cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Osteopontin plays a pivotal role in increasing severity of respiratory syncytial virus infection

The molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility to severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection remain poorly understood. Herein, we report on the role of osteopontin (OPN) in regulation of RSV infection in human epithelial cells and how interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), a cytokine secreted soon after RSV infection, when persistently expressed can induce OPN expression leading to increased viral infection. We first compared OPN expression in two human epithelial cell lines: HEK-293 and HEp-2. In contrast to HEp-2, HEK-293 expresses low levels of pro-caspase-1 resulting in decreased IL-1β expression in response to RSV infection. We found a correlation between low IL-1β levels and a delay in induction of OPN expression in RSV-infected HEK-293 cells compared to HEp-2. This phenomenon could partially explain the high susceptibility of HEp-2 cells to RSV infection versus the moderate susceptibility of HEK-293 cells. Also, HEK-293 cells expressing low levels of pro-caspase-1 exhibit decreased IL-1β expression and delayed OPN expression in response to RSV infection. HEK-293 cells incubated with human rIL-1β showed a dose-dependent increase in OPN expression upon RSV infection. Also, incubation with rOPN increased RSV viral load. Moreover, HEp-2 cells or mice infected with a mucogenic RSV strain RSV-L19F showed elevated levels of OPN in contrast to mice infected with the laboratory RSV strain rA2. This correlated with elevated levels of OPN following infection with RSV-L19F compared to rA2. Together, these results demonstrate that increased OPN expression is regulated in part by IL-1β, and the interplay between IL-1β and OPN signaling may play a pivotal role in the spread of RSV infection.
Exploiting the Strong Hydrogen Bond Donor Properties of a Borinic Acid Functionality for Fluoride Anion Recognition

Borinic acids have typically not been considered as hydrogen bond donor groups in molecular recognition. Described herein is a bifunctional borane/borinic acid derivative (2) in which the two functionalities are connected by a 1,8-biphenylenediyl backbone. Anion binding studies reveal that 2 readily binds a fluoride anion by formation of a unique B-F⋅⋅⋅H-O-B hydrogen bond. This hydrogen bond is characterized by a short H-F distance of 1.79(3) A and a large coupling constant (1 JHF ) of 57.2 Hz. The magnitude of this interaction, which has also been investigated computationally, augments the fluoride anion binding properties of 2, thus making it compatible with aqueous environments.
Mechanical and Electronic Packaging for a Launch-Vehicle Guidance Computer

The packaging design of a launch-vehicle guidance computer is described. The computer uses microminiature technology, of which the basic module is a ceramic substrate with deposited resistors and uncased semiconductor devices. The memory section contains up to eight modules of 4096 words; the modules are self-contained by incorporating toroidal core arrays, memory, drivers, and sense amplifiers as a unit. To minimize structure weight, a magnesium—lithium material is used. This material has the inherent properties of high damping capacity with a high strength-to-weight ratio. Also described is the development program that led to these packaging concepts, along with the in-process testing used to ensure design adequacy prior to final assembly.
Abstract 19629: Experience With a Novel Hybrid Cryo/rf Focused Technique in Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation - Low Voltage Bridge Mapping

Introduction: Despite advances in catheter technologies and energy sources for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, patient outcomes when treating long-standing persistent AF with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) combined with empiric roof and isthmus lines is inferior to those seen in paroxysmal AF. Recent advances in mapping systems allow very detailed substrate analysis to be performed rapidly. We previously described a method of substrate ablation (SA) by targeting low voltage bridges (LVB) based upon voltage gradient mapping (VGM). Studies have suggested that targeting “low voltage bridges” (LVB) can be successful in ablating atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and slow pathways. We sought to apply this technique in these difficult patients with long-standing persistent AF. Methods: 31 pts (24M/7F) mean age 61 (42-78 yrs) with mean AF duration 2.4 (.75-4.0 yrs) underwent AF ablation between December, 2014 and May, 2016. The procedure consisted of initial PVI using a 28 mm cryoballoon (Arctic Front, Medtronic, Mpls., MN) followed by detailed mapping of the left atrium using the Navix mapping system and an HD catheter (St. Jude Medical, Mpls, MN). 2 pts. required additional right atrial mapping. Low-voltage bridges were determined and then ablated using a 4 mm tip RF catheter. Sequential mapping was performed after each “layer” of LVBs was eliminated until no LVBs could be found in the chamber. Results: 29 of 31 procedures were successful with all of these patients remaining in sinus rhythm at most recent f/u on no (26 pts) or tapering (3 pts) antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Mean f/u duration 8.5 mos (1-18). Two patients left the hospital in AF. One failed a cardioversion after a 3-month amiodarone load and had subsequent AV nodal ablation and pacemaker placement. Conclusions: These early positive outcomes suggest that a more targeted approach to ablation in long-standing persistent AF targeting LVBs may be superior to empiric roof and isthmus lines. We are early in our experience, however, and will need more patients and longer follow-up to confirm these results.
Review of Wexler, Autism in a Decentered World (2016).

