cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Dual-Energy Computed Tomography to the Evaluation of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque

Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is responsible for around 50% of cardiovascular deaths in USA. Early detection and characterization of coronary artery atherosclerotic plaque could help prevent cardiac events. Computed tomography (CT) is an excellent modality for imaging calcifications and has higher spatial resolution than other common non-invasive modalities (e.g MRI), making it more suitable for coronary plaque detection. However, attenuation-based classification of non-calcified plaques as fibrous or lipid is difficult with conventional CT, which relies on a single x-ray energy. Dual-energy CT (DECT) may provide additional attenuation data for the identification and discrimination of plaque components. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of DECT imaging for coronary plaque characterization and further, to explore the limits of CT for non-invasive plaque analysis. DECT techniques were applied to plaque classification using a clinical CT system. Saline perfused coronary arteries from autopsies were scanned at 80 and 140 kVp, prior to and during injection of iodinated contrast. Plaque attenuation was measured from CT images and matched to histology. Measurements were compared to assess differences among plaque types. Although calcified and non-calcified plaques could be
On the Threefold Performance of Technology from the Perspective of Heidegger's Ontology

In Heidegger's philosophy,the performance of technology consists of three layers—the instrumental stipulation of technology,the stipulation of technology as machination and the essence of technology,i.e.,Gestell.The connotations of technology in Heidegger's philosophy should be understood taking his ontology as the perspective.In his view,being is specifically manifested by three segments,namely,being in metaphysics,being in the first beginning and being in another beginning.Only by taking Heidegger's ontology as the background and the connotations of technology as a type of being in metaphysics,the internal relationships among these three layers could be revealed,the connotations of technology could be understood as a whole,and the significance of technology as the kehre of being could be clarified.
In Vitro Assays for Kinetoplastid U Insertion-Deletion Editing and Associated Activities

This chapter describes biochemical assays that have been used in analyzing RNA editing in kinetoplastid mitochondria and to characterize the general mechanism of editing by the editosome. Studies using these assays have shown that the characteristics of each activity contribute to editing site selection, U addition and removal, and RNA ligation resulting in accurately edited mRNAs.
Development and validation of a LC–MS/MS assay for quantification of cisplatin in rat plasma and urine

Till date, no analytical method published to detect Cisplatin has been validated according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We report, a validated LC-MS/MS method for quantitative determination of cisplatin in rat plasma and urine according to FDA guidlines. Cisplatin is a platinum containing compound used for the treatment of different types of cancers. Quantitative determination of cisplatin has been carried out using atomic absorption spectroscopy, high pressure liquid chromatography with phosphorescence, ultra-violet detection, or with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Few LC-MS/MS methods have been reported for the analysis of cisplatin either for direct quantification or indirect by derivatizing with organic compounds but none of the reported methods have validated the method. The developed and validated assay presented here is a highly sensitive LC-MS/MS method developed and validated for the quantitative determination of cisplatin following derivatization with diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) in order to detect platinum (Pt) of cisplatin, suitable for pharmacokinetic studies in rats and to further use it to study human toxicology. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (3×50mm, 2.7μm) with a binary gradient mobile phase. Quantification was performed on a triple quadruple with electrospray ionization and detection was performed using multiple reaction monitoring. The method has a limit of detection of 1ng/mL, and the quantifiable range was 3-3000ng/mL in rat plasma and urine. The method was accurate and precise with an accuracy and precision for intra-day and inter-day of ±20% for lower limit of quantitation and of ±15% for low, mid and high quality control samples. This method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetic profile of cisplatin in rat plasma and urine given a range of doses from 0.5 to 3.5mg/kg.
Resident perceptions on cross-cultural understanding as an outcome of volunteer tourism programs: the Bahamian Family Island perspective

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the perceptions toward volunteer tourism from the viewpoint of Bahamian Family Island residents with a specific focus on cross-cultural understanding as an outcome. Cross-cultural understanding reflects the idea that there is a greater opportunity for exchange between tourists and residents as a result of volunteer tourism. Utilizing social exchange theory (SET), this research examines whether residents’ perceived benefits, positive impacts, negative impacts and support for volunteer tourism activities predict their support for cross-cultural understanding. Additionally, this study reveals factors contributing to residents’ motivation to participate in volunteer tourism activities within their community. A mixed-method research design that employed face-to-face interviews and quantitative surveys revealed eight major themes: Community Involvement, Empowerment, Sustainability, Education, Dependency, Neglect of Community Needs, Community Involvement and Communication. Multiple re...
The Power of Two: Inclusive Growth and the IMF

