cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resident Self-Other Assessor Agreement Influence of Assessor, Competency, and Performance Level

Objectives To review the literature on self-assessment in the context of resident performance and to determine the correlation between self-assessment across competencies in high- and low-performing residents and assessments performed by raters from a variety of professional roles (peers, nurses, and faculty). Design Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected anonymous self-assessment and multiprofessional (360) performance assessments by competency and overall. Setting University-based academic general surgical program. Participants Sixty-two residents rotating in general surgery. Main Outcome Measures Mean difference for each self-assessment dyad (self-peer, self-nurse, and self–attending physician) by resident performance quartile, adjusted for measurement error, correlation coefficients, and summed differences across all competencies. Results Irrespective of self-other dyad, residents asked to rate their global performance overestimated their skills. Residents in the upper quartile underestimated their specific skills while those in the lowest-performing quartile overestimated their abilities when compared with faculty, peers, and especially nurse raters. Moreover, overestimation was greatest in competencies related to interpersonal skills, communication, teamwork, and professionalism. Conclusions Rater, level of performance, and the competency being assessed all influence the comparison of the resident's self-assessment and those of other raters. Self-assessment of competencies related to behavior may be inaccurate when compared with raters from various professions. Residents in the lowest-performing quartile are least able to identify their weakness. These data have important implications for residents, program directors, and the public and suggest that strategies that help the lowest-performing residents recognize areas in need of improvement are needed.
Growth rates of wild green turtles, Chelonia mydas, at a temperate foraging habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico: assessing short‐term effects of cold‐stunning on growth

There are multiple factors that may determine individual and population growth rates and understanding the impact of extrinsic factors, such as temperature, is important for successful recovery plan stock assessment and modelling. In January 2001 and January 2003, cold‐stunning events occurred along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in St Joseph Bay, Florida. In this study we examine the short‐term effects of decreased water temperatures and repeated cold‐stunning events on the growth of juvenile green turtles in northwest Florida. There were no significant effects of number of cold‐stunning events on growth, although turtles stunned twice tended to grow slower than non‐stunned turtles. This is the first study to provide information on the growth rates of green turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico and it is the first examination of the effects of cold‐stunning on growth in any sea turtle population.
Sex Addiction and Women: A Nursing Issue

Addiction in women is a growing problem in the United States and is recognized as a very serious disease. Today researchers are able to document the neurochemistry of addiction in the brain. It has...
Affirmative Action and Its Alternatives in Public Universities: What Do We Know?

University administrators have made difficult choices in response to the changing policy context for the use of affirmative action in admissions. This paper synthesizes the empirical literature on affirmative action and evaluates the efficacy of alternative strategies, including top-percent programs, class-based affirmative action, and targeted recruiting. The analyses offer several findings of interest to officials who direct such programs: (1) Affirmative action preferences given by top-tier universities have been large; (2) affirmative action leads minorities to enroll in higher-quality institutions; and (3) affirmative action has mostly positive effects on minority students later in life. The evidence shows a decline in minorities’ relative share of enrollment at flagship public universities after affirmative action was eliminated in several states, and the alternative strategies used by these universities have not offset these declines.
Optimal scheduling of compute-intensive tasks on a network of workstations

In a network of high performance workstations, many workstations are underutilized by their owners. The problem of using these idle cycles for solving computationally intensive tasks by executing a large task on many workstations has been addressed before and algorithms with O(N/sup 2/) time and O(N) space for choosing the optimal subset of workstations out of N workstations were presented. We improve these algorithms to reduce the running time to O(N log N), while keeping the space requirement the same. The proposed algorithms are particularly useful for SPMD parallelism where computation is the same for all workstations and the data space is partitioned between the workstations. >
Active vorticity control in a shear flow using a flapping foil

