cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autoantibodies against retinal bipolar cells in cutaneous melanoma-associated retinopathy.

PURPOSE This study's goal was to determine the pathophysiology of the retinopathy that occurs in patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma and sudden onset of night blindness, the so-called melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) syndrome. We tested the hypothesis that sera from two MAR patients contained autoantibodies that reacted with "on" bipolar cells of the human retina. METHODS Immunofluorescence was performed on cryostat sections of unfixed normal human retinas. Sera and IgG fractions were tested from the two MAR patients and 38 control subjects (28 patients with metastatic melanoma, but no visual symptoms; two patients with non-MAR retinopathy; and eight normal subjects). RESULTS The sera and IgG fractions from both MAR patients but from none of the control subjects produced heavy immunostaining of bipolar cells, which were identified as rod bipolars by a double labeling procedure using anti-protein kinase C. CONCLUSIONS We hypothesize that MAR patients generate autoantibodies against a melanoma antigen that cross react with bipolar cells of the retina. These antibodies, by an unknown mechanism, may cause abnormalities of the rod and cone systems that are characteristic of MAR.
Ideal Cardiovascular Health: Start Young, Finish Strong

Landmark developments during the second half of the 20th century established that smoking, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia constituted cardinal risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.1 These insights proved critical in reversing decades of increases in the mortality rate from coronary heart disease in the United States starting in the late 1960s. As knowledge concerning the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease evolved rapidly during ensuing decades, research tended to focus on how much risk for adverse cardiovascular events increased in function of levels of risk factors (high-risk emphasis). However, this paradigm has shifted as research increasingly emphasized that low-risk cardiovascular risk factor profiles were associated with large reductions in cardiovascular mortality and improvements in other outcomes (low-risk emphasis).2 Thus, the conceptual framework for preventing cardiovascular disease that had been anchored largely in primary prevention increasingly embraced primordial prevention.3 (SELECT FULL TEXT TO CONTINUE)
On-Chip Wireless Optical Broadcast Interconnection Network

An on-chip wireless optical broadcast network for future multicore CPU interconnections is introduced in this paper. A baseline topology is composed of 32 identical transmitting/receiving optical dielectric rod antennas arranged around a circular ring. To ensure balanced power distribution between the channels, the optical antenna design was governed by the antennas' far-field radiation pattern and near-field coupling. Over the frequency range of 172 THz (1750 nm) and 222 THz (1350 nm), the broadcasting network has average and minimum transmissions of -16 and -21.5 dB, respectively. The overall transmission efficiency is maintained above 70% throughout the operating bandwidth. Results are confirmed by the full-wave simulations based on finite integration and finite element methods. For additional validation, an eight-channel microwave broadcasting network is fabricated, and excellent agreement between the full-wave design and measurements are obtained.
Evaluation of Hemorrhage, Sample Size, and Collateral Damage for Five Hepatic Biopsy Methods in Dogs

Objectives— To compare the volume of hemorrhage, number of lobules, and portal triads available for histologic evaluation, and resultant collateral damage between 5 hepatic biopsy methods: biopsy punch, biopsy needle, ligature method, laparoscopic biopsy forceps, and ultrasonically activated scalpel (UAS). Study Design— Experimental, repeated measures, block. Animals— Twelve adult dogs. Methods— Biopsies were obtained from the periphery and center of the left lateral liver lobe of each dog using each of 5 biopsy techniques. Hemorrhage was quantified and compared between methods and sites. Biopsy samples were evaluated histologically to characterize collateral damage and determine the number of lobules and portal triads sampled. Results— Regardless of technique, liver biopsy resulted in minimal hemorrhage (<2 mL). For peripheral biopsies, UAS was comparable with the ligature method, but caused significantly less hemorrhage than all other methods, whereas for central biopsies, UAS caused significantly less hemorrhage than other methods. Except for the laparoscopic biopsy forceps, UAS caused significantly more collateral damage than other methods. UAS and ligature biopsy methods yielded specimens that had more portal triads per sample than other methods. Eight of 48 biopsy needle samples were inadequate for histologic evaluation, whereas other methods yielded adequate specimens. Conclusions— All biopsy methods produced minimal hemorrhage and except for needle biopsy yielded adequate tissue samples for histologic evaluation. Clinical Relevance— Use of UAS is a reliable, safe alternative technique for liver biopsy and can be used laparoscopically to obtain large tissue samples.
AN AUTOMATED PROCEDURE FOR BLOOD PHENYLALANINE.