For decades, mainstream economics has focused on increasing economic growth and accelerating cross-country convergence, while ignoring distributional concerns. However, the consensus has begun to shift, and recent IMF research has paid increased attention to inclusive growth and the detrimental macroeconomic effects of inequality. The IMF also recognises the threat posed by climate change and has begun to dedicate research to exploring ways to decouple carbon emissions from economic growth.
Pal's Sudden Service: The Right Recipe

Pal's Sudden Service, a fast-food chain based in the southeastern United States, was nearly 10 times as profitable as its competitors—bigger, even, than the major national and international chains, which commanded superior economies of scale. Pal's was also the only food-service business ever to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for process excellence. This case explores Pal's operations and "recipe" for success, the elements of which are categorized according to Pal's approach to the "Four Cs" of a Lean transformation: customer service, process capability, controlling its processes, and coordinating the results over time as part of a long-term strategy. Excerpt UVA-OM-1506 Dec. 9, 2013 PAL'S SUDDEN SERVICE: THE RIGHT RECIPE Pal Barger's father and mother had been in the restaurant business. So when he was discharged from the air force in December 1953, it was natural for him to lease the Virginia House in Marion, Virginia. In 1956, Barger sold his interest in the Virginia House for $ 10,000. Using that capital and a $ 10,000 loan, he leased lan (which he later purchased) and built the first Pal's Sudden Service (Pal's) location in downtown Kingsport, Tennesee (Figure 1). Pal's was a fast-food chain focused on hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries. It was inspired by a restaurant called 2-J's that Barger had seen in Austin, Texas. Additional inspiration came from a chance meeting with Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, Illinois. Barger brought the work ethic and dedication to positive cultural change and high performance that he had learned in the air force to that first Pal's store. Figure 1. The first Pal's location. Source: Goldberg Productions, Inc. . . .
Mathematics Career Simulations: An Invitation.

A simulated academic career was combined with inquiry-based learning in an upper-division undergraduate mathematics course. Concepts such as tenure, professional conferences and journals were simulated. Simulation procedures were combined with student-led, inquiry-based classroom formats. A qualitative analysis (ethnography) describes the culture that emerged within the simulation during a pilot test. A discussion follows evaluating the potential for career simulations to invite students to consider graduate studies and academic careers in the STEM disciplines.
Partial drift volume due to a self-propelled swimmer

The ability of a self-propelled swimmer to displace fluid---thus inducing mixing---in terms of the drift volume is assessed. The drift volume is found to be generally large when the Reynolds number is small, while at larger Reynolds numbers, it varies widely depending on the kinematics of swimming.
Estimating urban areas: New insights from very high-resolution human settlement data

Abstract Estimation of the built-up areas is fundamental to studying urbanization and the concomitant impacts on our rapidly changing planet. Local-scale mapping of the built-up areas elucidates spatially distinct patterns of urban densification as well as peri-urban growth, where the most socially vulnerable population traditionally resides, and helps to ensure sustainable and equitable urban development. Due to the scale and spatial dependency of urban processes, most land use and land cover (LULC) data produced at national and regional scales cannot adequately capture this local variation which is readily observed in very high-resolution ( ≤ 0.5 m) remotely sensed images. Our study investigates whether human settlement data derived from very high-resolution images provide unique understanding in the mapping of built-up areas and further the knowledge of human signatures at local levels. We selected two disparate geographies, Egypt and Taiwan, for which we analyzed four datasets representing human settlements at different spatial resolutions. Our analysis of urban morphology is based on aggregation, complexity, and contiguity of built-up areas on these settlement data and conducted at multiple spatial scales corresponding to the original resolution of the datasets. The results indicate that estimates of the total built-up area are severely misconceived, with most anomalies occurring along fringe areas. This work also illustrates the potential of high-resolution datasets to provide new insight into urban dynamics, through determining new measures of built-up area and identifying complex urban and peri-urban patterns that were previously undetected.
Protohistoric artiodactyl rebound and resource deintensification in northern California

Abstract Prehistoric increases in human population densities frequently correspond with overexploitation of large game and a greater dependency on high cost resources. Similarly, there is an expectation that when human population densities decline significantly, there should be a reversal in resource intensification and a rebound in large game populations due to the relaxation of hunting pressures. Multiple lines of evidence from Kathy's Rockshelter, located in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills, California, indicate that local abundances of artiodactyls increased and the use of small game and plant resources declined over the past four hundred years. The timing of this deintensification coincides with European contact with distant indigenous peoples but prior to direct contact with local indigenous groups. While suggestive of a demographic collapse of interior indigenous populations due to the spread of epidemics into the interior, further studies in human paleodemography in the region are necessary.
Cyclic Nanoindentation Shakedown of Muscovite and Its Elastic Modulus Measurement

