cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scale Effects in Carbon Nanostrutures: Self-Similar Analysis

The present study focuses on the creation of a framework and methodology to span three orders of magnitude in scale with interconnected models that relate performance of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCN) at the nanometer scale to a nanoarray, nanowire, and microfiber with self-similar geometries. The geometry chosen is the helical array, where on the nanoscale, the properties of nanotube crystals (collimated arrays of continuous SWCN) predicted by the method of lattice dynamics by Popov 4 are employed to determine properties of the elements in a helical, discontinuous nanotube array. The properties of the twisted nanoarray of circular cross-section are then predicted through a layered cylinder analysis in anisotropic elasticity. The nano-array properties are then used to describe the properties of elements in a second helical array, the nanowire, consisting of the helical SWCN arrays suspended in a polymeric matrix. Next the nanowires are assembled in a third helical array composite to form the microfiber. The three-step analysis involves models that are identical in geometry, except that they differ in scale and are thereby self-similar. For a single walled nanotube of diameter 1.38 × 10-9 m, the resulting nanoarray diameter is 1.48 × 10-8 m (equilibrium packing fraction of 79%), the nanowire diameter is 1.69 × 10-7 m (packing fraction of 70%), and the microfiber diameter is 1.32 × 10-6 m. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the study is the focus on translation of properties from the nanoscale to the microscale and the scale transfer efficiencies. The present study presents predictions for the mechanical properties of the helical nanoarray, the nanowire, and the microfiber such as the axial Young’s modulus, shearing modulus, and Poisson’s ratio.
Robust synthesis of bismuth titanate pyrochlore nanorods and their photocatalytic applications

A facile and template-free reverse micelle-based method can be employed to synthesize highly crystalline and pure stoichiometric bismuth titanate (Bi2Ti2O7) pyrochlore nanorods 400–500 nm long and 40–50 nm in diameter which demonstrate promising photoactivity.
Viscous flow rates of icy topography on the north polar layered deposits of Mars

We investigate the importance of viscous flow in shaping topography at the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) of Mars by using finite element modeling to calculate the distribution of stresses and flow velocities. Present-day impact craters on theNPLDare too small and cold for viscous relaxation tohavebeen an important mechanism in controlling their current dimensions; this effect may be ignored when analyzing crater size-frequency distributions. Scarps at the NPLDmargins, where avalanches of dust and carbon dioxide frost occur, are sufficiently steep, high, andwarm to experience significant viscous flow.We find flow velocities at the base of these steep scarps on the order of tens to hundreds of cm/yr, which are fast enough to significantly affect their slopeover kiloyear timescales. Alternatively, the scarps could be close to steady state in which observed block falls provide a competing effect to viscous flow.
Uterine Receptivity to Implantation in the Rabbit: Evidence for a 42 kDa Glycoprotein as a Marker of Receptivity

The requirement for synchronous development of the mammalian embryo and uterus was evidenced by the failure of asynchronous embryo transfer to result in implantation except at the time of normal receptivity for each species (Chang, 1950; Finn, 1977). Evidence linking embryo-uterine synchrony to hormonal balance in the rabbit was based on steroid hormone-induced delay (Beier, 1976) or advancement (Adams, 1971; McCarthy et al., 1977) of uterine preparation relative to embryonic development; ovariectomy was directly lethal to contained blastocysts (Adams, 1958). That the epithelium constituted a major component of the “hostile uterine environment” resulting from inadequate hormone preparation was argued by Nilsson (1967) and Potts and Psychoyos (1967). Further support for this view was reported by Cowell (1969) who obtained “implantation”of mouse blastocysts in otherwise unreceptive uteri only after scraping of the epithelium to expose the underlying stroma. The uterine epithelium may be involved in a variety of implantation-related processes (absorption, secretion, barrier to trophoblast, message transduction to underlying tissues; Martin, 1980).
Extremely Nondegenerate Two-photon Absorption Enhancement in Quantum Well (QW) Semiconductors

We present a theoretical study of extremely nondegenerate two-photon absorption in direct-gap quantum well semiconductors. We predict large enhancement in nondegenerate two-photon absorption for TM-TM polarized light over bulk semiconductors.
Face Fly Pupae: A Potential Feed Supplement for Poultry

Our investigations have shown that pupae of the face fly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer, contain a high amount of phosphorus (5.73% dry weight), and protein (53.4% dry weight). A bioassay revealed that the phosphorus is highly available (92–100%), to chickens when used as a feed supplement.
Prevention, Surveillance and Management of Invading Pest Insects

Intentionally, or by accident, man takes part of his environment with him when he travels over the face of the earth or through space. The opportunistic tendencies of many insects to invade new territories, particularly those insects that compete with man for food and fiber, are matched only by the human animal. The transoceanic movement of pest insects is usually as simple, or as complex, as that!
Invariant Measures on Manifolds

