cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Theater of Experiments: Giambattista Della Porta and the Scientific Culture of Renaissance Naples

Renaissance Neapolitan scientific culture developed within the framework of its academies, in the shadow of the Spanish empire, and under the philosophical spell of Bernardino Telesio and Giambattista Della Porta. The academies occupied a prominent place in the landscape of Neapolitan culture. The Neapolitan scene is distinguished by the predominance of salons devoted to theatre and the search for secrets of nature. The academies were often covers for discussion about the political realities of Naples, in particular its status as a subject territory of the Spanish Monarchy. Telesio’s philosophical naturalism framed the southern Italian philosophical tradition, which came to its fullest expression in the ideas of Della Porta and Tommaso Campanella. Following Giambattista Della Porta through his life and influence, this essay attempts to provide a deep description of scientific culture in Renaissance Naples
Magnetic Susceptibility As A Proxy For Coal Ash Pollution Within Riverbed Sediments In A Watershed With Complex Geology (Southeastern USA)

A study of near surface sediments from the Dan River (southeastern USA) was conducted to assess the use of magnetic properties as proxies of coal ash after a recent spill. The watershed geology is diverse and potentially contributes magnetic minerals to riverbed sediment from diabase dikes in the Dan River Triassic Basin and from granitic gneiss outside the basin. Coal ash is heterogeneous, including aluminosilicate spheres, amorphous particles and carbonaceous rods and lacy particles. The magnetic fraction of ash from the failed storage pond is up to 17 wt% and is mostly composed of black spheres with maghemite and magnetite. Ash was detected in riverbed sediment from quiet water settings such as inside of meander bends, the confluence of tributary streams and near islands between the spill site and 20 miles downstream in the Schoolfield Reservoir, Danville, VA. The strong magnetic signal is detected above background in riverbed samples and is strongly positively correlated with total ash; elevated low field magnetic susceptibility (χ LF) is evident in samples with ≥ 12% ash content. Anhysteretic remanent magnetization and hysteresis parameters delineate native sediment, ash-bearing sediment, and diabase dikes. Between 20 and 70 miles downstream of the spill site, ash concentrations were either buried or too low due to dilution with native sediment to be detected with χ LF in riverbed samples.
The impact of thoracic endovascular aortic repair on long-term survival in type B aortic dissection: response to editorial.

We appreciate the interest and comments of Karkos et al. in reviewing our paper entitled: “ The Impact of Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair on Long-Term Survival in Type B Aortic Dissection ” recently published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Childhood alopecia areata-Data from the National Alopecia Areata Registry.

Background/objectives Alopecia areata may occur at any age and is the third-most-common dermatosis in children. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical and epidemiologic features of children and adolescents with alopecia areata based on the data of the National Alopecia Areata registry on children and adolescents. Methods Two thousand two hundred eighteen children and adolescents with alopecia areata self-enrolled in the National Alopecia Areata Registry and completed a web-based, self-administered, short-intake screening questionnaire (first tier). In the second tier, 643 patients participated in a clinical examination and completed a long-form questionnaire. Results Mean age of onset was 5.9 ± 4.1 years. With a female to male ratio of 1.5:1, alopecia areata was more prevalent in girls, but boys were significantly more likely to have a severe type (P = .009). One-fourth of all children had a positive family history, with 8% having more than three affected relatives. The disease most commonly associated with alopecia areata was atopic dermatitis (32.7%). Conclusion Childhood alopecia areata is more prevalent in girls than in boys, but boys have more extensive alopecia areata. Despite the low prevalence, congenital alopecia areata is an important differential diagnosis for neonatal hair loss. Alopecia areata runs in families, suggesting an underlying genetic background. One-quarter of the children reported at least one affected first-degree relative; 8% had more than three affected relatives.
Disease caused by treponema pallidum, nonvenereal treponematoses, and leptospira

Syphilis is caused by Treponema pallidum, a thin spiral-shaped microorganism. Treponematoses that are passed nonvenereally include Yaws, Bejel, and Pinta, which are caused by subspecies T. pallidum pertenue, subspecies T. pallidum endemicum, and T. carateum, respectively. Members of the spirochete genera …
Novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit growth of pancreatic cancer organoids using a rational combination of drugs to induce mitotic arrest and apoptosis.

