cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vaccinating my way--use of alternative vaccination schedules in New York State.

Objective To identify children vaccinated following an alternative vaccine schedule using immunization information system data and determine the impact of alternative schedule use on vaccine coverage. Study design Children born in New York State, outside New York City, between January 1, 2009 and August 14, 2011 were assessed for vaccination patterns consistent with use of an alternative schedule. Children who by 9 months of age had at least 3 vaccination visits recorded in the statewide mandatory immunization information system after 41 days of age were classified as either attempting to conform to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published recommended vaccination schedule or an alternative schedule. The number of vaccination visits and up-to-date status at age 9 months were compared between groups. Results Of the 222 628 children studied, the proportion of children following an alternative schedule was 25%. These children were significantly less likely to be up-to-date at age 9 months (15%) compared with those conforming to the routine schedule (90%, P P Conclusions Almost 1 in 4 children in this study appear to be intentionally deviating from the routine schedule. Intentional deviation leads to poor vaccination coverage leaving children vulnerable to infection and increasing the potential for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
Seeded conversion of recombinant prion protein to a disulfide-bonded oligomer by a reduction-oxidation process.

The infectious form of prion protein, PrPSc, self-propagates by its conversion of the normal, cellular prion protein molecule PrPC to another PrPSc molecule. It has not yet been demonstrated that recombinant prion protein can convert prion protein molecules from PrPC to PrPSc. Here we show that recombinant hamster prion protein is converted to a second form, PrPRDX, by a redox process in vitro and that this PrPRDX form seeds the conversion of other PrPC molecules to the PrPRDX form. The converted form shows properties of oligomerization and seeded conversion that are characteristic of PrPSc. We also find that the oligomerization can be reversed in vitro. X-ray fiber diffraction suggests an amyloid-like structure for the oligomerized prion protein. A domain-swapping model involving intermolecular disulfide bonds can account for the stability and coexistence of two molecular forms of prion protein and the capacity of the second form for self-propagation.
Effects of exercise and lovastatin on serum creatine kinase activity.

Abstract Vigorous physical activity and lovastatin (Mevacor) a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, have both been independently associated with elevated creatine kinase (CK) levels. To determine the effect of lovastatin plus exercise on serum CK activity, we measured CK levels before and after maximal treadmill exercise in 14 men (51.6 ± 17.3 years, mean ± SD) and 6 women (48.5 ± 7.4 years) before and after 4 weeks of lovastatin treatment (20 mg/d). Blood samples were obtained before, immediately after, and 24 hours after exercise. Individual subjects were exercised for the same duration on each test. Preexercise CK levels and the average CK response to treadmill exercise did not differ before and after lovastatin treatment. In two men taking lovastatin, however, CK levels increased by 183% and 242% 24 hours after exercise during lovastatin administration. We conclude that low-dose lovastatin treatment plus exercise does not affect average CK activity but that this combination may markedly increase CK levels in certain individuals.
Idiom interpretation in isolation versus context: a developmental study with adolescents.

Idiom interpretation under two different presentation modes, Isolation and Context, was examined developmentally in 475 adolescents ages 14 through 17. Results demonstrated that accuracy was greate...
Symmetry properties in systems of semilinear elliptic equations

Abstract We investigate symmetry properties of solutions of systems of semilinear elliptic equations. The two main tools we use consist of the maximum principle and the device of moving parallel planes to a critical position and then showing that the solution is symmetric about the limiting plane. An application to the Belousov-Zhabotinskii chemical reaction is given.
Spontaneous Cytotoxic Earthworm Leukocytes Kill K562 Tumor Cells

Abstract Earthworm coelomocytes may act as effector cells which destroy targets in vitro. In a 51Cr release assay, Lumbricus coelomocyte effectors showed lytic activities of 3–14% against K562 human tumor cells when incubated 1–4 hr at 23°C or 37°C. Cytotoxicity was correlated with effector: target ratio. However, targets were not killed by incubating them in cell-free, 0.2 μm filtered coelomic fluid. The supernatant from coelomocytes cultured alone failed to kill K562 targets but coelomocyte lysates were toxic to target cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Coelomocytes were examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When effectors and targets were examined under TEM, we found close apposition of effector granulocytic coelomocytes and target cell membranes but not with coelomocytes nor eleocytes at up to 15 min incubation. By SEM, effector cells appeared not only to be in close contact with targets, but instances of target lysis were observed. These...
Efficient fast algorithm and FPSoC for integer and fractional motion estimation in H.264/AVC

In this paper we propose an efficient motion estimation algorithm as well as its supporting FPGA-based, field programmable system-on-chip (FPSoC), for integer and fractional motion estimation. Our results show that the ratedistortion loss of our algorithm is insignificant when compared to full search in H.264/AVC, while our FPSoC is hardware-efficient, even out-performing some state-of-the-art ASIC implementations.
Correlates of the shift in heart rate variability with an active postural change in a healthy population sample: The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study.