In this chapter we discuss the action of matrix groups on various manifolds. Mostly conclusions will not be stated as formal theorems except in the last sections of the chapter.
Surveilance of Eyesight Among Primary and Middle School Students in Hongya,2004-2008

Objective To learn about the status of the eyesight of primary and middle school students in Hongya, and provide evidence to conduct health promotion among the students to protect their eyesight.Methods According to "National Technical Specifications of Students’ Common Diseases Prevention and Control(for trial)", "National Technical Specifications of Health Supervision Statistical Reports-School Health Annual Report",the regular eyesight surveillance among the students in Hongya was conducted from 2004 to 2008.Results The poor eyesight rate among the students was 36.18%, and the newly found poor eyesight rate was 2.77%.Both rates were higher among middle school students than among primary school students (P0.05), and both rates were higher among the students in urban area than among the students in rural area (P0.05). Conclusion Many students in Hongya were with poor eyesight, especially the middle school students and the students in urban area. Health and education sectors should pay close attention to the protection of children's eyesight by strengthen the health promotion and supervision in schools.
Airway β-adrenoceptor number in cystic fibrosis and asthma

1. Maximal binding capacity (Bmax) and the dissociation constant (KD) for the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist 125I-cyanopindol were estimated in membrane preparations of hilar, lobar/main bronchi (level I) and peripheral lung (level II) of grossly normal lungs resected for bronchial carcinoma. The tissue distribution of 125I-cyanopindol-binding sites was assessed by autoradiography of complementary cryostat sections. The data obtained from the resections for carcinoma and bronchiectasis were used as disease controls for comparison with those obtained from patients with cystic fibrosis and asthma. 2. In carcinoma controls, mean Bmax values (+/- SEM) for airway levels I and II were 89 +/- 4 and 133 +/- 6 fmol/mg of protein, respectively (P less than 0.01). The corresponding KD values at each airway level were similar, i.e. 29 +/- 2 and 33 +/- 1 pmol/l, respectively. Autoradiography revealed that there was dense labelling of bronchial and bronchiolar epithelium and most strikingly of the alveolar wall. 3. Compared with carcinoma controls, mean Bmax values in cystic fibrosis were significantly reduced in membrane preparations of both airway levels I and II (P less than 0.01). Autoradiography showed the reduction was most apparent in alveolar wall and bronchial epithelium. 4. There was a tendency to reduction of Bmax in membrane preparations from patients with bronchiectasis at airway level I, but this failed to reach statistical significance. Autoradiography demonstrated that the density of labelling was significantly reduced in bronchial epithelium and bronchial smooth muscle as compared with carcinoma controls (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Noninvasive Detection of the Atherosclerotic Plaque: The Carotid Bifurcation

A new Doppler ultrasonic imaging technique for mapping the course of arterial channels has been applied to the carotid bifurcation in over 800 patients. The technique has proven its ability to detect stroke producing wall disease including calcified plaques and flow disturbances. (Stroke 5:145, 1974) Comparisons with x-ray angiography demonstrates agreement in 89% of hemodynamically significant lesions. When including wall plaques without obstruction, agreement dropped to 79%. The ultrasonic method is more sensitive to elements of the atherosclerotic plaque, including calcium deposits, than is x-ray. Abnormal doppler flow signals associated with the presence of an atherosclerotic plaque beneath the sound beam include low amplitude, coarse quality, and low frequency sounds, as well as weak, biphasic, and inverted velocity flow tracings. Calcium deposits may be responsible for most of these abberations and when present in large quantities, produces silent nonvisualizing segments in the arterial image. The association of these blank segments with symptoms and signs suggestive of embolization leads to the possibility of ulcerated plaque and treatment with antithrombotic agents or endarterectomy.
SU-C-206-04: Region-Specific Total-Variation Regularization for X-Ray CT Reconstruction

Purpose: Total-variation (TV) regularization methods are very effective to handle the non-sufficient data reconstruction, such as few-view problem, low-dose data, etc. Usually one single regularization parameter is employed to balance the data fidelity and the TV minimization penalty in all regions of the object. However, noise and structural details vary from region to region. Here we proposed a method to select the regularization parameter adaptively by the region specific noise. Methods: The image was reconstructed by minimizing the data fidelity term and the TV term alternatively. After the image was updated by the data fidelity step, its noise distribution was estimated out by calculating the variance of neighboring pixels. Then a fuzzy clustering method was applied on it to proportionally assign the membership of each pixel into several clustering groups which correspond to regions with different noise levels, respectively. A heuristic function was developed to describe the relationship between the noise and the regularization parameter. The TV was performed under different parameters which were determined by the noise levels. The final image of TV minimization step was generated by fusing these results according to the weighting coefficients determined by the fuzzy membership. After that a new iteration was repeated until the stopping criterion was satisfied. A view down sampled human thorax dataset was used to evaluate the proposed method. Results: Since the noise distribution was not uniform, the conventional TV method with one single parameter cannot make a good balance between the noise and structural details in all regions simultaneously while the proposed region-specific method can achieve a better result. The structure similarity index (SSIM) increased 2.1% and the root mean squared error (RMSE) decreased 9% in the vertebra region with comparable results in other regions. Conclusion: The proposed region specific regularization can improve the current TV-based reconstruction.
Negative regulation of c-abl tyrosine kinase by its variable N-terminal amino acids.