322Background: The ability of cancer cells to suppress apoptosis is critical for carcinogenesis. The Bcl-2-family of regulator proteins, including the anti-apoptotic members Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1...
Nanotechnology for Reducing Orthopedic Implant Infections: Synthesis, Characterization, and Properties

Each year millions of patients improve their quality of life through surgical procedures that involve implants or implantable medical devices. Medical implants are devices or tissues that are placed inside or on the surface of the body. Many implants are prosthetics, intended to replace or restore the function of traumatized or degenerated tissues and organs. Other implants deliver medication, monitor body functions, or provide support to organs and tissues [1]. Currently, implants are being used in many different parts of the body for various applications such as orthopedics, pacemakers, cardiovascular stents, and catheters [2]. Concurrent with the increased life span in today’s world, the number of age-related diseases has also increased. For example, the global orthopedic implant market was valued at USD 4.3 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 6.2 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The constantly rising geriatric population is primarily driving the growth of the market since people aged above 65 years are at a high risk of developing degenerative disc disease, low bone density, and osteoarthritis [3].This chapter will cover some of the more significane advancements that have been made in medical devices to improve their function, in particular, how the next generation of implants are decreasing implant infection.
A Preliminary Test of the Association between Agnew’s Social Concern and Criminal Behavior: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample of Adults

ABSTRACTIn his Presidential Address to the American Society of Criminology, Agnew proposed a new theory of crime causation referring to the key independent variable as “social concern.” Social concern theory highlights the nuanced association between self-interest, altruistic behavior, and criminal behavior. Although there is considerable indirect evidence to support the theory—indeed, it is an example of inductive theory construction—there have been few direct tests of Agnew’s statements. As a result, the current study represents one of the first tests of social concern theory by examining the direct relationship between social concern and criminal behavior. We also test whether social concern mediates the effect of sex on criminal behavior, thereby offering insight into the gender gap in offending. Drawing on data from a nationally representative sample of American adults, we perform exploratory factor analysis to construct a measure of social concern. Results from negative binominal regression models r...
Synthesis of Azolo[1,3,5]triazines via Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Annulation of N-Azolo Imines and Dioxazolones.

A wide range of azolo[1,3,5]triazines were obtained by Rh(III)-catalyzed annulation of N-azolo imines and dioxazolones. The reaction proceeds by the first catalytic C–H amidation of an imidoyl C–H bond followed by cyclodehydration. Good yields were obtained for N-azolo imines derived from aminoazoles and aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes. A range of dioxazolone amidating reagents were employed to introduce aryl, heteroaryl, and alkyl substituents. The reaction was also performed with a benchtop setup at 1 mmol scale using microwave heating.
Mechanical Properties of Bioceramic Coatings on Medical Implants

Abstract In joint replacement surgery with suboptimal bone, allograft materials are often used to achieve biological fixation of the metallic implant to the host bone and reducing the implant fixation time. The most commonly used techniques are cemented and hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated metallic implants. Typically, HA coatings are suggested for patients with better bone stock, whereas recommended implant fixation process for most other osteoporotic patients is bone cements. In general, there is a long-standing need to improve the performance of hip and other devices for longer in vivo implant lifetime that can help in reducing the number of revision surgeries, as well as minimizing physical and mental trauma to the patient. To achieve these goals, it is important to understand the mechanical and biological properties of coatings that can influence not only its short- and long-term bioactivity but also life span in vivo. Over the years, it has been recognized that the stability of a coated implant is governed by its physical and mechanical properties. A coating that separates from the implant provides no advantage over an uncoated implant and undesirable due to problems with debris materials, which can lead to osteolysis. Therefore, it is important to properly characterize the coated implants in terms of its physical and mechanical properties. In this chapter, specific details on coating characterization techniques including sample dimensions, sample preparation, experimental procedure and data interpretation are discussed. In particular, the standards and requirements of regulatory organizations are presented elucidating the significance and use of each characterization. It is important to appreciate that mechanical properties of coatings can only be determined with certain coating specification such as coating thickness. This chapter is designed even for non-experts to follow mechanical property characterizations of coatings on medical implants.
Growth Cone Collapse Assay

Growth cone collapse is an easy and efficient test for detecting and characterizing axon guidance activities secreted or expressed by cells. It can also be used to dissect signaling pathways by axon growth inhibitors and to isolate therapeutic compounds that promote axon regeneration. Here, we describe a growth cone collapse assay protocol used to study signal transduction mechanisms of the repulsive axon guidance molecule ephrin-A5 in hippocampal neurons.
Waitlist Outcomes in a Contemporary Cohort of Heart Transplant Candidates with Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Complications: Anticipated Performance of The New Heart Allocation Policy

