cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Total knee arthroplasty using recombinant factor VII in hemophilia-A patients with inhibitors. A report of three cases.

Elective orthopaedic surgery, including total joint arthroplasty, has become a safe and effective therapeutic option for most patients with hemophilic arthropathy and has been reported to reduce the rate of hemarthrosis and the clinical consequence of severe joint damage1. However, the 10% to 30% of patients with severe hemophilia who have development of neutralizing antibodies (inhibitors) to factor VIII (FVIII) or factor IX (FIX) do not fare as well2. The development of an inhibitor is one of the most serious complications associated with hemophilia because inhibitors may neutralize clotting factor concentrates. Patients with inhibitors often have substantially worse joint function secondary to inadequate treatment and traditionally have not been candidates for elective joint replacement surgery3. The orthopaedic literature regarding total knee arthroplasty in patients with hemophilia is limited, with little emphasis on patients with inhibitors4-9. Previous studies of total knee arthroplasty in patients with inhibitors, involving a variety of treatment regimens (including immune therapy, Factor VIIa, and Factor VIII), have been reported in the literature, but the duration of clinical follow-up has been limited and no consensus has been reached with regard to the appropriate dosing regimen2,10-13. Recombinant Factor VIIa has a short half-life but a high bioavailability when administered intravenously, and therefore the clinical impact has been difficult to predict in patients undergoing elective surgery14,15. In the present report, we describe three successful total knee arthroplasties that were performed with use of recombinant human factor VIIa (rFVIIa) in two patients who had different inhibitor characteristics and who were followed for more than two years. Case 1. A forty-year-old man presented in 2000 with bilateral knee pain. He was born with severe Factor VIII deficiency and had development of …
CLS entry level competencies in flow cytometry.

OBJECTIVE: To define entry level competencies in flow cytometry for CLS generalists. DESIGN: Flow cytometry practitioners completed an electronic survey. Of 134 respondents, 131 met the desired demographics and were analyzed. SETTING: Links to the survey were mailed to 3 listservs (Medlab-L, CLSEduc, Purdue Cytometry) and 2 email groups (ASCLS and AMLI). Participants completed the survey on-line. PARTICIPANTS: The target population was flow cytometry practitioners who had experienced CLS education, earned certification and practiced at least one year in flow. Survey instructions asked participants not to complete the survey if they did not meet the demographic criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A competency was deemed important at entry level if ≥50% of respondents agreed. RESULTS: There was strong consensus (62-87%) that entry level CLS generalists should be able to 1) perform HIV CD4/CD8 monitoring, 2) gate cell populations using forward/side scatter and CD45/bright/dim markers and 3) evaluate specimen acceptability. Concepts to understand included leukemia immunophenotyping, quality control and instrument principles (61-83%). Most respondents (74%) felt that memorization of the leukemic CD panels was unnecessary. However, survey results indicated that the markers and cell type associations to memorize are CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19/20, CD34, CD45 and light chains. Hands-on experience with instruments was not identified as critical. CONCLUSION: CLS educational programs can deliver almost all flow cytometry content in the didactic portion of the curriculum and can restrict CD marker memorization to a limited list. At minimum, HIV monitoring via CD4/CD8 counts and concepts of leukemia immunophenotyping should be included. ABBREVIATIONS:AMLI- Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists, ASCLS- American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science, ASCP- American Society of Clinical Pathology, CD – Cluster of differentiation, CLS - Clinical Lab Science, CLSEduc- Clseduc@list.apsu.edu, CLSI - Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, DNA- Deoxyribonucleic acid, EDTA- Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, HIV- Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HLA- Human Leukocyte Antigen, Medlab-L- Medlab-L@listserv.buffalo.edu, NCA – National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel, PNH – Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, Purdue Cytometry - Cytometry@lists.purdue.edu.
Operating Platforms for Surgical Endoscopy

Platforms for endolumenal therapy can be categorized in several ways. The system we use in this review broadly divides platforms into two categories, namely access platforms and task-specific platforms. Access platforms, many of which were developed for use in natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), provide the capability for a host of interventional therapies. These all-purpose platforms attempt to address the basic needs of the endoscopic surgeon: exposure, an appropriate field of view, and delivery of various instruments for tissue manipulation, dissection, and remodeling, all while maintaining a minimal footprint by way of the natural orifice. In contrast, task-specific platforms are typically focused on a more narrow set of specific tasks, such as defect closure, suturing, and cutting (Shaikh and Thompson, World J Gastrointest Surg 2(6):210–216, 2010).
Concurrent Validity of Caffeine Problems and Diagnostic Criteria for Substance Use Disorders

Background: The DSM-5 proposes caffeine use disorder (CUD) as a condition for further study. The objective of this study was to report on the prevalence of CUD and rates of endorsement for each substance use disorder (SUD) criterion in relation to caffeine compared to alcohol and marijuana in a sample of adolescents presenting for medical care in the primary, adolescent, and substance use clinics at an academic medical center. Methods: A convenience sample of patients (N = 213; 66.7% female) aged 12–17 presenting for medical care completed the Composite Diagnostic Interview-Substance Abuse Module questionnaire, with questions regarding use of caffeine, alcohol, and marijuana. Descriptive analyses were used to determine prevalence of CUD and frequency of each endorsed SUD criterion as applied to caffeine versus alcohol or marijuana. Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) were used to determine psychometric properties for CUD. Results: The majority of subjects (N = 153) reported past 30-da...
Rotation-Driven Microfluidic Disc for White Blood Cell Enumeration Using Magnetic Bead Aggregation.