Activation of the oncogenic potential of c-abl proto-oncogene has been correlated with the activation of its tyrosine kinase activity. The oncogenes derived from c-abl, e.g., gag/v-abl in Abelson murine leukemia virus or bcr/abl in chronic myelogenous leukemia, lack N-terminal coding sequences of the normal c-abl gene. In mouse and human cells, two sets of N-terminal amino acids encoded by 5'-variable exons are found in c-abl proteins. To assess the importance of N-terminal deletion in the activation of c-abl tyrosine kinase, a full length or an N-terminal deleted c-abl protein was expressed in bacteria and in monkey COS cells. Measurements of the autokinase activity of these two c-abl proteins showed that deletion of the N-terminal amino acids led to a three to five fold increase of the c-abl tyrosine kinase activity. Thus, the N-terminal deletion is important in the activation of c-abl proto-oncogene.
The Temperature Dependence of the Relative Grain-Boundary Energy of Yttria-doped Alumina

Atomic force microscopy was used to measure the dimensions of grain-boundary thermal grooves on the surfaces of Al2O3, 100 ppm Y-doped Al2O3, and 500 ppm Y-doped Al2O3 ceramics heated at temperatures between 1350°C and 1650°C. The measurements were used to estimate the relative grain-boundary energies as a function of temperature. The relative grain-boundary energies of Al2O3 decrease slightly with increased temperature. When the doped samples were heated, there was an overall increase in the grain-boundary energy, attributed to a reduction in the grain boundary excess at higher temperature. The overall trend of increasing grain-boundary energy was interrupted by abrupt reductions in grain-boundary energy between 1450°C and 1550°C. In the same temperature range, there is an abrupt increase in the grain-boundary mobility that is associated with a complexion transition. When the 100 ppm Y-doped sample was cooled, there was a corresponding increase in the relative grain-boundary energy at the same complexion transition temperature, indicating that the transition is reversible.
Use of anticoagulant rodenticides by pest management professionals in Massachusetts, USA

Secondary exposure to chemical rodenticides, specifically second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), poses a threat to non-target wildlife including birds of prey. Federal regulations in the United States currently limit homeowner access to SGARs as a way of minimizing this threat. With legal access to SGARs, pest management professionals (PMPs) represent a potential linkage to non-target exposure. There is limited research focused on rodent control practices, chemical rodenticide preferences, level of concern and awareness, or opinions on rodenticide regulations as they relate to PMPs. An online survey was sent to PMP companies across Massachusetts, USA, between October and November 2015. Thirty-five responses were obtained, a 20 % response rate. The preferred rodent control method among responding PMP companies was chemical rodenticides, specifically the SGAR bromadiolone. Respondents varied in their level of concern regarding the impact of chemical rodenticides on non-target species and showed a low level of awareness regarding SGAR potency and half-life. All responding companies reported using integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, with nearly all utilizing chemical rodenticides at some point. Enhanced education focused on SGAR potency, bioaccumulation potential, exposure routes, and negative impacts on non-target wildlife may improve efforts made by PMPs to minimize risk to wildlife and decrease dependence on chemical rodenticide use. Future studies evaluating use of anticoagulant rodenticide (ARs) by PMPs and the association with AR residues found in non-target wildlife is necessary to determine if current EPA regulations need to be modified to effectively reduce the risk of SGARs to non-target wildlife.
Iceberg properties and distributions in three Greenlandic fjords using satellite imagery

Icebergs calved from tidewater glaciers represent about one third to one half of the freshwater flux from the Greenland ice sheet to the surrounding ocean. Using multiple satellite datasets, we quantify the first fjord-wide distributions of iceberg sizes and characteristics for three fjords with distinct hydrography and geometry: Sermilik Fjord, Rink Isbrae Fjord and Kangerlussuup Sermia Fjord. We estimate average total iceberg volumes in summer in the three fjords to be 6.4 ± 1.5, 1.7 ± 0.40 and 0.16 ± 0.09 km3, respectively. Iceberg properties are influenced by glacier calving style and grounding line depth, with variations in size distribution represented by exponents of power law distributions that are −1.95 ± 0.06, −1.87 ± 0.05 and −1.62 ± 0.04, respectively. The underwater surface area of icebergs exceeds the subsurface area of glacial termini by at least one order of magnitude in all three fjords, underscoring the need to include iceberg melt in fjord freshwater budgets. Indeed, in Sermilik Fjord, we calculate summertime freshwater flux from iceberg melt of 620 m3 s−1 (±140 m3 s−1), similar in magnitude to subglacial discharge. The method developed here can be extended across Greenland to assess relationships between glacier calving, iceberg discharge and freshwater production.
Nitrate contamination in karst groundwater

