cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbon-13 Labeling for Improved Tracer Depth Profiling of Organic Materials Using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

13C labeling is introduced as an alternative to deuterium labeling for analysis of organic materials using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). A model macromolecular system composed of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was used to compare the effects of isotopic labeling using both deuterium substitution (dPS) and 13C labeling (13C-PS). Clear evidence is shown that deuterium labeling does introduce changes in the thermodynamic properties of the system, with the observation of segregation of dPS to an hPS:dPS/hPMMA interface. This type of behavior could significantly impact many types of investigations due to the potential for improper interpretation of experimental results as a consequence of labeling-induced artifacts. 13C labeling is shown to provide a true tracer for analysis using SIMS.
Estradiol modulates visceral hyperalgesia by increasing thoracolumbar spinal GluN2B subunit activity in female rats

Background We previously reported estrogen modulates spinal N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor processing of colorectal pain through changes in spinal GluN1 subunit phosphorylation/expression. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether spinal GluN2B containing NMDA receptors are involved in estrogen modulation of visceral pain processing. Methods Behavioral, molecular, and immunocytochemical techniques were used to determine spinal GluN2B expression/phosphorylation and function 48 h following subcutaneous injection of estradiol (E2) or vehicle (safflower oil, Saff oil) in ovariectomized rats in the absence or presence of colonic inflammation induced by mustard oil. Key Results E2 increased the magnitude of the visceromotor response (VMR) to colorectal distention compared to Saff oil in non-inflamed rats. Intrathecal injection of the GluN2B subunit antagonist, Ro 25-6981, had no effect on the VMR in non-inflamed E2 or Saff oil rats. Colonic inflammation induced visceral hyperalgesia in E2, but not Saff oil rats. Visceral hyperalgesia in E2 rats was blocked by intrathecal GluN2B subunit selective antagonists. In inflamed rats, E2 increased GluN2B protein and gene expression in the thoracolumbar (TL), but not lumbosacral (LS), dorsal spinal cord. Immunocytochemical labeling showed a significant increase in GluN2B subunit in the superficial dorsal horn of E2 rats compared to Saff oil rats. Conclusions & Inferences These data support the hypothesis that estrogen increases spinal processing of colonic inflammation-induced visceral hyperalgesia by increasing NMDA receptor activity. Specifically, an increase in the activity of GluN2B containing NMDA receptors in the TL spinal cord by estrogen underlies visceral hypersensitivity in the presence of colonic inflammation.
A family of tissue-specific resistin-like molecules

We have identified a family of resistin-like molecules (RELMs) in rodents and humans. Resistin is a hormone produced by fat cells. RELMα is a secreted protein that has a restricted tissue distribution with highest levels in adipose tissue. Another family member, RELMβ, is a secreted protein expressed only in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the colon, in both mouse and human. RELMβ gene expression is highest in proliferative epithelial cells and is markedly increased in tumors, suggesting a role in intestinal proliferation. Resistin and the RELMs share a cysteine composition and other signature features. Thus, the RELMs together with resistin comprise a class of tissue-specific signaling molecules.
The association between smoking and tuberculosis

Objective. To review epidemiological evidence on the association between smoking and tuberculosis. Methods. Reviewed articles were identified by searching Pubmed for the terms “smoking” or “tobacco” and “tuberculosis”. Additional articles were obtained from the bibliographies of identified papers. Results. Thirty-four studies were reviewed: five investigate the association between smoking and mortality from tuberculosis, 13 investigate the association between smoking and development of tuberculosis, eigth investigate the association between smoking and infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and nine estimate the impact of smoking on characteristics of tuberculosis and disease outcomes. Conclusions. Taken together, evidence suggests that smoking (both current and former) is associated with: risk of being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, risk of developing tuberculosis, development of more severe forms of tuberculosis, and risk of dying of tuberculosis. In many cases, there is a strong dose-response relationship ‐both in terms of quantity and duration of smoking. These relationships are not explained away by controlling for potentially confounding variables such as age, gender, alcohol consumption, and HIV status.
Low-order aberration sensitivity of an optical vortex coronagraph

We describe a high-contrast imaging technique capable of directly measuring light from a terrestrial planet by using a vortex mask of topological charge m = 5. We demonstrate that this technique is relatively insensitive to low-order aberrations and compare its performance to that of a band-limited Lyot coronagraph.
Towards a model of analyst effort for traceability research

This paper posits that a theoretical model of analyst effort in tracing tasks is necessary to assist with study of the analyst. Specifically, it is clear from prior work by numerous research groups that the important factors in such a model are: the amount of time it takes for an analyst to vet a given candidate link and the amount of time it takes an analyst to find a missing link. This paper introduces a theoretical model of analyst effort as well as a simplified model. A number of simulations were undertaken in order to build effort curves to assist in evaluating numerous tracing scenarios, such as determining at what point in time an analyst should switch from vetting candidate links to manually searching for links not in the candidate list.
A linguistic account of a developmental, semantic-pragmatic disorder: Evidence from a case study