We recently defined a magnetic bead-based assay that exploited an agglutination-like response for DNA and applied it to DNA-containing cell enumeration using inexpensive benchtop hardware [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134 (12), 5689−96]. Although cost-efficient, the open-well format assay required numerous manual steps, and the magnetic field actuation scheme was not readily adaptable for integration. Here, we demonstrate a low-cost (<$2 in-lab), higher-throughput “pinwheel assay” platform that relies on a combination of a disposable rotation-driven microdisc (RDM), and a simple bidirectional rotating magnetic field (bi-RMF). The assay was transformed into an integrated microfluidic system using a multilayered polyester microfluidic disc created through laser print, cut and laminate fabrication, with fluid flow controlled by rotation speed without any mechanical valves. The RDM accepts four samples that undergo on-chip dilution to five different concentrations that cover the effective concentration range neede...
Rasch Analysis for Instrument Development: Why, When, and How?

Rasch psychometric techniques can be used to guide the development and analysis of tests and surveys. Rasch techniques also can be used to explain the meaning of a test score or survey score. Of gr...
B-type Natriuretic Peptide Predicts Morbidity and Long-Term Mortality in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting and Valve Surgery.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are a useful predictor of morbidity and mortality as well as long-term survival in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve surgery. METHODS A retrospective review of CABG and/or valve surgery patients from 2012 to 2015 at a single center was conducted. A total of 432 patients were identified (CABG, 295 patients; valve, 82 patients; and CABG + valve, 55 patients). B-type natriuretic peptide levels were divided into quartiles (Q1-Q4). Mortality data were available for up to 3.4 years after surgery. RESULTS B-type natriuretic peptide quartile was independently associated with any complication on multivariate analysis. Patients in Q4 were at highest risk (adjusted odds ratio, 3.81; P = 0.047 vs Q1). There was a significant association between BNP quartile and time to death (log-rank χ, 8.30; P = 0.04) with greatest association 9 months postoperatively. B-type natriuretic peptide quartile was significantly associated with time to death in Cox regression in Q2 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.73 (1.04-13.44); P = 0.044) and Q4 (HR, 4.33 (1.14-16.44); P = 0.031). Q3 also had a higher risk of death (HR, 3.5 vs Q1); however, this was only significant at a trend level (P = 0.06). Using a risk model generated from logistic regression, we determined that the highest risk group had relative risk of complications 30 times higher than the lowest risk group. CONCLUSIONS B-type natriuretic peptide levels are an independent predictor of morbidity after CABG and/or valve surgery regardless of type of procedure or on/off bypass usage. B-type natriuretic peptide levels also correlate with time to death, highlighting the need for sustained follow-up and heart failure management to improve survival in patients with elevated BNP levels presenting for all cardiac surgery.
Intestinal Lymphatic Transport: an Overlooked Pathway for Understanding Absorption of Plant Secondary Compounds in Vertebrate Herbivores

Herbivores employ numerous strategies to reduce their exposure to toxic plant secondary chemicals (PSCs). However, the physiological mechanisms of PSC absorption have not been extensively explored. In particular, the absorption of PSCs via intestinal lymphatic absorption has been largely overlooked in herbivores, even though this pathway is well recognized for pharmaceutical uptake. Here, we investigated for the first time whether PSCs might be absorbed by lymphatic transport. We fed woodrats (Neotoma albigula) diets with increasing concentrations of terpene-rich juniper (Juniperus monosperma) either with or without a compound that blocks intestinal lymphatic absorption (Pluronic L-81). Woodrats consuming diets that contained the intestinal lymphatic absorption blocker exhibited increased food intakes and maintained higher body masses on juniper diets. Our study represents the first demonstration that PSCs may be absorbed by intestinal lymphatic absorption. This absorption pathway has numerous implications for the metabolism and distribution of PSCs in the systemic circulation, given that compounds absorbed via lymphatic transport bypass first-pass hepatic metabolism. The area of lymphatic transport of PSCs represents an understudied physiological pathway in plant-herbivore interactions.
An Aid to the Superstitious.