Nitrate contamination of groundwater has been reported throughout the world in many diverse hydrogeologic settings. Karst aquifer systems, though, are particularly vulnerable to contamination due to numerous solution features that allow for direct hydraulic connections between the surface and subsurface. Concentrated groundwater recharge and flow through conduits and solution-enlarged fractures allow rapid movement of water through the aquifer, with little opportunity for chemical transformation or microbial degradation reactions. This chapter discusses environmental concerns associated with nitrate in groundwater, land use and hydrogeologic factors controlling nitrate contamination in karst groundwater, the temporal variability of nitrate in karst aquifers, processes that result in losses of nitrate in groundwater, and protection of groundwater resources in karst areas.
Do developers read compiler error messages

In integrated development environments, developers receive compiler error messages through a variety of textual and visual mechanisms, such as popups and wavy red underlines. Although error messages are the primary means of communicating defects to developers, researchers have a limited understanding on how developers actually use these messages to resolve defects. To understand how developers use error messages, we conducted an eye tracking study with 56 participants from undergraduate and graduate software engineering courses at our university. The participants attempted to resolve common, yet problematic defects in a Java code base within the Eclipse development environment. We found that: 1) participants read error messages and the difficulty of reading these messages is comparable to the difficulty of reading source code, 2) difficulty reading error messages significantly predicts participants' task performance, and 3) participants allocate a substantial portion of their total task to reading error messages (13%--25%). The results of our study offer empirical justification for the need to improve compiler error messages for developers.
‘The Innocent Island’: A Language of Violence in Woolf and Bowen

Set in 1939, Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts is framed nevertheless pastorally, while Elizabeth Bowen’s The Last September similarly depicts a longstanding pastoral seclusion disrupted by external violence. Though set in Ireland and focused on the Anglo–Irish conflict, Bowen’s text offers an important contemporary contrast to Woolf’s reading of English pastorality. This chapter argues that what Woolf and Bowen ultimately signal through a language of violence is rendered not in terms like those offered by Raymond Williams, of a counter-pastoral, or the rejection of rural life in favor of modernity. Instead, for both authors these realms are mutually exclusive. Equally, these authors reveal that the extremes between violent and pastoral realms vacillate. That which is destroyed will, in time, regrow.
Retrospective evaluation of notched QRS complexes in dogs: 85 cases.

Abstract Introduction Notched QRS complexes on electrocardiography (ECG) have been described in veterinary and human reports, but little is known about this finding in veterinary patients. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to describe the signalment and cardiac disease diagnosis in dogs with notched QRS complexes, as well as to describe the specific leads and number of leads with notched QRS complexes on ECG. Animals Eighty-five dogs with notched QRS complexes of normal duration in at least one ECG lead. Methods Retrospective review of digitally stored ECGs and associated medical records of dogs with a recorded ECG as part of routine clinical evaluation. Results Age at time of ECG recording was 9.15 ± 3.38 years for the 85 dogs with notched QRS complexes in at least one ECG lead. The number of ECG leads with notched QRS complexes did not increase with age. Most dogs (69.4%) with notched QRS complexes had cardiac disease. The odds ratio of a dog having cardiac disease if more than one lead was identified with notched QRS complexes was 3.97. The most common cardiac disease identified was chronic atrioventricular valvular degeneration, and the majority of these dogs (80%) had two or less leads with notched QRS complexes. Conclusions Dogs with and without cardiac disease can have notched QRS complexes. The likelihood of a dog having cardiac disease that has more than one ECG lead with notched QRS complexes is significant, and this should warrant diagnostic evaluation.
Measures of maximal entropy for a class of skew products

The well-known variational principle ([G], [DGS]) asserts that this definitiot agrees with the usual definition of topological entropy in the case that U is a homeomorphism. by a unique measure, U to this measure, it is a Let B: X + X and spaces with finite topological entropy. Let l~ be a Borel measurable integer-valued function on X and define the skew product: The sup is not always assumed. If it is assume~ is called intrinsically ergodic. If with respect K-automorphism, we then call U intrinsically K. F: Y + Y be Borel isomorphisms of compact metric
Distributional Effects of Increasing the Benefit Computation Period

The computation period is the number of highest earning years, currently 35, that are used to compute the career average earnings on which Social Security benefits are based. The brief uses MINT model projections to compare the distributional effects of two policy options discussed by the Social Security Advisory Board; one extends the 35-year computation period 3 years and the second one extends it 5 years. Both would reduce benefits; by 2.5 percent for the 3-year extension and 4 percent for the 5-year extension. About one out of five beneficiaries are not affected, even after full implementation in 2070. Workers with the lowest lifetime average earnings would face the largest proportional benefit reductions because they generally would have more years of zero earnings in their computation period than other workers. Social Security's progressivity would not change substantially.
PerfFuzz: automatically generating pathological inputs