This is a clinical case study of a 4-year-old boy (H.N.) who demonstrates an infrequently studied ‘semantic-pragmatic’ type of specific language impairment (SLI). In contrast to the disturbances of linguistic form that characterize the most frequently reported type of SLI, the semantic-pragmatic syndrome is characterized mostly by ‘inappropriate’ language use. A cognitive explanation has been proposed that accounts for all instances of inappropriate language thus far studied in this population. An expressive linguistic explanation has also been proposed that accounts for some instances of inappropriate language, but not for irrelevant comments or inappropriate responses to questions. I propose that a receptive linguistic explanation can account for inappropriate responses to questions. Thus, a linguistic explanation with receptive and expressive components could account for all but a few semantic-pragmatic behaviours previously accounted for by the cognitive explanation. To test this proposal, H.N.‘s resp...
Risk Assessment Before Extraction for Immediate Implant Placement in the Posterior Mandible: A Computerized Tomographic Scan Study

Background: Controversy exists in treatment planning relative to the attempt of saving a tooth with unfavorable prognosis or extracting it and placing an immediate or delayed implant. Preextraction radiographic assessments of teeth are traditionally performed using two-dimensional periapical and panoramic radiographs. These can reveal bone loss around a tooth, but have limited use in assessing implant risk before tooth extraction. Three-dimensional radiographs or cone-beam (CB) or computerized tomographic (CT) scans are often taken after tooth extraction and socket healing to assess the healed ridge as a potential implant site. However, when treatment planning for an immediate implant in the posterior mandible, a CT scan taken before tooth extraction can be of value in assessing the available bone and anatomy of the area. This allows the clinician and patient to consider alternative options, such as treating and maintaining the tooth or using a delayed implant protocol, when the site presents a high risk ...
Uses of shaped pulses in NMR: A primer

This is an overview of the effects of shaped radiofrequency pulses and instrumental requirements for pulse shaping. We summarize what is known in general about pulse shaping and the tradeoffs involved in choosing a pulse shape for specific experiments. We also discuss computerized optimization, which is the method used to derive most of the pulse shapes in common use, and present a program which optimizes pulse shapes for any desired excitation profile. We also summarize the current literature by listing representative papers with detailed and useful waveforms.
Modified Steel-Jacketed Columns for Combined Blast and Seismic Retrofit of Existing Bridge Columns

Steel jacketing has been used extensively in the United States to retrofit seismically deficient bridge columns. This procedure, which consists of encasing a RC column in a steel jacket, is effective in providing a ductile seismic response but does not enhance the blast resistance of the column. This is because a gap is typically left at the top and bottom of the jacket to prevent increased flexural strength, such as to avoid undesirable overload of the footing or cap beam. Blast tests have demonstrated that direct shear failure can develop at these gap locations. A modification to steel-jacketed columns is proposed here to provide an added blast resistance. It consists of structural steel collars placed around the gaps and tied to the adjacent elements with postinstalled anchors. Blast tests were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of this simple proposed detail. Experimental results indicated that the concept was effective in preventing direct shear failure. Severe blast load demands were applied to investigate the behavior of the retrofitted column under extreme ductility demands. All specimens exhibited satisfactory ductile behavior, except one, which uncharacteristically failed due to fracture of the tube’s vertical weld seam.
Regulated sex control in commercially important fishes – a physiologicalperspective

The management of fish reproduction has resulted in major advancements in the commercial culture of fishes. Artificial propagation has stabilized seed-stock production, and reproductive manipulations in induced sex reversal and ploidy manipulations have provided mechanisms to improve yield. The design and effectiveness of these manipulations are regulated by various physiological factors. The effectiveness of protocols for the induction of gynogenesis, triploidy, and tetraploidy is improved through knowledge of physiological effects on important parameters. Application of the developmental rate based on the mitotic interval (τo) incorporates a standard- ization relative to temperature. Timing of shock with reference to the species-specific τo rela- tionship is effective in clarification and optimization of treatments. Such standardization is impor- tant to any late (endomitotic - Em) shock induction, and in polar-body (Pb) induction for many species. Hormonally induced sex reversal also must be applied relative to an efficacious treat- ment protocol, developed relative to a window of gonadal lability during the genetically directed chronology and physiologically influenced differentiation. Size and/or age are important modify- ing parameters that can be affected by various growth-altering environmental factors such as temperature and density-dependent effects. The consideration of influences that affect physio- logical rates relative to reproductive manipulations provides a more in-depth understanding of protocol effectiveness.
Integrated stochastic optimization and statistical experimental design for multi-robot target tracking