Abstract Background The heart rate variability (HRV) response to postural change is a sensitive measure of the shift in autonomic balance from parasympathetic to sympathetic predominance that, when attenuated or absent, has been correlated with prevalent disease in patient populations. In a healthy population sample, we evaluated whether the shift in HRV with postural change differed by demographic characteristics as well as whether it differed between participants with established coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and their counterparts. Methods HRV was measured for 2 minutes in the supine and standing positions in a biracial sample of men and women (aged 45-64 years) without clinical CHD from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities Study (n = 7686). Mean differences among supine and standing mean R-R interval lengths, the SD of R-R intervals, and high-frequency power (HF) were compared by demographic characteristics (age, race, and sex) and CHD risk factors (smoking, obesity, physical activity, hypertension, and diabetes). Multivariable linear regression models were used to adjust for demographic characteristics. Results Smaller changes in R-R intervals and larger changes in SD of R-R intervals with standing were found among participants who were obese, less physically active than their counterparts, hypertensive, and diabetic. Smaller changes in HF were identified in male and white participants, but there were no differences in HF by CHD risk factors once models were adjusted for demographic characteristics. Conclusions These simple noninvasive measures can be used to detect differences in cardiac autonomic balance that may be markers for autonomic impairment in healthy adults. (Am Heart J 2002;143:808-13.)
Time evolution of a fractal distribution: Particle concentrations in free-surface turbulence

Abstract Steady-state turbulence is generated in a tank of water and the trajectories of particles forming a compressible system on the surface are tracked in time. The initial uniformly distributed floating particles coagulate and form a fractal structure, a rare manifestation of a strange attractor observable in real space. The surface pattern reaches a steady state in approximately 1 s. Measurements are made of the fractal dimensions D q ( t ) ( q = 1 to 6) of the floating particles starting with the uniform distribution D q ( 0 ) = 2 for Taylor Microscale Reynolds number R e λ ≃ 160 . Focus is on the time evolution of the correlation dimension D 2 ( t ) as the steady state is approached. This steady state is reached in several large eddy turnover times and does so at an exponential rate.
Rhythm classification using reconstructed phase space of signal frequency sub-bands

A preliminary study in the use of frequency sub-bands with reconstructed phase spaces (RPS) to distinguish between normal and abnormal atrial activity in an attempt to separate the atrial activation components from the ventricular activation components is presented. Two-second ECG Holter recordings of sinus rhythm (SR), atrial flutter (AFL), atrial fibrillation (AF), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and ventricular tachycardia (VT) were filtered into four sub-bands (0.5-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-32 Hz) and embedded into a 3-dimensional RPS. Gaussian mixture models of the sub-banded RPS were learned. The models learned over the 5-10 and 10-20 Hz bands had the best overall classification accuracy. SR was best classified in the 5-10 Hz band with no false positives in the 10-20 Hz band. AFL's highest classification was in the 10-20 and 20-32 Hz bands, AF in the 0.5-5 Hz band, SVT in the 5-10 Hz band, and VT in 10-20 Hz band. When the atrial arrhythmias were folded together into one class, the highest overall classification accuracy increased from 79% in the 10-20 Hz band to 92% in the 5-10 Hz band. These results are promising for the use of sub-banded RPS in the classification of atrial arrhythmias from surface ECGs.
Cholesterol and apolipoprotein distribution in plasma high-density-lipoprotein subclasses from zinc-deficient rats.

Effect ofzinc deficiency on the composition ofplasma high-density-lipopro- tein (HDL) subclasses was investigated in adult male rats (ZD) fed a diet containing 2.8 �ig of Zn/g as compared with pair-fed (PF) and ad bibitum-fed (CT) controls given 30.8 �g of Zn/g. Three HDL subclasses were isolated by heparin-affinity chromatography: HDL containing no apo E (HDL-E�), HDL with a moderate amount ofapo E (HDL-E1), and HDL highly enriched in apo E (HDL-E2). The plasma levels of total HDL cholesterol and protein were markedly decreased in ZD. The decreases were due primarily to a significant decline in circulating HDL- E0 particles. The percent content offree cholesterol in HDL-E2 was increased in ZD compared with PF and CT. Zn deficiency decreased the plasma concentrations of apo A-I and apo C of HDL-Eand total apo E associated with HDL-E1 and HDL-E2 . The mechanisms for such changes await further investigation. Am J C/in Nuir l989;50:73-9.
TCP Congestion Avoidance Algorithm Identification