Performance problems in software can arise unexpectedly when programs are provided with inputs that exhibit worst-case behavior. A large body of work has focused on diagnosing such problems via statistical profiling techniques. But how does one find these inputs in the first place? We present PerfFuzz, a method to automatically generate inputs that exercise pathological behavior across program locations, without any domain knowledge. PerfFuzz generates inputs via feedback-directed mutational fuzzing. Unlike previous approaches that attempt to maximize only a scalar characteristic such as the total execution path length, PerfFuzz uses multi-dimensional feedback and independently maximizes execution counts for all program locations. This enables PerfFuzz to (1) find a variety of inputs that exercise distinct hot spots in a program and (2) generate inputs with higher total execution path length than previous approaches by escaping local maxima. PerfFuzz is also effective at generating inputs that demonstrate algorithmic complexity vulnerabilities. We implement PerfFuzz on top of AFL, a popular coverage-guided fuzzing tool, and evaluate PerfFuzz on four real-world C programs typically used in the fuzzing literature. We find that PerfFuzz outperforms prior work by generating inputs that exercise the most-hit program branch 5x to 69x times more, and result in 1.9x to 24.7x longer total execution paths.
Membrane filtration with complex branching pore morphology

An idealized first-principles model describing filtration of a feed solution containing small particles in a microstructured porous membrane is presented. Optimal configurations for the pore microstructure are identified in terms of maximizing throughput of filtered fluid and filter lifetime.
Henri Lefebvre on Terror in Everyday Life

In this chapter we deal with the ideas of Henri Lefebvre, a French Marxist, whose book Everyday Life in the Modern World is an important contribution to the study of everyday life. Lefebvre is interested in the matter of recurrence, which is a basic element of everyday life, and of the role of advertising in shaping our lives and our ideological perspectives on things. He discusses Joyce’s Ulysses which is recognized as a universal study of everyday life. He also discusses what he describes as terror that pervades our everyday lives because the split between the wealthy and the poor inevitably leads to repression.
Cost impact of sobering centers on national health care spending in the United States

Acute alcohol intoxication is responsible for a sizable share of emergency department visits. Intoxicated individuals without other medical needs may not require the high level of care provided by an emergency department. We estimate the impact on U.S. health care spending if individuals with uncomplicated, acute alcohol intoxication were treated in sobering centers instead of the emergency department. We performed a budget impact analysis from the perspective of the U.S. health care system based on published and gray literature reports. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Monte Carlo modeling with random variation for three variables (cost of an emergency department visit, cost of a sobering center visit, and start-up costs per sobering center visit) and the percentage of cases diverted from emergency departments to sobering centers. Outcomes were expressed in terms of national savings in 2017 U.S. dollars. Assuming a diversion rate of 50% based on previous studies, national savings range from $230 million to $1.0 billion annually. In the Monte Carlo modeling, we found annual national savings of $99.02 million (95% CI: $95.89-$102.19 million), $792.34 million (95% CI: $767.09-$817.58 million), and $1,185.51 million (95% CI: $1,150.64-$1,226.37 million) with diversion rates of 5%, 40%, and 60%, respectively. Implementing sobering centers as a treatment alternative for individuals with uncomplicated acute alcohol intoxication could yield substantial cost savings for the U.S. health care system.
Abstract P3034: Female Mice are Protected Against Renal Inflammation and Salt-Sensitive Hypertension During Diabetes

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by renal inflammation and impaired kidney function that predisposes to salt-sensitive hypertension. However, the prevalence of diabetic kidney di...
Changes in Externalizing Behaviors After Children First Have an Alcoholic Drink and First Drink Heavily

Objective:Proximal changes in externalizing behaviors before and after children and early adolescents have their first alcoholic drink and first heavy drinking episode are examined using intergener...
Should Managers Provide General or Specific Ethical Guidelines to Employees: Insights from a Mixed Methods Study

This article contributes to our understanding of how communication of ethical guidelines by managers may reduce the likelihood of employee unethical behavior. We conduct two vignette experiments to assess the impact of communicating two types of ethical guidelines—general and specific. The second study employs mixed methods experimental design, collecting qualitative data during the experiment. We find that communicating ethical guidelines by managers reduces the likelihood of unethical behavior, but contrary to our hypothesis and prior literature, we observe that general ethical guidelines are more effective than specific ethical guidelines. We conduct thematic coding of open-ended qualitative responses and integrate the findings of qualitative analysis with the quantitative analyses to provide insights into the counter-hypothetical finding. With specific guidelines, we observe that participants use specific details to negate or rationalize ethical concerns, and with general guidelines, participants recognize ethical concerns and are less likely to downplay them. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for research on ethical leadership.
Chapter 13 – Oxygenated fuels

Our use of hydrocarbon fuels is tempered by two considerations. First, there are environmental consequences of the combustion of these compounds, consequences which are well-known, if not necessarily well understood, as acid rain and the greenhouse effect. Second, the remaining reserves of these fuels, especially petroleum and natural gas, are limited and future needs for liquid fuels may have to be met from other sources. This chapter discusses oxygenated compounds, particularly alcohols and ethers, which have promise as fuels or fuel additives.
Evaluation and Treatment of Insect Sting Allergy