The fluorometric analysis of phenylalanine described by McCaman and Robins has been adapted to automation. The procedure may be used on 20-µl. whole-blood samples which may be stored on filter paper for elution. The procedure is rapid, reproducible, and accurate, making it useful for screening large populations for phenylketonuria.
Novel functionalized electrolyte for MCMB/Li1.156Mn1.844O4lithium-ion cells

A novel functionalized electrolyte based on Li2B12F9H3 was investigated to improve the electrochemical and safety performance of lithium-ion cells using a lithium manganese oxide spinel positive electrode and a mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) negative electrode. The test results showed that Li2B12F9H3 can act both as the lithium salt, like the conventional LiPF6, and as the redox shuttle for overcharge protection of lithium-ion cells. In addition, the performance of the lithium-ion cells was dramatically improved by the addition of lithium bis(oxalato)borate and tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane as electrolyte additives. With the help of the proposed additives, MCMB/Li1.156Mn1.844O4lithium ion cells maintained more than 85% capacity after 1200 cycles.
Close Corporations and the Kansas General Corporation Code of 1972

It has become a truism that within the genus of corporation there are at least two species -- the publicly-held corporation and the closely-held corporation -- and that the characteristics and requirements of a close corporation often are more akin to those of a partnership than to those of a public corporation. It is also common knowledge that in the past corporate legislation was drafted solely with the public corporation in mind and thus failed to take account of the peculiar characteristics and needs of the close corporation. As a result, the close corporation became a square peg sought to be forced into a round hold. A free and independent board of directors, necessary for the protection of inactive investors in a public corporation, was an anathema to the close corporation in which all of the stakeholders were engaged in active conduct of the business.
Estimation of Citation-Based Scholarly Activity Among Radiation Oncology Faculty at Domestic Residency-Training Institutions: 1996-2007

Purpose: Advancement in academic radiation oncology is largely contingent on research productivity and the perceived external influence of an individual’s scholarly work. The purpose of this study was to use the Hirsch index (h-index) to estimate the research productivity of current radiation oncology faculty at U.S. academic institutions between 1996 and 2007. Methods and Materials: We performed bibliometric citation database searches for available radiation oncology faculty at domestic residency-training institutions (n = 826). The outcomes analyzed included the total number of manuscripts, total number of citations, and theh-index between 1996 and 2007. Analysis of overallh-index rankings with stratification by academic ranking, junior vs. senior faculty status, and gender was performed. Results: Of the 826 radiation oncologists, the mean h-index was 8.5. Of the individuals in the top 10% by the hindex, 34% were chairpersons, 88% were senior faculty, and 13% were women. A greater h-index was associated with a higher academic ranking and senior faculty status. Recursive partitioning analysis revealed an h-index threshold of 15 (p <0.0001) as an identified breakpoint between the senior and junior faculty. Overall, women had lower h-indexes compared with men (mean, 6.4 vs. 9.4); however, when stratified by academic ranking, the gender differential all but disappeared. Conclusion: Using theh-index as a partial surrogate for research productivity, it appears that radiation oncologists in academia today comprise a prolific group, however, with a highly skewed distribution. According to the present analysis, the h-index correlated with academic ranking. Thus, it potentially has utility in the process of promotion decisions. Overall, women in radiation oncology were less academically productive than men; the possible reasons for the gender differential are discussed. 2008 Elsevier Inc. Academic productivity, Bibliometrics, Citations, Hirsch index, H-index.
Plasticization of polyolefin elastomers, semicrystalline plastics and blends crosslinked in situ during melt mixing

Abstract Semi-crystalline polyolefins, e.g., polypropylene in its isotactic and syndiotactic forms, become brittle at low temperature due to their inherent crystallinity and relatively high Tg. It ...
PROFINITE PROPERTIES OF DISCRETE GROUPS

This paper is based on a series of 4 lectures delivered at Groups St Andrews 2013. The main theme of the lectures was distinguishing finitely generated residually finite groups by their finite quotients. The purpose of this paper is to expand and develop the lectures. The paper is organized as follows. In §2 we collect some questions that motivated the lectures and this article, and in §3 discuss some examples related to these questions. In §4 we recall profinite groups, profinite completions and the formulation of the questions in the language of the profinite completion. In §5, we recall a particular case of the question of when groups have the same profinite completion, namely Grothendieck’s question. In §6 we discuss how the methods of L 2 -cohomology can be brought to bear on the questions in §2, and in §7, we give a similar discussion using the methods of the cohomology of profinite groups. In §8 we discuss the questions in §2 in the context of groups arising naturally in low-dimensional topology and geometry, and in §9 discuss parafree groups. Finally in §10 we collect a list of open problems that may be of interest.
Morbidity and Mortality after High-dose Transfusion

Background:It is well recognized that increased transfusion volumes are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, but dose–response relations between high- and very-high-dose transfusion and clinical outcomes have not been described previously. In this study, the authors assessed (1) the do
The POU Domain of SCIP/Tst-1/Oct-6 Is Sufficient for Activation of an Acetylcholine Receptor Promoter