This paper presents an integrated approach for enhancing the performance of stochastic optimization processes by incorporating techniques from statistical experimental designs, such as response surface methodology. The two-stage process includes an "exploratory" phase, during which a fraction of the finite time budget is reserved for conducting informative measurements to best approximate the stochastic loss function surface, followed by execution of the optimization process for the remaining time. We formulate a representative stochastic optimization problem for the case of multiple distributed mobile sensors engaged in surveillance for one or more objects of interest. We show via simulation studies that the employment of such an exploratory phase, with the use of screening experimental designs to provide local approximations to the response surface, improves the stochastic optimization process.
Intravenous Conscious Sedation for Routine Fluoroscopically Guided Lumbar Interventions.

A healthy 43-year-old man with no significant medical history has been seen in a pain management clinic for radicular symptoms into his right leg that started a month prior to presentation. Pain starts in the right lower back with radiation into the right lateral thigh and posterolateral calf. He does not report any weakness. The patient has tried taking oral anti-inflammatory drugs and has completed 10 sessions of physical therapy without significant relief. He is neurologically intact with full strength and reflexes, and examination reveals a positive straight leg raise on the right. Magnetic resonance imaging shows a right paracentral disk protrusion at the L3/L4 level that is compressing the traversing right L4 nerve root. At this time, a decision is made to offer the patient a transforaminal lumbar epidural steroid injection. On the day of the procedure, the patient’s preprocedural pain score is 4/10 at rest. He mentions in the preprocedure holding area that a friend underwent a similar injection with conscious sedation, and he requests the same. Drs Neel Mehta and Jennifer Zocca will argue that conscious sedation should be offered to this patient. Drs Naum Shaparin and Max Snyder will argue against the use of conscious sedation.
Surgical treatment of acute bacterial parotitis.

The incidence of parotitis, once thought to be decreasing, is again on the upswing, particularly among postoperative patients who are highly susceptible to infection by “hospital strains” of Staphylococcus aureus. This historical review of the literature and commentary on modern management points out parallels between past and present treatment.
South Asian Summer Monsoon Variability in a Changing Climate

This chapter provides a succinct review of the current understanding of the South Asian summer monsoon and the ability of present-day climate models to represent its variability in a changing climate. Beginning with a processes-based review of the large- and regional-scale aspects of the monsoon precipitation climatology, the systematic model errors in precipitation and monsoonal diabatic heating are also highlighted. Certain necessary conditions for the representation of synoptic systems, boreal summer intra-seasonal variability, and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-monsoon teleconnection in climate models are presented, followed by discussion of the improved (or not improved) performance of climate models in simulating natural modes of variability. Lastly, we evaluate the ability of models to simulate the observed long-term declining trend in the seasonal mean monsoon rainfall, including possible mechanisms for this trend. Despite dedicated efforts, there is a lack of substantial improvement in monsoon modeling, which in our view is due to the lack of high-quality observations (atmosphere and ocean) over the monsoon-influenced regions to constrain the model physics. Our conclusion is that without such an observational effort, improving the physical processes in numerical models will be severely limited.
Using Hounsfield Units to Assess Osteoporotic Status on Wrist Computed Tomography Scans: Comparison With Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry.

Purpose Rates of evaluation and treatment for osteoporosis following distal radius fragility fractures remain low. As a subset of patients with these fractures undergo diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scan of the wrist, utilizing bone mineral density (BMD) measurements available with this imaging can be used to detect osteopenia or osteoporosis. This information may consequently prompt intervention to prevent a subsequent fracture. The purpose of this study was to determine if Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements at the wrist correlate with BMD measurements of the hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine and to assess the ability of these HU measurements to detect osteoporosis of the hip. Methods Forty-five female patients with distal radius fractures who underwent CT scan and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan as part of the management of their wrist fracture were identified. Bone mineral density measurements were made using the regional cancellous bone HU value at the capitate and compared with values obtained by a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan. Results Hounsfield unit values at the capitate were significantly correlated with BMD and t scores at the femoral neck, hip, and lumbar spine. An HU threshold of 307 in the capitate optimized sensitivity (86%) and specificity (94%) for detecting osteoporotic patients. Conclusions By demonstrating that capitate HU measurements from clinical CT scans are correlated with BMD and t scores at the hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine, our data suggest that clinical CT scans should have a role in detecting osteopenia and osteoporosis. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic III.
Severe Lumbar Back Pain Following Epidural Injection of Local Anesthetic for Epidural Anesthesia: Case Report and Literature Review