It is shown experimentally that free shear flows can be substantially altered through direct control of the large coherent vortices present in the flow.First, flow-visualization experiments are conducted in Kalliroscope fluid at Reynolds number 550. A foil is placed in the wake of a D-section cylinder, sufficiently far behind the cylinder so that it does not interfere with the vortex formation process. The foil performs a heaving and pitching oscillation at a frequency close to the Strouhal frequency of the cylinder, while cylinder and foil also move forward at constant speed. By varying the phase of the foil oscillation, three basic interaction modes are identified. (i) Formation of a street of pairs of counter-rotating vortices, each pair consisting of one vortex from the initial street of the cylinder and one vortex shed by the foil. The width of the wake is then substantially increased. (ii) Formation of a street of vortices with reduced or even reverse circulation compared to that of oncoming cylinder vortices, through repositioning of cylinder vortices by the foil and interaction with vorticity of the opposite sign shed from the trailing edge of the foil. (iii) Formation of a street of vortices with circulation increased through merging of cylinder vortices with vortices of the same sign shed by the foil. In modes (ii) and (iii) considerable repositioning of the cylinder vortices takes place immediately behind the foil, resulting in a regular or reverse Karman street. The formation of these three interaction patterns is achieved only for specific parametric values; for different values of the parameters no dominant stable pattern emerges.Subsequently, the experiments are repeated in a different facility at larger scale, resulting in Reynolds number 20000, in order to obtain force and torque measurements. The purpose of the second set of experiments is to assess the impact of flow control on the efficiency of the oscillating foil, and hence investigate the possibility of energy extraction. It is found that the efficiency of the foil depends strongly on the phase difference between the oscillation of the foil and the arrival of cylinder vortices. Peaks in foil efficiency are associated with the formation of a street of weakened vortices and energy extraction by the foil from the vortices of the vortex street.
Meshless thin-shell simulation based on global conformal parameterization

This paper presents a new approach to the physically-based thin-shell simulation of point-sampled geometry via explicit, global conformal point-surface parameterization and meshless dynamics. The point-based global parameterization is founded upon the rigorous mathematics of Riemann surface theory and Hodge theory. The parameterization is globally conformal everywhere except for a minimum number of zero points. Within our parameterization framework, any well-sampled point surface is functionally equivalent to a manifold, enabling popular and powerful surface-based modeling and physically-based simulation tools to be readily adapted for point geometry processing and animation. In addition, we propose a meshless surface computational paradigm in which the partial differential equations (for dynamic physical simulation) can be applied and solved directly over point samples via moving least squares (MLS) shape functions defined on the global parametric domain without explicit connectivity information. The global conformal parameterization provides a common domain to facilitate accurate meshless simulation and efficient discontinuity modeling for complex branching cracks. Through our experiments on thin-shell elastic deformation and fracture simulation, we demonstrate that our integrative method is very natural, and that it has great potential to further broaden the application scope of point-sampled geometry in graphics and relevant fields
Polar codes for discrete alphabets

An open problem in polarization theory is whether all memoryless channels and sources with composite (that is, non-prime) alphabet sizes can be polarized with deterministic, Arikan-like methods. This paper answers the question in the affirmative by giving a method to polarize all discrete memoryless channels and sources. The method yields codes that retain the low encoding and decoding complexity of binary polar codes.
Gravitational Energy in Quadratic-Curvature Gravities

We define energy (E) and compute its values for gravitational systems involving terms quadratic in curvature. There are significant differences, both conceptually and concretely, from Einstein theory. For D = 4, all purely quadratic models admit constant curvature vacua with arbitrary Λ, and E is the “cosmological” Abbott-Deser (AD) expression; instead, E always vanishes in flat, Λ = 0, background. For combined Einstein-quadratic curvature systems without explicit Λ-term vacuum must be flat space, and E has the usual Arnowitt-Deser-Misner form. A Λ-term forces unique de Sitter vacuum, with E the sum of contributions from Einstein and quadratic parts to the AD form. We also discuss the effects on energy definition of higher curvature terms and of higher dimension.
Variation in Electrophoretic Karyotype and Antifungal Susceptibility of Clinical Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans at a University-Affiliated Teaching Hospital from 1987 to 1994

Ninety-eight isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans were collected from 30 patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from December 1987 through December 1994. The susceptibility of each isolate was determined against fluconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B, and flucytosine. Of the 98 isolates, 53 were recovered from blood, 19 were recovered from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and 26 were recovered from other sources. Although the strains were isolated from the same institution, DNA typing by electrophoretic karyotype (EK) revealed wide genetic variation. Overall, 23 different EK profiles were identified by computer-aided analysis. An isolate exhibiting a single EK was isolated from 24 of 30 patients (80%), whereas multiple strains with unique EKs were isolated from 6 of 30 (20%) patients. Of the six patients who had multiple strains recovered, only one individual had two strains isolated from unique body sites, one strain from the blood and the other from the CSF. Six strains were isolated from multiple patients. Nine patients had multiple sequential isolates recovered over periods of time ranging from 3 days to 4 months. EK analysis revealed persistence of the same genotype in six of the cases. Three patients, however, appeared to have an isolate with a second distinct EK emerge during therapy. Of the patients with sequential positive cultures, an increase in the MICs for test agents was observed in only one case. C. neoformans isolates were collected over a period of 7 years, during which time MICs at our institution remained stable.
Comparison of Mandibular Landmarks from Computed Tomography and 3D Digitizer Data

