmental needs for rivers individually. Successfully transferring flow–ecology relationships across space and time would facilitate regional-scale environmental flow assessments, yet the necessary contexts for such success remains a knowledge gap. Here, we leverage long-term, multi-species datasets across multiple river basins in southwestern United States as a case study to explore whether relationships between species abundances and hydrological conditions are transferable across space and time. Additionally, we evaluate the potential for ecological guilds based on fluvial dependence and life-history strategies to facilitate the transfer of flow–ecology knowledge across taxonomic boundaries. Species varied in the spatial transferability of their flow–ecology relationships. Spatial transferability was similar when comparing a species’ flow–ecology relationships within a river basin versus across different river basins, although transferability was considerably greater across free-flowing rivers compared to regulated rivers. Species’ flow–ecology relationships transferred through time just as well as across space. Ecological guilds defined according to fluvial dependence and life-history strategies offered just as much potential for transferring flow–ecology knowledge among species as transferring within species across space or time. Our study provides insights into transferring flow–ecology knowledge to support effective, regional-scale environmental flows. Further research into developing transferable flow–ecology relationships for a wide range of environmental predictors and biological responses across different spatial scales and flow regimes will enable us to keep pace with the increasing demand for science to inform sustainable river management.
Viscosity models for pure hydrocarbons at extreme conditions: A review and comparative study

Abstract Viscosity is a critical fundamental property required in many applications in the chemical and oil industries. In this review the performance of seven select viscosity models, representative of various predictive and correlative approaches, is discussed and evaluated by comparison to experimental data of 52 pure hydrocarbons including straight-chain alkanes, branched alkanes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics. This analysis considers viscosity data to extremely high-temperature, high-pressure conditions up to 573 K and 300 MPa. Unsatisfactory results are found, particularly at high pressures, with the Chung-Ajlan-Lee-Starling, Pedersen-Fredenslund, and Lohrenz-Bray-Clark models commonly used for oil reservoir simulation. If sufficient experimental viscosity data are readily available to determine model-specific parameters, the free volume theory and the expanded fluid theory models provide generally comparable results that are superior to those obtained with the friction theory, particularly at pressures higher than 100 MPa. Otherwise, the entropy scaling method by Lotgering-Lin and Gross is recommended as the best predictive model.
Predicting canopy biophysical properties and sensitivity of plant carbon uptake to water limitations with a coupled eco-hydrological framework

Abstract Variations in soil water availability and atmospheric water demand impact seasonal canopy dynamics are often represented by the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) and leaf area index (LAI) under a coupled eco-hydrologic framework. Changes in FPAR and LAI lead to changes in evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary productivity (GPP), coupling the water and carbon cycles. In this study, a predictive Dynamic Canopy Biophysical Properties (DCBP) model is adapted to predict daily FPAR and LAI forced by observed and modeled meteorological and root-zone soil moisture conditions, respectively. Vegetation green-up and die-off responses to temperature (T), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), soil water potential (ψsoil), and photoperiod (Pht) are modeled through a modified form of the growing season index (GSI). The DCBP model parameterizations of seasonality (T and Pht) and intraseasonal water stress (VPD and ψsoil) are calibrated separately for distinct plant functional types (PFTs) and soil types using a Bayesian estimator. To investigate the impact of dynamic phenology on modeled GPP and hydrologic processes, phenology predicted by the DCBP model is input to the Duke Coupled Hydrology Model with Prognostic Vegetation (DCHM-PV), and hydrologic conditions are input to the DCBP model to specify water availability constraints. The coupled model framework was evaluated against AmeriFlux tower data and remotely sensed FPAR and LAI products. Sensitivity analysis of the predicted daily FPAR, LAI, and GPP to the diurnal cycle of root zone water indicates that mid-day soil water availability is the primary control on seasonality across different PFTs and soil textures in the DCBP model. Further, calibrated parameters describing plant-water relations change significantly depending on whether the inference period used in the data assimilation includes persistent meteorological drought, thus effectively resulting in distinct plant water use strategies in the DCHM-PV. The dynamics of water stress recovery are examined by mapping seasonal phenology into the phase space of soil water stress and carbon uptake. In the Southeast U.S., simulated annual differences in GPP can be as high as 350 g C/m2/year with ET increases up to 125 mm/year during wet years. These values represent first order estimates of the dynamics of plant-water use feedbacks on the water and carbon budgets, and highlight the need to incorporate vegetation-specific phenology responses to water availability in order to accurately estimate the terrestrial carbon storage component of the global carbon budget at local and regional scales.
Second Order Exchange Energy of a d-Dimensional Electron Fluid

A method is presented for reducing a 3d-fold integral occurring in higher order many-body integrals for a d-dimensional electron gas to a double integral. The result is applied to the second order exchange energy for a d-dimensional uniform electron fluid. The cases \(d=2,3\) are examined in detail.
Severe contrast reaction emergencies high-fidelity simulation training for radiology residents and technologists in a children's hospital.