A series of cyclic loading nanoindentation experiments with varied maximum loads (F max) of 0.05 to 2.0 mN were performed on a nanostructured, layered muscovite with loading direction normal to its basal plane. A critical load (e.g., 0.5 mN) exists that leads to distinct load-displacement curves: when F max is greater than this load, the loading/unloading curves, after a few initial cycles, become characteristic closed hysteresis loops, suggesting that shakedown process occur quickly; otherwise, only nonlinear elastic, completely overlapped hysteresis loops were observed. These phenomena result in two representative elastic moduli that depend on indentation depth. For F max (e.g., 0.05 and 0.1 mN) smaller than the critical load, the obtained elastic modulus at the nonlinear elastic state is nearly 88 GPa, which agrees with the reported Young’s modulus of the material; However, when F max exceeds the critical value, the measured modulus decreased to a lower constant value around 55 GPa, close to the bulk modulus of muscovite. The transition from a higher, true Young’s modulus to a lower bulk modulus can be attributed to the three dimensional confinement around the indenter tip after plastic shakedown at relatively larger depth, where significant alteration to the originally layered structure of muscovite has taken place.
The Occurrence of the Branched Green Filamentous Alga Spongioplastidium proliferum Vischer in North America (Kansas)

The green branched filamentous alga Spongioplastidium proliferum Vischer is reported for the first time in North America. Spongioplastidium proliferum was collected from ponds in Douglas and Neosho Counties, Kansas. Subsequently it was isolated and placed into culture. Zoospore production is detailed for the first time.
Can We Use the History of Science to Decide between Competing Methodologies

How are we to decide between the different methodologies that have been proposed for science? In particular, how are we to decide between in- ductivism, conventionalism, falsificationism, and research programism? Lakatos says that we should use history of science to help us decide. He proposes, or at any rate seems to propose, the following criterion: Given competing methodologies we should prefer that methodology according to which more of the actual history of science is internal and rational, and more of scientists’ own judgments about science are correct. This criterion presupposes the following proposition, which Lakatos also asserts: The different methodologies lead to determinable and different dividing lines between internal (rational) history of science and external (empirical) history of science. I have doubts about both of these, the criterion and the proposition presupposed by it, and therefore I have doubts about whether history of science can be used as Lakatos proposes to judge between different methodologies.1 I shall indicate what my doubts are, starting first with the proposition that the different methodologies lead to deter-minable and different dividing lines between internal and external history of science.
21 – New Approaches to Battery Selection and Interpretation

Publisher Summary The use of short-term assays to predict genotoxic carcinogenicity is in a state of flux because of a number of recent developments regarding the predictions derived from results obtained so far as well as the current discussion surrounding the deployment of short-term tests. Carcinogenicity prediction and battery selection (CBPS) is a procedure for the objective evaluation of test data and also allows the construction of cost effective as well as predictive batteries. The information derived from the use of CPBS should be supplemented, whenever possible, with mechanistic information. The latter can be generated only be specialists familiar with the assay systems and with the properties of the test chemicals. CPBS is not only useful in identifying effective batteries but is also used to make priori decisions on what action to take in the event that a certain test result is obtained. This is illustrated by the fact that a three-test battery can yield eight possible results, while a four-test battery may yield 16 different outcomes.
Factors Contributing to Marketing‘s Limited Role in Product Development in Many High-Tech Firms

While case-based research, books by insiders, and anecdotalevidence suggests marketing often has a marginal role in productdevelopment in many successful high-tech firms, there has beenlittle systematic comparison across high-tech firms which identifiesfactors leading to this limited role. This paper draws on tapedand transcribed interviews with marketing and/or R and Dmanagers in thirty-four high tech firms and argues that threefactors contribute to marketing‘s limited role in many high-techfirms: (1) the need for technical expertise to understand businessopportunities, (2) the development of technology-oriented organizationalcultures, and (3) the way in which marketing is defined in manyhigh-tech firms. The paper then assesses key contributions thatpeople in marketing and product management can play and developspropositions concerning antecedents and consequences of the degreeof marketing‘s role in product development decisions.
Victims of Violence

Violence is an all too common feature of modern life. Media presentations are filled with images of people hurting one another, and although much attention is given to scenes depicting violence and even to perpetrators of violence, little is given to victims (Bard & Sangrey, 1979). Violence involves physical force with the intent to harm another, and from an observer’s perspective, victims’ injuries seem best measured in terms of physical harm. The plight of the victim, in other words, is generally understood in terms of physical violation. Yet injury to victims of violence involves not only physical violation but psychological violation as well. The aftermath of violence for victims must be understood by considering threats not only to their bodily integrity but to their psychological integrity. Victims are forced to confront directly the possible loss of physical functioning and even death. They are also forced to confront directly the possible breakdown of the cognitive structures that had been so instrumental in providing psychological stability.
Psychosocial Issues of AIDS Long-Term Survivors:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's definition of an AIDS long-term survivor is someone who has lived at least three years after an AIDS diagnosis. Data from the late 1980s indicate a ...
A 300-mK Test Bed for Rapid Characterization of Microwave SQUID Multiplexing Circuits