Introduction The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has recently approved a revision of the allocation system which will discriminate between patients stable on left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support and those with device complications warranting status upgrade. This system was based upon allocation modeling from a cohort of heart transplant candidates/recipients from 2009-11, and specifically prioritizes patients with malignant ventricular tachycardia on LVAD (Tier 1), followed by device malfunctions (Tier 2), and the remainder of complications (Tier 3). We sought to determine whether the recently approved Tier system for device complications reflects waitlist outcomes in a more contemporary cohort. Methods The UNOS database was queried to identify all adult patients listed for a single-organ HT between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015. Those patients who had a contemporary continuous flow LVAD (Heartmate II (Abbott, Abbott Park, Illinois) or Heartware HVAD (Heartware, Framingham, MA) at listing, during listing, or at the time of transplant were identified. Only those patients who were upgraded to Status 1A (b) for device complication as defined by the 2013 OPTN/UNOS device complication guidance document were included in the analysis. The primary outcome of interest was death or delisting for worsening status at 60 days after status upgrade. Results We identified 15,518 patients who were listed for HT during the study period. Among these, 6584 (34.4%) were bridged to transplant LVAD. A total of 2252 (34.2%) were upgraded to Status 1A (b) for device complication, including infection (35.8%), device malfunction (13.9%), device thrombus (15.1%), life threatening ventricular arrhythmia (6.9%), with the remainder for other complications including right ventricular failure. The prevalence of death or delisting at 60 days after status 1A upgrade was higher in patients with life threatening arrhythmias (8.4%) as compared to those with device infection (p Conclusion Our analysis in this cohort of patients upgraded to Status 1A while awaiting HT with LVAD bridge supports the impending allocation system with regards to priority of device complications.
Decolonial Visions in Mid-Twentieth-Century African Rhetoric: Perspectives from Kwame Nkrumah’s Consciencism

This chapter examines Kwame Nkrumah’s Consciencism so as to highlight twentieth-century African rhetoric and how it might enrich the theoretical substance of contemporary discourses on decoloniality. The analysis emphasizes four decolonial rhetorical moves in Consciencism: that is, a critique of the universalist outlook of Western epistemology, emphasis on the significance of an ideology that connects philosophy with morality in the African decolonial project, argument for socialism as the best ideology for Africa as well as suggestions that socialism is indigenous to traditional African societies, and finally, argument for a pluriversal African society that emphasizes the harmonization of the three significant components of contemporary African societies. The analysis concludes with calls for a reinterpretation of the archive of African liberation rhetoric and its transnational connectivities.
Evaluation of a short, interactive diabetes self-management program by pharmacists for type 2 diabetes.

Numerous barriers prevent patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from completing a diabetes self-management program. We investigated whether patients with T2D exhibited improved clinical outcomes after attending a relatively short, interactive diabetes self-management program conducted by pharmacist diabetes educators, compared to a physician’s usual care. We retrospectively analyzed the data of adults with T2D who attended a diabetes self-management program (≥ 1 group meeting or individual appointment followed by a telephone interview from a pharmacist diabetes educator between May 2010 and Dec. 2012; n = 513) and compared their outcomes with those of T2D patients who received only their physician’s usual care (n = 857). Each patient’s A1C was assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months post-intervention. The mean [SD] reduction in A1C percentage points in the T2D patients was significantly greater in the diabetes self-management program group compared to the physician’s usual care group at both 3 months (− 0.8% [1.5] vs. − 0.2% [0.9], p < 0.001) and 6 months post-intervention (− 0.6% [1.3] vs. − 0.2% [1.1], p < 0.001). T2D patients significantly improved their glycemic control within 3–6 months of attending the diabetes self-management program compared to patients who only received their physician’s usual care.
A Comparative Multimetric Assessment of English and Spanish Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Materials.

Abstract Background Spanish-speaking Hispanics living in the United States utilize the internet as a primary means to obtain health information. Accurate, accessible information is important for English speakers; however, it could have even greater utility for Spanish speakers who have lower health literacy levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare online English and Spanish carpal tunnel surgery materials provided by using a multimetric approach. Materials and methods A web search using the English term “carpal tunnel surgery” was performed. The first 10 institutional/organizational websites that provided carpal tunnel surgery information in English and Spanish were included. All relevant online materials were evaluated using the Patient Education and Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool (CSAT), and Simplified Measure of Gobbledygook, Spanish (SOL) to assess understandability and actionability, cultural sensitivity, and readability, respectively. Results There were no statistically significant differences in understandability or actionability scores between Spanish and English materials. Average cultural sensitivity scores for Spanish materials were significantly lower than English materials (P = 0.015). The average reading grade level of online English materials was greater than that for Spanish materials (P = 0.011). Both mean values were above the recommended sixth-grade reading level. Conclusions Online patient-directed information regarding carpal tunnel surgery exceeded the recommended reading grade level for both English and Spanish-speaking populations. Most Spanish materials were often direct translations and were not contoured to the elevated literacy needs of this demographic. Institutions must caution their authors to tailor their web material in a way that is sensitive to their target population to optimize understanding.
Socio-economic context of soil erosion: A comparative local stakeholders’ case study from traditional agricultural region in the Czech Republic