MANY people consider superstition to be an unfounded fear of the unknown. Nevertheless, nearly everyone is cognizant of the more popular superstitions and might think twice before walking under a ladder or embarking on a new enterprise on Friday the thirteenth. Certainly, Friday the thirteenth would be an inauspicious date for a fiftieth wedding anniversary. Al though a ladder around the next corner might be easily avoided, determining when the thirteenth falls on Friday is more com plicated. Presently, the simplest method of deter mining when Friday the thirteenth occurs in a particular year requires consulting a perpetual calendar twelve times. Although this is not a difficult task, the following describes a technique whereby Friday the thirteenths can be found for any year by a simple calculation and a single consultation of table l. If you know that 1 January occurs on a given day, and if the year is a leap year, table 1 serves as a direct look-up table for months containing Friday the thirteenth. Thus, since 1976 begins on a Thursday and is a leap year, February and August have a Friday the thirteenth. If you do not know the first day of the year, then finding Friday the thirteenths becomes slightly more difficult. If there were no leap years, then the first of each year would be increased by one day a year. In 46 b.c., Caesar created the Julian calen dar, recognizing the need for a "leap year" every four years. This modification amounts to adding an additional day one year in four. (The beginning of the year after a leap year is increased by two days. Thus 1 January 1977 is on a Saturday whereas 1 January 1976 is on a Thursday.) However, the solar calendar and the Julian calendar differ by three days every 400 years. Pope Gregory XIII noted this and in 1582 created the Gregorian calendar. The Gre gorian calendar also has a leap year every four years, with the exception of century years (e.g., 1900). Only every fourth century year is a leap year (i.e., 400, 800, 1200, . . .). Since by a Gregorian calendar A.D. 1 began on a Monday, equation (1) repre sents all these conditions. This equation gives the day on which any given year YR
Corporate Governance and the Creation of the SEC

We study the effects of the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on corporate governance. Established in 1934, the SEC effectively applied the listing standards of the NYSE to all regional stock exchanges in the U.S. We therefore examine the impact of the SEC by comparing non-NYSE listing firms before and after the landmark legislation was adopted, using the NYSE as a control group. Our estimates reveal that there was a 30% reduction in board independence, i.e., the creation of the SEC caused boards to become significantly less independent. We find no corresponding effects on firm valuations. Our evidence is consistent with a "substitution of governance mechanisms" hypothesis, i.e., firms endogenously trade off market-based (board) governance and government-sponsored (SEC) governance. This evidence has implications for corporate governance regulation around the world.
Abstract 18818: Sodium Glucose Co-Transporter 1 (SGLT1) is a Novel Contributor to Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) Injury Through PKC- and ERK-Dependent Mechanisms

Introduction: We have shown that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) upregulates SGLT1, which contributes to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by activating NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2). AMPK is ...
Confined Chemical Fluid Deposition of Ferromagnetic Metalattices

A magnetic, metallic inverse opal fabricated by infiltration into a silica nanosphere template assembled from spheres with diameters less than 100 nm is an archetypal example of a “metalattice”. In traditional quantum confined structures such as dots, wires, and thin films, the physical dynamics in the free dimensions is typically largely decoupled from the behavior in the confining directions. In a metalattice, the confined and extended degrees of freedom cannot be separated. Modeling predicts that magnetic metalattices should exhibit multiple topologically distinct magnetic phases separated by sharp transitions in their hysteresis curves as their spatial dimensions become comparable to and smaller than the magnetic exchange length, potentially enabling an interesting class of “spin-engineered” magnetic materials. The challenge to synthesizing magnetic inverse opal metalattices from templates assembled from sub-100 nm spheres is in infiltrating the nanoscale, tortuous voids between the nanospheres void-f...
Religiosity and Altruism: Faith without Works?:

This paper explores the relationship between religiosity and altruistic behavior. By definition, altruism entails behavior displayed in the apparent absence of external reinforcers; thus it must be...
Striosome and Matrix Pathology in Huntington Disease

This chapter is a review of knowledge to-date on striosome and matrix pathology in Huntington disease (HD). Inhomogeneous biochemical organization in the neostriatum was first identified by Pert et al (1975, 1976) and Atweh and Kuhar (1977), who described p-opiate receptor-rich patches in rat neostriatum. Striosomes in human neostriatum were first defined by Graybiel and Ragsdale (1978) as acetylcholinesterasepoor islands embedded within the acetylcholinesterase-rich matrix. It was later found that the two systems overlapped (Graybiel et al, 1981; Herkenham and Pert, 1981). Soon after, it was shown that the matrix and striosome compartmentation was demonstrable by immunocytochemistry using antibodies against the calcium-binding protein calbindin (Gerfen et al, 1985). The striosomal system has many other biochemical differences from the matrix (Holt et al, 1997). Striosomal connections differ from those of the matrix (Donoghue and Herkenham, 1986; Graybiel, 1990; Gerfen, 1992; Joel and Weiner, 2000). Striosomes receive cortical input primarily from limbic cortical areas and send axons primarily to the pars compacta of the substantia nigra, whereas the matrix receives most cortical input from non-limbic regions and sends its output axons to the two segments of the globus pallidus and the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra. About half of matrix neostriatal medium spiny neurons contain enkephalin in addition to GABA and send their axons primarily to the lateral pallidal segment, and the other half contain substance P in addition to GABA and send their axons to the internal pallidal segment and to the substantia nigra. atology.
Waste heat recovery