Microwave SQUID multiplexing is a promising technique for multiplexing large arrays of transition edge sensors. A major bottleneck in the development and distribution of microwave SQUID multiplexer chips occurs in the time-intensive design testing and quality assurance stages. To obtain useful RF measurements, these devices must be cooled to temperatures below 500 mK. The need for a more efficient system to screen microwave multiplexer chips has grown as the number of chips requested by collaborators per year reaches into the hundreds. We have therefore assembled a test bed for microwave SQUID circuits, which decreases screening time for four 32-channel chips from 24 h in an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator to approximately 5 h in a helium dip probe containing a closed cycle $${^3}$$ He sorption refrigerator. We discuss defining characteristics of these microwave circuits and the challenges of establishing an efficient testing setup for them.
Defect generation in TiO2 nanotube anodes via heat treatment in various atmospheres for lithium-ion batteries

In this paper, ordered TiO2 nanotubes were grown on a Ti substrate via electrochemical anodization and subsequently annealed at 450 °C for 4 h under various atmospheres to create different point defects. Oxygen-deficient environments such as Ar and N2 were used to develop oxygen vacancies, while a water vapor (WV) atmosphere was used to generate titanium vacancies. Computational models by density functional theory predicted that the presence of oxygen vacancies would cause electronic conductivity to increase, while the presence of Ti vacancies could lead to decreased conductivity. The predictions were confirmed by two-point electrical conductivity measurements and Mott-Schottky analysis. Raman spectroscopy was also conducted to confirm the presence of defects. The annealed samples were then evaluated as anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The oxygen-deficient samples had an improvement in capacity by 10% and 25% for Ar- and N2-treated samples, respectively, while the WV-treated sample displayed a capacity increase of 24% compared to the stoichiometric control sample (annealed in O2). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies revealed that the WV-treated sample's increased capacity was a consequence of its higher Li diffusivity. The results suggest that balanced electrical and ionic conductivity in nanostructured metal oxide anodes can be tuned through defect generation using heat treatments in various atmospheres for improved electrochemical properties.
In vivo estimation of body composition of mature gilts using live weight, backfat thickness, and deuterium oxide

Thirty-seven Duroc x (Yorkshire x Landrace) (DYL) and 21 Yorkshire x Landrace (YL) gilts were used to develop equations that predict body composition of replacement-age breeding swine. Before slaughter, gilts were weighed, ultrasonically scanned for 10th rib backfat thickness, and infused with D2O (.25 g/kg live weight). The D2O space (kilograms) was calculated from body water D2O concentration determined at equilibrium (150 and 210 min after infusion). Regression models predicting empty body (Eb) components for DYL and YL groups were fitted using all possible variable combinations (D2O space, live weight, and[or] backfat depth). Variables selected in best-fit models for Eb water, protein, fat, and ash for data from DYL gilts differed from variables selected from data from YL gilts. Average prediction errors (kilograms; [predicted residual sum of squares divided by n]1/2) of best-fit equations were 2.37, 2.03 (Eb weight), 2.36, 1.66 (Eb water), 1.07, .47 (Eb protein), and 2.76, 2.89 (Eb fat) for DYL and YL data sets, respectively. Cross-validation by applying DYL equations to YL data, and vice versa, resulted in larger prediction errors. Likewise, larger errors were obtained when equations published elsewhere were applied to DYL and YL data sets. No cited source provided a set of equations that consistently minimized prediction errors of all Eb components of both DYL and YL gilts. Results indicate that prediction equations using D2O space, live weight, and(or) backfat thickness are accurate in estimating body composition only in animals physiologically resemble the population in which the equations were derived.
Update on hypoglossal nerve stimulation in children with down syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Hypoglossal nerve (HGN) stimulation is a novel therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults. Its efficacy and safety in children with Down syndrome (DS) was previously reported in a preliminary case series of six adolescents. STUDY DESIGN Case series. METHODS Twenty nonobese children and adolescents (aged 10-21 years) with DS and severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] >10 and <50 events/hr) despite prior adenotonsillectomy were enrolled. Participants had failed a trial of continuous positive airway pressure therapy and underwent sleep endoscopy confirming surgical candidacy. The primary outcome was to assess safety and monitor for adverse events. Secondary outcomes included efficacy in reducing AHI (% reduction in AHI), adherence to therapy, and change in a validated quality-of-life instrument, the OSA-18 survey. RESULTS All 20 children (median age = 16.0 years [interquartile range = 13-17 years], 13 male) were implanted with no long-term complications. We report two interval adverse events, both of which were corrected with revision surgery. Twenty participants completed the 2-month polysomnogram, with median percent reduction in titration AHI of 85% (interquartile range = 75%-92%). The median nightly usage for these children was 9.21 hours/night. There was a median change in the OSA-18 score of 1.15, indicating a moderate, yet significant, clinical change. CONCLUSIONS HGN stimulation was safe and effective in the study population. Two minor surgical complications were corrected surgically. Overall, these data suggest that pediatric HGN stimulation appears to be a safe and effective therapy for children with DS and refractory severe OSA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 130:E263-E267, 2020.
The Spectral Sensitivity of the Neurons Mediating Black and White