The use of insect venoms for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with a history of IgE-mediated systemic anaphylactic reactions to insect stings represents a major advance in clinical allergy and immunology. Our experience at The Johns Hopkins Allergic Disease Center at The Good Samaritan Hospital, beginning in 1973, includes evaluation of nearly 1000 insect-allergic adults and children, and the safe and effective treatment of almost half of these patients. In-hospital challenge stings following therapy with appropriate venoms have been carried out in several hundreds of these patients and have resulted in a less than 3% reaction rate. Unfortunately, the decision to use this highly effective venom therapy is not always straightforward, and many clinical situations exist where a lack of information on the natural history of insect allergy prohibits an accurate assessment of the necessity for therapy in the individual patient. In addition, our current diagnostic methods detect prior sensitization to insect venom but do not predict the risk nor the severity of future reactions for the individual patient. Because venom therapy has the disadvantage of patient inconvenience, high cost, unknown incidence of long-term side effects and unknown duration of therapy, the decision for treatment cannot be made lightly. Long-term prospective studies of the natural history of insect allergy are currently in progress and will hopefully clarify the indications and the long-term costs and benefits of venom immunotherapy.
Effect of Transfer Status on Outcomes of Emergency General Surgery Patients.

Abstract Introduction Transferred emergency general surgery (EGS) patients are a vulnerable, high acuity population. The outcomes of and health care utilization among transferred (TRAN) as compared to directly admitted (DA) patients have been studied primarily using single institution or hospital system data which limits generalizability. We evaluated these outcomes among EGS patients using a national database. Methods We identified encounters of patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of EGS as defined by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma in the 2008-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Multivariable regression analyses determined if transfer status independently predicted in-hospital mortality (logistic regression) and morbidity (presence of any complication among those who survived to discharge; logistic regression), cost (log-linear regression), and duration of stay (among those who survived to discharge; log-linear regression) accounting for the NIS sampling design. Results We identified 274,145 TRAN (57,885 unweighted) and 10,456,100 DA (2,187,132 unweighted) encounters. On univariate analysis, TRAN patients were more likely to have greater comorbidity scores, have Medicare insurance, and reside in an area with a lesser median household income compared to DA patients (p Conclusions EGS patients who are transferred experience increased in-hospital morbidity and mortality as well as increased durations of stay and cost. As the population and age of patients diagnosed with EGS conditions increase while the EGS workforce decreases, the need for inter-hospital transfers will increase. Identifying risk factors associated with worse outcomes among transferred patients can inform the design of initiatives in performance improvement and direct the finite resources available to this vulnerable patient population.
Target-Based Care: An Intervention to Reduce Variation in Postoperative Length of Stay.

Objectives To derive care targets and evaluate the impact of displaying them at the point of care on postoperative length of stay (LOS). Study design A prospective cohort study using 2 years of historical controls within a freestanding, academic children's hospital. Patients undergoing benchmark cardiac surgery between May 4, 2014, and August 15, 2016 (preintervention) and September 6, 2016, to September 30, 2018 (postintervention) were included. The intervention consisted of displaying at the point of care targets for the timing of extubation, transfer from the intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital discharge. Family satisfaction, reintubation, and readmission rates were tracked. Results The postintervention cohort consisted of 219 consecutive patients. There was a reduction in variation for ICU (difference in SD −2.56, P Conclusions Target-based care is a simple, novel intervention associated with reduced variation in LOS and absolute LOS across a diverse spectrum of complex cardiac surgeries.
Study on structural, magnetic and electrical properties of perovskite lanthanum strontium manganite nanoparticles

Lanthanum Strontium Manganite (La1−xSrxMnO3) perovskite nanoparticles are prepared by ultrasonication assisted hydrothermal method with different Sr concentration (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5). The structural, magnetic and electrical properties of the prepared samples are studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and impedance spectroscopy. The Powder XRD and EDX studies confirmed the formation of LaSrMnO3. The powder XRD patterns show that the crystallite size decreases from 27.2 to 19.7 nm as the Sr concentration increases from x = 0.1 to x = 0.5. A shift in peak position towards higher angle indicates the replacement of La ions by Sr ions in the LaMnO3 lattice. Electron microscopic images show that the La1−xSrxMnO3 samples having both spherical and polygon morphology with decreasing particle size as the Sr concentration increases. The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern confirms the polycrystalline nature of the La1−xSrxMnO3(x = 0.5) nanoparticles. The magnetic study indicates that the La1−xSrxMnO3 samples exhibits ferromagnetism at room temperature, which increases with increasing of Sr concentration. Dielectric analysis shows the dielectric constant decreases with the function of frequency and increases with Sr content. With increase in frequency and Sr ions dopant concentration, the AC conductivity of the prepared samples is increased. The Cole–Cole plot shows the different radii of the semicircles exhibit the resistances of La1−xSrxMnO3 samples are highly dependent on the Sr concentration.
Multi-layer Seismic Anisotropy Beneath Greenland