In the PC12 neuroendocrine line, the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha3 gene promoter is activated by SCIP/Tst-1/Oct-6, a POU domain transcription factor proposed to be important for regulating the development of specific neural cell populations. In this study, we have investigated the SCIP polypeptide domains involved in alpha3 promoter activation. The characteristics of activation by a chimeric effector in which the GAL4 DNA binding domain was substituted for the SCIP POU domain were dramatically different from those of wild-type SCIP. At low effector masses, the chimeric polypeptide weakly activated alpha3 in a GAL4 binding-site-dependent manner but then squelched transcription at higher masses. In contrast, wild-type SCIP activation was not modulated by the presence of multimerized SCIP binding sites, and squelching was not observed. Analysis of wild-type SCIP truncations revealed that deletion of the previously characterized SCIP amino-terminal activation domain did not destroy activity of the factor. Surprisingly, a truncation expressing nothing more than the POU domain was nearly as active as wild-type SCIP. Moreover, cotransfection of a GAL4-VP16 effector with an effector expressing just the SCIP POU domain resulted in synergistic activation of the promoter. Synergistic activation did not depend on an Sp1 motif that is the only functional alpha3 cis element outside the transcription start site region. Our results show that the DNA binding domain of a POU factor is capable of transcriptional activation probably through protein-protein interactions with components of the basal transcription complex.
Severe pyoderma gangrenosum in association with a flame burn

We herein report a severe case of pyoderma gangrenosum occurring in a burn patient and discuss the possibility of occult complications of this pathological state in daily treatment.
Comparative studies of Cryptosporiopsis curvispora and C. perennans. I. Morphology and pathogenic behavior.

Macroconidia of Cryptosporiopsis curvispora, cause of apple anthracnose, consistently displayed high curvature while those of C. perennans, cause of perennial canker, displayed low curvature when r...
Reflections on a Mira

Reflective devices such as the Miral are beginning to be used as a replacement for the compass and (unmarked) straightedge as tools for performing geometric constructions. These devices (see FIGURE 1) are generally constructed from a dark translucent plastic, producing an effect similar to that of looking into a car window on a bright, sunny day. When placed on a sketch, the device allows one to see both the figure and its reflection.
A Ballooned Beta-Logistic Model

ABSTRACTThe beta distribution is a simple and flexible model in which responses are naturally confined to the finite interval (0,1). Its parameters can be related to covariates such as dose and gender through a regression model. The ballooned beta-logistic (BBL) model expands the response boundaries from (0,1) to (L,U), where L and U are unknown parameters. Under the BBL model, expected responses follow a logistic function that can be made equal to that of the four-parameter logistic (4PL) model. But the distribution of responses differs from the classical 4PL model that has additive normal errors. In contrast, the BBL model naturally has bounded responses and inhomogenous variance. The asymptotic normality of maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs) is obtained even though the support of this nonregular regression model depends on unknown parameters. We find MLEs converge faster to L and U than extreme values do at the minimum and maximum concentrations. Given enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay data from mult...
The missing system in social work's application of systems theory.

Amid ongoing struggles regarding definition of the knowledge base for the social work profession, a meaningful application of an ego psychological perspective offers a significant, although not exc...
An Update on the Conservative Protestant Gap in Educational Attainment

Conservative Protestants (CPs), one-fourth of all Americans, exhibit the lowest educational attainment among major American religious traditions. Considering the size and influence of CPs, their educational struggles are understudied issuing in a somewhat scattered literature. This study is designed to help organize and motivate further study of the CP gap by providing a thorough descriptive analysis. Specifically, I use nearly 40 years of nationally representative data to answer several important questions raised by previous studies, plot the past and present dimensions of the CP gap, and specify targets for further analysis. In summary, I find that, after accounting for family background, the CP gap is larger than the more widely studied Black/White attainment gap. The most recent cohorts of CPs attain about a half-year fewer years of education than mainline Protestants, leaving CPs no closer today to matching the attainment levels of mainline Protestants than they were at the turn of the century. The CP gap is driven by lower levels of post-secondary attainment, but primarily by CPs’ lower rates of college attendance.
GO FASTER: Building Morpheme Fluency:

Vocabulary knowledge is an important foundation skill for reading across all subject areas. Because students with disabilities lag behind their peers in reading skills, there is a need for efficient and effective vocabulary interventions. Focusing on morpheme knowledge is one efficient approach to building vocabulary. This article describes an intervention package that combines several evidence-based techniques, including explicit instruction, fluency drills, self-graphing, and peer mediation, to increase morpheme knowledge.
Developing Social Capital in Craft Beer Tourism Markets