Abstract Soil erosion by water is the most common cause of land degradation and traditionally coincides with agricultural production. This paper presents the results of a sociological case study comparing the perceptions of soil erosion of stakeholder groups from southern Moravia, an intensive agricultural and erosion-prone region in the Czech Republic. The research documents and analyses perceptions of erosion, perceived causes, and attitudes towards possible corrective measures. Altogether, 216 stakeholders consisting of farmers and local leaders (mostly mayors and vice-mayors) took part in a questionnaire survey between the years of 2012–2015. The results show that the stakeholders as whole are in general aware of the seriousness of the problem and see irresponsible farmers, lack of organic fertilizers and climate change as the major causes. Overall most preferred erosion mitigation measures were the growing of appropriate crops and the splitting of large fields into smaller ones. The views of farmers and local leaders are compared and discussed within the framework of the changing roles of rural areas. A productivist paradigm and corresponding modulation of erosion is significantly more prevalent among farmers, although not the dominant viewpoint in this group. The socio-economic context of soil erosion and recent trends in Czech soil conservation policies are discussed and it is argued that the local stakeholders are supportive of pro-environmental measures despite a lack of effort on the governmental and legislation level.
Joint attention in human-robot interaction

We propose a computational model of joint attention consisting of three parts: responding to joint attention, initiating joint attention, and ensuring joint attention. This model is supported by psychological findings and matches the developmental timeline in humans. We present two experiments that test this model and investigate joint attention in human-robot interaction. The first experiment explored the effects of responding to joint attention on human-robot interaction. We show that robots responding to joint attention are more transparent to humans and are more competent and socially interactive. The second experiment studied the importance of ensuring joint attention in human-robot interaction. Data upheld our hypotheses that a robot's ensuring joint attention behavior yields better performance in human-robot interactive tasks and ensuring joint attention behaviors are perceived as natural behaviors.
Role of 18 F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron-Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) in the Management of Pancreatic Cancer

A hallmark of cancer cells is the deregulated uptake of glucose in an effort to sustain the biosynthetic demands of rapid cellular proliferation. This metabolic process was first described by German physiologist Otto Warburg in the 1920s. In the seminal study, Warburg et al. observed a significant increase in glucose consumption and lactic acid production by cancer cells as compared to normal (non-cancerous) cells, despite aerobic conditions, suggesting an anomalous energy metabolism. Subsequent investigators have corroborated this clinical observation and concluded that cancer cells have the ability to reprogram their energy metabolism such that they rely primarily on glucose catabolism for cellular energy production. In contrast, the energy pathway favored by normal tissue cells under aerobic conditions is the coupling of glycolysis with mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, as it yields an approximately 18-fold increase in energy production in comparison to glycolysis alone. However, cancer cells are able to compensate by upregulating glucose transporters (GLUT) on the cell membrane, namely, GLUT1, resulting in an increased uptake of glucose into cells.
Circumferential hoof clamp method of lameness induction in the horse

A circumferential hoof clamp method to induce controlled and reversible lameness in the forelimbs of eight horses was assessed. Peak vertical forces and vertical impulses were recorded using a force plate to verify induced lameness. Video recordings were used by blinded observers to determine subjective lameness using a 0-5 scale and any residual lameness following clamp loosening. Tightening of clamps resulted in consistent, visible lameness in the selected limbs in all horses. Lameness was confirmed by significant decreases from baseline in the peak vertical force (P <0.01). Lameness was also confirmed subjectively by elevated median scores (0 at baseline and 2 during lameness). Lameness was not immediately reversible after clamp loosening (median score 1.5), but horses were not obviously lame after clamp removal and were no different from initial baseline (median score 0.5) approximately 3 days later.
Improving Low-Voltage DC Circuit Breaker Performance Through an Alternate Commutating Circuit

Current interruption in dc circuits is more challenging than in their ac counterparts due to the absence of natural current zero-crossing and resistive nature of the dc grids. This article summarizes the current dc breaker technologies and proposes new alternate methods for low-voltage applications. The proposed mechanisms utilize two switches, of which one generates zero crossing with an alternate oscillatory circuit for the other one, which can be a conventional ac breaker and is used in the main circuit. This is different than the conventional single-switch commute-and-absorb method used in high-voltage dc systems. It is shown that the proposed oscillatory circuit improves the fault current extinction and significantly reduces the voltage slew rate of conventional mechanical and solid-state switches. Thus, the proposed mechanism is capable of interrupting high dc currents with a minimal arc through a less expensive ac circuit breaker. Simulation and hardware results are provided to show the efficiency of the proposed breakers.
An Efficient Implementation of Query/Advertise