Abstract Waste heat recovery (WHR) is a topic that is often discussed when looking at cycle efficiency. The limitations of WHR and its applicability are related to the temperature of the waste heat source and how much heat is available. Low-temperature heat is often prevalent but difficult to use due to existing power cycle limitations. The supercritical CO 2 (sCO 2 ) power cycle is advantageous for WHR because it has a low bottom cycle temperature, which allows it to accept waste heat from low-grade heat sources. The use of the sCO 2 for the WHR cycle is explored in more detail in this chapter, including the advantages and disadvantages of sCO 2 WHR cycles, how they might be implemented in real-world applications, and a discussion of the technology development needs for sCO 2 WHR systems.
Assessing the Risk of Salt Disproportionation Using Crystal Structure and Surface Topography Analysis

Salt disproportionation is a major issue for pharmaceutical products containing a salt form of a weakly basic drug, because conversion to the free base during processing or storage in the presence of excipients may negatively impact stability and bioperformance of the drug product. Several factors influencing disproportionation tendency have been elucidated; however, a complete mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon is still lacking. Specifically, it is unclear if the crystal structure of the salt plays a role, beyond influencing the salt solubility. Herein, by utilizing model compounds with similar pKa and pHmax values, and hence similar thermodynamic driving forces for disproportionation, we demonstrate that salt crystal structure appears to play a major role in influencing disproportionation tendency. Some salts with low pHmax values were found to be resistant to disproportionation, while other systems transformed to the free base following contact with the basic excipient, magnesium stearate. Fo...
Afterword: Alphabet for Animalists

The Afterword and Bibliography are “For Animalists,” using a term defined in the Preface and in Chapters 3–4, because of the author’s wish to recruit the reader of this book to the ranks of a new kind of person. The Afterword extends and concludes the book in a space closer to political action, by these means: mini-stories on topics from alphabets to zoos; direct argument with friends and antagonists; striking statements on the animal question from a careful selection of recent writings by scholars who push further the theme of the book.
Design and implementation in Ada of a runtime task supervisor

A runtime supervisor is an Ada package in the standard environment which provides a scheduling interface between a compiled tasking program and the virtual machine upon which it is to execute. Its visible operations implement the more complex aspects of the tasking dynamic semantics. These operations are very high level in the sense that they conform closely to Ada tasking constructs. Internal to the supervisor is a small kernel of machine dependent code providing the actual interface to the target virtual machine.Given this kind of runtime environment, the compiled code of a tasking program is equivalent to the code generated by a compilation of sequential Ada constructs with embedded calls to the supervisor visible operations. All parallelism is abstracted out of the program prior to the code generation phase of the compilation, and the implementation of the parallel constructs of the Ada language is shifted into the runtime supervisor package. While the form of the sequential Ada code implementing tasking constructs will depend on design decisions made by the implementors of specific compilers as in [3] and [5], a carefully designed supervisor will be compatible with the code generated by any Ada compiler calling that supervisor's visible operations in the specified manner.The benefits of this approach, which was originally adopted for the design of the experimental Adam compiler [4], are apparent. Target machine dependent aspects of scheduling, and details of scheduling strategies are separated from compilation. The code generation phase of the Ada compiler is greatly simplified by factoring out all tasking related routines. Compiler builders need not reimplement all of tasking for each new compiler or intended target machine. In addition, experimental and special purpose supervisors will gain wider distribution and evaluation due the portability inherent in this approach.In this paper we analyze the feasibility of implementing a runtime supervisor in Ada, pointing out those areas in which the Ada language is weak for this purpose. We then derive a standard supervisor interface on the basis of a (hopefully) minimal set of facilities to be provided by any supervisor. In this derivation, we consider in detail both what must be provided if a supervisor is to implement the full tasking semantics, and also in what ways we can minimize constraints on compiler builders who plan to use the interface.
Aldehyde dehydrogenase gene superfamily: the 2000 update

Abstract Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily represents a group of NAD(P) + -dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of a wide spectrum of endogenous and exogenous aldehydes. With the advent of megabase genome sequencing, the ALDH superfamily is expanding rapidly on many fronts. As expected, ALDH genes are found in virtually all genomes analyzed to date, indicating the importance of these enzymes in biological functions. Complete genome sequences of various species have revealed additional ALDH genes. As of July 2000, the ALDH superfamily consists of 331 distinct genes, of which eight are found in archaea, 165 in eubacteria, and 158 in eukaryota. The number of ALDH genes in some species with their genomes completely sequenced and annotated, Escherichia coli and Caenorhabditis elegans , ranges from 10 to 17. In the human genome, 17 functional genes and three pseudogenes have been identified to date. Divergent evolution, based on multiple alignment analysis of 86 eukaryotic ALDH amino-acid sequences, was the basis of the standardized ALDH gene nomenclature system (Pharmacogenetics 9: 421–434, 1999). Thus far, the eukaryotic ALDHs comprise 20 gene families. A complete list of all ALDH sequences known to date is presented here along with the evolution analysis of the eukaryotic ALDHs.
Sinonasal Disease in Total Laryngectomy Patients.