We recorded 3D coordinates for 28 mandibular landmarks from three-dimensional reconstructions of CT axial slices using the image analysis program eTDIPS. The images were acquired from a pediatric series of human mandibles (neonate to 13 years of age) from the Bosma collection (Shapiro and Richtsmeier, 1997, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 103:415–416). To test the accuracy of these coordinate data, we recorded the same 28 landmarks directly on the Bosma mandibles using a Polhemus 3Space digitizer. The directly digitized landmarks serve as a gold standard upon which to evaluate the eTDIPS data. Standard deviations of landmark placement using eTDIPS show a greater degree of variation compared to the data gathered using the digitizer, although this error is more heavily concentrated in certain types of landmarks. All possible linear distances between unique pairs of landmarks were calculated, and like linear distances were compared between the two data collection methods. The absolute difference for all like linear distances ranged from 0.001–3.9 mm (mean = 0.377 mm; SD = 1.136), with the eTDIPS data being consistently larger than the digitizer coordinates. This study demonstrates that landmark coordinate data can be reliably collected from digital CT images of the human mandible. We define a set of mandibular landmarks useful in evaluating the effects of craniofacial disorders, growth and other biological processes. Clin. Anat. 16:494–500, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The role of the heteroatom ( X = Si IV , P V , and S VI ) on the reactivity of {γ-[(H 2 O)Ru III (μ-OH) 2 Ru III (H 2 O)][ X n+ W 10 O 36 ]} (8− n )− with the O 2 molecule

The mechanism of reaction of the di-Ru-substituted polyoxometalate, {γ-[(H2O)RuIII(μ-OH)2RuIII(H2O)][X n+W10O36]}(8−n)−, I_X, with O2, i.e. I_X + O2 → {γ-[(·O)RuIV(μ-OH)2RuIV(O·)][X n+W10O36]}(8−n)− + 2H2O, (1), was studied at the B3LYP density functional and self-consistent reaction field IEF-PCM (in aqueous solution) levels of theory. The effect of the nature of heteroatom X (where X = Si, P and, S) on the calculated energies and mechanism of the reaction (1) was elucidated. It was shown that the nature of X only slightly affects the reactivity of I_X with O2, which is a 4-electron oxidation process. The overall reaction (1): (a) proceeds with moderate energy barriers for all studied X’s [the calculated rate-determining barriers are X = Si (18.7 kcal/mol) P [21.4 (9.8) kcal/mol] > S [12.3 (5.0) kcal/mol]. The resulting $$ \left\{ {\gamma - \left[ {\left( {^{ \cdot } {\text{O}}} \right) {\text{Ru}}^{\text{IV}} \left( {\mu - {\text{OH}}} \right)_{2} {\text{Ru}}^{\text{IV}} \left( {{\text{O}}^{ \cdot } } \right)} \right]\left[ {{\text{X}}^{{{\text{n}} + }} {\text{W}}_{10} {\text{O}}_{36} } \right]} \right\}^{{\left( {8 - {\text{n}}} \right) - }} $$ , VI_X, complex was found to have two RuIV = O· units, rather than RuV = O units. The “reverse” reaction, i.e., water oxidation by VI_X is an endothermic process and unlikely to occur for X = Si and P, while it could occur for X = S under specific conditions. The lack of reactivity of VI_X biradical toward the water molecule leads to the formation of the stable [{Ru 4 IV O4(OH)2(H2O)4}[(γ-XW10O36]2}m− dimer. This conclusion is consistent with our experimental findings; previously we prepared the $$ \left[ {\left\{ {{\text{Ru}}_{4}^{\text{IV}} {\text{O}}_{4} ({\text{OH}})_{2} \left( {{\text{H}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}} \right)_{4} } \right\}} \right[\left( {\gamma - {\text{XW}}_{10} {\text{O}}_{36} } \right]_{2} \}^{{{\text{m}} - }} $$ dimers for X = Si (m = 10) [Geletii et al. in Angew Chem Int Ed 47:3896–3899, 2008 and J Am Chem Soc 131:17360–17370, 2009] and P (m = 8) [Besson et al. in Chem Comm 46:2784–2786, 2010] and showed them to be very stable and efficient catalysts for the oxidation of water to O2.
Comparison of the Intravenous Chicken Challenge Method with the Embryo Lethality Assay for Studies in Avian Colibacillosis