Abstract : It is demonstrated how a publish/subscribe system can be extended to support the efficient distribution of queries to relevant sites. Queries are encoded as messages that are efficiently distributed to sites providing advertisements, which are special queries that describe the data sets available at each site. An important aspect of this research is to provide a sufficiently powerful language for expressing queries. It is shown how adding a form of constraint to the system as a first class class object can support expressive queries. A query system is constructed on top of the Siena wide-area publish/subscribe system, and it is shown how to optimize the distribution of queries.
Validation and Testing of Initial and In-Situ Mutual Coupling-Based Calibration of a Dual-Polarized Active Phased Array Antenna

This paper presents experimental results of an initial and in-situ mutual coupling calibration techniques of an active phased array antenna. The antenna is a dual-polarized 64-element C-band subarray panel equipped with an RF beamformer that enables mutual coupling measurements. Both techniques were implemented, tested and validated using a custom anechoic chamber and a radar backend. The implementation of a radar backend enables the in-situ validation of both methods. A conventional near-field calibration procedure, also known as park and probe, was used as a reference, in order to validate the proposed method. To quantify the calibration effectiveness of the mutual coupling-based techniques, the results are translated into phase and amplitude errors. It is found that the amplitude estimation of the tested initial technique is affected by edge effects, resulting in errors larger than 1 dB, whereas the phase estimation is less sensitive, yielding an overall root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.5°. In contrast, the proposed in-situ technique is not affected by edge effects, and its estimation RMSE is less than 0.12 dB in amplitude and less than 0.75° in phase. Mutual coupling-based calibration techniques are demonstrated to be very versatile, as they provide calibration methods for environments outside an anechoic chamber, and they also enable immediate feedback on the health of the system.
Body Composition of Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants Fed Fortified Human Milk: A Pilot Study

Background Although donor milk is increasingly fed to preterm infants, the resultant quality of growth and body composition is unknown. The aim of this pilot study was to describe the body composition of very low-birth-weight infants fed human milk in the neonatal intensive care unit and explore the association between the proportion of donor human milk intake and fat-free and fat mass deposition. Methods Body composition of 30 preterm infants fed maternal and donor human milk was measured by air displacement plethysmography. Regression models were developed to associate each parameter of body composition with the proportion of donor milk intake and other explanatory variables. Results The proportion of donor milk intake was negatively associated with body fat percentage (P = .01). Fat-free mass z-scores ranged from -4.6 to 1.11 (mean z-score of -0.95, 17th percentile). Conclusion Donor human milk intake is negatively associated with body fat percentage in this pilot study of very low-birth-weight preterm infants.
China’s digital nationalism: by Florian Schneider, New York, Oxford University Press, 2018, US$29.13 (paperback), 291 pp

Cyber nationalism in China has been a hot issue since the introduction of the internet in that country (Wu, 2007; Jiang, 2012). However, since China became the world’s second-largest economy and Xi...
Neuron-type specificity of dorsal raphe projections to ventral tegmental area

The midbrain dorsal raphe (DR) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) contain two of the brain’s main ascending neuromodulatory transmitters: serotonin and dopamine. We studied the pathway from DR to VTA using single-cell RNA sequencing, anatomical tracing, and electrophysiology and behavior in mice. Single-cell sequencing confirmed a differential distribution of dopamine cell types between medial and lateral aspects of the VTA. This molecular diversity included differential expression of a subset of glutamatergic and serotonergic receptors. Anatomical data showed that distinct serotonergic and glutamatergic populations of DR neurons project to distinct medial-lateral locations in VTA. Physiological data showed that serotonergic neurons are positioned to excite putative dopaminergic neurons in lateral VTA on short timescales (within trial), and inhibit them on long timescales (on the next trial). Our results reveal precise anatomical specificity of DR projections to VTA, and suggest a functional role for serotonergic modulation of dopaminergic function across multiple timescales.
Rates of inflammatory bowel disease in Hispanics comparable to non-Hispanic Whites: results of a cohort study.

Previous studies have suggested that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) occurs at higher rates among non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) compared to other ethnicities; however, Hispanics as the largest minority in the United States remain underrepresented in IBD research and we hypothesize that they have similar rates of IBD. We examined the epidemiology, demographics, clinical presentation, and treatment of IBD in a predominantly Hispanic cohort in Los Angeles (LA) County. This was a retrospective cohort study based at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, one of the three major safety-net hospitals in LA County. Electronic medical records from 2015 to 2018 were queried, and biopsy-proven cases of IBD (n = 170) were identified. Outcomes included the incidence and prevalence of IBD, disease distribution, treatment, and IBD-related surgery. The incidence of IBD among Hispanics was 175 (95% confidence interval [CI] 127–240) and 113 (95% CI 62–200) for NHWs per 100,000 person-years. Prevalence of IBD per 100,000 people was 418 (95% CI 341–512) for Hispanics and 557 (95% CI 431–739) for NHWs. Notably, the proportion of Hispanic IBD patients with a history of smoking was 21.5% vs 50.8% in NHWs (p = 0.011). There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to Montreal classification, pharmacotherapy, or IBD-related surgery. In one of the largest US studies of Hispanics with IBD, and the only one to have both clinical and histopathologic confirmation as inclusion criteria, we found the incidence and prevalence of IBD among Hispanics to be higher than previously recognized and comparable to NHWs. Additionally, Hispanic IBD patients had lower rates of smoking compared to NHWs.
When You're Not OK Without Vitamin K