Objective:Total laryngectomy (TL) results in complete abolition of nasal airflow, with notable pathologic alterations of the intranasal mucosa, mucociliary clearance, and nasal cycle. Despite these...
Identification Of Protein and Post Translational Modification Markers Of Pulmonary Vasculopathy In Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract Pulmonary hypertension (PH), an independent risk factor for mortality in sickle cell disease (SCD), has epidemiologic links to systemic complications such as leg ulcers, priapism and renal disease suggestive of a diffuse vasculopathy. The pathogenesis of SCD related vasculopathy is unclear but altered redox biology is thought to be an important disease modifier. One potential mechanism by which this occurs is via plasma protein post-translational modifications (PTMs). Here we aim to identify a plasma protein and PTM signature profile reflective of PH and pulmonary vasculopathy related to SCD. By targeting both protein and PTM changes, we hoped to enhance the specificity of detecting biomarkers. To control for sex-related protein changes, we limited the present study to females. We obtained peripheral blood samples from 1) SCD patients with a normal echocardiogram (n=10); 2) SCD patients with PH diagnosed by right heart catheterization (n=6) or a tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity > 2.5 m/sec suggestive of pulmonary vasculopathy (n=4) (total n=10); 3) Age- and racially- matched HbAA volunteers (n=11). Plasma was depleted of high abundance proteins using accepted protocols. We performed differential proteomic analysis of plasma and abundant protein-depleted plasma, and differential analysis of PTMs on abundant plasma proteins. Plasma was subjected to trypsin digestion and the peptides were analyzed by differential label-free LCMS/MS. Peptide and protein identification was performed utilizing Proteome Discoverer (Thermo-Fisher) and Mascot (Matrix Science). Data analysis was conducted using the Trans-Proteomics-Pipeline (ISB), Scaffold (Proteome Software), Progenesis LCMS (Nonlinear Dynamics) and STRAP-PTM (in-house). LCMS/MS analysis of the entire plasma proteome revealed more than 2,500 changes in peptide expression between groups and almost 400 peptides which contained PTMs differentiating the SCD patients from the normal volunteers (ANOVA p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Enhancing the Knowledge of Construction Business Failure: A Social Network Analysis Approach

AbstractThe failure of construction companies is quite crucial because it results in unfinished projects and responsibilities that in turn result in many losses to governments, economies, owners, c...
Commonly Used Adjuvant Human Vaccines: Advantages and Side Effects

Vaccines are a cost-effective and successful means for preventing disease. Routine health vaccine administration begins in early childhood and extends into the elderly; however, there is evidence to suggest that the immunologic and protective response to vaccination is less potent in older individuals. In recent years, newer adjuvant vaccines have been developed to improve humoral and cell-mediated immune response after vaccination. Despite the use of adjuvants in vaccines for many decades, there is limited teaching in postgraduate medical education regarding the adjuvants found in human vaccines. We summarize the current literature cited in PubMed from January 1980 to December 2019. Studies examined included those supporting the use of adjuvants in human vaccines, the mechanisms via which they enhance the immunologic response, and the reported side effects that are associated with the use of adjuvant vaccines. Overall, the data show that newer adjuvant vaccines lead to improved humoral and cell-mediated immunity against infections in populations, including those with decreased response to typical vaccines without adjuvants. Side effects related to adjuvants in vaccines were reported. Research aimed at improving vaccine effectiveness and minimizing side effects continues to be underway.
Application of FEFF analyses to actinide 5f systems

The strengths and limitations of FEFF simulations, as applied to actinide systems, are discussed. While the impact of total angular momentum coupling in the 5f manifold is not addressed within the usual FEFF approach, the utility of FEFF is demonstrated.
Você pode ser gorda: questões para os feminismos

TOVAR, Virgie. Meu corpo, minhas medidas. Trad. de Mabi Costa. Sao Paulo: Primavera Editorial, 2018.
Eelgrass-associated mesograzers limit the distribution of bloom-forming Ulva via top-down control of its early life stages

Macroalgal blooms pose a threat to coastal ecosystems worldwide, especially in highly eutrophic environments. Excess nutrients often facilitate the proliferation of opportunistic algae, but in some systems grazing activity counterbalances its effects. I evaluated the regulating role of mesograzers associated with eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Elkhorn Slough, a eutrophic estuary where Ulva spp. blooms are frequent during the upwelling season. I monitored recruitment and transplant success of Ulva spp. along transects placed across the edge of the largest Z. marina bed. Changes in abundance of Ulva spp. on transplants differed spatially and seasonally, and were significantly correlated with density of both small and large invertebrate groups. Grazing affected not only adult Ulva spp. but also its early developmental stages, leading to decreased Ulva spp. abundance on transplants and minimal recruitment inside the Z. marina bed.
A fundamental review on composite materials and some of their applications in biomedical engineering