In previous studies, the embryo lethality assay (ELA) was able to discriminate between virulent and avirulent avian Escherichia coli isolates and to predict percent mortality of the embryos resulting from an isolate based on three traits. The abilities to resist host complement, presence of Colicin V activity, and presence of the increased serum survival gene cluster (iss), were used together in a logistic regression analysis to predict the percentage of embryo deaths resulting from each of 20 avian E. coli isolates used in the ELA. In the present study, the same 20 isolates are used in an intravenous chicken challenge model in an effort to determine whether the ELA could be used to replace chicken challenge studies. Correlations between the mortality and a combination of mortality and morbidity (the survivors at trial termination with lesions suggestive of colibacillosis) and the previous ELA results and with selected isolate traits were performed. Additionally, resulting body weights in surviving chickens were compared between groups. The highest positive correlations were observed between the ELA and the combined mortality/morbidity of the intravenous challenge (r = 0.861, P < 0.0001 for the first ELA challenge, and r = 0.830, P < 0.0001 for the second ELA challenge). The IV challenge combined mortality/morbidity results had the highest correlation coefficients with the presence of iss (r = 0.864, P < 0.0001) and the expression of ColV (r = 0.878, P < 0.0001). The presence of tsh was slightly correlated with mortality (r = 0.465, P = .0389) but demonstrated a higher correlation with the combined mortality and morbidity of the IV challenge (r = 0.558, P = 0.0106). Even though the ELA results in a higher number of nonspecific deaths, the two challenge methods exhibit similar results and a high correlation with each other. Interestingly, some of the isolates showed differences in their ability to cause mortality between the ELA and the IV challenge model. Furthermore, some isolates reflected significant differences in body weights of surviving birds at IV trial termination.
Dose Timing of Aminoglycosides in Hemodialysis Patients: A Pharmacology View

Aminoglycosides for patients undergoing intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) have traditionally been dosed at half the normal dose administered at the end of a hemodialysis session. Several investigations have suggested that administering higher doses preceding or with the initiation of dialysis would more readily optimize pharmacodynamic parameters. However, the selection of an optimal aminoglycoside dosing strategy in patients receiving IHD is complex and requires consideration of numerous factors, precluding a singular approach. By reviewing aminoglycoside pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, risks for toxicity and resistance development, and practical considerations, we derive indication- and setting- specific recommendations. We identify some areas (definitive therapy of gram-negative infections in patients receiving predictable hemodialysis sessions, for example) where dosing preceding or with the initiation of dialysis is optimal and feasible, and others (gram-positive synergy, unstable patients with poor/unpredictable vascular access) where postdialysis dosing remains preferred. Finally, given the dearth of data exploring the pharmacodynamics and clinical outcomes of IHD patients receiving aminoglycoside therapy, we identify several key questions in need of investigation.
Implementation and Improvements of a Flow Continuity Algorithm in Modeling Ring/Liner Lubrication

Based upon a hydrodynamic lubrication model used in journal bearing simulation, a one-dimensional flow continuity algorithm was developed in modeling ring-liner lubrication. By applying a "universal" differential equation to the entire ring-liner interface, the starting and ending points of full film can be located automatically. Considering the oil flow difference in the regions partially filled by oil between the ring/liner lubrication and bearing lubrication, the traditional assumption that the streams of oil and oil-vapor/air attach to both surfaces was relaxed in this model. Corresponding to this improvement, a transition region was introduced to smooth out the discontinuity of convection flow at the interface between a region fully filled by oil and a region partially filled by oil. Moreover, a distribution of standard pressure, which is crucial in formulating the universal differential equation, was proposed. Several examples are given to demonstrate the capabilities of this new model in dealing with difficult lubrication situations such as oil-reattachment and oil-squeezing dominant flows.
Fostering Professionalism Through Mentoring