The growth of craft beer and breweries in the United States provides new sustainability options for both rural and urban tourism growth. As is common with many food tourism opportunities, understanding the linkages between craft brewers and the tourism industry is vital when analyzing the economic potential craft beer offers to regional development. Food and drink tourism literature highlights the need to develop social capital through collaboration as a means to improve the dissemination of best practice with knowledge exchange being an important component. Moreover, a viable tourist distribution system that includes marketing, transportation, and tourism infrastructure requires practical partnerships between both tourism and brewery businesses as a means to successfully promote tourist participation within a newly developing craft beer market. Using an instrumental comparative case study approach, and grounded in Cote and Healy’s (The wellbeing of nations. The role of human and social capital, 2001) social capital building model, this chapter provides insight into the elements that constitute social capital and challenges inherent in establishing new drink trail opportunities for tourism in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Control of Dynamic Stall over a NACA 0015 Airfoil Using Plasma Actuators

Dynamic stall is observed in numerous applications, including sharply maneuvering fixed-wing aircraft, biomimetics, wind turbines, and most notably, rotorcraft. The associated unsteady loading can ...
Contralateral Approach to Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysms: An Anatomical-Clinical Analysis to Improve Patient Selection.

Background A contralateral approach to aneurysm clipping in cases of bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms reduces surgical time and cost. However, there is a lack of evidence for objective patient selection. In this study, we assessed the change in surgical freedom along the contralateral MCA to provide objective evidence for patient selection. Methods Sixteen cadaveric specimens were studied. Through a pterional approach, the surgical freedom was calculated moving distally along the contralateral MCA in 5-mm increments. In addition, in a series of 19 MCA aneurysms clipped contralaterally by the senior author, the average length of the MCA from its origin to the aneurysm neck was measured on angiography. Results In these patients treated via a contralateral approach, the average length of the MCA segment from its origin to the aneurysm neck was 12.4 mm. Starting at the MCA origin, surgical freedom decreased significantly between all adjacent target points except at 5–10 mm from the MCA origin. Conclusions After the proximal 5 mm, there is no significant decrease in surgical maneuverability within the proximal 10 mm of MCA when approached contralaterally. When compared to the average length of the MCA from its origin to the aneurysm neck in the clinical series, it can be concluded that the first 10 mm (average, 12.4 mm) of the contralateral MCA may be considered a surgical comfort zone for a contralateral approach. This criterion may be useful for patient selection for a contralateral approach in cases of multiple bilateral intracranial aneurysms.
Genetic model misspecification in genetic association studies

The underlying model of the genetic determinant of a trait is generally not known with certainty a priori. Hence, in genetic association studies, a dominant model might be erroneously modelled as additive, an error investigated previously. We explored this question, for candidate gene studies, by evaluating the sample size required to compensate for the misspecification and improve inference at the analysis stage. Power calculations were carried out with (1) the true dominant model and (2) the incorrect additive model. Empirical power, sample size and effect size were compared between scenarios (1) and (2). In each of the scenarios the estimates were evaluated for a rare (minor allele frequency < 0.01), low frequency (0.01 ≤ minor allele frequency < 0.05) and common (minor allele frequency ≥ 0.05) single nucleotide polymorphism. The results confirm the detrimental effect of the misspecification error on power and effect size for any minor allele frequency. The implications of the error are not negligible; therefore, candidate gene studies should consider the more conservative sample size to compensate for the effect of error. When it is not possible to extend the sample size, methods that help mitigate the impact of the error should be systematically used.
Balad el-Ziblé (Country of Rubbish): Moral Geographies of Waste in Post-revolutionary Tunisia

Waste sullies, physically and morally, polluting people and places, and defining or altering their position within social and spatial hierarchies. Given this polluting quality and the moral charge ...
Critical Care of the Post–Cardiac Arrest Patient

The post-cardiac arrest syndrome is a highly inflammatory state characterized by organ dysfunction, systemic ischemia and reperfusion injury, and persistent precipitating pathology. Early critical care should focus on identifying and treating arrest etiology and minimizing further injury to the brain and other organs by optimizing perfusion, oxygenation, ventilation, and temperature. Patients should be treated with targeted temperature management, although the exact temperature goal is not clear. No earlier than 72 hours after rewarming, prognostication using a multimodal approach should inform discussions with families regarding likely neurologic outcome.
Barriers for Crowd’s Impact in Crowdsourced Policymaking: Civic Data Overload and Filter Hierarchy

While crowdsourcing is an increasingly common method of open-government practices to strengthen participatory democracy, its impact on governance is unclear. Using data from a crowdsourced city-pla...
Conversation About SimCalc, Its Evolution and Lessons Along the Way