Seismic anisotropy provides insight into past episodes of lithospheric deformation and the orientations of strain in the underlying asthenosphere. The Greenland mantle has played host to a rich his...
A Framework for Resilient Urban Futures

Resilient urban futures provides a social–ecological–technological systems (SETS) perspective on promoting and understanding resilience. This chapter introduces the concepts, research, and practice of urban resilience from the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN). It describes conceptual and methodological approaches to address how cities experience extreme weather events, adapt to climate resilience challenges, and can transform toward sustainable and equitable futures.
Metastatic colorectal carcinoma to the right atrium: a case report and review of the literature.

Cardiac metastasis due to colon cancer is extraordinarily uncommon. Given the rarity of diagnosis, there is paucity of evidence and hence, no established guidelines for evaluation or clinical management strategy. We present the case of a 59 year old male with a previously treated colonic carcinoma who presented with new onset exertional dyspnea. He was noted to be having a right atrial mass on an echocardiogram performed at his cardiologist’s office. Further workup with CT angiogram of the chest confirmed a right atrial mass measuring 4.0 cm. Serum CEA was normal. Biopsies of the right atrial mass demonstrated metastatic moderately differentiated colonic adenocarcinoma. Mismatch repair protein expression analysis by immunohistochemistry showed no loss of MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2 expression. Next generation sequencing for RAS and BRAF mutations was negative. Patient received treatment with FOLFIRINOX/ bevacizumab with noted reduction in size of mass. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of next generation sequencing results available on a biopsy of metastatic colorectal cancer to the heart with the largest literature review of 31 reported cases of metastatic colorectal cancer to the heart. It will help direct clinical management and also adds evidence to the potential efficacy of treatment of this rare aggressive disease with chemotherapy in combination with VEGF inhibitors.
Can We Trust Social Media

The paper presents a social media debate and introduces four position papers on social media as information sources. False information, uneven quality of information, bias, manipulation, and insuff...
The algorithm audit: Scoring the algorithms that score us:

In recent years, the ethical impact of AI has been increasingly scrutinized, with public scandals emerging over biased outcomes, lack of transparency, and the misuse of data. This has led to a grow...
The sense of taste: Development, regeneration, and dysfunction.

Gustation or the sense of taste is a primary sense, which functions as a gatekeeper for substances that enter the body. Animals, including humans, ingest foods that contain appetitive taste stimuli, including those that have sweet, moderately salty and umami (glutamate) components, and tend to avoid bitter-tasting items, as many bitter compounds are toxic. Taste is mediated by clusters of heterogeneous taste receptors cells (TRCs) organized as taste buds on the tongue, and these convey taste information from the oral cavity to higher order brain centers via the gustatory sensory neurons of the seventh and ninth cranial ganglia. One remarkable aspect of taste is that taste perception is mostly uninterrupted throughout life yet TRCs within buds are constantly renewed; every 1-2 months all taste cells have been steadily replaced. In the past decades we have learned a substantial amount about the cellular and molecular regulation of taste bud cell renewal, and how taste buds are initially established during embryogenesis. Here I review more recent findings pertaining to taste development and regeneration, as well as discuss potential mechanisms underlying taste dysfunction that often occurs with disease or its treatment. This article is categorized under: Infectious Diseases > Stem Cells and Development Cancer > Stem Cells and Development Neurological Diseases > Stem Cells and Development.
Inhibitory effects of gossypol-related compounds on growth of Aspergillus flavus

Aims: The objective of this study was to test a series of gossypol-related compounds for growth inhibition against Aspergillus flavus. Methods and Results: A series of chiral and achiral gossypol derivatives, some natural products of the cotton plant and others prepared by synthesis from gossypol, were incorporated into agar plates to follow the rate of A. flavus isolate AF13 colony growth. All tested compounds exhibited some growth inhibition against this organism. The synthetic compounds, gossypolone and apogossypolone, exhibited greater activity than either racemic or chiral gossypol. Methylated derivatives (i.e. 6-methoxy and 6,6′-dimethoxy derivatives) generally exhibited less activity than the nonmethylated parent compounds. The (−)-optical form of gossypol was found to be slightly more active than the (+)-optical form, and this trend was observed regardless of the presence of methoxy groups at the 6-position. Growth inhibition of gossypolone and apogossypolone was concentration dependent. For gossypolone, the 50% effective dose was 90 μg ml−1 of medium (165 μmol l−1). For apogossypolone, the most active compound in the study, the 50% effective dose was 19 μg ml−1 (38·7 μmol l−1). The presence of gossypol-related terpenoids appeared to stimulate production of A. flavus sclerotia, although replicate variability was so large that it was not possible to determine a significant correlation between the mass of sclerotia formed and compound growth inhibition. Conclusions: The quinone derivatives of gossypol, gossypolone and apogossypolone demonstrated significant fungal growth inhibitory activity against A. flavus. Significance and Impact of the Study: These gossypol derivatives may provide a new class of fungicide for use against the mycotoxigenic fungus A. flavus.
Molecular characterization of taro (Colocasia esculenta) using RAPD markers