Rationale and Objectives Severe reactions to radiographic contrast agents can be life threatening, and although they are rare, effective recognition and management are essential to improving outcomes. A high-fidelity radiology simulation course for radiology residents and technologists focusing on severe contrast reactions and immediate treatments was designed to test the hypothesis that knowledge would improve with this educational intervention. Materials and Methods A prospective pretest and posttest study design was used. Residents and technologists worked in teams of three to five members. Learning objectives focused on demonstrating when and how to use basic life support skills and epinephrine auto-injectors. Each resident and technologist was administered a pretest prior to the start of the case scenarios and a posttest following the debriefing session. Scores from the pretest and posttest for the residents and technologists were compared using a paired-samples t test. Results Nineteen radiology residents and 11 radiology technologists participated. The average test scores were higher and improved significantly following the simulation experience for both the radiology residents (57% vs 82%, P P = .006). Anonymous evaluations demonstrated that the experience was well received by residents and technologists, with 97% of learners (29 of 30) rating the experience as extremely or very helpful. Important learning themes included the knowledge of epinephrine auto-injector use and basic life support skills. Discussion High-fidelity simulation for radiology residents and technologists focusing on epinephrine auto-injector use and basic life support skills during the first 5 minutes of a severe contrast reaction can significantly improve recognition and knowledge in treating patients having severe contrast reactions.
Kinetic swelling of crosslinked polymer

Polymer molecules can be crosslinked in networks as shown in Figure 5.1. The resulting material is locally a liquid held together by crosslinks. Examples of such materials include rubbers (also called elastomers) and gels.
Deep Scleral Exposure: A Degenerative Outcome of End-Stage Stargardt Disease

Purpose To describe a distinct phenotypic outcome of outer retinal degeneration in a cohort of genetically confirmed patients with recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1). Design Retrospective case series. Methods Twelve patients, who were clinically diagnosed with STGD1 and exhibited a unique degenerative phenotype, were included in the study. Two disease-causing mutations were found in all patients by direct sequencing of the ABCA4 gene. Clinical characterization of patients were defined on fundus photographs, autofluorescence images (488-nm and 532-nm excitation), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and full-field electroretinogram (ffERG) testing. Results Mean age at initial presentation was 67.8 years and reported age of symptomatic onset was 14.1 years (mean disease duration = 53.8 years). Best-corrected visual acuity ranged from 20/400 to hand motion. All patients exhibited advanced degeneration across the posterior pole resulting in a reflectively pale, blonde fundus owing to unobstructed exposure of the underlying sclera. SD-OCT revealed complete loss of the outer retinal bands (external limiting membrane, ellipsoid zone, interdigitation zone, and retinal pigment epithelium) and choroidal layers. Scotopic and photopic waveforms on ffERG were nonrecordable or severely attenuated in 8 patients who were tested. Conclusions Widespread scleral exposure is a clinical outcome in a subset of STGD1 following a long duration of disease progression (∼50 years). The blonde fundus in such cases may exhibit phenotypic overlap and shared therapeutic implications with other aggressive chorioretinal dystrophies such as end-stage choroideremia, gyrate atrophy, or RPE65-Leber congenital amaurosis.
Robotic versus laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a MBSAQIP analysis

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has become the procedure of choice for the treatment of morbid obesity. Robotic sleeve gastrectomy is an alternative surgical option, but its utilization has been low. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contemporary outcomes of robotic sleeve gastrectomy (RSG) versus laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) using a national database from accredited bariatric centers. Using the 2015 Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database, clinical data for patients who underwent RSG or LSG were examined. Emergent and revisional cases were excluded. A multivariate logistic regression model was utilized to compare the outcomes between RSG and LSG. A total of 75,079 patients underwent sleeve gastrectomy with 70,298 (93.6%) LSG and 4781 (6.4%) RSG. Preoperative sleep apnea and hypoalbumenia were significantly higher in the RSG group (P < 0.01). Mean length of stay was similar between RSG and LSG (1.8 ± 2.0 vs. 1.7 ± 2.0 days, P = 0.17). Operative time was longer in the RSG group (102 ± 43 vs. 74 ± 36 min, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality between the RSG versus LSG group (0.02% vs. 0.01%, AOR 0.85; 95% CI 0.11–6.46, P = 0.88). However, RSG was associated with higher serious morbidity (1.1% vs. 0.8%, AOR 1.40; 95% CI 1.05–1.86, P < 0.01), higher leak rate (1.5% vs. 0.5%, AOR 3.14; 95% CI 2.65–4.42, P < 0.01), and higher surgical site infection rate (0.7% vs. 0.4%, AOR 1.55; 95% CI 1.08–2.23, P = 0.01). Robotic sleeve gastrectomy has longer operative time and is associated with higher postoperative morbidity including leak and surgical site infections. Laparoscopy should continue to be the surgical approach of choice for sleeve gastrectomy.
Thoracoscopic Diaphragm Plication with Pledgets in an 8 kg Infant After Congenital Heart Surgery