We come to this chapter with complementary perspectives around the building and supporting of research communities in learning and education research. The chapter is organized as a mutual commentary by former program officials from the National Science Foundation (NSF), built around a few questions to allow different perspectives to be visible—from mathematics education, from the interplay between technology and pedagogy, from policy, and from funding strategies. We use SimCalc’s history and achievements to discuss the need for vision and long time frames in funding, and point to multiple levels of research entailed in the process of achieving broad impact.
Partitions with Early Conditions

In an earlier paper, partitions in which the smaller parts were required to appear at least k-times were considered. Some of those results were tied up with Rogers-Ramanujan type identities and mock theta functions. By considering more general conditions on initial parts we are led to natural explanations of many more identities contained in Slater’s compendium of 130 Rogers-Ramanujan identities.
Outcomes following natalizumab exposure throughout pregnancy in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) or Crohn’s disease (P1.362)

Objective: To describe the pregnancy outcomes for women with RMS or Crohn’s disease treated with natalizumab throughout their pregnancies. Background: Previous analysis of the Tysabri® Pregnancy Exposure Registry evaluated pregnancy outcomes, but few patients received natalizumab beyond the first trimester. The natalizumab prescribing information indicates its use during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Design/Methods: Pregnancies in patients with RMS (n=21) or Crohn’s disease (n=3) were spontaneously reported through postmarketing surveillance or solicited through monitored therapy program or non-interventional studies. Of the prospectively reported cases, completed pregnancies with maternal exposure to natalizumab throughout pregnancy (peri-conception through delivery) were reviewed to evaluate birth outcomes. Results: A search of the natalizumab global safety database between 24 November 2004 and 7 August 2016 found 24 prospectively reported pregnancies with known outcomes that had been exposed to natalizumab throughout pregnancy. Mean maternal age was 31 years, with 17% of patients aged ≥35 years. All reported pregnancies resulted in live births, and no birth defects were reported. Mean gestational age was 38.4 weeks (known for 14 cases; range, 31–40.5 weeks), and mean birth weight was 3040 g (known for 11 cases; range, 1787–4400 g). Two instances of low birth weight were reported (1 premature birth and 1 infant of term twin birth), and hematological abnormalities (mild pancytopenia [n=1], isolated thrombocytopenia [n=3, one of which received a platelet transfusion], neutropenia [n=1], and anemia [n=1, at week 4 of pregnancy]) were observed in 5 infants and resolved in all cases. Conclusions: This review revealed 24 prospectively reported pregnancies that had been exposed to natalizumab for the duration of the pregnancy. All reported pregnancies resulted in live births, with no reported birth defects. Reported hematological abnormalities resolved in all cases. Study Supported by: Biogen Disclosure: Dr. Friend has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen as an employee. Dr. Friend has hold stock and/or stock options in Biogen. Dr. Haddock has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as an employee. Dr. Haddock holds stock and/or stock options in Biogen Idec, which sponsored research in which Dr. Haddock was involved as an investigator. Dr. Campagnolo has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen as an employee. Dr. Lee has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen as an employee.
The politics of migration and empire in Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners

In The Lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon re-imagines the challenges of the West Indians who emigrated to England in the 1950s primarily because of economic hardship. Most of the immigrants believed that...
Overview of Uninterrupted Flow Methodologies of the Highway Capacity Manual

“Uninterrupted flow” describes a type of facility; it is not a description of the quality of flow on a given facility or segment. Specifically, uninterrupted flow exists on any facility where there are no causes of interruption external to the traffic stream. Thus, a freeway is an uninterrupted flow facility, even when it is operating under breakdown conditions: in such cases, the causes of the interruption(s) to flow are interactions among vehicles that are internal to the traffic stream.
A Mixed Methods Investigation of Factors Influencing Patient Perceptions of Integrated Care

There is substantial variation in how well patient care is integrated across providers, even in similarly structured organizations. Yet, research about what provider organizations do, in practice, ...
Barriers and Facilitators to the Successful Transition of Adolescents Living with HIV from Pediatric to Adult Care in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Policy Analysis

The purpose of this systematic review was twofold. First, we sought to summarize the literature on barriers and facilitators to successful healthcare transition for adolescents living with HIV from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Next, we assessed healthcare transition-related policies in countries from which we identified barriers and facilitators to determine the extent to which practice and policy meet to address the country-specific needs of adolescents living with HIV during healthcare transition. Ten studies met inclusion criteria. We identified four sub-themes of barriers to healthcare transition: emotional and psychological burden, effects of HIV disease, logistical and systemic impediments, and HIV stigma. We also identified five sub-themes of facilitators of healthcare transition: social support, skills development for adolescents and the adult treatment team, transition readiness, multidisciplinary teams, and transition coordination. Of the 12 countries from which we identified barriers and facilitators to healthcare transition among adolescents living with HIV, only five (Uganda, Kenya, Thailand, Brazil, and Cambodia) had healthcare transition-specific guidelines. Moreover, there was substantial variation across country-specific guidelines regarding the existence of protocols to monitor and enforce guidelines, and whether there were allocated funds to assist healthcare clinics with implementation. Our review has led to several recommendations to facilitate successful healthcare transition, including the development of surveillance systems to monitor and evaluate efforts to address adolescents' needs during healthcare transition, the development of guidelines specific to healthcare transition and based upon barrier and facilitators identified within target countries, and the incorporation of caregivers and training for the adult treatment team pre- and post-healthcare transition.
A novel compound heterozygous mutation in DGKE in a Chinese patient causes atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Objectives: DGKE mutations can lead to hemolysis and thrombus in patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). However, the sequence variants of DGKE in Chinese patients with aHUS have n...
Jacque Raynal, ECIS, and $$M_n/M_p$$ values in radioactive nuclei