Background and Objectives An epidural anesthetic was planned for a 75-year-old man scheduled for elective femoral-popliteal bypass grafting. Methods Severe and persistent back pain and posterior thigh muscle spasm abruptly began 10 minutes after epidural injection of mepivacaine. Results Signs of impending or evolving neurologic injury completely resolved shortly thereafter. Conclusions The worst case scenarios, epidural hematoma and unintentional epidural injection of an irritant, are discussed along with other differential diagnoses. The literature is reviewed to gain insight into this unusual clinical presentation.
Determination of half-maximal inhibitory concentration using biosensor-based protein interaction analysis

Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) is the most widely used and informative measure of a drug's efficacy. It indicates how much drug is needed to inhibit a biological process by half, thus providing a measure of potency of an antagonist drug in pharmacological research. Most approaches to determine IC50 of a pharmacological compound are based on assays that utilize whole cell systems. While they generally provide outstanding potency information, results can depend on the experimental cell line used and may not differentiate a compound's ability to inhibit specific interactions. Here we show using the secreted Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) family ligand BMP-4 and its receptors as example that surface plasmon resonance can be used to accurately determine IC50 values of individual ligand-receptor pairings. The molecular resolution achievable wih this approach can help distinguish inhibitors that specifically target individual complexes, or that can inhibit multiple functional interactions at the same time.
Reverse Design of Ionic Liquids for the Absorption of CO2

Chemical engineering design problems have evolved in recent years from large scale bulk processes to targeted small batch approaches. As a result, product design is reaching beyond the traditional solutions to classic chemical engineering problems. Ionic liquids can provide environmentally benign solutions that can be tailored to specific process requirements. Due to the unique structure of ionic liquids, the cation, anion and length of the alkyl chain can be varied to create a molecule with specific physical properties. It has been estimated that over 1014 unique molecules exist at room temperature, so experimental trial and error methods will not be effective. More advanced methods must be created determine the ideal combination for a specific set of process requirements. The purpose of this work is to determine the ideal ionic liquid to capture CO2. However, only a small percentage of the potential ionic liquids have been synthesized and tested for the solubility of CO2. This innovative approach decouples the solution from further laboratory study and streamlines the search for the ideal candidate. A characterization based group contribution method is combined with density functional theory to determine ionic liquids that can most effectively absorb CO2. Infrared spectra data contains descriptor data that can be used to estimate properties of ionic liquids, but does not exist for all ionic liquids. Density functional theory is used to create IR data based on a training set of experimental data. Principal component analysis and partial least square techniques are employed to reveal important features and patterns in the molecular architecture. A characterization based group contribution method is used to estimate properties. The reverse design of potential ionic liquid molecules is completed by an exhaustive search of combinations with various cation, anions and lengths of alkyl chains until a candidate molecule is found that provides the highest solubility of CO2.
Management of Fever in Young Infants: Evidence Versus Common Practice

The management of fever in young infants aged <2 months has been a subject of interest for many years. In the mid-1980s and early 1990s, investigators at university medical centers located in Rochester, Philadelphia, and Boston independently conducted large, rigorous investigations of the reliability of risk stratification parameters and safety of outpatient management of fever in selected low-risk febrile infants, with or without empiric antibiotic administration.1–3 Although these assessment protocols used many of the same parameters, they differed from each other in small but important ways. In particular, the Rochester criteria included infants <1 month old and did not mandate a lumbar puncture. All criteria have been shown to be highly reliable with a sensitivity of identifying infants who had serious bacterial illness of 92% to 99% and negative predictive values close to 100%. Thus, these strategies provided a fairly reliable means of identifying febrile infants who could be safely managed as outpatients. The results of these prospectively performed studies were published in reputable scientific journals and widely distributed among practitioners. Although these studies changed the practice of medicine, … Address correspondence to M. Douglas Baker, MD, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Bloomberg Children’s Center, Suite G-1509, 1800 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD 21287. E-mail: mbaker28{at}jhmi.edu
Electrophysiological Changes in Sleep During Childhood

The sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) changes from an undifferentiated one in premature infants to one with well-defined sleep stages as the child attains 6 months of age. From this age on, minimal changes appear in EEG morphology and frequencies.
A face in a (temporal) crowd.

Abstract Familiar objects, specified by name, can be identified with high accuracy when embedded in a rapidly presented sequence of images at rates exceeding 10 images/s. Not only can target objects be detected at such brief presentation rates, they can also be detected under high uncertainty, where their classification is defined negatively, e.g., “Not a Tool.” The identification of a familiar speaker’s voice declines precipitously when uncertainty is increased from one to a mere handful of possible speakers. Is the limitation imposed by uncertainty, i.e., the number of possible individuals, a general characteristic of processes for person individuation such that the identifiability of a familiar face would undergo a similar decline with uncertainty? Specifically, could the presence of an unnamed celebrity, thus any celebrity, be detected when presented in a rapid sequence of unfamiliar faces? If so, could the celebrity be identified? Despite the markedly greater physical similarity of faces compared to objects that are, say, not tools, the presence of a celebrity could be detected with moderately high accuracy (∼75%) at rates exceeding 7 faces/s. False alarms were exceedingly rare as almost all the errors were misses. Detection accuracy by moderate congenital prosopagnosics was lower than controls, but still well above chance. Given the detection of the presence of a celebrity, all subjects were almost always able to identify that celebrity, providing no role for a covert familiarity signal outside of awareness.
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Colonoscopy in the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