Alice Wexler’s Autism in a Decentered World offers a novel epistemology of autism that valorizes autistic ways of experiencing by celebrating the artistic expressions of self-identified autistic people. Wexler launches her project to valorize autistic experience by first deconstructing the narrative fiction upon which modernist conceptions of neurological normality, or neurotypicality, were founded.
Cerebral ischemia induces the aggregation of proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases

Protein aggregation critically affects cell viability in neurodegenerative diseases, but whether this also occurs in ischemic brain injury remains elusive. Prior studies report the post-ischemic aggregation of ubiquitin, small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) and ribosomes, however whether other proteins are also affected is unknown. Here we employed a proteomic approach to identify the insoluble, aggregated proteome after cerebral ischemia. Mice underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion or sham-surgery. After 1-hour reperfusion, prior to apparent brain injury, mice were sacrificed and detergent-insoluble proteins were obtained and identified by nanoLC-MS/MS. Naturally existing insoluble proteins were determined in sham controls and aggregated proteins after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion were identified. Selected aggregated proteins found by proteomics were biochemically verified and aggregation propensities were studied during ischemia with or without reperfusion. We found that ischemia/reperfusion induces the aggregation of RNA-binding and heat-shock proteins, ubiquitin, SUMO and other proteins involved in cell signalling. RNA-binding proteins constitute the largest group of aggregating proteins in ischemia. These include TDP43, FUS, hnRNPA1, PSF/SFPQ and p54/NONO, all of which have been linked to neurodegeneration associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. The aggregation of neurodegeneration-related disease proteins in cerebral ischemia unveils a previously unappreciated molecular overlap between neurodegenerative diseases and ischemic stroke.
New Approaches Towards an Understanding of Deuterostome Immunity

The vertebrate immune system is distinguished by an unusual propensity for genetic invention. For example, three forms of programmed somatic DNA recombination (V-D-J recombination, class switching and a highly targeted form of gene conversion) have arisen entirely independently in the course of immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy-chain gene evolution. Similar phenomena are virtually unknown in other metazoan genetic systems. Genes that mediate immunity are further characterized by accelerated sequence divergence rates when compared to nonimmune genes in studies of mouse and human gene orthologs (Hughes 1997; Murphy 1993). Both of these attributes, the tendency towards mechanistic novelty and a high rate of sequence evolution, may emerge from the dynamic nature of host-pathogen interactions and thus be a universal characteristic of immune systems. To investigate this possibility it is necessary to characterize immunity in animal phyla where the vertebrate forms of adaptive immunity are absent. A number of molecular advances have been made in recent years in the study of arthropod immunity (e.g., Hoffmann et al. 1996; Iwanaga and Kawabata 1998). As these data accumulate, in combination with similar work on an invertebrate deuterostome that is described here, a more general understanding of immunity will emerge.
Larval development of Sabellastarte spectabilis (Grube, 1878) (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) in Hawaiian waters

The sabellid polychaete Sabellastarte spectabilis is common in bays and harbours throughout Hawaii. It has become one of the most harvested marine ornamental species in the State. Collection can be difficult and potentially damaging to the reef community. Understanding the reproduction and life history of this polychaete will benefit the marine ornamental trade by facilitating aquaculture of the species and coral reef conservation by decreasing destructive collecting practices. There is very little known about the biology of this species. Experiments were conducted at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology to induce and document spawning and larval development. Oocytes range between 150-200 µm in diameter and sperm have spherical heads. Cell division in fertilized eggs begins approximately twenty minutes after spawning. Developmental stages were documented using light and scanning electron microscopy. Swimming larvae are first seen 7-8 h after spawning. Larvae have a well-developed prototroch and a less conspicuous neurotroch and metatroch. Two chaetigers develop sequentially on days 4 and 5 and settlement occurs 6-7 days after spawning. Metamorphosis occurs gradually from days 6-8. This is the first reported induction of spawning and description of larval development from fertilized egg to settlement and metamorphosis for this species.
Editorial Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence

As fluorescence spectroscopists we are mostly all yields, decreased lifetimes, increased photostability, and familiar with doing spectroscopy in bulk samples, where an increase in Forster transfer distances and directional the solutions are typically transparent to the emitted radia- emission. Such opportunities are truly refreshing, because tion, and the fluorophores emit isotropically into free although fluorescence methodology and subsequent space and are observed in the far field. There may be applications are routinely practiced in many laboratories changes in the refractive index, such as for a fluorophore around the world, little research on such basic principles in a membrane, but these changes typically have only has probably hindered fluorescence growth from further minor effects on the fluorophores free-space spectral revolutionalizing the analytical and clinical sciences. For properties.
The Molecular Biology of Human ApoA-I, ApoA-II, ApoC-II and ApoB