The Internet has recently been evolving from homogeneous congestion control to heterogeneous congestion control. Several years ago, Internet traffic was mainly controlled by the traditional AIMD algorithm, whereas Internet traffic is now controlled by many different TCP algorithms, such as AIMD, BIC, CUBIC, and CTCP. However, there is very little work on the performance and stability study of the Internet with heterogeneous congestion control. One fundamental reason is the lack of the deployment information of different TCP algorithms. In this paper, we first propose a tool called TCP Congestion Avoidance Algorithm Identification (CAAI) for actively identifying the TCP algorithm of a remote web server. CAAI can identify all default TCP algorithms (i.e., AIMD, BIC, CUBIC, and CTCP) and most non-default TCP algorithms of major operating system families. We then present, for the first time, the CAAI measurement result of the 5000 most popular web servers. Among the web servers with valid traces, we found that only 16.85~25.58\% of web servers still use the traditional AIMD, 44.51\% of web servers use BIC or CUBIC, and 10.27$\sim$19\% of web servers use CTCP. In addition, we found that, for the first time, some web servers use non-default TCP algorithms, some web servers use some unknown TCP algorithms which are not available in any major operating system family, and some web servers use abnormal slow start algorithms. Our CAAI measurement results show a strong sign that the majority of TCP flows are not controlled by AIMD anymore, and a strong sign that the Internet congestion control has already changed from homogeneous to highly heterogeneous.
Anesthetic and Perioperative Considerations in Patients Undergoing Placement of Totally Implantable Replacement Hearts

The recent successful implantation of the AbioCor im plantable replacement heart at the Rudd Heart-Lung Institute, Jewish Hospital, Louisville, KY, has renewed clinical interest in the use of the mechanical replace ment heart as therapy for intractable heart failure. Al though the number of orthotopic heart transplants has plateaued in the past decade, the number of patients requiring transplantation continues to increase. This supply/demand discrepancy continues to be the main catalyst for the research and development of other therapies for the failing heart. This review addresses perioperative considerations, monitoring modalities, and perioperative therapeutic interventions that may help guide the cardiac anesthesiologist through the challenges presented by implantation of total replace ment hearts in end-stage cardiac patients.
A design of vertical coupled stacked bandpass filter using multilayer structure without via

This paper presents a new symmetric multilayer coupling configuration in order to reduce the size of microwave bandpass filter. To verify this approach, simulation and experimental investigation were made. A four sections bandpass filter was design and implemented. Both simulation and experimental performances of the filter are presented and with a good agreement. By using symmetric signal trace and ground designs accomplish the vertical coupling in multilayer system. Apply this technology in filter design can achieve the vertical extension in multilayer structure instead of the horizontal extension. Any order filter can be made in a limited footprint.
Rebuilding NASA: Communication Issues

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) presented a ground-breaking report in identifying communication issues relating to the loss of shuttle Columbia and in emphasizing the NASA organizational culture as a principal factor that confused communication and impeded effective action. This article first describes several of the technical communication issues relating to the disaster. Second, it reveals the penetrating focus of the CAIB investigation on the NASA culture. This focus on the organizational culture is, the author contends, a beneficial reflection of the pervasive influence of the social constructivist perspective throughout the academic world including technical and professional communication studies.
Cyberbullying Victimization and Adaptive Avoidance Behaviors at School

AbstractUsing data from the 2009 National Crime Victimization Survey, School Crime Supplement (NCVS-SCS) the current study explores the relationships between traditional bullying victimization, cyberbullying victimization, and victim adaptive avoidance behaviors. Like traditional forms of bullying, the cyberbullying literature base is developing and growing into a targeted area of emphasis in 21st century victimology. We explore the effects of these online victimization experiences, net of the impacts of traditional bullying and fear of victimization at school. Based on logistic regression analysis the results indicate that cyberbullying victimization experiences are significantly related to avoidance behaviors at school.
Deciphering the epidemic synergy of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection among women in sub-Saharan Africa

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) is highly prevalent in regions disproportionately affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) epidemic. The objective of our study was to identify the risk factors of HSV-2 and HIV-1 infections and to examine the association between the two infections. The study participants were recruited through a community based cross-sectional study that was conducted from November 2002 to March 2003 in the Moshi urban district of Northern Tanzania. A two-stage sampling design was used in recruiting the study participants. Information on socio-demographics, alcohol use, sexual behaviors, and STIs symptoms were obtained. Blood and urine samples were drawn for testing of HIV-1, HSV-2 and other STIs. The prevalence of HSV-2 infection among all study participants was 43%. The prevalence rate of HSV-2 among the HIV-negative and HIV-positive women was 40% and 65%, respectively. We found 2.72 times odds of having HIV-1 in an HSV-2 positive woman than in an HSV-2 negative woman. Furthermore, HIV-1 and HSV-2 shared common high-risk sexual behavior factors such as early onset of sexual debut, and testing positive for other STIs. Our findings suggest that HSV-2 may be both a biological and risk-associated cofactor for HIV-1 acquisition. In resource-limited countries, where both infections are prevalent efforts at symptomatic and diagnostic screening and treatment of HSV-2 should be part of HIV-1 prevention programs.
Organism-Dependent Fungicidal Activities of Azoles