Colonoscopy is a proven screening test for colorectal cancer; maximizing its effectiveness is the best way to decrease interval colorectal cancer. The adenoma detection rate can be improved by monitoring physician detection rates. Assistive devices and innovative endoscopic equipment may also decrease adenoma miss rates. Complete polypectomy of adenomatous lesions and recommending the proper date for the next examination are important considerations. Advanced polypectomy techniques including endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic mucosal dissection have a clear role in the nonsurgical management of large laterally spreading adenomatous polyps that previously would have required surgical resection.
Methods of Quantitative X-Ray Analysis Used in Electron Probe Microanalysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy

In his thesis,(1) Castaing proposed that quantitative electron probe analysis could be carried out using pure elements as standards. This proposal is accepted, of choice or necessity, by most analysts; the accuracy of the procedure is, however, the subject of much debate. Castaing further stated that the ratio of characteristic x-rays generated from element A in the specimen to pure A was equivalent to the concentration of element A in the specimen. This statement is the basis for quantitative electron probe microanalysis. Castaing’s treatment can be represented by the following considerations. The average number of ionizations n per primary beam electron incident with energy E 0 is(1) $$ n\;{\rm{ = }}\frac{{{N_{0{\rm{\rho }}}}{C_{\rm{A}}}}}{{{A_{\rm{A}}}}}\int_{{E_0}}^{{E_c}} {\frac{Q}{{dE/dX}}{\rm{ }}dE}$$ (1) where NdE/dX is the mean energy change of an electron in traveling a distance X, N 0 is Avogadro’s number, ρ is the density of the material, A A is the atomic weight of A, C A is the concentration of element A, E c is the critical excitation energy for whatever characteristic x-ray line is of interest, and Q is the ionization cross section, defined as the probability per unit path length of an electron of given energy causing ionization of a particular electron shell (K, L, or M) of an atom in the specimen. The effect of backscattering electrons can be taken into account by introducing a factor R equal to the ratio of x-ray intensity actually generated to that which would have been generated if all of the incident electrons had remained within the specimen.
Targeting Cyclin-Dependent Kinases for Cancer Therapy

Cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) activity is universally deregulated in cancer. Therefore, cancer cells may be more sensitive to cdk inhibition than normal cells. Currently, novel classes of inhibitors of cdk4/6 and cdk2/1 are under development, capable of inducing G1 or S/G2 cell cycle arrest, respectively. Transcriptional cdk inhibition affects RNA polymerase II activity and may alter the apoptotic threshold of cancer cells by compromising expression of highly sensitive short half-life transcripts. Compounds that concomitantly disrupt cell cycle progression and transcriptional control may therefore have potential as single agents. Additionally, cdk inhibition may modulate cyclin D1 expression, facilitating synergism with signal transduction inhibitors, as well as p53 and E2F-1 activities, contributing to apoptotic responses. Cdk activity has also been implicated in DNA damage-induced checkpoint control and repair, suggesting promise for chemotherapy/cdk inhibitor combinations. Further preclinical mechanistic experiments, as well as pharmacodynamic assessments accompanying clinical trials, will be necessary to establish cdk inhibition as an anti-cancer strategy.
Long-Term Metabolic Complications Posttransplantation

Approximately 4,500 transplants are performed each year in the United States. Advances in organ preservation and surgical technique and in the management of immunosuppression have significantly improved survival. Short-term survival is excellent. As long-term survival increases, cardiovascular complications are emerging as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus all are increased in liver transplant recipients and occur at an earlier age than in the general population. As a result, they not only contribute to cardiovascular disease but also impact liver recipients’ quality of life. Although primary care physicians claim to be comfortable in managing the care of liver recipients, transplant hepatologists usually assume these patients’ overall health care. Many questions, however, need to be addressed regarding whom, in fact, is managing these metabolic complications and the adequacy of management. Ultimately, a novel health delivery system for liver recipients will need to be developed with the goal of improvement of quality of care.
Abstract 213: The Late Phase of Ischemic Preconditioning Is Abrogated by a Specific Prostaglandin I2 Receptor Antagonist