Plasma lipoproteins are the major vehicles for lipid transport in man. Plasma levels of cholesterol, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins are important parameters in the evaluation of patients for the potential risk of development of premature cardiovascular disease. Thirteen apolipoproteins have been isolated and characterized. These proteins function as enzyme cofactors, ligands for interaction with specific high affinity cellular receptors, exchange proteins for the transfer of lipid constituents between lipoprotein particles, and structural components of lipoprotein particles. Thus plasma apolipoproteins plays a key role in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in man. Major advances in our understanding of the molecular biology of the human apolipoproteins have occurred over the last several years. The objective of this report is a brief review of our current knowledge of the molecular biology of human apolipoprotein A-I, A-II, C-II and B.
Predicting outstanding results after anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty using percentage of maximal outcome improvement.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine whether thresholds in the percentage of maximal improvement in the Simple Shoulder Test (SST) or American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score exist for predicting “excellent” patient satisfaction after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). Methods A retrospective query identified patients who underwent TSA with a minimum of 2 years' follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative SST and ASES scores and postoperative patient satisfaction were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed to determine thresholds in the percentage of maximal improvement in the SST and ASES scores that predict excellent satisfaction. Univariate and multivariate analyses determined preoperative factors that predicted achievement of these thresholds. Results A total of 301 and 319 patients had at least 2 years' follow-up for the SST score and ASES score, respectively. We determined 72.1% of maximal improvement in the SST score to be the threshold for excellent satisfaction (area under the curve, 0.777; 95% confidence interval, 0.712-0.841; P Conclusion Achievement of 72.1% of maximal SST score improvement and achievement of 75.6% of maximal ASES score improvement represent thresholds for achievement of excellent satisfaction after TSA. Most preoperative factors did not have an impact on the likelihood of achieving these thresholds.
Timing performance of organic scintillators coupled to silicon photomultipliers

Abstract This work compares the time resolution obtained from coincidence measurements using combinations of four types of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), five types of organic scintillators, and two timing algorithms. Organic scintillators in combination with SiPMs have shown to have equivalent or better time resolution and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) capability than with photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs). In addition, SiPMs are more compact and require low operating voltage. These factors have made them suitable for the development of compact neutron scatter cameras (NSCs) and potentially low-cost positron emission tomography (PET) systems. The following measurements analyze combinations of organic scintillators and SiPMs that could be used for these applications. Measurements and analyses assessed the time resolution of standard-output and fast-output pulses of the various scintillator and SiPM combinations. The coincidence measurements were performed using a Na-22 source to characterize time resolution where all coincident events above about a 40 keVee threshold were analyzed. Uncertainties were determined by applying bootstrapping to the acquired data sets. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the time difference distribution for each combination is reported as the time resolution of the system. For standard-output pulses, we found that using a digital implementation of analogue constant fraction discrimination (DIACFD) improved timing resolution greater than a single standard deviation for six of the fourteen tested combinations compared to using digital constant fraction discrimination (DCFD). Conversely, for fast-output pulses, DCFD with a moving average filter produced the best timing resolution. Among the tested non-PSD capable organic scintillators, EJ-228 coupled to a MicroFJ-SMA-60035 SensL SiPM yielded the best time resolution of 303 ± 4 ps for standard-output pulses and 227 ± 4 ps for fast-output pulses. The best time resolution found for PSD capable organic scintillators was obtained using Inrad Optics stilbene coupled to a MicroFJ-SMA-60035 SensL SiPM which yielded a time resolution of 428 ± 6 ps for standard-output pulses and 293 ± 4 ps for fast-output pulses.
PROVABLY COMMUNICATION-EFFICIENT ASYNCHRONOUS DISTRIBUTED INFERENCE FOR CONVEX AND NONCONVEX PROBLEMS

This paper proposes and analyzes an asynchronous communication-efficient distributed optimization framework for a general type of machine learning and signal processing problems. At each iteration, worker machines compute gradients of a known empirical loss function using their own local data, and a master machine solves a related minimization problem to update the current estimate. We establish that the proposed algorithm converges with a sublinear rate over the number of communication rounds, coinciding with the best theoretical rate that can be achieved for nonconvex nonsmooth problems. Moreover, under a strong convexity assumption of the smooth part of the loss function, linear convergence is established. Extensive numerical experiments show that the performance of the proposed approach indeed improves – sometimes significantly – over other state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of total communication efficiency.
Phthalate Exposure and Placental-Fetal Mechanisms of Endocrine Disruption