Forty-four taro (Colocasia esculenta), two tanier (Xanthosoma species) and one Colocasia gigantea accessions were evaluated for genetic diversity using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Seventy-three of 112 primers amplified PCR DNA products used to fingerprint the accessions. Thirty-two primers were considered highly informative because they amplified more than 5 bands or amplified one or more polymorphic bands that distinguished between accessions. RAPDs showed high genetic diversity in taro accessions from Indonesia, were capable in distinguishing between Hawaiian accessions, and could separate triploid from diploid accessions. UPGMA cluster analysis of genetic similarity estimates (Jaccard's coefficient), separated the accessions into 3 main groups with C. esculenta divided into 5 subgroups. These primers will be useful for future genetic analysis and provide taro breeders with a genetic basis for selection of parents for crop improvement. Polymorphic markers identified in the DNA fingerprinting study will be useful to screen a segregating population which is being generated in our laboratory aimed at developing a taro genetic linkage map.
Assessment of Tandem Measurements of pH and Total Gut Transit Time in Healthy Volunteers

Objectives: The variation of luminal pH and transit time in an individual is unknown, yet is necessary to interpret single measurements. This study aimed to assess the intrasubject variability of gut pH and transit time in healthy volunteers using SmartPill devices (Covidien, Minneapolis, MN).
Standing for Animals

From the legal point of view, there is nothing at all new or unfamiliar in the idea of "animal rights;" on the contrary, it is entirely clear that animals have legal rights. Indeed, the rise of legal rights for animals has been one of the most distinctive features of the last thirty years of federal statutory law. An investigation of the question of standing helps show that the real issues involve problems of enforcement and scope. Human beings often do and should have standing to protect animal rights; animals lack such standing, but only because Congress has failed to give them standing. Animal welfare statutes should be amended to grant a private cause of action, to human beings and animals alike, against those who violate them, so as to allow private claimants to supplement agency enforcement efforts. This modest step could do a great deal to prevent the unjustified suffering of animals.
Remission of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with iron reduction in haemophilia A

Summary. Two male first cousins with mild haemophilia A had baseline factor VIII levels of 12–15% and experienced bleeding requiring coagulation factor infusion therapy with trauma and surgical procedures. Both the patients with haemophilia A also had electrocardiographically documented symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) for several years that had become resistant to pharmacological suppression. Radiofrequency ablation was considered in both the cases but deferred considering refusal of consent by the patients to undergo the procedure. Remission of arrhythmias has been reported in patients with iron-overload syndromes. Body iron stores assessed by serum ferritin levels were elevated in both men but neither had the C282Y or H63D genes for haemochromatosis. Calibrated reduction of iron stores by serial phlebotomy, avoiding iron deficiency, was followed by remission of symptomatic PAF in both cases. Iron reduction may be an effective treatment for arrhythmias apart from the classic iron-overload syndromes and deserves further study particularly in patients with bleeding disorders who might be at risk for arrhythmias and other diseases of ageing.
Collagen Polymorphism in Extracellular Matrix of Human Osteosarcoma

The collagenous matrix of human osteosarcoma was characterized biochemically and ultrastructurally. The highly cellular regions of the tumors contained many osteoblast-like cells filled with dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum. The extracellular matrix displayed a random weave of banded collagen fibrils (30--90 nm in diameter) interspersed with thinner, unbanded fibrils (15 nm in diameter). Tumors from 9 patients were analyzed for collagen composition. All gave a similar collagen profile. Three main molecular species of collagen were abundant: type I, type III, and type V, which occurred in the approximate proportions of 65:25:10. A high ratio of alpha 1(I) to alpha 2(I) chains suggested that one-third of the type I collagen was present as a type I trimer molecule. In contrast, normal bone matrix consisted almost exclusively of type I collagen. The fibrillar collagens in the soft tumor seemed unusually rich in hydroxylysine and hydroxylysine glycosides; type I collagen had two to three times the hydroxylysine content of normal bone collagen.
On effective sampling techniques for host-based intrusion detection in MANET

Tactical Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) demands a robust, diverse, and resilient protected communication and computing environment enabling network-centric operation with minimal downtime. Nevertheless, the nature of MANET causes security risks because mobile nodes are deployed in the open field and wireless communication makes the information accessible by anyone. Conducting cyber attack monitoring and detection in a tactical MANET becomes challenging because of limited resources and its infrastructureless network environment. To address these issue, we first study the host-based detection architecture to monitor and detect cyber attacks and then develop sampling techniques to balance the tradeoff between detection accuracy and bandwidth overhead. We also investigate the impact of host-based attack detection on MANET.