Introduction: A previously healthy, unvaccinated, 3-month-old Amish female presented to the emergency department (ED) with one day history of altered mental status and new onset seizures. Parents described 10 episodes of vomiting one day prior, in addition to a five minute episode of full body stiffening and jerking movements at home on day of presentation. Case Description: Upon arrival to the ED, the child was obtunded. She was posturing bilateral upper extremities with tonic-clonic movements and had a tense, bulging fontanelle. An irregular shallow breathing pattern was noted while the remainder of her exam was otherwise unremarkable. Initial labs demonstrated normocytic anemia …
TET2 Driven Clonal Hematopoiesis Promotes Allograft Tolerance in a Mouse Heart Transplant Model

Purpose Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is the result of clonal expansion of hematopoietic progenitors within the bone marrow (BM) that harbor mutations that confer fitness advantage relative to the background population. These clones can expand to become a dominant source of peripheral blood cells. Clonal mutations in TET2 (chromatin demethylase) have the strongest association with cardiovascular mortality and are prevalent in heart failure patients. Increased production of cytokines (i.e., interleukin-1β) by monocytes and macrophages may represent the underlying mechanism by which TET2 CH contributes to accelerated atherosclerosis and heart failure progression. The impact of TET2 CH on heart transplantation remains unexplored. Methods We established an adoptive BM transplantation CH model. Unfractionated BM (1.5 × 107cells) harvested from C57/B6 control or TET2-/- mice was injected into syngeneic C57/B6 UBC-GFP animals on three consecutive days. The extent of peripheral chimerism was assessed by flow cytometry 4-8 weeks after adoptive transfer. We then transplanted Balb/c donor hearts into chimeric C57/B6 recipient mice. All mice received CTLA4 Ig (days 0, 2 4, 6) for immunosuppression. The primary endpoint was a time to event analysis of allograft survival assessed by daily palpation. Secondary endpoints included histology, immunohistochemistry, and measurement of donor alloreactive T-cells and antibodies. Results Adoptive transfer of C57/B6 control BM into C57/B6 UBC-GFP mice led to diminished chimerism (0.6% - 3.6%) compared to adoptive transfer of C57/B6 TET2-/- BM into C57/B6 UBC-GFP mice (32 - 34.6%). We observed marked differences in donor heart survival between experimental groups. Following transplantation, recipient mice that received control BM displayed an average survival of 18 days, whereas recipient mice that received TET2-/- BM demonstrated evidence of long-term survival with 2/3 of mice surviving beyond 60 days (p Conclusion TET2 driven CH confers protection from allograft rejection and promotes long-term allograft acceptance in mice.
Money Talks: Pilot Financial Wellness Programs to Promote Positive Financial Planning Behaviors Among Residents.

Problem Graduate medical education programs and national organizations are becoming more involved in promoting trainee financial wellness. Current literature reports residents have poor financial knowledge, high debt levels, low concern about their finances, and deficits in financial preparedness, but there has been little published on best practices for implementing financial wellness programs for residents or measuring meaningful outcomes of such programs. Approach From June 2017-2019, the authors invited 277 internal medicine residents from the Stony Brook University Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center residency programs to participate in financial wellness programs. Each institution held at least one 90-minute financial planning session; Stony Brook also had biannual financial wellness check-ins. Participants were invited to complete a pre-session, an immediate post-session, and a year-end survey to assess changes in financial planning behaviors. Outcomes Survey response rates were 49% (135/277) for the pre-session survey, 47% (130/277) for the immediate post-session survey, and 22% (61/277) for the year-end survey. Ninety-six percent (125/130) found the sessions helpful and 98% (120/123) recommended continuing the program in the future. At year-end, the most frequent completed financial planning actions prompted by the session included saving emergency funds, creating a monthly budget, consolidating loans via the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, contributing to retirement savings, and participating in an employer's retirement plan. Resident liked that some sessions were during intern orientation prior to the selection of retirement plans. Postgraduate year (PGY) 1 residents were more likely to complete positive financial planning actions and to agree or strongly agree that the session prompted them to take financial planning actions than PGY2 and PGY3 residents. Next steps While financial wellness programs are well received by internal medicine residents, more robust evidence is needed on curricular delivery methods and program features that promote positive financial planning behaviors.
Obstetric Autonomy and Informed Consent