Phthalate exposure in pregnancy is associated with child neurodevelopment and reproductive health. Elucidating the molecular basis for these associations in pregnancy is important 1) to establish c...
A Narrative Review of Placental Contribution to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Context Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy of reproductive-aged women. In pregnancy, women with PCOS experience increased risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and extremes of fetal birth weight, and their offspring are predisposed to reproductive and cardiometabolic dysfunction in adulthood. Pregnancy complications, adverse fetal outcomes, and developmental programming of long-term health risks are known to have placental origins. These findings highlight the plausibility of placental compromise in pregnancies of women with PCOS. Evidence synthesis A comprehensive PubMed search was performed using terms "polycystic ovary syndrome," "placenta," "developmental programming," "hyperandrogenism," "androgen excess," "insulin resistance," "hyperinsulinemia," "pregnancy," and "pregnancy complications" in both human and animal experimental models. Conclusions There is limited human placental research specific to pregnancy of women with PCOS. Gestational androgen excess and insulin resistance are two clinical hallmarks of PCOS that may contribute to placental dysfunction and underlie the higher rates of maternal-fetal complications observed in pregnancies of women with PCOS. Additional research is needed to prevent adverse maternal and developmental outcomes in women with PCOS and their offspring.
Thermoelectric and Optical Properties of Advanced Thermoelectric Devices from Different Multilayer Thin Films

Thermoelectric devices were prepared using different multilayered thin film structures in the order of Ge/Si+Ge, Si+Ge, Si, Sb+Ge, Ge and SiO2/SiO2+Ge by DC/RF Magnetron Sputtering. The thickness of the deposited thin films were measured using Filmetrics UV thickness measurement system. The prepared thermoelectric devices have been modified with 5 MeV Si ions bombardments at the different fluences (doses) using Pelletron high energy beam accelerator at Alabama A and M University to form quantum structures in the multilayer thin films to improve the efficiency of the thermoelectric devices. The conductivity measurements, the fluence dependence of the power factor measurements, the fluence dependence of thermal conductivity measurements and the figure of merit calculations of multilayered thin films at room temperature have been performed. After the thermoelectric devices were prepared, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) + Energy-Dispersive X-beam Spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) measurements have been done from the cross section of the prepared multilayer thin films to give us some answer for the thickness of the fabricated thermoelectric devices.
Veterans' perspectives on military sexual trauma-related communication with VHA providers.

Given the number of veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST) and the impact of these experiences on veteran health, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) providers frequently communicate with patients about these experiences, either as part of the VHA's universal MST screening program or more comprehensive clinical care. The purpose of this study was to understand veterans' perceptions of communication related to MST disclosures with VHA providers. We conducted qualitative interviews, including a numeric rating question, with 55 veterans whose medical records indicated recent MST-related interactions with VHA providers. The sample included men and women, with and without histories of MST. We analyzed interview transcripts using matrices and identified themes related to satisfaction with communication. Veterans from all groups reported generally high satisfaction with MST-related communication, although men, as a group, reported a much larger range of satisfaction ratings than women. Key provider-related indicators of satisfaction included providers' communication mechanics and nonspecific patient-centered skills and characteristics. One patient-related indicator of lower satisfaction-inherent discomfort discussing MST experiences-was particularly represented among men with MST histories. These data from veteran patients will be reassuring to providers whose concerns about patient reactions to these conversations may inhibit them from raising this important issue. Understanding variables that promote patient satisfaction with MST disclosure communication is critical for promoting sensitive patient-provider interactions about MST. This ultimately can have important downstream effects on veteran health, allowing veterans to forge satisfying relationships with providers and ultimately facilitate recovery from traumatic experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Treating Active Duty Service Members Outside of the Military Health System

Active duty military personnel face psychological issues and problems just as any other segment of the U.S. population. They also face additional challenges caused by the nature of military duties and conditions. Service members face a number of structural, attitudinal, and cultural barriers in obtaining needed psychological treatment. Active duty military personnel seek psychological care outside of the military health service for a range of reasons, including greater confidentiality. Awareness and sensitivity to military culture is important to effective treatment of active duty military personnel.
Chapter 82 – Ecdysteroids

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses ecdysteroids which are steroid hormones. This chapter also discusses its combination with juvenile hormones, program gene expression that is appropriate for each stage of insect development. Beginning at embryogenesis, ecdysteroid levels rise transiently during each stage to initiate molting. Depending on the level of juvenile hormone, elevated ecdysteroids mobilize several types of nuclear receptors that bind directly to DNA, either to promote or suppress gene expression. The chief source of ecdysteroids is the prothoracic gland, a diffuse organ located in the thorax. In higher insects such as Diptera and Hymenoptera, the prothoracic gland has become part of a composite structure called the ring gland. The precursors ecdysone or 3-dehydroecdysone are synthesized and released into the blood. Conversion to 20HE occurs in target tissues such as epidermal cells, salivary glands, fat body, nervous system, gut, and imaginal discs by 20-hydroxymonooxygenase. Ecdysteroids belong to a large class of steroid signaling molecules that enter all cells in the body. Because of their lipophilic character, they pass through the cell membrane easily. Whether they affect the cell upon entry depends on the presence or absence of specialized proteins belonging to a large class of soluble, diffusible nuclear receptors.
Comprehensive Analysis of Metal Modulated Epitaxial GaN