Our percepts of black and white are not equally strong for all monochromatic lights across the spectrum, but instead have a spectral tuning defined by they ways in which their neural substrates process the outputs of three univariant cone photoreceptors. The neurons mediating black and white and how they combine the cone outputs remain controversial but growing evidence indicates cone-opponent midget ganglion cells are involved. The paradoxical implications of having "chromatic" neurons mediate what is traditionally assumed to be a role of "achromatic" neurons remain unresolved. Here, we investigate whether midget ganglion cells can account for the variation in perceived saturation with wavelength.
Rhytidectomy: A Realself Social Media Analysis.

Importance: Social media has become a mainstream method of allowing patients to report and rate their satisfaction with cosmetic procedures and providers. To date, very few studies have published p...
dfoliatR: An R package for detection and analysis of insect defoliation signals in tree rings

Abstract We present a new R package to provide dendroecologists with tools to infer, quantify, analyze, and visualize growth suppression events in tree rings. dfoliatR is based on the OUTBREAK program and builds on existing resources in the R computing environment and the well-used dplR package. It is designed to aid research in the ecology of insect defoliation events and to reconstruct defoliator outbreak chronologies, but can be applied to other studies where host–non-host comparisons are useful. dfoliatR performs an indexing procedure to remove climatic signals in the host-tree series that are represented in the non-host chronology, or other annually-resolved climate series. It then infers defoliation events in individual trees based on user-specified thresholds. Site-level analyses identify outbreak events that synchronously affect user-defined numbers or proportions of involved host trees. Functions are provided for summary statistics and graphics of tree- and site-level series. We evaluated dfoliatR against OUTBREAK, using eight datasets including 222 host-trees, and found that dfoliatR improves on OUTBREAK with greater user control, identification of defoliation events, computing capacity, and both the statistical summary and graphical outputs. We provide two example data sets and script to enable users to gain familiarity with the package and its capabilities. The source code is available in the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) and on GitHub.
MRSA septic pulmonary emboli presenting as isolated focal chest pain in an adolescent.

Abstract This case demonstrates the importance of considering septic pulmonary embolism (SPE) on the differential for chest pain in the pediatric population, especially in patients with a history of skin and soft tissue infection. The adolescent patient in this report, with a history of axillary hidradenitis suppurativa complicated by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superinfection and recent completion of a 3-month course of doxycycline, presented with isolated focal chest pain in the absence of other infectious or respiratory signs or symptoms. Initial pulmonary imaging revealed multiple bilateral wedge-shaped nodules. Three specialty teams were consulted in the patient's evaluation, resulting in biopsy of a suspicious lesion that confirmed the diagnosis of MRSA SPE. Following a course of targeted antibiotic therapy, the patient's chest pain resolved and imaging findings improved. Insights gleaned from the workup of this patient are useful in formulating a framework for recognition of SPE in children presenting with chest pain, and also highlight the importance of considering insidious SPE presentation in the setting of antibiotic pretreatment.
A genetic screen for suppressors of hyper-repression of the fission yeast PHO regulon by Pol2 CTD mutation T4A implicates inositol 1-pyrophosphates as agonists of precocious lncRNA transcription termination

Fission yeast phosphate homeostasis genes are repressed in phosphate-rich medium by transcription of upstream lncRNAs that interferes with activation of the flanking mRNA promoters. lncRNA control of PHO gene expression is influenced by the Thr4 phospho-site in the RNA polymerase II CTD and the 3' processing/termination factors CPF and Rhn1, mutations of which result in hyper-repression of the PHO regulon. Here, we performed a forward genetic screen for mutations that de-repress Pho1 acid phosphatase expression in CTD-T4A cells. Sequencing of 18 independent STF (Suppressor of Threonine Four) isolates revealed, in every case, a mutation in the C-terminal pyrophosphatase domain of Asp1, a bifunctional inositol pyrophosphate (IPP) kinase/pyrophosphatase that interconverts 5-IP7 and 1,5-IP8. Focused characterization of two STF strains identified 51 coding genes coordinately upregulated vis-a-vis the parental T4A strain, including all three PHO regulon genes (pho1, pho84, tgp1). Whereas these STF alleles-asp1-386(Stop) and asp1-493(Stop)-were lethal in a wild-type CTD background, they were viable in combination with mutations in CPF and Rhn1, in which context Pho1 was also de-repressed. Our findings implicate Asp1 pyrophosphatase in constraining 1,5-IP8 or 1-IP7 synthesis by Asp1 kinase, without which 1-IPPs can accumulate to toxic levels that elicit precocious termination by CPF/Rhn1.
The Local Labor Market Effects of Korean Automotive Investments in the United States