We investigated the antifungal activities of itraconazole and voriconazole on Aspergillus species by time kill studies, and the results were compared with those obtained for Candida species. Exposure of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia to varying concentrations (1.25 to 10 microg/ml) of itraconazole and voriconazole resulted in cellular death; the cytocidal effect was time and concentration dependent. In contrast, no killing of Candida albicans occurred in the presence of itraconazole and voriconazole at concentrations as high as 10 microg/ml, although candidal growth was inhibited compared to the drug-free control. Amphotericin B (1.25 to 10 microg/ml), on the other hand, killed both A. fumigatus and C. albicans. Similar results were obtained for non-A. fumigatus aspergilli and non-C. albicans Candida species. These observations indicate that both itraconazole and voriconazole are cytocidal agents for Aspergillus species but not for Candida species, suggesting that azoles possess organism-dependent fungicidal activities.
Review of the peabody individual achievement test-revised

Abstract The Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised is a significant revision of the original 1970 achievement test from American Guidance Services. The test has been normed on a carefully stratified sample. There is substantial support for the reliability of the test and improved support for its validity over the original edition. It is easy to administer and score, and item content is based on a careful survey of recent curricula. However, scoring, reliability, and validity problems of the new Written Expression subtests seriously limit their utility. The test is useful in regular education and as a screening measure for identification of learning disabilities.
Evaluating a new approach to strong web cache consistency with snapshots of collected content

The problem of Web cache consistency continues to be an important one. Current Web caches use heuristic-based policies for determining the freshness of cached objects, often forcing content providers to unnecessarily mark their content as uncacheable simply to retain control over it. Server-driven invalidation has been proposed as a mechanism for providing strong cache consistency for Web objects, but it requires servers to maintain per-client state even for infrequently changing objects. We propose an alternative approach to strong cache consistency, called MONARCH, which does not require servers to maintain per-client state. In this work we focus on a new approach for evaluation of MONARCH in comparison with current practice and other cache consistency policies. This approach uses snapshots of content collected from real Web sites as input to a simulator. Results of the evaluation show MONARCH generates little more request traffic than an optimal cache coherency policy.
Identifying risk factors for surgical site infections in mastectomy patients using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database

BACKGROUND: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that surgical site infections (SSIs) create a significant hospital burden. To date, few multi-institutional studies have been performed to evaluate the risk factors for SSIs in mastectomy patients. METHODS: By using the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, all patients undergoing mastectomy from 2005 to 2009 were identified. The outcome was to determine the incidence rate and identify significant independent risk factors of SSIs. RESULTS: The incidence of SSI was 2.3% (891 of 38,739; 95% confidence interval, 2.2%‐2.5%) in patients undergoing mastectomy without reconstruction. Significant (P .05) risk factors for SSI included a body mass index greater than 25, American Society of Anesthesiology classification of 3 or higher, diabetes mellitus, surgical time of 2 hours or longer (75th percentile), and current smoking status.
The Development of an Efficient Multipurpose Bean Pod Mottle Virus Viral Vector Set for Foreign Gene Expression and RNA Silencing

Plant viral vectors are valuable tools for heterologous gene expression, and because of virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), they also have important applications as reverse genetics tools for gene function studies. Viral vectors are especially useful for plants such as soybean (Glycine max) that are recalcitrant to transformation. Previously, two generations of bean pod mottle virus (BPMV; genus Comovirus) vectors have been developed for overexpressing and silencing genes in soybean. However, the design of the previous vectors imposes constraints that limit their utility. For example, VIGS target sequences must be expressed as fusion proteins in the same reading frame as the viral polyprotein. This requirement limits the design of VIGS target sequences to open reading frames. Furthermore, expression of multiple genes or simultaneous silencing of one gene and expression of another was not possible. To overcome these and other issues, a new BPMV-based vector system was developed to facilitate a variety of applications for gene function studies in soybean as well as in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). These vectors are designed for simultaneous expression of multiple foreign genes, insertion of noncoding/antisense sequences, and simultaneous expression and silencing. The simultaneous expression of green fluorescent protein and silencing of phytoene desaturase shows that marker gene-assisted silencing is feasible. These results demonstrate the utility of this BPMV vector set for a wide range of applications in soybean and common bean, and they have implications for improvement of other plant virus-based vector systems.
Scalable 3D dense integration of photonics on bulk silicon.

We experimentally show vertically stacked, multi-layer, low-temperature deposited photonics for integration on processed microelectronics. Waveguides, microrings, and crossings are fabricated out of 400°C PECVD Si3N4 and SiO2 in a two layer configuration. Waveguide losses of ~1 dB/cm in the L-band are demonstrated using standard processing and without post-deposition annealing, along with vertically separated intersections showing −0.04 ± 0.002 dB/cross. Finally 3D drop rings are shown with 25 GHz channels and 24 dB extinction ratio.
Wine versus ethanol in human nutrition. IV. Zinc balance.