While metal modulated epitaxy (MME) has been shown useful for hyperdoping, where hole concentrations 40 times higher than other techniques have been demonstrated, and the ability to control phase separation in immiscible III-nitrides, the complexity of the dynamically changing surface conditions during the cyclic growth is poorly understood. While MME is capable of superb crystal quality, performing MME in an improper growth regime can result in defective material. These complications have made the transfer of MME knowledge challenging. This work provides a comprehensive study of the conditions necessary for achieving the benefits of MME while avoiding undesirable defects. The effects of growth temperature, Ga/N ratio, and excess Ga dose per MME growth cycle on the morphological, structural, electronic, and optical properties of unintentionally doped (UID) MME grown gallium nitride (GaN) have been investigated. Optimal structural and electrical quality were achieved for GaN films grown at ∼650 °C, at pre-bilayer Ga coverage and at the moderate droplet regime. However, high defect concentrations were observed at the lowest growth temperatures, and counter to traditional MBE, as the excess Ga dose transitioned from bilayer coverage to the low droplet regime. Optoelectronic properties were optimal for films grown at intermediate growth temperatures, an excess Ga dose condition just before the droplet formation, and, at a III/V ratio of 1.3. Optimization of growth temperatures, Ga/N ratios, and excess Ga dose results in a range of growth conditions achieving smooth surfaces, step-flow surface morphology, and high crystalline quality films with low threading dislocation densities, allowing researchers to utilize the extensive advantages of MME.
Extractive Summarizer for Scholarly Articles

We introduce an extractive method that will summarize long scientific papers. Our model uses presentation slides provided by the authors of the papers as the gold summary standard to label the sentences. The sentences are ranked based on their novelty and their importance as estimated by deep neural networks. Our window-based extractive labeling of sentences results in the improvement of at least 4 ROUGE1-Recall points.
Exopolysaccharide and biopolymer-derived films as tools for transdermal drug delivery

Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPSs) exhibit diverse functionalities and offer a variety of structural options that can be altered to fit a specific purpose. EPSs can degrade within the body via biological processes, and polysaccharides are regarded as generally safe. More so, microbial EPS is replicable from several known, inexpensive, and plentiful sources. Drug delivery-related research involving polysaccharides have continuously cited minimal to zero cytotoxicity and, where tested, sufficient drug release and a competent release profile. Transdermal drug delivery systems as films not only avoids first-pass metabolism, but also provides pain-free administration, assists patients with dysphagia, has increased patient compliance, can be self-administered, and can be removed at any time. Commonly used synthetic polymers in the field of drug delivery have been related to problems regarding toxicity and immunogenicity, escalating the need for an alternative. Ultimately, the risks while using synthetic polymers could result in serious negative influences involving physiological, physiochemical, and molecular events. Research involving exopolysaccharides from extremophiles is only recently gaining attention. However, commercial use of microbial polysaccharides in other areas as well as the positive results from preliminary research suggests microbial EPSs have a promising future in biomedical engineering and medicine, especially as an alternative to current synthetic polymers.
Shelter Guarding Behavior of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) in North Carolina Streams

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Eastern Hellbender) is a fully aquatic salamander of conservation concern across the southeastern US. Characterization of shelter guarding by males and interspecific behavior during the breeding season in wild populations within the Blue Ridge ecoregion of North Carolina is lacking. To this end, we characterized diurnal video sequences of natural shelter-rock and nest-guarding behavior by male Eastern Hellbenders. We documented several intraspecific behaviors between resident males and nonresident conspecifics (males and females) during the breeding season (late summer to early fall) of 2018–2019 using modified action cameras with 4–6 hour battery life deployed in the French Broad River Basin of western North Carolina. Breeding behavior was documented (gravid females entering shelter) in 5 shelters, with 4 nests later confirmed by researchers. Across 21 unique shelters, we documented several examples of aggressive behaviors by resident Eastern Hellbender males toward conspecifics, including defensive posturing, territorial behavior, fights, biting, and bite-holds. All males occupying shelters (residents) spent the majority of time actively guarding the shelter entrance (81.7% of video) followed by maintenance behavior (e.g., modifying the shelter entrance; 5.3% of video), and short bouts (mean = 3.2 minutes) away from the shelter rock (2.5% of video). This study provides the first quantitative report of male breeding-season behavior across multiple natural shelters using non-invasive, affordable, waterproof cameras in North Carolina. We report on the utility of this method for observing behavior in stream systems and its potential application for monitoring of nests and behavior in other diurnal aquatic species.
Tribute to Professor Leon Gabinet

This article honors, with some well-deserved ridicule thrown in along the way, Case Western Reserve’s legendary tax professor, Leon Gabinet. It chronicles Leon’s rise from a barefoot farm boy in Poland and Chicago — rooting, hopelessly, for the Chicago Cubs — to his heroic time in the Pacific in World War II, his years at the intellectually intense University of Chicago, the brain deadening time spent playing hockey, his long-time law practice in Portland, and, most important, his several decades (not yet over) as the most popular and erudite teacher at the law school of Case Western Reserve University.
Attitude of the employer in Lebanon toward candidates and employees with a stable chronic mental illness.