This study investigates the local labor market effects of automotive foreign direct investment (FDI) in Alabama in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Of particular interes...
Venous thrombosis epidemiology, pathophysiology, and anticoagulant therapies and trials in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

Abstract Objective Infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus confers a risk of significant coagulopathy, with the resulting development of venous thromboembolism (VTE), potentially contributing to the morbidity and mortality. The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the potential mechanisms that contribute to this increased risk of coagulopathy and the role of anticoagulants in treatment. Methods A literature review of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and/or SARS-CoV-2 and cell-mediated inflammation, clinical coagulation abnormalities, hypercoagulability, pulmonary intravascular coagulopathy, and anticoagulation was performed. The National Clinical Trials database was queried for ongoing studies of anticoagulation and/or antithrombotic treatment or the incidence or prevalence of thrombotic events in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results The reported rate of VTE among critically ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 has been 21% to 69%. The phenomenon of breakthrough VTE, or the acute development of VTE despite adequate chemoprophylaxis or treatment dose anticoagulation, has been shown to occur with severe infection. The pathophysiology of overt hypercoagulability and the development of VTE is likely multifactorial, with evidence supporting the role of significant cell-mediated responses, including neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages, endothelialitis, cytokine release syndrome, and dysregulation of fibrinolysis. Collectively, this inflammatory process contributes to the severe pulmonary pathology experienced by patients with COVID-19. As the infection worsens, extreme D-dimer elevations, significant thrombocytopenia, decreasing fibrinogen, and prolongation of prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time occur, often associated with deep vein thrombosis, in situ pulmonary thrombi, and/or pulmonary embolism. A new phenomenon, termed pulmonary intravascular coagulopathy, has been associated with morbidity in patients with severe infection. Heparin, both unfractionated heparin and low-molecular-weight heparin, have emerged as agents that can address the viral infection, inflammation, and thrombosis in this syndrome. Conclusions The overwhelming inflammatory response in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to a hypercoagulable state, microthrombosis, large vessel thrombosis, and, ultimately, death. Early VTE prophylaxis should be provided to all admitted patients. Therapeutic anticoagulation therapy might be beneficial for critically ill patients and is the focus of 39 ongoing trials. Close monitoring for thrombotic complications is imperative, and, if confirmed, early transition from prophylactic to therapeutic anticoagulation should be instituted. The interplay between inflammation and thrombosis has been shown to be a hallmark of the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.
Active and weakening MJO events in the Maritime Continent

To better understand the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) in the Maritime Continent (MC), events from 1980 to 2019 were classified as active or weakening according to propagation characteristics and amplitude changes in two leading indices, the Real-time Multivariate MJO (RMM) index and Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) MJO Index (OMI). Active MJO events had larger index amplitudes than weakening events, and those amplitude differences appeared at day − 3 in the RMM and day − 8 in the OMI and remained through day + 15 in both indices (day 0 marked the day an event entered the MC). Thus, active events were stronger than weakening events as they approached and crossed the MC. To understand differences in environments between these events, composites of OLR and specific humidity were compared for each. Active MJO events had consistently more negative OLR anomalies and greater specific humidity in both the boundary layer and free troposphere than weakening MJO events. Those differences persisted during both easterly and westerly phases of the Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) and during La Nina and El Nino. Active MJO events during QBO westerly winds had more specific humidity than active events did during QBO easterly winds. Finally, both active and weakening MJO events featured a diurnal cycle of lower-tropospheric specific humidity over land areas of the MC, and the amount of atmospheric moisture available to active events was consistently greater than weakening ones. These results indicate that index amplitude, OLR, and tropospheric specific humidity can all be important tools in identifying active and weakening MJO events in the MC, including for different phases of the QBO and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Including random effects in statistical models in ecology: fewer than five levels?