Six healthy young men participated in a metabolic balance study to assess the effects of wine versus ethanol on absorption of various elements. Zinc data are reported here. During each of four 18-day experimental periods. the subjects were fed a controlled diet plus 1 liter/day of one of the following test beverages, administered in random order: Zinfandeb wine, dealcoholized Zinfandel wine, an aqueous ethanol solution, or deionized water. Urinary zinc was significantly greater during wine and ethanol administration than during administration of the nonalcoholic beverages, suggesting that alcohol may affect the metabolism or renal conservation mechanism for zinc. The possibility of muscle catabolism due to alcohol ingestion is discussed. There was increased absorption and, perhaps also, decreased endogenous secretion of zinc during the wine and dealcoholized wine periods, as compared with ethanol and deionized water. This presumably was due to the nonalcoholic constituents of wine. Analysis of zinc in whole sweat after strenuous exercise revealed that a considerable amount of this ion can be lost under conditions of excessive sweating. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 33: 1096-1 102, 1980. There is some indication in the literature that wine acts differently from other alcoholic beverages in terms of its effects on various bodily processes, including absorption. This difference is presumed to be due to one or more of the many congeners (nonalcoholic constituents) in wine. We have previously described the results of a metabolic study on the effects ofwine versus ethanol6 on nitrogen and calorie balance (I), sodium and potas- sium balance (2), and calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium balance (3). This paper sum- marizes the data concerning balance of zinc.
Cheating in the First, Second, and Third Degree: Educators' Responses to High-Stakes Testing.

Educators are under tremendous pressure to ensure that their students perform well on tests. Unfortunately, this pressure has caused some educators to cheat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of, and degrees to which, a sample of teachers in Arizona were aware of, or had themselves engaged in test-related cheating practices as a function of the high-stakes testing policies of No Child Left Behind. A near census sample of teachers was surveyed, with valid responses obtained from about 5 percent, totaling just over 3,000 teachers. In addition, one small convenience sample of teachers was interviewed, and another participated in a focus group. Data revealed that cheating occurs and that educators can be quite clever when doing so. But how one defines cheating makes it difficult to quantify the frequency with which educators engage in such practices. Our analysis thus required us to think about a taxonomy of cheating based on the definitions of 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd degree offenses in the field of law. These categories were analyzed to help educators better define, and be more aware of others' and their own cheating practices, in an attempt to inform local testing policies and procedures.
The Impact of Tobacco Control Program Expenditures on Aggregate Cigarette Sales: 1981-1998

Since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between states and the tobacco industry, states have unprecedented resources for programs to reduce tobacco use. Decisions concerning the use of these funds will, in part, be based on the experiences of states with existing programs. We review the experiences of several states that have adopted comprehensive tobacco control programs. We also report estimates from econometric analyses of the impact of tobacco control expenditures on aggregate tobacco use in all states and in selected states with comprehensive programs for the period from 1981 through 1998. Our analyses clearly show that increases in funding for state tobacco control programs reduce tobacco use.
Noise-Induced Structural Damage to the Cochlea

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common cause of acquired hearing loss among persons younger than age 40. The major pathological basis of NIHL is mechanical stress to cochlear structures. During noise exposure, mechanical forces drive the basilar membrane to oscillate. Excessive motion of the basilar membrane causes a cascade of structural changes in cochlear sensory cells and their supporting cells, which, in turn, compromise cochlear function. Although acoustic overexposure affects both the peripheral and the central auditory systems, the peripheral organ is the primary target of acoustic exposure.
Chemiluminescence Imaging of Superoxide Anion Detects Beta-Cell Function and Mass

Superoxide anion is produced during normal cellular respiration and plays key roles in cellular physiology with its dysregulation being associated with a variety of diseases. Superoxide anion is a short-lived molecule and, therefore, its homeostatic regulation and role in biology and disease requires dynamic quantification with fine temporal resolution. Here we validated coelenterazine as a reporter of intracellular superoxide anion concentration and used it as a dynamic measure both in vitro and in vivo. Chemiluminescence was dependent upon superoxide anion levels, including those produced during cellular respiration, and concentrations varied both kinetically and temporally in response to physiologically relevant fluctuations in glucose levels. In vivo imaging with coelenterazine revealed that beta cells of the pancreas have increased levels of superoxide anion, which acted as a measure of beta-cell function and mass and could predict the susceptibility of mice to diabetes mellitus. Glucose response and regulation are key elements of cellular physiology and organismal biology, and superoxide anion appears to play a fundamental and dynamic role in both of these processes.
Howard Baker on Nonpartisan vs. Bipartisan Legislation