Previous studies have shown that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mediates the late phase of ischemic preconditioning (PC) by producing various cardioprotective prostanoids including prostacyclin (PGI2) and prostaglandin (PG) E2 (PGE2). Prostanoids are known to act via activation of specific receptors. However, the specific PG receptors responsible for the salubrious actions of COX-2 in PC and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury remain unclear. The PGI2 receptor (IP) mediates the actions of PGI2 and PGE2, the two major COX-2-derived prostanoids with cardioprotective properties. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to determine the role of the IP in late PC. C57BL/6 mice underwent a 30-min coronary occlusion (O) followed by 24 h of reperfusion (R). Administration of the IP receptor selective antagonist, RO 3244794 (group III, 10 mg/kg i.p.), 30 min prior to the 30-min O had no appreciable effect on infarct size compared with untreated and vehicle-treated groups (68.4 ± 1.2 % vs. 63.3 ± 3.1 % and 65.6 ± 3.9 % of the risk region, respectively). When mice were preconditioned with six cycles of 4-min O/4-min R 24 h prior to the 30-min O, infarct size was markedly reduced (group IV, 33.2 ± 2.9 %), indicating a late PC effect. In the vehicle-treated late PC group, infarct size (group V, 37.2 ± 4.9 %) was similar to the late PC group, indicating the vehicle had no effect. However, the protective effect of late PC was completely abrogated by administration of RO 3244794 30 min before the 30-min O (group VI, 63.8 ± 4.5 %). We conclude that the IP receptor is an obligatory mediator of the late phase of ischemic PC in vivo , suggesting that pharmacologic manipulations of this receptor may be therapeutically useful. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Advanced Computer Concepts

Designers often must address the question of which microprocessor is best suited for a particular task. To answer this question, a designer must consider, in connection with a particular microprocessor: (a) the data types that the microprocessor handles; (b) its “semantic gap”; (c) its instruction set, including its complexity or simplicity and its usefulness; and (d) its addressing modes.
Pre-transplant weight loss and clinical outcomes after lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND Patients with greater adiposity before lung transplantation are at an increased risk for worse post-transplant outcomes. Few studies have addressed whether pre-transplant weight loss mitigates this risk. In this study we examined the association between pre-transplant weight loss and post-transplant clinical outcomes. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who received a lung transplant at the Duke University Hospital from May 1, 2005 to April 30, 2015. The sample included adult transplant recipients with restrictive, obstructive, and vascular diseases. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine mortality and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD)-free survival, and negative binomial regression analyses were used to examine length of stay (LOS). Weight loss was assessed from change in body mass index (BMI). RESULTS The cohort consisted of 810 patients. Initially, 403 (50%) were overweight and 109 (13%) were obese by BMI criteria. Greater pre-transplant weight loss was associated with dose-response improvements in survival (hazard ratio [HR] 0.83 [0.72 to 0.97], p = 0.018), with modest (0% to 3%, HR 0.91), moderate (7% to 10%, HR 0.83), and high (>15%, HR 0.71) levels of weight loss conferring longer survival, independent of initial weight (p = 0.533 for interaction). Weight loss was also associated with improved CLAD-free survival (HR 0.84 [0.71 to 0.99], p = 0.034) and shorter LOS (b = ‒0.17, p CONCLUSIONS Weight loss before transplantation was associated with improved short- and long-term clinical outcomes, independent of initial weight. Survival improved proportionally to percentage of weight lost. The mechanisms by which weight loss improve clinical outcomes warrant further exploration.
Processing of Polymer Matrix Composites

Polymer matrix composites are finding increasing number of applications due to their high weight-saving potential as well as unique characteristics, such as high strength-to-density ratio, fatigue resistance, high damping factor, and freedom from corrosion. While many textbooks are available on the mechanics of polymer matrix composites, few cover their processing. Processing of Polymer Matrix Composites fills this gap. The book focuses on the major manufacturing processes used for polymer matrix composites and describes process details, process parameters and their effects on properties and process-induced defects, and analytical and experimental methods used for understanding process conditions. The book describes fibers, thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers, and interface characteristics that are important from the standpoint of both design and processing. It also emphasizes the applications of process fundamentals for both continuous fiber and short fiber polymer matrix composites. In addition the book considers quality inspection methods, tooling, and manufacturing costs and environmental and safety issues.
Distributed Energy Transaction Mechanism Design Based on Smart Contract

With the promotion of power energy market reform, it has been a trend to allow distributed energy agents and other multi-subject agents to participate in the market competition. However, due to the existing power market mechanism is designed according to the centralized power supply mode, the public services, power market transaction mechanism and government management system for distributed energy transaction is still more missing. The blockchain technology has the characteristics of decentralization, transparency, fairness, openness and so on. Under the background of the transactive energy system, a decentralized distributed energy transaction mechanism based on blockchain smart contract technology is proposed, which includes auditing, bidding, clearing and settlement. It realizes P2P energy trading among prosumers.
Leukemic presentation of high-grade B cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 rearrangement—a series of two cases and review of literature