Objective:Research and study the Lebanese employers’ attitudes, toward recruiting candidates with a mental illness and toward their employees who suffer chronic mental illnesses (A CMI) and the fac...
Preexisting opioid use disorder is associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized acute pancreatitis patients.

INTRODUCTION Although opioids are widely used for pain management in acute pancreatitis, the impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) on outcomes in patients with acute pancreatitis remains unknown. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the OUD on outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute pancreatitis and delineate the trends associated with OUD and acute pancreatitis using a nationally representative sample. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with acute pancreatitis using the combined releases of the year 2005-2014 of the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Patients over the age of 18 years with a principal diagnosis of acute pancreatitis were divided into cohorts of patients with opioid use disorders and those without. The primary measured outcome was in-hospital mortality and secondary outcomes were healthcare utilization measures, including length of stay (LOS) and hospitalization costs. RESULTS A total of 2 593 831 hospitalizations of acute pancreatitis were included; of which, 37 849 (1.46%) had a secondary diagnosis of OUD. Total acute pancreatitis-related hospitalizations increased from 237 882 in 2005 to 274 006 in 2014. At the same time prevalence of OUD in acute pancreatitis patients also increased from 1 to 2.1%. Patients with OUD had significantly increased mortality as compared to patients without OUD (aOR: 1.4; P < 0.001). At the same time, acute pancreatitis patients with OUD were associated with 1.3 days longer LOS as compared to other acute pancreatitis patients (P < 0.001]. The mean adjusted difference in total hospitalization costs was $2353 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION OUD is associated with a significant increase in LOS, healthcare utilization cost and in-hospital mortality in patients admitted for acute pancreatitis. Therefore, clinicians should exercise caution in prescribing opioid medications to this high-risk patient population and other modalities such as nonopioid pain medications should be tried as alternatives to opioid analgesics.
Computationally efficient multiscale modeling for probabilistic analysis of CFRP composites with micro-scale spatial randomness

Abstract The physics of spatial material randomness in CFRP composites is incorporated in a concurrent multiscale modeling framework. A sampling based non-intrusive approach is adopted to demonstrate natural variability in the material. The key outcome is the computational efficiency achieved by the proposed numerical model. Improvement in computational cost is achieved by the strategic use of parallel computing tools. Multi-directional fiber composite laminates are numerically modeled to predict progressive damage. The accuracy of the framework is demonstrated by comparing with experimental results of unnotched and open-hole quasi-isotropic laminates.
Photon Localization: The Inhibition of Electromagnetism in Certain Dielectrics

We discuss the properties of a new class of dielectric materials which exhibit strong localization of photons in analogy to the localization of electrons in disordered semiconductors. These materials consist of lossless high dielectric contrast scattering microstructures with short range spatial correlation. The existence of short range order leads to a fundamental modification of the traditional Ioffe-Regel criterion for localization making photon localization experimentally observable in three dimensions.
Effect of dilute strongly pinning impurities on charge density waves

We study theoretically the effects of strong pinning centers on a charge density wave in the limit that the charge density wave coherence length is shorter than the average interimpurity distance. An analysis based on a Ginzburg-Landau model shows that long-range forces arising from the elastic response of the charge density wave induce a kind of collective pinning which suppresses impurity-induced phase fluctuations, leading to a long-range ordered ground state. The correlations induced by impurities are characterized by a length scale parametrically longer than the average interimpurity distance. Long-wavelength fluctuations are found to be gapped, implying the stability of the ground state. We also present Monte Carlo simulations that confirm the basic features of the analytical results.
The management of hypoparathyroidism in pregnancy

Abstract The management of hypoparathyroidism in pregnancy is reviewed, and previously reported cases are discussed. Two new cases are described. Hypoparathyroidism can be successfully managed in pregnancy. With adequate vitamin D supplementation throughout and elevation of calcium intake in the third trimester, this condition constitutes no threat to the mother or fetus.
Searching for Rational Investors In a Perfect Storm