Recent research has focused on the circumstances of passage of the early environmental laws of the 1970s. Among revelations are that a bipartisan group of five Senators led by Senator Edmund Muskie spearheaded enactment of the precedent-setting Clean Air and Clean Water Act amendments of 1970 and 1972. In striking contrast with current Congressional gridlock, both statutes were approved by overwhelming bipartisan votes, including unanimous approval in the Senate.Senator Howard H. Baker was a member of the group. His engineering background and technical interests helped him to contribute significantly to the technical content of the above and other laws. In 2011 Baker responded to questions about bipartisanship in framing of the revolutionary laws. He pointed out that whereas partisanship is an essential component of democratic systems, bipartisanship is often misunderstood. Creative resolution of problems requires not bipartisan but nonpartisan legislation – development of which places special requirements on lawmakers.
Cirrhosis-Associated Cardiomyopathy

Liver cirrhosis is the 12 th leading cause of death in the US. The heart is one of the most adversely affected organs in liver cirrhosis. Cirrhosis-induced cardiomyopathy describes the cardiac dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis characterized by impaired contractile response to stress and/or altered diastolic relaxation with electrophysiologic abnormalities in the absence of other known cardiac disease. The current definition of cirrhosis-induced cardiomyopathy does not take into account recent evidence of resting contractile and relaxation dysfunction that can be appreciated by advanced imaging tools such as Doppler tissue imaging and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Cirrhosis-induced cardiomyopathy is caused by cellular as well as physiological mechanisms including but not limited to: beta adrenergic receptor dysfunction, calcium channelopathy, elevated levels of catecholamines, elevated levels of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide and stimulation of endogenous cannabinoid pathways capable of producing negative inotropic, relaxation, and electrophysiological defects. Currently there is no specific therapy for cirrhosis-induced cardiomyopathy. There is some evidence that short courses of beta blockers may restore prolonged QT interval to normal values. Also, there is an emerging evidence for a role of aldosterone antagonists in reducing myocardial hypertrophy. Liver transplantation may revert cardiac dysfunction, but surgery and shunt insertion may also aggravate the condition. More standardized tools are needed to screen for and treat cirrhosis-induced cardiomyopathy.
Evaluation of Critical Parameters in the Separation of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes through Selective Adsorption onto Hydrogels

The electronic-type separation of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by selective adsorption onto hydrogel surfaces has become a highly researched method. However, large variations in both SWCNT dispersion and separation protocols have been reported, making it difficult to elucidate whether changes to dispersion state or separation parameters are responsible for the observations reported in the literature. This study systematically evaluates the role that hydrogel type (dextran- or agarose-based) and SWCNT loading concentration have on separation quality, throughput, and reproducibility. For dextran-based gels, increased dextran concentration rather than cross-linker concentration improves retention and selectivity, suggesting that hydroxyl groups rather than linker molecules are the active adsorption sites. SWCNTs have much stronger interactions with agarose- than dextran-based gels. This stronger adsorption capacity combined with the improved retention of SWCNTs at higher agarose concentration sugges...
Imprecision Medicine: A One-Size-Fits-Many Approach for Muscle Dystrophy

There is still no curative treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Young et al. (2016) demonstrate a genome editing approach applicable to 60% of DMD patients with CRISPR/Cas9 using one pair of guide RNAs.
The effects of metabolic diseases on the cardiovascular system.

Abstract Many metabolic diseases result in pathological changes within the cardiovascular system, often with the most severe effects on the function of the heart and great vessels. Metabolic disorders affecting the heart include disorders of amino acid metabolism, storage diseases, neuromuscular diseases, diseases of metal and pigment metabolism, carnitine deficiency, and connective tissue disorders. Several inborn errors of metabolism may involve the myocardium due to the accumulation of abnormal metabolites in the myocardial cells. In addition, the heart valves and coronary vessels may be involved. If the predominant effect is in the myocardial cell, it will be manifested clinically as a cardiomyopathy. Some disorders, in particular oxalosis, may involve the conduction system as a result of the deposition of oxalate crystals and result in conduction disturbances such as in alkaptonuria, primary oxalosis, and homocystinuria. Myocardial involvement may result in cardiomyopathy of the three functional types: (1) congestive, as in Fabry's disease, (2) hypertrophic, as in glycogen storage disease, type II, or (3) restrictive, as in Gaucher's disease. In the storage disease severe valvular as well as myocardial involvement occur predominantly in the glycogen storage diseases, types II-IV, mucolipidoses, sphingolipidoses, and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. There are a variety of neuromuscular disorders that may be associated with cardiomyopathy, including the muscular dystrophies, Friedreich's ataxia, and Kugelberg-Welander syndrome. The pathological features of these conditions are not specific, but result usually in a congestive form of cardiomyopathy. Patients with metal and pigment metabolic disorders include iron storage disease, either hemochromatosis or transfusional hemosiderosis, Menkes' kinky hair syndrome, and Dubin-Johnson syndrome. Either a restrictive or a congestive form of cardiomyopathy may occur. The systemic form of carnitine deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder and may present as a cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure and lipid accumulation in the myocardial cells. Connective tissue disorders are generalized diseases that may involve the heart and valvular tissue, but also the blood vessels. These include Marfan's syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, and pseudo-xanthoma elasticum.
Benefits of normothermic induction of blood cardioplegia in energy-depleted hearts, with maintenance of arrest by multidose cold blood cardioplegic infusions.