Jacque Raynal’s coupled channels code ECIS has played an important role in the effort to search for shell effects in exotic isotopes using both intermediate energy Coulomb excitation and inverse kinematics proton scattering to probe their level structures and to extract neutron and proton excitation modes through their $$M_n/M_p$$ values. It will continue to be an important tool as nuclei very far from the stable ones are produced in new exotic beam accelerator centers.
Brief Report: Drug Overdose Deaths Among People With HIV in New York City, 2007-2017.

Background Preventable deaths, including those due to drug overdose (OD), are a significant public health concern in New York City (NYC); the rate of unintentional drug OD death in NYC increased 143% from 2010-2016. Trends in drug OD death among persons with HIV (PWH) in NYC have not been described. Methods We selected PWH from the NYC HIV Registry who died during 2007-2017, resided in NYC at death, and died due to drug OD. We characterized PWH who died of drug OD and analyzed CD4 and viral load (VL) tests from surveillance to evaluate retention in care and viral suppression (VS) (VL Results From 2007-2017, 870 NYC PWH died of drug OD. Of the total OD deaths, 821 (94.4%) deaths were classified as accidental overdose deaths and 49 (5.6%) as intentional overdose deaths. While the rate of OD deaths among PWH declined during the full period, from 58.5 per 100,000 in 2007 to 47.9 per 100,000 in 2017, it increased from 2014 (30.9/100,000) to 2016 (53.3/100,000) and stayed high through 2017 (47.9/100,000). Decedents during 2007-2017 were predominantly male (70.8%), Black (38.0%) or Latino/Hispanic (38.7%), aged 40-59 years (73.2%), and had a history of injection drug use (43.0%). Over three-quarters (80.1%) of decedents were retained in HIV care in the 12 months preceding death; 45.4% were VS. Conclusions A sizeable number of PWH died of OD in the last decade, and OD death rates in recent years increased. Pre-death care patterns reveal frequent interaction with the health care system, underscoring missed opportunities for harm-reduction and suicide prevention interventions for PWH.
Geographic disparities, determinants, and temporal changes in the prevalence of pre-diabetes in Florida.

Background Left unchecked, pre-diabetes progresses to diabetes and its complications that are important health burdens in the United States. There is evidence of geographic disparities in the condition with some areas having a significantly high risks of the condition and its risk factors. Identifying these disparities, their determinants, and changes in burden are useful for guiding control programs and stopping the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate geographic disparities of pre-diabetes prevalence in Florida, identify predictors of the observed spatial patterns, as well as changes in disease burden between 2013 and 2016. Methods The 2013 and 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data were obtained from the Florida Department of Health. Counties with significant changes in the prevalence of the condition between 2013 and 2016 were identified using tests for equality of proportions adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Simes method. Flexible scan statistics were used to identify significant high prevalence geographic clusters. Multivariable regression models were used to identify determinants of county-level pre-diabetes prevalence. Results The state-wide age-adjusted prevalence of pre-diabetes increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) from 8.0% in 2013 to 10.5% in 2016 with 72% (48/67) of the counties reporting statistically significant increases. Significant local geographic hotspots were identified. High prevalence of pre-diabetes tended to occur in counties with high proportions of non-Hispanic black population, low median household income, and low proportion of the population without health insurance coverage. Conclusions Geographic disparities of pre-diabetes continues to exist in Florida with most counties reporting significant increases in prevalence between 2013 and 2016. These findings are critical for guiding health planning, resource allocation and intervention programs.
Robust Autonomous Navigation of a Small-Scale Quadruped Robot in Real-World Environments