In October, 1991, there occurred off the coast of Massachusetts a perfect storm, a tempest created by a rare coincidence of events. In the late 90s, there was another perfect storm, an also rare coincidence of forces which caused huge waves in our financial markets, as the NASDAQ index soared, collapsed, and bounced part way back. What had happened to the so-called rational investors, the smart money, whom economists have for decades said would keep market prices in close touch with the underlying values? Despite the hundreds of papers on markets and their efficiency, no scholar, not one, has looked to see who are these rational, i.e., value investors, how they operate, and with what results. I decided to see how a group of ten value funds, selected by a knowledgeable manager, performed in the disorderly boom-crash-rebound years of 1999-2003. Did they suffer the permanent loss of capital of so many who invested in the telecom, media and tech stocks? How did their overall performance for the five years compare with the returns on the S&P 500? For most managers, mimicking the index, it was difficult not to own Enron, Oracle and the like, but the ten value funds had stayed far away. Instead, they owned highly selective portfolios, mostly 34 stocks or less, vs. the 160 in the average equity fund. They turned their portfolios at one-sixth the rate of the average fund. Bottom line: every one of the ten outperformed the index over the five year period, and as a group they did so by an average of 11% per year, the financial equivalent of back-to-back no-hitters. The article closes with a discussion of the clearly large implications for investors, market watchers and public policy. As for those economic models, let the chips fall where they will.
Infectious Complications in Children with Cancer and Children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Many of the principles of chemoprophylaxis or treatment of infections apply to both children and adults. However, there are some notable differences. Most opportunistic infections present as primary infections in children compared to reactivation in adults, which may have an impact on immunization strategies and other prophylactic measures. Commonly used antibiotics and antiviral agents often are not produced in a form suitable for small children and child-specific dosages and toxicity data may not be available. Cancer therapy in children commonly results in severe neutropenia, and strict isolation is neither feasible nor desirable in the young child.
Optimizing the Control Hierarchy of an ECC Coprocessor Design on an FPGA Based SoC Platform

Most hardware/software codesigns of Elliptic Curve Cryptography only have one central control unit, typically a 32 bit or 8 bit processor core. With the ability of integrating several soft processor cores into one FPGA fabric, we can have a hierarchy of controllers in one SoC design. Compared to the previous codesigns trying to optimize the communication overhead between the central control unit and coprocessor over bus by using different bus protocols (e.g. OPB, PLB and FSL) or advanced techniques (e.g. DMA), our approach prevents overhead in bus transactions by introducing a local 8 bit microcontroller, PicoBlaze, in the coprocessor. As a result, the performance of the ECC coprocessor can be almost independent of the selection of bus protocols. To further accelerate the Uni-PicoBlaze based ECC SoC design, a Dual-PicoBlaze based architecture is proposed, which can achieve the maximum instruction rate of 1 instruction/cycle to the ECC datapath. Using design space exploration of a large number of system configurations of different architectures discussed in this paper, our proposed Dual-PicoBlaze based design also shows best trade-off between area and speed.
Sonography and amniocentesis as predictors of gestational age and fetal growth in the rhesus monkey

Abstract Repetitive determinations of increasing fetal biparietal diameter were made in 8 pregnant rhesus monkeys with B-scan ultrasound. There was a plateau in skull growth after 120 days' gestation. Amniotic fluid aspirated at 115, 132, 148, and 155 mean days' gestation was analyzed for lecithin and sphingomyelin concentrations. Gestational ages were known to ± one day in all fetuses. Peak levels of lecithin appeared in amniotic fluid at 148 days of pregnancy, with a lecithin:sphingomyelin ratio of 2.3:1, partly because of decreased sphingomyelin. Fetal size does not appear to be an influence upon lecithin secretion into amniotic fluid in the rhesus monkey. Two animals with glucose intolerance induced by Streptozotocin ∗ ∗The Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan. showed decreased phospholipid values in amniotic fluid and a mean lecithin:sphingomyelin ratio of 1.2:1 at 142 days' gestation. Acetone-precipitated lecithin was found to be an increasing fraction of total lecithin during progression of pregnancy.
Pasture management effects on nonpoint source pollution of Midwestern watersheds