This study tests the hypothesis that warm induction of cardioplegia prior to prolonged maintenance by multidose infusions of cold blood cardioplegic solution would increase the tolerance of energy-depleted hearts to subsequent aortic clamping. Eighty percent * depletion of subendocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was produced in 30 dogs by 45 minutes of normothermic ischemia. This was followed either by unmodified blood reperfusion or 2 additional hours of aortic clamping with multidose cold blood cardioplegia. We compared a brief (5 minute) period of 37° C cardioplegic induction to standard 4° C blood cardioplegic induction to determine if warm induction would enhance metabolic and functional recovery. Warm cardioplegic induction resulted in more oxygen consumption than cold induction (16.9 versus 8.1 cc/100 gm) * , and lower levels of glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), suggesting better aerobic-metabolism (0.97 versus 1.87 μM/gm wet weight). * Prompt repletion of creatine phosphate (CP) occurred with warm and cold cardioplegic induction, although ATP levels remained low. Hearts undergoing ischemia and unmodified reperfusion consumed insufficient oxygen to meet basal metabolic needs during reperfusion (7 cc/100 gm below requirement) * and recovered only 33% ± 5% * of control left ventricular performance. Better function occurred with cold cardioplegic induction (63% ± 5%), * and almost complete recovery (85% ± 5%) occurred when warm induction of cardioplegia was used. We conclude that warm induction followed by prolonged cold multidose blood cardioplegic arrest enhances aerobic metabolism, results in normal left ventricular performance, and improves tolerance of aortic clamping in energy-depleted hearts.
Conservative Care in Lumbar Spine Surgery Trials: A Descriptive Literature Review

Abstract Objective To evaluate the degree to which conservative care and failure were specifically defined in studies comparing nonoperative treatment versus surgery for low back pain (LBP) conditions in adults. Data Sources A comprehensive literature search was conducted by an experienced librarian using MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Google Scholar, and CENTRAL from January 2003 to June 2014. Endnote bibliographic management application was used to remove duplicates and organize the citations. Study Selection Prospective, randomized, or cohort trials comparing surgery versus conservative intervention for patients with LBP conditions. Study selection was conducted by 2 independent reviewers. Data Extraction Three independent reviewers extracted data from each article using a structured data extraction form. Data extracted included type of study, participant characteristics, sample size, description, and duration of conservative care and whether failed conservative care criterion was defined. Data Synthesis A total of 852 unique records were screened for eligibility; of those, 72 articles were identified for further full-text review. Thirty-four full texts were excluded based on the exclusion criteria, and 38 articles, representing 20 unique studies, were included for qualitative synthesis. Fifteen of the 20 studies defined the duration of conservative care. Only 3 studies defined the dosage of physical therapy sessions, including total number of visits and visit duration. Two studies described medication usage, including the duration and type. No studies specifically defined what constituted failed conservative therapy. Conclusions This literature review suggests conservative care is poorly defined in randomized trials, which can lead to ambiguity of research procedures and unclear guidelines for clinicians. Future studies should increase transparency and explicitly define conservative care.
Photovoltaics for Disaster Relief and Remote Areas

This chapter introduces the readers to types of natural disasters, their impact on electrical grid, causes, and cost of outages to the world and US economy. The need of energy in the aftermath of disasters both in developed and developing countries is discussed. Energy need in remote and off grid areas is also discussed. The chapter also discusses using photovoltaic energy for disaster relief and remote areas. The chapter concludes by describing the increased use of photovoltaic in the world, and the growth and forecast of photovoltaic markets.
Signal Inhibitors in Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

Whole genome sequencing has identified actionable mutations in MYD88 and CXCR4 in lymphoplasmacytic cells from Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) patients that promote multiple survival cascades that include Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK), PI3Kδ/AKT, and ERK1/2. Transcriptome studies have also identified aberrations in MYD88, CXCR4, and BCL2 survival signaling. Novel treatment options for WM include inhibitors that target BTK, PI3Kδ/AKT, CXCR4, and BCL2. Ibrutinib, an inhibitor of BTK, has shown high rates of activity and durable responses in relapsed/refractory WM patients. Both MYD88 and CXCR4 tumor mutation status impact ibrutinib response.
Iterates of Maps Which are Non-Expansive in Hilbert's Metric

Abstract We review some results from the theory of non-expansive mappings and apply them to two metrics in particular: Thompson's part metric and Hilbert's projective metric. On symmetric cones, we generalise the notion of the cycle time defined previously for max-plus operators. We show that symmetric cones endowed with either Hilbert's or Thompson's metric satisfy Busemann's definition of a space of non-positive curvature. One result is that, on a strictly convex symmetric cone, the cycle time exists for all maps which are non-expansive in both these metrics. We also review some generalisations of the classical Denjoy-Wolff theorem.
Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma causing intestinal obstruction