Abstract Composites or composite materials are engineered materials that consist of two or more constituent materials with wide discrepancies in their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. The characteristic properties of these composite are as a result of the individual properties of their constituent parts and their respective volume fractions and arrangements in the material system. Depending on the intended application, composites can be designed to satisfy specific geometrical, structural, mechanical, chemical, and sometimes aesthetic requirements. Areas of application of these synthetic materials includes construction such as in buildings and bridges, automotive industry such as in car bodies, aeronautic, naval (e.g., ships and boats), and in the biomedical fields. Although metallic, polymeric and ceramic biomaterials have been in use for medical treatments such as tissue repairs and replacements for decades, composites are just coming to light. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to introduce composite materials and discuss their current and potential use in the biomedical field.
Spintronic/CMOS-Based Thermal Sensors

Stacking more systems into a compact area or scaling devices to increase the density of integration are two approaches to provide greater functional complexity. Excessive heat generated as a result of these technology advancements leads to an increase in leakage power and degradation in system reliability. Hence, a thermal aware system composed of hundreds of distributed thermal sensor nodes is needed. Such a system requires an efficient thermal sensor placed close to the thermal hotspots, small in size, fast response, and CMOS compatibility. In this paper, two hybrid spintronic/CMOS circuits are proposed. These circuits exhibit a low power consumption of 11.9 μW during the on-state, a linearity (R2) of 0.96 over the industrial temperature range of operation (−40 to 125)oC, and a sensitivity of 3.78 mV/K.
Bridging and axial carbene binding modes in cobalt corrole complexes: effect on carbene transfer

Catalytically relevant intermediates in carbene transfer reactions from a diazo precursor were investigated using cobalt corrole complexes. Two divergent mechanisms are proposed depending on the oxidation state of the cobalt center. Mechanistically driven factors for the usage of cobalt corroles in carbene transfer reactions are discussed.
Hysteroscopic Approaches to the Removal of Malpositioned Intrauterine Devices (IUDs)

Study Objective The objectives of this video are to (1) demonstrate both common and uncommon clinical presentations of a malpositioned intrauterine device (IUD) and (2) demonstrate appropriate removal techniques, including those ideal for both the office and operating room setting. Design Surgical technique demonstration Setting All procedures were conducted at an academic medical center. Procedures were performed in the office setting and operating room where appropriate. The office setting includes both routine exam rooms and procedure suites. Operating room based procedures are performed in an outpatient surgery center. The patients are positioned in lithotomy using built-in table stirrups in the office and either candy cane or boot stirrups in the operating room. Patients or Participants Photo and video footage was collected from patients managed within the gynecology division at our institution. All patients agreed to the use of photos and videos for educational purposes via an informed consent process. Interventions Using a combination of surgical footage, 3-dimensional animation and imaging (ultrasound, MRI), the video progresses through several different scenarios of malpositioned and embedded IUDs and corresponding techniques for removal. These techniques include caudal traction, sharp dissection, electrosurgical dissection, cranial-caudal motion, and rotation. Measurements and Main Results n/a Conclusion This video reviews the clinical approach to the removal of malposition.
Number of Social Determinants of Health and Fatal and Nonfatal Incident Coronary Heart Disease in the REGARDS Study.

Background: Social determinants of health (SDH) are individually associated with incident coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Indices reflecting social deprivation have been developed for populati...
Shallow-UWnet : Compressed Model for Underwater Image Enhancement

Over the past few decades, underwater image enhancement has attracted increasing amount of research effort due to its significance in underwater robotics and ocean engineering. Research has evolved from implementing physics-based solutions to using very deep CNNs and GANs. However, these state-of-art algorithms are computationally expensive and memory intensive. This hinders their deployment on portable devices for underwater exploration tasks. These models are trained on either synthetic or limited real world datasets making them less practical in real-world scenarios. In this paper we propose a shallow neural network architecture, \textbf{Shallow-UWnet} which maintains performance and has fewer parameters than the state-of-art models. We also demonstrated the generalization of our model by benchmarking its performance on combination of synthetic and real-world datasets.
The National Union of Mines’ struggle for employment in Lesotho and South Africa

Kate Philip’s Markets on the Margins: Mineworkers, Job Creation and Enterprise Development provides a first-hand account of the National Union of Mines’ (NUM’s) attempt to create jobs in South Afri...
Computational analysis of a 3D mucociliary clearance model predicting nasal drug uptake