High-grade B cell lymphoma (HGBL) is a recently introduced category of aggressive mature B cell lymphoma which is clinically and biologically distinct from diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), NOS, and Burkitt Lymphoma. HGBL consists of two categories; the first category includes HGBL with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangement which is so-called double or triple hit lymphoma. The second category includes HGBL, NOS which lacks genetic double or triple hit; however, its morphology is intermediate between DLBCL and Burkitt lymphoma or appear blastoid. Clinically, patients present with advanced disease, bone marrow involvement, elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), extranodal disease which includes CNS involvement and a high international prognostic index (IPI). Leukemic presentation has been described in various types of B and T cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma; however, peripheral blood involvement as an initial presentation is seldom described in the literature for HGBL with MYC and BCL2 rearrangement. Here, we report two cases of HGBL whose initial presentation was leukocytosis with peripheral blood involvement mimicking acute leukemia.
Effect of cigarette smoke on drug metabolism in vitro

N-demethylation of aminopyrine and C-hydroxylation of aniline by hepatic microsomal enzymes were measured during in vitro exposure to cigarette smoke. Metabolism of aminopyrine during smoke exposure was not significantly altered. Metabolism of aniline during smoke exposure was inhibited 70–80% (P < .001) thus indicating that an initial effect of exposure to cigarette smoke is a decreased rate of biotransformation via C-hydroxylation. This finding, coupled with the findings of other investigators who have shown that the delayed effect of exposure to cigarette smoke is induction of hydroxylase activity, suggests that cigarette smoke produces a biphasic alteration in certain hepatic biotransformation processes.
Actual Versus Perceived Generational Differences in the Preferred Working Context: An Empirical Study

This study extends generational research by delineating actual versus perceived cohort differences through a theoretically grounded model using the Social Identity Approach (SIA). Subjects rated ho...
Context-Aware Delivery of Ecological Momentary Assessment

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is an in-the-moment data collection method which avoids retrospective biases and maximizes ecological validity. A challenge in designing EMA systems is finding a time to ask EMA questions that increases participant engagement and improves the quality of data collection. In this work, we introduce SEP-EMA, a machine learning-based method for providing transition-based context-aware EMA prompt timings. We compare our proposed technique with traditional time-based prompting for 19 individuals living in smart homes. Results reveal that SEP-EMA increased participant response rate by 7.19% compared to time-based prompting. Our findings suggest that prompting during activity transitions makes the EMA process more usable and effective by increasing EMA response rates and mitigating loss of data due to low response rates.
Cross-spectral registration of natural images with SIPCFE

Image registration is a viable task in the field of computer vision with many applications. When images are captured under different spectrum conditions, a challenge is imposed on the task of registration. Researchers carefully handcraft a local module insensitive to illumination changes across cross-spectral image pairs to tackle this challenge. We, in this paper, develop an optimized feature-based approach Single Instance Phase Congruency Feature Extractor (SIPCFE) to tackle the problem of natural cross-spectral image registration. SIPCFE uses the phase information of an image pair to quickly identify and describe reliable keypoints that are insensitive to illumination. It then employs a sequence of outlier removal processes to find the matching feature points accurately and the Direct Linear Transformation to estimate the geometric transformation to align the image pair. We extensively study the proposed approach for every module in the system to give more insights into the challenges. We benchmark our proposed method and other state-of-the-art feature-based methods developed for cross-spectral imagery on three datasets with various settings and image contents. The comprehensive analysis of cross-spectral registration results of natural images demonstrates that SIPCFE achieves up to 47.24%, 14.29%, and 12.45% accuracy improvement on the first, second, and third dataset, respectively, over the second best registration method in the benchmark.
Towards Real Time Team Optimization

Teams can be often viewed as a dynamic system where the team configuration evolves over time (e.g., new members join the team; existing members leave the team; the skills of the members improve over time). Consequently, the performance of the team might be changing due to such team dynamics. A natural question is how to plan the (re-)staffing actions (e.g., recruiting a new team member) at each time step so as to maximize the expected cumulative performance of the team. In this paper, we address the problem of real-time team optimization by intelligently selecting the best candidates towards increasing the similarity between the current team and the high-performance teams according to the team configuration at each time-step. The key idea is to formulate it as a Markov Decision process (MDP) problem and leverage recent advances in reinforcement learning to optimize the team dynamically. The proposed method bears two main advantages, including (1) dynamics, being able to model the dynamics of the team to optimize the initial team towards the direction of a high-performance team via performance feedback; (2) efficacy, being able to handle the large state/action space via deep reinforcement learning based value estimation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method through extensive empirical evaluations.
Ruptured Right Broad Ligament Ectopic Pregnancy in a Patient With Prior Right Salpingo-Oophorectomy: A Case Report.