Abstract As generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) have become a widespread tool in ecology, the need to guide the use of such tools is increasingly important. One common guideline is that one needs at least five levels of a random effect. Having such few levels makes the estimation of the variance of random effects terms (such as ecological sites, individuals, or populations) difficult, but it need not muddy one’s ability to estimate fixed effects terms – which are often of primary interest in ecology. Here, I simulate ecological datasets and fit simple models and show that having too few random effects terms does not influence the parameter estimates or uncertainty around those estimates for fixed effects terms. Thus, it should be acceptable to use fewer levels of random effects if one is not interested in making inference about the random effects terms (i.e. they are ‘nuisance’ parameters used to group non-independent data). I also use simulations to assess the potential for pseudoreplication in (generalized) linear models (LMs), when random effects are explicitly ignored and find that LMs do not show increased type-I errors compared to their mixed-effects model counterparts. Instead, LM uncertainty (and p values) appears to be more conservative in an analysis with a real ecological dataset presented here. These results challenge the view that it is never appropriate to model random effects terms with fewer than five levels – specifically when inference is not being made for the random effects, but suggest that in simple cases LMs might be robust to ignored random effects terms. Given the widespread accessibility of GLMMs in ecology and evolution, future simulation studies and further assessments of these statistical methods are necessary to understand the consequences of both violating and blindly following simple guidelines.
Use of Daily Postpartum Temperatures to select Dairy Cows for Treatment with Systemic Antibiotics

Prevention, and early detection and treatment, of postpartum disease are of economic benefit because of the potential to restore the cow to productivity sooner. Recording rectal temperatures has been widely adapted in protocols to monitor postpartum dairy cows because it is inexpensive and easy to implement. The objective of the following study was to obtain descriptive statistics on daily postpartum temperatures on 1,042 dairy cows.
ARC: An Automated Approach to Resiliency for Lossy Compressed Data via Error Correcting Codes

Progress in high-performance computing (HPC) systems has led to complex applications that stress the I/O subsystem by creating vast amounts of data. Lossy compression reduces data size considerably, but a single error renders lossy compressed data unusable. This sensitivity stems from the high information content per bit in compressed data and is a critical issue as soft errors that cause bit-flips have become increasingly commonplace in HPC systems. While many works have improved lossy compressor performance, few have sought to address this critical weakness. This paper presents ARC: Automated Resiliency for Compression. Given user-defined constraints on storage, throughput, and resiliency, ARC automatically determines the optimal error-correcting code (ECC) configuration before encoding data. We conduct an extensive fault injection study to fully understand the effects of soft errors on lossy compressed data and how to best protect it. We evaluate ARC's scalability, performance, resiliency, and ease of use. We find on a 40 core node that encoding and decoding demonstrate throughput up to 3730 MB/s and 3602 MB/s. ARC also detects and corrects multi-bit errors with a tunable overhead in terms of storage and throughput. Finally, we display the ease of using ARC and how to consider a systems failure rate when determining the constraints.
Being/longing: visualizing belonging with Palestinian refugee children

Rejecting theorizations of refugee camps as humanitarian spaces of exception and bare life, recent research has emphasized how camps are sites of material struggle, and how refugees are agential po...
The reliability of the slopes and y-intercepts of the motor unit firing times and action potential waveforms versus recruitment threshold relationships derived from surface electromyography signal decomposition.

Changes in motor unit (MU) activity pre- to post-interventions is of high interest. However, there is minimal information regarding day-to-day changes or the reliability of measuring MU activity. This study examined the reliability of relationships calculated via the MU action potential (AP) trains derived from surface electromyography signal decomposition. A comparison between reliability statistics was made between MUAP trains verified with only the reconstruct-and-test versus verification including reconstruct-and-test with spike trigger average (STA) procedures. Twenty-one individuals performed isometric muscle actions at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction of the first dorsal interosseous on two separate visits. MUs included for reliability analyses initially met the > 90% accuracy from the reconstruct-and-test. STA was applied as an additional exclusionary procedure. Linear regressions were applied to the firing rate and AP amplitude versus recruitment threshold relationships with and without MUs that met the STA criteria. Reliability statistics were also performed on relationships that met a strict range of recruitment thresholds. Reliability was established with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) along with other traditional parameters. The firing rate versus recruitment threshold relationships were reliable (ICC > 0.56) and improved (ICC > 0.84) when recruitment ranges were controlled. The slopes of the MUAP amplitude versus recruitment threshold relationships were reliable (ICC > 0.78) while the y-intercepts were reliable (ICC > 0.81) once corrections were made to combat negative scores. Electromyographic signal decomposition without the secondary STA verification procedures can be used to detect intervention-related changes in neural drive with confidence when recorded MU recruitment thresholds are similar across days.
Probabilistic predictive control of porosity in laser powder bed fusion