Grazing management practices that allow cattle to congregate near pasture streams may result in the loss of vegetative cover and accumulation of manure near the streams. These conditions may cause loading of the streams with sediment, phosphorus, and pathogens carried in precipitation runoff. Furthermore, the loss of vegetation and increased compaction associated with concentrated cattle traffic may promote stream bank erosion causing further impairment of stream water quality. Lake Rathbun Watershed Forage •Annual stocking rates on the 13 sites averaged: •123 (range 0-290) cow-days/acre •3.66 (range 0-10.2) cow-days/foot of stream •Mean sward height (10.7 cm), bare ground (13.8%) and manure-covered ground (0.61%) differed between the 13 pastures. •Proportion of bare soil along stream banks was only mildly related to the annual stocking rate per acre (Y=4.55+0.150X-0.0004X2; r2=0.20). •The proportion of manure-covered ground increased: •as the annual stocking rate per acre increased (Y=-0.038+0.0077X-0.00001X2; r2=0.47) •as the proportion of tall fescue in pastures increased (Y= 0.22 + 0.008X; r2 = 0.24) •To maintain 4 inches of forage on stream banks, the annual stocking rate should not exceed 88 cowdays/acre in the area adjacent to a stream. Cattle Distribution •Across all farms cattle were in or within 50 or 100 ft of the stream 1.3, 6.6, and 6.9% of the time, respectively, during the grazing season. •At greater black globe temperatures the proportion of time cattle were within 50 feet of the stream increased (Y = 11.81 + 0.436X + 0.0056X2, r2 = 0.37) MATERIALS & METHODS Rhodes Research Farm Pastures •Six 30-acre cool-season grass pastures •Each bisected by a 642 foot stream segment •Three grazing management treatments •Continuous stocking with unrestricted stream access (CSU) •Continuous stocking with stream access restricted to a 16-foot wide crushed rock crossing (CSR) •Five-paddock rotational stocking with one paddock in the riparian zone (RS) •15 fall-calving Angus cows per pasture •Grazing mid-May through mid-October in 2005, 2006, and 2007 Data collection Cattle Distribution •Visual Observation •Monthly May through September •Two consecutive days per month, 12 hours per day (0600 to 1800 hours) •Cow herd location, number of cows, and observed defecations recorded at 10 minute intervals •GPS collars (AgTraXtm BlueSky Telemetry, Aberfeldy, Scotland) •One cow per pasture •Month May through September •Two weeks per month, Cow position recorded at 10 minute intervals 24 hours per day •Data Analysis •Location data analyzed using ArcGIS 9.1 •Cow location defined as within stream (stream), within 110 ft of the stream, 110 to 220 ft from the stream, and greater than 220 ft from the stream.
Second-trimester placental changes associated with elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein

Measuring maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in the second trimester is an effective screening test for identifying pregnancies at increased risk for neural tube defects. In the absence of a neural tube defect there are many nonpathologic and pathologic causes for elevated AFP including underestimated gestational age, twin gestation, impending fetal death, and rare fetal malformations. In this series, intraplacental sonolucent spaces were detected in a significant percentage of second trimester pregnancies with elevated serum AFP in the absence of any other cause for the elevation. It is postulated that these cystic spaces are a conduit for the transfer of fetal blood into the maternal circulation, thus accounting for the nonpathologic AFP elevation in the maternal serum.
Adaptive MTCMOS for dynamic leakage and frequency control using variable footer strength

Deviations in leakage and delay due to process variation have increased greatly with technology scaling. This paper presents two adaptive MTCMOS schemes to address the growing leakage and delay spreads found in modem high-performance designs. Variable-gate voltage MTCMOS adjusts the applied gate voltage on footer devices while variable-width MTCMOS adaptively turns on or off footers in a circuit block. Both techniques compensate for the spread in leakage and delay. Our results show a 21%-61% decrease in runtime leakage with a worst-case delay penalty of 9%.
The sources of solar flares

We discuss some of the ideas in Tanaka's last paper. While for a long time it has been known that most, if not all, major flares are caused by shear associated with flux eruption and spot motion, the source of this behavior is unknown. Tanaka tried to explain some of the shear by the changing photospheric intersection with the three-dimensional twisted erupting flux loops. In this paper we address the general problem of the origin of such features, and their possible connection with the ultimate source deep in the Sun.
LOW HEIGHT GEODESICS AND THE MARKOFF SPECTRUM

We classify, in terms of topology of highest arcs, low height non-simple geodesics on the modular hyperbolic punctured sphere with three elliptic fixed points of order two. Of eight possible types, exactly one consists of geodesics that form a bigon about the cusp; we express all such geodesics in terms of Markoff triples. We also show that any geodesic joining two of the elliptic fixed points has locally isolated height.
The cultural synergy model: a knowledge tool for the 21st Century

The cultural synergy model is process-oriented in order to expand consciousness and capacities for problem-solving at various human system levels. This paper briefly (1) addresses how the model is developed from "patterns that connect" in major living systems, (2) describes the model, and (3) discusses two large international experiments with the model at the developing Center for Cultural Synergy at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Evaluating Driver and Pedestrian Behaviors at Enhanced, Multilane, Midblock Pedestrian Crossings: Case Study in Portland, Oregon

This study examined driver and pedestrian behaviors at two enhanced midblock pedestrian crossings in Portland, Oregon. One crossing was at a five-lane arterial with a posted speed of 35 mph and featured eight rectangular rapid flash beacon (RRFB) assemblies and a narrow median refuge. The other crossing was at a suburban arterial with a posted speed of 40 mph, four travel lanes, and a two-way left-turn lane. The crossing was enhanced with four RRFB assemblies and a median island with a Z-crossing, or Danish offset, designed to encourage pedestrians to face oncoming traffic before they completed the second stage of their crossing. Approximately 62 h of video was collected at the two locations. A total of 351 pedestrian crossings were analyzed for driver compliance (yielding) rates, pedestrian activation rates, pedestrian delay, and conflict avoidance maneuvers. The suburban arterial crossing was also evaluated to determine its effectiveness at diverting pedestrians to cross at the crossing instead of away ...