Animal-level agility and robustness in robots cannot be accomplished by solely relying on blind locomotion controllers. A significant portion of a robot’s ability to traverse terrain comes from reacting to the external world through visual sensing. However, embedding the sensors and compute that provide sufficient accuracy at high speeds is challenging, especially if the robot has significant space limitations. In this paper, we propose a system integration of a small-scale quadruped robot, the MIT Mini-Cheetah Vision, that exteroceptively senses the terrain and dynamically explores the world around it at high velocities. Through extensive hardware and software development, we demonstrate a fully untethered robot with all hardware onboard running a locomotion controller that combines state-of-the-art Regularized Predictive Control (RPC) with Whole-Body Impulse Control (WBIC). We devise a hierarchical state estimator that integrates kinematic, IMU, and localization sensor data to provide state estimates specific to path planning and locomotion tasks. Our integrated system has demonstrated robust autonomous waypoint tracking in dynamic real-world environments at speeds of over 1 m/s with high rates of success.
Outcomes of cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations treated with antibiotics with activity against anaerobic bacteria

Abstract Background Obligate and facultative anaerobic bacteria are prevalent in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways. Increases in anaerobe relative abundance have been associated with CF pulmonary exacerbations (PEx); however, the impact of antibiotic treatment of anaerobes during PEx is unknown. We hypothesized that PEx treated with antibiotics with activity against anaerobes would improve outcomes compared to antibiotics without anaerobic activity. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective study of people with CF, ages 6 years and older, treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics for PEx. IV antibiotics were classified as either broad or minimal anaerobic activity. PEx treated with broad anaerobe coverage were propensity-score matched to PEx treated with minimal anaerobic coverage. The primary outcome, % of baseline % predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (ppFEV1) recovered, was compared between antibiotic categories with a linear mixed model. The secondary outcome, time to next PEx, was assessed using a Prentice Williams Petersen model. Results 514 PEx from 182 patients were included. Broad anaerobe coverage was used in 27% of PEx, and was used more often for older patients (p Conclusions In this single center, retrospective study, antibiotics with broad activity against anaerobes were not associated with improved outcomes of CF PEx.
The use of ultrasound for assessment of muscle area and depth in postmortem preweaned Holstein dairy calves

Real-time ultrasound is a noninvasive, quantifiable method of measuring body composition in livestock. Ultrasound has not been used to document changes in body composition in preweaned calves. The prewean growth period is a critical stage of calf development. An assessment of growth may include weighing of calves or postmortem evaluation of fat deposits in the perirenal area and coronary groove. None of these parameters offer real-time information, and an antemortem evaluation of body condition is needed. The purpose of this study was to validate the use of ultrasound for the measurement of the longissimus dorsi muscle (ribeye) linear depth and the external carpi radialis (front) and the semitendinosus (hind) muscle area in postmortem preweaned Holstein calves. Our objective was to determine the relationship between the carcass and ultrasound measurements for the ribeye depth and the front and hind muscle area. If validated, ultrasound may be used antemortemly in future scientific studies to assess muscle deposition in preweaned calves.
Credit Rating Agencies: An Analysis Through the Lenses of Industrial Organization, Finance and Regulation

This article uses insights from the disciplines of industrial organization and of finance, and the understanding that has developed within both disciplines with respect to regulation, for an analysis of the credit rating industry.
Archive-Based Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm for Large-Scale EV Charging Station Energy Management

With the increase in renewable energy, improving the utilization rate of renewable energy is of great practical significance. The microgrid has been proved effective in addressing this issue. As a flexible load, electric vehicles are connected to the grid on a large scale, which will have an impact on the grid. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a microgrid energy management model for electric vehicle charging stations, which takes into account the economics of microgrid operation and the stability of grid operation. Subsequently, this paper proposes an evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithm to deal with constraints. Finally, this paper verifies the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm through experiments.
Early construction of the thalamocortical axon pathway requires c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling within the ventral forebrain.

BACKGROUND Thalamocortical connectivity is essential for normal brain function. This important pathway is established during development, when thalamic axons extend a long distance through the forebrain before reaching the cerebral cortex. In this study, we identify a novel role for the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in guiding thalamocortical axons through intermediate target territories. RESULTS Complete genetic removal of JNK signaling from the Distal-less 5/6 (Dlx5/6) domain in mice prevents thalamocortical axons from crossing the diencephalon-telencephalon boundary (DTB) and the internal capsule fails to form. Ventral telencephalic cells critical for thalamocortical axon extensions including corridor and guidepost neurons are also disrupted. In addition, corticothalamic, striatonigral, and nigrostriatal axons fail to cross the DTB. Analyses of different JNK mutants demonstrate that thalamocortical axon pathfinding has a non-autonomous requirement for JNK signaling. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that JNK signaling within the Dlx5/6 territory enables the construction of major axonal pathways in the developing forebrain. Further exploration of this intermediate axon guidance territory is needed to uncover mechanisms of axonal pathfinding during normal brain development and to elucidate how this vital process may be compromised in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Ownership shares and choosing the best leader