Abstract A previously healthy toddler with bilious vomiting and erythematous gluteal rash over 2 weeks had intermittent pain, constipation and decreased appetite. All labs were negative with the exception of fecal occult blood. Abdominal x-ray and ultrasound revealed dilated air-filled loops of bowel and partial small bowel obstruction. After persistent worsening abdominal pain and vomiting a CT scan with IV contrast (Fig. 1) suggested small bowel obstruction. Emergent surgery was performed and diagnostic laparoscopy revealed about 61 cm of necrotic bowel causing stricture formation and mesenteric shortening in the distal small bowel. 56 cm of inflamed bowel was resected with end-to-end anastomosis. Final pathology report indicated diffuse intestinal angiomatosis with transmural involvement and focal erosion consistent with KHE (Fig. 2). Presentation is varied, consists of cutaneous lesion, retroperitoneal mass, intestinal obstruction, jaundice, intussusception, or multifocal neoplasms. Complete surgical resection with wide margins is the best therapeutic option and has achieved the best outcomes. If not treated in sufficient time, KHE has a relatively high mortality rate of 30%, with most deaths occurring due to its locally invasive effects [5]. There are limited reports of identifying features of KHE on imaging. Of 165 cases of KHE none were presented in the small bowel [5]. We report the unique case of KHE presenting as a hypervascular mass causing obstruction in the distal small bowel. Although extremely rare, KHE should be considered as a reason for severe GI stricture or obstruction in infants and children in obscure cases and included in the differential.
Population impact of lung cancer screening in the United States: Projections from a microsimulation model

Background Previous simulation studies estimating the impacts of lung cancer screening have ignored the changes in smoking prevalence over time in the United States. Our primary rationale was to perform, to our knowledge, the first simulation study that estimates the health outcomes of lung cancer screening with explicit modeling of smoking trends for the whole US population. Methods/Findings Utilizing a well-validated microsimulation model, we estimated the benefits and harms of an annual low-dose computed tomography screening scenario with a realistic screening adherence rate versus a no-screening scenario for the US population from 2016–2030. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) eligibility criteria were applied: age 55–77 years at time of screening, history of at least 30 pack-years of smoking, and current smoker or former smoker with fewer than 15 years since quitting. In the screened population, cumulative mortality reduction was projected to reach 16.98% (95% CI 16.90%–17.07%). Cumulative mortality reduction was estimated to be 3.52% (95% CI 3.50%–3.53%) for the overall study population, with annual mortality reduction peaking at 4.38% (95% CI 4.36%–4.41%) in 2021 and falling to 3.53% (95% CI 3.50%–3.56%) by 2030. Lung cancer screening would save a projected 148,484 life-years (95% CI 147,429–149,540) across the total population through 2030. There were estimated to be 9,054 (95% CI 9,011–9,098) overdiagnosed cases among the 252,429 (95% CI 251,208–253,649) screen-detected lung cancer diagnoses, yielding an overdiagnosis rate of 3.59%. The limitations of our study are that we do not explicitly model race or socioeconomic status and our model was calibrated to data from studies performed in academic centers, both of which may impact the generalizability of our results. We also exclusively model the effects of the CMS guidelines for lung cancer screening and not any other screening strategies. Conclusions The mortality reduction and life-years gained estimated by this study are lower than those of single birth cohort studies. Single cohort studies neglect the changing dynamics of smoking behavior across generations, whereas this study reflects the trend of decreasing smoking prevalence since the 1960s. Maximum benefit could be derived from lung cancer screening through 2021; in later years, mortality reduction due to screening will decline. If a comprehensive screening program is not implemented in the near future, the opportunity to achieve these benefits will have passed.
CHAPTER 2 – Design of a High-Resolution, High-Sensitivity PET Camera for Human Brains and Small Animals1

Design parameters for a three-dimensional positron emission tomography camera with high sensitivity (35-cm detector ring diameter, 15-cm axial field of view) and isotropic high resolution provided by detector modules capable of depth of interaction (DOI) measurement are presented. Detector modules are made of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystals (3 mm square by 30 mm deep). The small module size and short decay time of LSO reduce the detector dead time by a factor of 14 compared to conventional bismuth germanate detector modules and narrow the coincidence window width to 4 ns. This yields an expected peak noise equivalent count rate of 800 kcps and a noise equivalent sensitivity of 1370 kcps/μCi/cc with a 20-cm diameter phantom—three to five times higher than conventional scanners. With 5-mm full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) DOI resolution, the expected reconstructed spatial resolution is < 3.0 mm FWHM throughout the entire field of view. Depth of interaction measurement information is incorporated into the reconstruction algorithm by rebinning onto a regularly spaced grid. Attenuation correction is performed with an orbiting singles transmission source. A complete treatment of this work appears in Moses et al. (1997) and is reprinted herein with the permission of the journal. Reference to the work should be made to the original publication.