Abstract Introduction: Diaphragm eventration from a phrenic nerve injury after congenital heart surgery is a well-recognized complication. Treatment of the eventration is diaphragm plication if the...
Interplay between Selenium, selenoprotein genes, and oxidative stress in honey bee Apis mellifera L.

Abstract The honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is a major pollinator insect that lacks novel “selenoprotein genes”, rendering it susceptible to elevated levels of Selenium (Se) occurring naturally in the environment. We investigated the effects of two inorganic forms of Se on biological traits, oxidative stress, and gene regulation. Using bioassay arenas in the laboratory, one-day old sister bees were fed ad libitum 4 different concentrations of selenate and selenite, two common inorganic forms of Se. The transcription levels of 4 honey bee antioxidant genes were evaluated, and three putative selenoprotein-like genes (SELENOT, SELENOK, SELENOF) were characterized as well as Sbp2, a Selenium binding protein required for the translation of selenoproteins mRNA. Oxidative stress and Se residues were subsequently quantified in honey bee bodies throughout the experiment. Se induced higher oxidative stress in treated honey bees leading to a significantly elevated protein carbonyl content, particularly at the highest studied concentrations. Early upregulations of Spb2 and MsrA were identified at day 2 of the treatment while all genes except SELENOT were upregulated substantially at day 8 to alleviate the Se-induced oxidative stress levels. We determined that doses between 60 and 600 mg.Se.L−1 were acutely toxic to bees (
An Agile Methodology for Greater Communications Excellence in the Age of Digitalization: Communications "Coding" Loop

The Communications “Coding” Loop is a methodology which is intended to improve communications quality and responsiveness to changing audience requirements by (co-)working more flexible, collaborative and effectively together. As a type of an “agile” (co-working) model and communications development, it advocates frequent "releases" in short development cycles, which is intended to improve productivity and introduce checkpoints at which new communication requirements can be adopted.
Physical and viscoelastic properties of carrots during drying.

It is essential to understand the physical and mechanical properties of a product since these properties affect the structure, texture, and ultimately consumer acceptance. The effect of drying conditions on dynamic viscoelastic properties, stress relaxation function and creep compliance, and physical properties, such as moisture distribution, color parameters, and shrinkage, was studied. An increase in drying temperature and duration resulted in a decrease in moisture content and volume, which were highly correlated (R = .988). Water evaporation followed the falling rate period, demonstrating that the water transport was limited by internal resistances. The decomposition of carotenoids led to a decrease in magnitude of color parameters (L, a, and b), between 30.1% and 51.6% with 4 hr drying. It was observed that the material shrinkage and moisture content highly affected the mechanical properties; increased stress relaxation modulus and decreased creep compliance values of the sample. The creep behavior, expressed with Burger's model (R2 ≥ .986), was highly dependent on moisture content. The linear viscoelastic region of carrots was found to be at strains lower than 3%. The three-element Maxwell model well fitted to describe the viscoelastic behavior of carrots (R2 ≥ .999, RMSE ≤ 2.08 × 10-4 ). The storage moduli (G') were higher than loss moduli (G″), indicating that samples presented solid-like behavior. The findings can be used to improve the textural attributes of carrots and carrot-based products.
Decentralization and the Functions of Food Regulation

Using the federal food safety regulatory laws as examples, this chapter explores the significance of governmental function in understanding and prescribing centralized and decentralized authority. It begins by examining how recurrent criticisms of federal food safety regulation for excessive decentralization have routinely failed to consider whether the optimal degree of centralization should vary by regulatory function. It then argues that functional differentiation can provide important analytical benefits, including (1) more accurate characterizations of existing regulatory programs, (2) mitigation of practical obstacles to desirable restructuring, (3) clarification of the tradeoffs of centralized or decentralized regulatory structures, and (4) illumination of alternative options for situating authority at different points on the centralization dimension. Finally, it contends that functional analysis can help policymakers improve the net benefits of choices along the centralization/decentralization dimension by identifying appropriate organizational choices along the other two dimensions for allocating authority.
Clinical Trials: Ensuring Quality and Standardization