Abstract Accurate and realistic predictions of the fate of nasally inhaled drugs help to understand the complex fluid-particle dynamics in the nasal cavity. Key elements of such a comprehensive numerical analysis include: (i) inhaled drug-aerosol transport and deposition with air-particle-mucus interactions; and (ii) mucociliary clearance (MCC) dynamics, including drug transport, dissolution and absorption for different nasal inlet conditions. The open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) toolbox, OpenFOAM, has been employed for the development of the computer simulation model. As part of the design, a novel 3D meshing technique allows for the smooth capture of both the relatively large flow domain as well as the micron-size mucus layer. This efficient meshing strategy drastically reduces the overall meshing time from hours to a matter of minutes. The effect of pharmacokinetic characteristics of drugs on dissolution, subsequent uptake and clearance were analyzed. A method to impose a boundary-driven flow velocity was introduced in order to mimic the beating of the cilia. Several drug specific parameters, such as solubility, partition coefficient and particle size, were considered. The effects of particle distribution on MCC and uptake were simulated as well. The CFD predictions show that drugs with a high partition coefficient are absorbed rapidly. Similarly, drugs with higher solubility show an appreciable increase in cumulative uptake in the epithelium. Particle size, however, plays a more nuanced role in drug uptake. Specifically, smaller particles with their relatively large surface areas, tend to dissolve quicker and are absorbed more rapidly when compared to larger particles. However, after the initial steeper increase in cumulative uptake of the smaller particles, the difference in the uptake values for the two cases is negligible. Furthermore, the initial deposition locations in the nasal cavity play an important role in overall drug uptake. Particles deposited closer to the ciliated portion of the nasal cavity (i.e. the posterior region) were more readily absorbed when compared to particles deposited closer to the unciliated nasal vestibule.
COVID-19: observations for contemporary strategists

This article offers strategic observations about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It assesses whether the disease outbreak represents an intelligence failure. It describes how the global response to ...
Unnecessary, Counterproductive, and Unjust: The Case Against Hate Crime Legislation

The 2021 Atlanta shootings of six Asian spa workers has sparked interest regarding hate crime legislation. In light of the push to expand such legislation, this Article examines the often-overlooked problems with hate crime legislation. Critiques of hate crime legislation covered include arbitrariness of which groups are protected classes; incentivization of unhealthy competition among disadvantaged groups; increased difficulty of prosecution at trial; inconsistent enforcement; and counterproductive effects, such as increased crimes and hate group activity. And all of this is against the backdrop of legislation that is largely unnecessary since motive can be considered as an aggravating factor at sentencing in the absence of hate crime legislation.
Please Ask, Please Tell: Disclosing Third-Party Funding in Mediation

As increasing numbers of domestic TPF commercial cases opt for settlement in mediation, domestic Alternative Dispute Resolution (hereinafter ADR) providers have still failed to adopt policies or procedure that address TPF disclosure in mediation. Don’t ask, don’t tell. Even though TPF disclosure is fast becoming a required part of global mediation practice, the U.S. continues to ignore lessons from our global community about TPF disclosure in mediation. Instead, the U.S. is engaging in a polarizing debate about third party funding disclosure in litigation that has become politicized, legislated, and litigated. The dizzying and detracting consequences of such polarization have eclipsed the exploration of appropriate TPF mediation disclosure and have paralyzed any affirmative steps to promote disclosure in mediation. Maintaining the status quo threatens the integrity of mediation and comes at an irretrievable cost to funded parties. Most mediators are not even aware that any of their mediation participants are receiving third party funding. This article will report a prominent third party's funder successful participation in mediation and prescribe a titrated process for third party funding disclosure.
Derivation of anthropometric-based equations to predict lean body mass composition of cancer patients

Background Lean body mass (LBM) composition of cancer patients is a predictor of chemotherapy-related adverse events and overall cancer survival. However, clinicians lack validated algorithms that can be applied to measure the LBM of cancer patients to facilitate accurate chemotherapy dosing. Our goal was to develop LBM predictive equations using routinely measured anthropometric measures among cancer patients. Methods We leveraged the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data cycles containing information on self-reported cancer diagnosis, LBM measures based on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and several anthropometric and demographic factors. We restricted our analysis to participants who had been diagnosed with cancer at the time of surveys. The data was randomly split to 75%:25% to train and test predictive models. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) models were used to predict LBM based on anthropometric and demographic factors, overall and separately among sex and sex-by-race/ethnic subgroups. LBM measured directly with DXA served as the gold standard for assessing the predictive abilities (correlations [R2] and the Root Mean Square Error [RMSE]) of the derived LBM-algorithms. We further compared the correlations between both DXA-based LBM and predicted LBM and urine creatinine levels, a known biomarker of muscle mass. Results We identified 1,777 cancer patients with a median age of 71 (interquartile range [IQR]: 60-80) years. The most parsimonious model comprised of height and weight, which accurately predicted LBM overall (R2=0.86, RMSE =2.26). The predictive abilities of these models varied across sex-by-race/ethnic groups. The magnitude of correlations between derived LBM-algorithm and urine creatinine levels were larger compared to those measured between DXA-based LBM and urine creatinine levels (R2=0.30 vs. R2=0.17) Conclusions We successfully developed a simple sex-specific and sex-by-race/ethnicity-specific models to accurately predict the LBM of cancer patients by using only height and weight. The simplicity and high accuracy of these models make them inexpensive alternatives to measuring the LBM of cancer patients. Data on the LBM of cancer patients could help guide optimal chemotherapy dose selection among cancer patients.
Consistency Check of Deformable Image Registration-Based Dose Summation for Off-Line Adaptive Re-Planning.