Ectopic pregnancy can be a life-threatening cause of acute abdomen. Broad ligament pregnancy accounts for 1% of ectopic abdominal pregnancies and complications can be calamitous. This case report highlights a 27-year-old G2P0010 female who presented with amenorrhea and acute right lower quadrant and pelvic pain. By last menstrual period (LMP), she was at seven weeks and two days gestation. Her past surgical history was significant for a prior right salpingo-oophorectomy. The physical examination was significant for severe right lower quadrant tenderness with guarding. The urine pregnancy test was positive with the serum quantitative beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (Beta hCG) of 28011 MIU/ML (normal range <5 MIU/ML). The transvaginal ultrasonography demonstrated an empty uterus and a gestational sac containing a fetal pole in the right adnexal area. The crown-rump length was 7.2 mm, consistent with six weeks and four days, with a positive fetal heart rate and moderate free fluid in the cul-de-sac. The patient was taken for immediate diagnostic laparoscopy, which was converted to open laparotomy due to active bleeding from the right broad ligament and pelvic wall close to large pelvic vessels. In addition to the hemoperitoneum, intraoperative findings revealed a normal left fallopian tube and ovary and absent right fallopian tube and ovary. Right ureterolysis was done and hemostasis of the bleeding broad ligament and right pelvic sidewall was established. An adherent tissue was dissected from the right broad ligament and sent to pathology. The patient did well postoperatively. The final pathology showed an ectopic pregnancy with immature chorionic villi in the broad ligament. The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy in the broad ligament is challenging. The location could be close to the major pelvic vessels and anatomic structures like the ureter and bowel, hence, it can cause massive hemorrhage with maternal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is often missed preoperatively and made intraoperatively. Hence, we emphasize that this differential be considered in reproductive-aged women who present with atypical presentations of acute abdomen and amenorrhea.
Pharmacist use of point-of-care testing to improve access to care

Point-of-care tests (POCTs) can be performed in a health-care setting outside of the clinical laboratory These tests are increasingly used to facilitate screening, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and referral decisions for a variety of acute and chronic conditions Growing evidence demonstrates that community and ambulatory care pharmacists can use POCTs to expand pharmacy services in chronic disease management and infectious disease surveillance Once regulatory requirements are met and logistical barriers overcome, such services can improve patient outcomes, access to care, and augment preventative public health efforts in the community This chapter reviews how community and ambulatory care pharmacists apply POCTs to their practice to manage and screen for chronic diseases and infectious diseases and improve patient health and wellness The chapter also highlights how performing POCT services improves health-care access and promotes public health efforts Future opportunities for pharmacist to apply POCTs to their practice are also addressed
Beyond Virtual Classrooms: Exploring Feelings in the Social World

In this column, I continue to focus on creating supportive relationships in the virtual classroom amid the pandemic and growing social unrest. As many schools continue to shift between hybrid and r...
Probing thermal conductivity of subsurface, amorphous layers in irradiated diamond

In this study, we report on the thermal conductivity of amorphous carbon generated in diamond via nitrogen ion implantation (N 3 + at 16.5 MeV). Transmission electron microscopy techniques demonstrate amorphous band formation about the longitudinal projected range, localized approximately 7 μm beneath the sample surface. While high-frequency time-domain thermoreflectance measurements provide insight into the thermal properties of the near-surface preceding the longitudinal projected range depth, a complimentary technique, steady-state thermoreflectance, is used to probe the thermal conductivity at depths which could not otherwise be resolved. Through measurements with a series of focusing objective lenses for the laser spot size, we find the thermal conductivity of the amorphous region to be approximately 1.4 W m − 1 K − 1, which is comparable to that measured for amorphous carbon films fabricated through other techniques.
Behavioral Immunity and Social Distancing in the Wild: The Same as in Humans?

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed new norms on human interactions, perhaps best reflected in the widespread application of social distancing But social distancing is not a human invention and has evolved independently in species as dissimilar as apes and lobsters Epidemics are common in the wild, where their spread is enhanced by animal movement and sociality while curtailed by population fragmentation, host behavior, and the immune systems of hosts In the present article, we explore the phenomenon of behavioral immunity in wild animals as compared with humans and its relevance to the control of disease in nature We start by explaining the evolutionary benefits and risks of sociality, look at how pathogens have shaped animal evolution, and provide examples of pandemics in wild animal populations Then we review the known occurrences of social distancing in wild animals, the cues used to enforce it, and its efficacy in controlling the spread of diseases in nature
Safety of paclitaxel-coated devices in peripheral artery disease.

Although an unplanned, interim analysis from an ongoing randomized trial in Sweden has suggested no significant difference in mortality between patients with peripheral artery disease receiving paclitaxel-coated devices and those receiving uncoated devices for lower-extremity revascularization, the analysis did not resolve the question of whether paclitaxel-coated devices are safe for these patients.