I argue that public officials and health workers ought to respect and protect women’s rights to make risky choices during childbirth. Women’s rights to make treatment decisions ought to be respected even if their decisions expose their unborn children to unnecessary risks, and even if it is wrong to put unborn children at risk. I first defend a presumption of medical autonomy in the context of childbirth. I then draw on women’s birth stories to show that women’s medical autonomy is often ignored during labor. Medical interventions are performed during childbirth without women’s consent. Childbirth is risky and some coercive medical interventions may be understood as attempts to protect children and to prevent mothers from acting impermissibly. However, even if it is wrong to make risky choices during childbirth, women have rights to do wrong in these cases. Therefore, coercive medical interventions are impermissible during childbirth and institutions should adopt specific protections for obstetric autonomy.
Optimum Design of Constant-Depth Plate Girders

The iterative flange smoothing method is a computational method for determining the minimum-cost design of girders with constant web height on the basis of a given mathematical model for costs and specification for design, analysis, loading, and material. In this method, the problem is decentralized into an iterative cycle of a few simple, less dimensional operations. Each cycle consists of four major operations where each operation modifies the results of the previous one. These operations are (1) determination of the optimal arrangement of the section modulus along the girder, (2) determination of the cross section along the girder such that material cost is minimized, (3) modification of the design by balancing the cost of material versus fabrication using the smoothing method of operations research, and (4) optimization of the design variables such that the total cost is minimized. The method is found to be efficient, practical, and applicable to different cost models and specification requirements.
THE SHELBY FOREST SITE IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE AND EARLY MISSISSIPPIAN RED-FILMED POTTERY IN THE CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

The Shelby Forest site in southwest Tennessee is an Early Mississippian component characterized by Varney Red Filmed ceramics. Comparison to other sites in the Reelfoot Lake area of west Tennessee and the Upper St. Francis Basin of Missouri and Arkansas allows refinement of the direction, timing, and characteristics of influences from these areas northeastward to American Bottom and southward into the Yazoo Basin of Mississippi. Subsequent influences from the Cahokia area into the southern Yazoo Basin and northeast Louisiana are also discussed.
Optimum number of automated shuttles driven by linear motors in an container terminal

The emergence of huge container ships together with the scarcity of yard land put an enormous pressure on authorities to adopt advanced technologies to increase the throughput of current container terminals. Automated Container Terminals (ACT), using advanced material handling technologies, are recently considered as candidates for increasing the performance of manually operated yards. In this paper, an ACT that employs Linear Motor Technology is designed. A multi attribute decision making method is employed to find the optimum number of conveyor shuttles in the terminal. Simulations demonstrate a double increase in the throughput of ACT compared to the similar one with manual operations.
Electromagnetic characterization method for on-wafer magnetic dielectric thin film materials

This paper introduces a new characterization method for on-wafer magnetic dielectric thin film materials. For this class of materials, it is necessary to determine both e r and μ r from the measured characteristic impedance and propagation constant of transmission lines. This new method uses two transmission lines of the same length but with different characteristic impedances. Simulated results are presented which show very good agreement with exact values of e r and μ r .
Multispectral time-resolved diffuse optical tomography system for absorber mapping in turbid medium using wide-field single-pixel camera

In this work, we present the recent developments of our time-resolved diffuse optical system based on wide-field multispectral illumination and single-pixel detection scheme. The performance of the system for mapping 3D fluorophore or chromophore distribution with spectral contrast in turbid media is validated with improved quantification accuracy and reduced crosstalk.
Retroviral gene transfer in mice: The use of a unique packaging line improves efficiency

The principals of gene theraphy, although superficially simple, involve three important prerequisites: (1)Gene Transfer, (2) Gene Pression, (3) Safety.
Resource analysis of tonsillectomy in children

Objectives/Hypothesis To analyze variables that affect time and cost parameters of pediatric adenotonsillectomy. Study Design Longitudinal 7-month retrospective review of sequential tonsil and adenoid surgery at a university pediatric tertiary care hospital. Methods All children aged 2 to 12 years who underwent adenotonsillectomy from May 2008 to October 2008 had charts and billing records analyzed for variations in charges and times of adenotonsillectomy according to patient age, body mass index for age (BMIFA), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status, surgical indication, technology used, and teaching status of case. A total of 214 children had records reviewed. Results Statistically significant variations were observed for all measured parameters except for indications for surgery. Children 3 years and younger had shorter procedures (P = .005) and total operating room times (P = .037). Charges for supplies were lower for ASA 1 patients than for ASA 2 patients (P = .010). Obese children with elevated BMIFA required longer procedures (P = .039) and more expensive surgery (P = .003). Procedure times were shorter for Coblation (ArthroCare, Austin, TX) compared with electrocautery (P = .27) and for microdebrider compared with electrocautery (P < .001). Charges for Coblation were substantially higher (P < .001). Teaching cases took longer (P < .001). Conclusions Charges and times for adenotonsillectomy surgery varied by patient age, BMIFA, ASA status, tonsillectomy technique, and teaching case status. Clinically salient differences were noted for ASA status, BMIFA, and surgical technique. This method of cost analysis provides useful information for resource management in tonsillectomy. Level of Evidence 2c. Laryngoscope, 124:1223–1228, 2014
A low cost, durable anti-reflective film for solar collectors