The number of clinical trials in the United States and worldwide is increasing rapidly. ClinicalTrials.gov, which started in the year 2000, registered a total of 2119 trials, whereas in 2019, that number is 309,531, which is nearly a 150-fold increase [1]. Of the 309,531 trials registered in 2019, 244,831 (79%) are interventional, with 25,857 - or approximately 11% - involving a surgical procedure. With this rise in the number of clinical trials, there is an increased need to ensure that human subjects research being conducted is done in a manner that is ethical and the data collected, analyzed, and reported are of high quality and transparent. To meet this need, organizations ranging from academic centers to large consortia that conduct clinical trials to the National Institutes of Health now have implemented training programs and defined standards for all professionals participating in the conduct of clinical trials. We will review some of these standards, as well as other components of clinical trials to ensure quality and standardization.
Chapter 5 – Managing and Implementing Community Policing

Publisher Summary Police administrators have a key role to play in community policing. It requires everyone working together to change the department's course and move it toward a philosophy that provides people with a higher quality of service. Successful implementation requires evaluating the department's organizational structure and making changes. Authority must be decentralized to the point that unit commanders, supervisors, and officers have the authority solve the problems that they confront. Community policing dictates that the police must substantially expand their role to include problem solver and concerned community member. The police have a broad, overarching responsibility to attempt to improve the quality of life of its residents. Performance evaluations and promotion processes should focus on community policing attributes. The department's management and supervision processes should constantly reinforce community policing. The police must develop partnerships with community members, groups, and other governmental agencies. Alleviation of many community problems requires a cooperative effort among different groups of people.
Control Devices: Electrostatic Precipitation, Scrubbing, Mist Elimination, Adsorption, and Combustion of Toxic and Hazardous Wastes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the techniques of electrostatic precipitation, scrubbing, mist elimination, adsorption, and combustion of toxic and hazardous wastes. There has been a considerable quantity of research conducted in the area of electrostatic precipitation. The development of an optimized collection system for high-resistivity particulate matter includes an efficient pre-charging system coupled to a high electric field downstream collecting system. Thus, the optimization of both the pre-charger and collection systems can be approached independently. New approaches to energization have ranged from the use of computers to operate a more conventional type of transformer–rectifier (T–R) set to the use of pulse energization. These developments provide the user with a variety of energization options in the operation of the ESP system. Wet scrubbers are used to remove particles and gases from gas streams by contacting them with a liquid, usually in the form of droplets. Conventional wet scrubbers remove particles by using inertial and diffusional mechanisms. Mist eliminators are used to remove droplets of liquid from process and exhaust gas streams. Adsorption is used to remove organic and inorganic material from gas streams by contact with a solid. Combusion, in addition to its significance to power generation, is a viable treatment process for the ultimate disposal of a large variety of toxic and hazardous chemical wastes.
Estimating the incidence of unintended births and pregnancies at the sub-state level to inform program design.

Objectives Unintended (mistimed or unwanted) pregnancies occur frequently in the United States and have negative effects. When designing prevention programs and intervention strategies for the provision of comprehensive birth control methods, it is necessary to identify (1) populations at high risk of unintended pregnancy, and (2) geographic areas with a concentration of need. Methods To estimate the proportion and incidence of unintended births and pregnancies for regions in Missouri, two machine-learning prediction models were developed using data from the National Survey of Family Growth and the Missouri Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Each model was applied to Missouri birth certificate data from 2014 to 2016 to estimate the number of unintended births and pregnancies across regions in Missouri. Population sizes from the American Community Survey were incorporated to estimate the incidence of unintended births and pregnancies. Results About 24,500 (34.0%) of the live births in Missouri each year were estimated to have resulted from unintended pregnancies: about 25 per 1,000 women (ages 15 to 45) annually. Further, 40,000 pregnancies (39.7%) were unintended each year: about 41 per 1,000 women annually. Unintended pregnancy was concentrated in Missouri’s largest urban areas, and annual incidence varied substantially across regions. Conclusions Our proposed methodology was feasible to implement. Random forest modeling identified factors in the data that best predicted unintended birth and pregnancy and outperformed other approaches. Maternal age, marital status, health insurance status, parity, and month that prenatal care began predict unintended pregnancy among women with a recent live birth. Using this approach to estimate the rates of unintended births and pregnancies across regions within Missouri revealed substantial within-state variation in the proportion and incidence of unintended pregnancy. States and other agencies could use this study’s results or methods to better target interventions to reduce unintended pregnancy or address other public health needs.
Analysis of an all-solid state nanobattery using molecular dynamics simulations under an external electric field.