Purpose/Objective(s) Uncertainty of deformable image registration (DIR) based dose accumulation is a concern due to the uncertainty with the DIR, in particular for a large deformation. In this work, we introduce a practical workflow of using a DVH overlay technique to check consistency in DIR-based dose accumulation during off-line adaptive replanning for large deformations observed during radiation therapy for abdominal tumors. Materials/Methods Required inputs to the DVH overlay workflow are deformably registered primary (original plan) and secondary (re-plan) images, primary regions-of-interest (ROIs), and a secondary dose distribution. Primary ROIs are forward warped to the secondary image, secondary dose is inversely warped to the primary image, and the ROI DVHs for each image are overlaid. Differences between the DVHs at a given dose point (e.g., V45Gy) quantify the dose uncertainty due to inverse consistency error (ICE) inherent in the DIR. We applied the workflow to a pancreas case treated using modulated arc therapy (mARC) on a Linac equipped with integrated kVCT-on-rails IGRT. For the original plan, 65.25-Gy and 50.75-Gy PTVs were concurrently treated over 29 fractions. After fraction 21, the patient was observed to have lost sufficient weight to justify an adaptive mARC plan based on an updated kVCT image. A composite dose distribution was compiled on the original plan CT by summing 21 fractions of the original planned dose and 8 fractions of a dose distribution warped from the re-plan CT to the original plan CT. Warping was performed using a hybrid DIR algorithm combining contour-based and image-based registration. For each organ-at-risk (OAR) DVH dose point, the workflow-derived ICE (scaled to 8 fractions) was additively applied as an uncertainty to the summation DVH. Results For the re-planned pancreas case, ICE based on the DVH overlay workflow was greatest for the small bowel V45Gy (approximately 5%) and for the stomach V45Gy and V56Gy (approximately 2% for both). ICE was also approximately 4% at V15Gy for the duodenum and colon. For all other ROIs, ICE was 1% or less from the DVH overlay, indicating a favorable DIR for those regions. When applying the DVH overlay-based ICE the resulting accumulated dose remained compliant with the original plan objectives for all OARs except for the stomach V56Gy, which equaled 7.9 cm3 with ICE included (plan objective Conclusion A DVH overlay technique was used to estimate ICE attributable to the uncertainty in DIR-based dose accumulation. The method was applied to a pancreas case for which dose accumulation was performed due to off-line adaptive re-planning for a large anatomic change during the treatment course. In instances where the ICE is over a pre-defined threshold or the summation dose exceeds plan objectives if ICE is included, it is prudent to review the DIR dose transfer and accumulation before using it to make clinical decisions.
Discrimination and the Role of the Clinician.

* Abbreviation: ACGME — : Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Recognizing and confronting discrimination is essential to eliminating health disparities. Healthy People 2030 highlights discrimination when addressing social determinants of health.1 In this issue of Pediatrics , Lei et al2 contribute to the growing literature that discrimination adversely impacts mental health in young adults. The authors investigated the effect of discrimination (racism, sexism, ageism, physical appearance, other) over time on mental health, substance use, and well-being. Data analysis using the Transition to Adulthood Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics revealed that increased discrimination frequency was associated with higher levels of mental illness diagnosis, psychological distress, substance use, and languishing for up to 6 years after initial exposure.2 Clinicians should know 3 aspects vital to combating discrimination in health care: the impact of interpersonal discrimination, the role of implicit bias in perpetuating disparities, and decolonizing medical education and training. First, interpersonal discrimination (sometimes called individual discrimination) refers to conscious or unconscious acts of prejudice committed by a member of a dominant or privileged group toward a member(s) of a marginalized group. Acts of interpersonal discrimination (ie, microaggressions) can manifest as lack … Address correspondence to Jennifer R. Walton, MD, MPH, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Dr, Columbus, OH 43215. E-mail: jennifer.walton{at}nationwidechildrens.org
Seasonal and Longer-Term Changes of Climatic Characteristics in the Caspian Sea Basin

Prior to discussing climatic changes in the Caspian Sea basin it is necessary to describe the background against which they occur. Section 2.1, therefore, gives general, or long-term mean, climatic characteristics of the basin. Since these characteristics have been described elsewhere in the literature (see, e.g., Baidin and Kosarev, 1986), we limit ourselves to a brief review in which the relevant climatic characteristics are given.
Hypoxia-Selective Cellular Toxicity of Carboranyl-Nitroimidazole

The binary nature of neutron capture therapy requires the coincident presence of neutrons of appropriate energy and an atomic nucleus of a sufficient capture cross-section. The successful application of boron neutron capture therapy will require novel delivery schemes which exploit characteristics unique to the tumor environment. Some of these tumor-selective characteristics currently under investigation for boron targeting (with their corresponding drug class exploiting this characteristic) include tumor specific antigens (monoclonal antibodies), hydrophobicity (porphyrins), a high growth rate compared to surrounding normal tissue (boronated amino acids and nucleotides), and leaky vascular networks (lipid vesicles) (Baarth et al., 1991).