Abstract This paper examines production by two unequal partners and asks if there exist agreed upon ownership shares that generate the joint payoff maximizing efforts. Given the inherent complementarity, we show that for given shares, joint payoff is greater in a sequential rather than a simultaneous effort game. Also, joint payoff is typically higher when the more productive partner exerts effort late and when shares differ by less than productivity. Yet, each partner desires to exert effort late creating an unavoidable chicken game. Given that the partners remain owners with shares, this creates demand for a coordinator (not a full principal) to establish optimizing shares and the leader.
Surface Roughness Effects in Porosity Assessment by Ultrasonic Attenuation Spectroscopy

Porosity assessment of flat smooth surface cast aluminum samples by ultrasonic attenuation spectroscopy were found to be in good agreement with other porosity assessment methods, e. g., weight-density, and optical techniques [1], Ultrasonic results were also obtained for samples with their as-cast rough surface intact. The volume fraction of porosity in these samples were unacceptably underestimated [2]. Since it is not feasible to maintain a smooth surface, especially for large castings prior to ultrasonic assessment, a technique to compensate for surface roughness was considered.
Determinants of service quality in software: an empirical analysis

Once a software product is delivered to a customer, the quality of service provided plays an important role in retaining that customer. In this paper, we identify certain key factors that impact the service quality in commercial software products. Our analysis is based on data collected from over 1000 customers of one of the leading software vendors. Our results show that quick response to service calls and the quality of the solution provided to the customer are dominant drivers of service quality. We also find that the effect of these factors depends on the service providers and on the business area of the customer.
Chapter 19 The Involvement of Amiloride-Sensitive Na+ Channels in Human Genetic Hypertension: Liddle's Syndrome

Publisher Summary The chapter explains a study on the involvement of amiloride-sensitive sodium ion (Na+) channels in human genetic hypertension—that is, the Liddle's syndrome. Hypertension is a multifactorial disease. Both genetic and nongenetic factors play a significant role in its development. Liddle's syndrome is a specific example of an autosomal dominant, low renin, volume expanded, salt-sensitive hypertension. There are two classes of mutations that produce constitutive activation of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and resultant Liddle's disease. The first class involves introductions of premature stop codons or frameship mutations in the segments encoding the cytoplasmically located C termini of either β- or γ-ENaC, in effect deleting the last 44–75 amino acids. The second class involves point mutations, most notably P616L, Y618H, and TS94M in the β-hENaC subunits. Expression of mutated and β or γ subunits in Xenopus oocytes with wild-type α-ENaC produced a significantly enhanced (3- to 9-fold) amiloride-sensitive Na+ current, as compared to oocytes injected with wild-type αβγ-rENaC or hENaC. Effective treatment of Liddle's syndrome can be realized through the use of the potassium-sparing diuretics, amiloride or triamterene, coupled with dietary salt restriction.
Distributed task selection in multi-agent based swarms using heuristic strategies

Swarm-based systems have emerged as an attractive paradigm for implementing distributed autonomous systems for various applications in commercial, military and business domains. One of the major operations in a swarm-based system is to ensure that the individual swarm units process the tasks in the environment in an efficient manner. This can be achieved using a suitable task selection mechanism that allocates the desired number of swarm units to each task while reducing inter-task latencies and communication overhead, and, ensuring adequate commitment of resources to tasks. In this paper, we describe a multi-agent based distributed task selection mechanism for swarm-based systems. We show that the distributed task selection problem is NP-complete and propose polynomial-time heuristic-based algorithms. Our simulation results show that heuristics in which each swarm unit considers both the effects of other swarm units on tasks and its own relative position to other swarm units achieve better task processing efficiency and improved distribution of swarm units over tasks.
Static Detection of Place Locality and Elimination of Runtime Checks

Harnessing parallelism particularly for high performance computing is a demanding topic of research. Limitations and complexities of automatic parallelization have led to programming language notations wherein a user programs parallelism explicitly and partitions a global address space for harnessing parallelism. X 10 from IBM uses the notion of places to partition the global address space. The model of computation for such languages involves threads and data distributed over local and remote places. A computation is said to be place local if all the threads and data pertaining to it are at the same place. Analysis and optimizations targeting derivations of place-locality have recently gained ground with the advent of partitioned global address space (PGAS) languages like UPC and X 10, wherein efficiency of place local accesses is performance critical. In this paper, we present a novel framework for statically establishing place locality in X 10. The analysis framework is based on a static abstraction of activities (threads) incorporating places and an extension to classical escape analysis to track the abstract-activities to which an object can escape. Using this framework, we describe an algorithm that eliminates runtime checks that are inserted by the X 10 compiler to enforce place locality of data access. We also identify place locality checks that are guaranteed to fail. Our framework takes advantage of the high level abstraction of X 10 distributions to reason about place locality of array accesses in loops as well. The underlying issues, the framework and its power are illustrated through a series of examples.