Present Li-ion battery (LIB) technology requires strong improvements in performance, energy capacity, charging-time, and cost to expand their application to e-mobility and grid storage. Li-metal is one of the most promising materials to replace commercial anodes such as graphite because of its 10 times higher specific capacity. However, Li-metal has high reactivity with commercial liquid electrolytes; thus, new solid materials are proposed to replace liquid electrolytes when Li-metal anodes are used. We present a theoretical analysis of the charging process in a full nanobattery, containing a LiCoO2 cathode, a Li7P2S8I solid-state electrolyte (SSE), a Li-metal anode as well as Al and Cu collectors for the cathode and anode, respectively. In addition, we added a Li3P/Li2S film as a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer between the Li-anode and SSE. Thus, we focus this study on the SEI and SSE. We simulated the charging of the nanobattery with an external voltage by applying an electric field. We estimated temperature profiles within the nanobattery and analyzed Li-ion transport through the SSE and SEI. We observed a slight temperature rise at the SEI due to reactions forming PS3− and P2S74− fragments at the interfaces; however, this temperature profile changes due to the charging current under the presence of the external electric field e = 0.75 V A−1. Without the external field, the calculated open-circuit voltage (OCV) was 3.86 V for the battery, which is within the range of values of commercial cobalt-based LIBs. This voltage implies a spontaneous fall of available Li-ions from the anode to the cathode (during discharge). The charge of this nanobattery requires overcoming the OCV plus an additional voltage that determines the charging current. Thus, we applied an external potential able to neutralize the OCV, plus an additional 1.6 V to induce the transport of Li+ from the cathode up to the anode. Several interesting details about Li+ transport paths through the SSE and SEI are discussed.
Effect of Dietary Protein Intake on Bone Mineral Density and Fracture Incidence in Older Adults in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.

BACKGROUND Dietary recommendations may underestimate the protein older adults need for optimal bone health. This study sought to determine associations of protein intake with bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture among community-dwelling White and Black older adults. METHOD Protein as a percentage of total energy intake (TEI) was assessed with a Food Frequency Questionnaire in 2160 older adults (73.5 ± 2.8 years; 51.5% women; 35.8% Black) in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition prospective cohort. Hip, femoral neck, and whole body BMD was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and 4 years, and lumbar trabecular, cortical, and integral BMD was assessed by computed tomography at baseline and 5 years. Fragility fractures over 5 years were adjudicated from self-report data collected every 6 months. Associations with tertiles of protein intake were assessed using analysis of covariance for BMD and multivariate Cox regression for fracture, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS Participants in the upper protein tertile (≥15% TEI) had 1.8%-6.0% higher mean hip and lumbar spine BMD compared to the lower protein tertile (<13% TEI; p < .05). Protein intake did not affect change in BMD at any site over the follow-up period. Participants in the upper protein tertile had a reduced risk of clinical vertebral fracture over 5 years of follow-up (hazard ratio: 0.36 [95% confidence interval: 0.14, 0.97] vs lower protein tertile, p = .04). CONCLUSIONS Older adults with higher protein intake (≥15% TEI) had higher BMD at the hip, whole body, and lumbar spine, and a lower risk of vertebral fracture.
A voluntary statewide newborn screening pilot for spinal muscular atrophy: Results from early check

Prior to statewide newborn screening (NBS) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in North Carolina, U.S.A., we offered voluntary screening through the Early Check (EC) research study. Here, we describe the EC experience from October 2018 through December 2020. We enrolled a total of 12,065 newborns and identified one newborn with 0 copies of SMN1 and two copies of SMN2, consistent with severe early onset of SMA. We also detected one false positive result, likely stemming from an unrelated blood disorder associated with a low white blood cell count. We evaluated the timing of NBS for babies enrolled prenatally (n = 932) and postnatally (n = 11,133) and reasons for delays in screening and reporting. Although prenatal enrollment led to faster return of results (median = 13 days after birth), results for babies enrolled postnatally were still available within a timeframe (median = 21 days after birth) that allowed the opportunity to receive essential treatment early in life. We evaluated an SMA q-PCR screening method at two separate time points, confirming the robustness of the assay. The pilot project provided important information about SMA screening in anticipation of forthcoming statewide expansion as part of regular NBS.