This work presents a Bayesian methodology for layer-by-layer predictive quality control of an additively manufactured part by integrating physics-based simulation with online monitoring data. The model and the sensor data are first used to infer porosity in the printed layers, prediction of porosity in future layers, and adjustment of process parameters. Since porosity is not directly observable during the printing process, the temperature profile obtained from the monitoring (using an infra-red thermal camera) is used to infer porosity in the finished part. The porosity inference model is constructed by first reducing the dimension of the thermal images by employing singular value decomposition. Next, in process control, the porosity in the final part is predicted, and if this predicted porosity is more than a desired threshold, the process parameters for printing the next layer are adjusted based on optimization. To ensure that the prediction model is both fast and accurate, the expensive finite element model is replaced by a surrogate model, and a discrepancy term calibrated using experimental data is used to correct the surrogate model prediction. The prediction model is also updated at every layer based on the monitoring data, and the updated model is used to predict the porosity in the final part. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated for controlling porosity in laser powder bed fusion by changing the process parameters such as laser power and laser speed.
Anion gap physiology and faults of the correction formula

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Purpose The anion gap is a calculated fundamental laboratory parameter used to identify and monitor acid-base disturbances. A recently popularized correction formula transforms the resulting integer to compensate for hypoalbuminemia and improve diagnostic yield. Clinical pharmacists should be aware of the underlying biochemistry, interpretation, and limitations of this formula to discern drug- and disease-related etiologies. Summary The anion gap is utilized in most care settings, ranging from outpatient monitoring to inpatient intensive care units. Supported by decades of experience, the original anion gap derives its value from its simplicity. Applying the anion gap in metabolic acidosis can help narrow differential diagnosis and detect concomitant acid-base disorders. To account for hypoalbuminemia and potential missed diagnoses, a correction formula was developed to improve sensitivity. Yet, the law of electroneutrality ensures that hypoalbuminemia is already accounted for in the original anion gap, and the proposed correction formula was derived from samples unrepresentative of human physiology. Evidence from clinical trials shows no benefit from applying the correction formula. Conclusion There is no advantage to correcting the anion gap, and such correction may increase the risk of misinterpretation or error. Clinicians should understand these limitations when diagnosing or trending acid-base disturbances.
Découverte, identification et caractérisation de molécules d'origine naturelle capables de cibler les voies de transduction, de prolifération, d'inflammation et de mort cellulaire dans des cellules cancéreuses

Le cancer est un probleme majeur de sante public avec une estimation de plus de 1,3 millions de deces en Europe pour l'annee 2013. La recrudescence de resistances vis-a-vis des traitements chimio-therapeutiques conduit a la recherche de nouvelles substances actives, notamment au sein d'organismes naturels, qui representent une source infinie de molecules de structure tres heteroclite pouvant avoir des applications therapeutiques tres variees. Dans la premiere partie de ce projet, nous avons etudie l'effet de la curcumine, molecule extraite a partir du rhizome du Curcuma longa, sur la voie de signalisation Wingless (Wnt) dans le cas du cancer de la prostate. Nos resultats ont demontre que cette molecule naturelle peut etre consideree comme une alternative non-toxique pour prevenir la progression du cancer de la prostate et en eradiquer le stade precoce androgeno-dependant. La seconde partie de notre projet a consiste en l'isolement de molecules anti-cancereuses a partir de la plante carnivore Dionaea muscipula. Apres avoir selectionne et identifie une substance qui s'est revele etre de la plumbagine, nous avons etudie les raisons pouvant expliquer la difference de cytotoxicite de cette derniere sur des lignees hematopoietiques. Nos resultats laissent penser que cette molecule affecte les groupements thiols de certaines proteines. En conclusion, ces etudes du potentiel chimiopreventif de la curcumine dans le cancer de la prostate et celui de la plumbagine dans les leucemies presentent ces molecules d'origine naturelle comme de bons candidats pouvant servir de base au developpement des futurs medicaments anti-cancereux
Metallocene basicity : V. Protonation of ferrocenophanes in strong and weak acids

Protonation of [3]-, [4]- and [5]ferrocenophanes has been examined in trifluoroboric acid, HBF3OH, and the results are consistent with the previous models of a long-lived metal protonated species. Selective ring and bridge deuteration has permitted the assignment of proton resonances from which probable conformations of the species have been derived. NMR spectra of [3]- and [4]ferrocenophane in trifluoroacetic acid have been recorded and interpreted in terms of rapid exchange between solvent and ferrocene.
Designing Industrial Processes for On-Aim Product Quality Control

Abstract This paper summarizes an industrial view on incorporating controllability and developing plantwide control strategies at the stage where a new process is being designed. The use of computer-aided process engineering tools is discussed within this context and three industrial examples are given to highlight key concepts and point out areas of potential future academic research.
Nuclear Weapons and the Vietnam War

This article analyzes why US leaders did not use nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War. To date, there has been no systematic study of US decision-making on nuclear weapons during this war. This a...