The physics of reflection reduction by thin films is briefly reviewed. Current techniques for the production of anti-reflective coatings are surveyed with respect to their applicabilities to solar panel covers. Techniques for the production of suitable anti-reflection coatings based on acid-hardened sodium silicate solutions are presented along with optical data for both acid-leached and silicate coatings
Use and recovery of a homogeneous catalyst with carbon dioxide as a solubility switch

A method for fluorous biphasic catalysis is described, in which the fluorous liquid is replaced by fluorinated silica, the fluorous catalyst is induced to dissolve in the organic solvent by the presence of CO2, and the recovery of the catalyst after the reaction is achieved by release of the CO2 pressure.
Screening for Human Papillomavirus in Basaloid Squamous Carcinoma: Utility of p16INK4a, CISH, and PCR

This study compares p16 INK4a immunohistochemistry (IHC), HPV chromogenic in situ hybridization (ISH), and HPV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping for detection of HPV infection in basaloid squamous carcinoma (BSCC). A retrospective histopathological analysis of 40 BSCC from a single institution was carried out. p16 IHC, HPV DNA extraction and ISH, and HPV PCR genotyping were performed, and there was excellent agreement between all 3 methods of HPV detection. Analysis of variance yielded no significant differences between the results of the 3 tests ( P = .354) and Pearson product—moment correlation coefficients calculated for each pair of tests demonstrated direct correlation (r = .61 for PCR and IHC, r = .61 for PCR and ISH, and r = 1.00 for ISH and IHC). This supports the use of p16INK4a IHC as an initial screening tool for HPV infection in BSCC, while definitive evidence of HPV DNA can be sought subsequently with PCR or CISH.
Atherosclerotic popliteal aneurysm in a man thirty-five years old; report of a case.

This case of atherosclerotic aneurysm of the popliteal artery is of interest because the patient was a man 35 years old and because the condition was discovered only because palpation of the peripheral arteries was included as a part of routine examination. Only after the aneurysm had been found was a history of intermittent claudication elicited. The indications for the surgical treatment of popliteal aneurysms are discussed.
Thermal upgrading effect on oxygen distribution in lignite

Abstract The results of a study aimed at evaluating the effect of an evaporative thermal treatment on the distribution of the oxygen-bearing functional groups in a lignite are discussed in this paper. The lignite was thermally treated at varying temperature (200–500°C) in three different process media (nitrogen, steam, and products of combustion at 15% excess air (POC-15)). The effect of the treatment on the oxygen functional groups was evaluated by wet chemical techniques. A steady decrease in -OH and -COOH groups with increases in treatment temperature, with a relatively small change in the >CO group were observed. The effect of using different process media was not significant, even in the case of excess air. The phenolic -OH group was found to correlate best with the equilibrium moisture content of the coal.
Outgroup Accountability in the Minimal Group Paradigm: Implications for Aversive Discrimination and Social Identity Theory

The minimal group paradigm (MGP) is a popular method of testing intergroup phenomena. Originally created to facilitate discovery of conditions necessary and sufficient to produce ingroup favoritism, early MGP results suggested that simply grouping people was sufficient to cause discrimination. More recent research has uncovered factors that cause MGP-based discrimination to disappear. The present experiment examined outgroup accountability as explicatory of these variations. It was found that requiring justification for allocations attenuated discrimination. Outgroup accountability-based attenuation was especially evident when the allocator was of majority (vs. minority) status, as expected on the basis of aversive racism considerations. Allocators of minority status tended to discriminate more when made accountable to the outgroup. Implications of these results for theories of social identity and aversive racism are discussed.
Valence quark distributions in the soliton bag model

Abstract Valence quark distributions are calculated in a momentum projected version of the soliton bag model. These distributions are evolved to Q 2 =15 GeV 2 using QCD perturbation theory, where they are compared with experiment. Substantial agreement is achieved.
Hold-over admissions: are they educational for residents?

PURPOSE Since implementation of resident duty-hour restrictions, many academic medical centers utilize night-float teams to admit patients during off hours. Patients are transferred to other resident physicians the subsequent morning as “hold-over admissions.” Despite the increase of hold-over admissions, there are limited data on resident perceptions of their educational value. This study investigated resident perceptions of hold-over admissions, and whether they approach hold-over admissions differently than new admissions.