Bar associations, law schools, and scholars are beginning to recognize the importance of formal mentor relationships as a means both to address the problems of the legal profession and to foster professionalism. Fostering Professionalism Through Mentoring first synthesizes seven principles of professionalism from the existing ABA and Conference of Chief Justice reports on professionalism. The article then evaluates the existing theoretical and empirical scholarship on the functions of mentor relationships adding the professionalism mentoring function to the existing literature on the career, psychosocial, and role modeling mentoring functions. The last section of the article outlines and analyzes the for-credit Mentor Externship at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. The Mentor Externship is required for each student in each year of law school and is designed to realize the professionalism and role modeling mentoring functions.
Metal oxides for optoelectronic applications

Optical transparency, tunable conducting properties and easy processability make metal oxides key materials for advanced optoelectronic devices. This Review discusses recent advances in the synthesis of these materials and their use in applications. Metal oxides (MOs) are the most abundant materials in the Earth's crust and are ingredients in traditional ceramics. MO semiconductors are strikingly different from conventional inorganic semiconductors such as silicon and III–V compounds with respect to materials design concepts, electronic structure, charge transport mechanisms, defect states, thin-film processing and optoelectronic properties, thereby enabling both conventional and completely new functions. Recently, remarkable advances in MO semiconductors for electronics have been achieved, including the discovery and characterization of new transparent conducting oxides, realization of p-type along with traditional n-type MO semiconductors for transistors, p–n junctions and complementary circuits, formulations for printing MO electronics and, most importantly, commercialization of amorphous oxide semiconductors for flat panel displays. This Review surveys the uniqueness and universality of MOs versus other unconventional electronic materials in terms of materials chemistry and physics, electronic characteristics, thin-film fabrication strategies and selected applications in thin-film transistors, solar cells, diodes and memories.
Relationship between no reflow and infarct size as influenced by the duration of ischemia and reperfusion

No reflow after acute myocardial infarction is an important predictor of infarct size and clinical outcome. However, the exact relationship between no reflow and infarct size remains to be determin...
SP0021 Complement C5A and immune-complexes promote TNF-dependent pathologies via stimulation of the TNF-alpha convertase (TACE)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is triggered by inflammatory mediators such as anaphylatoxin C5a and immune-complexes, yet much remains to be learned about the underlying mechanisms. Here, we show that C5a and immune-complexes activate the principal TNFα convertase, TACE, thereby triggering release of TNFα. TACE belongs to the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) family of membrane-anchored metalloproteinases, which have emerged as key regulators of cell-cell interactions. Mice lacking TACE in myeloid cells are protected from inflammatory arthritis in the K/BxN serum transfer model of RA, providing the first genetic evidence for a critical role for TACE in myeloid cells in the pathogenesis of RA. These results support the notion that TACE is an attractive target for treatment of TNFα-dependent pathologies. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
Quality of life and mission

Missions activities often include efforts aimed at improving the physical well-being of others. These efforts have gained additional emphasis in recent years as North American Protestants have focused on missions activities that have tangible impacts on people’s well-being in contrast to activities with more spiritual impacts. This article uses the idea of “quality of life” to review the relationship of Christian mission to improving the physical well-being of others. Offering a brief sketch of missional activities undertaken in the New Testament, during the Roman Empire, through monasticism, by Anglo-American Reformers, and by 19th- and 20th-century North American missionaries, it concludes that the improvement of people’s quality of life shifted dramatically in reference to the church’s understanding of mission. Specifically, Christians changed from seeing the improvement of others’ quality of life as a means of people sharing in the salvation of Christ to that improvement as one of the chief ends of Ch...
A Canine Model for Hemodynamic Study of Isolated Corpus Cavernosum

We developed a canine model which permits hemodynamic study of the isolated corpus caver-nosum. The arterial and venous flow to the corpus cavernosum was measured and pressure was measured in each corpus cavernosum separately. To provide controlled inflow to the corpora, each side was perfused separately with the aorta clamped. It was demonstrated that arterial and nerve supply to the corpus cavernosum is crossed. During unstimulated corporal perfusion, venous outflow from the corpora increased with increased perfusion rate up to a maximum of 40 ml./min. Following pelvic nerve stimulation, intracorporal pressure increased at much lower rates of perfusion. Moreover, it was noted that intracorporal pressure was not transmitted from one side to the other. Thus, in the canine model, each corpus cavernosum may act as a control for the contralateral one. The technique we used to measure venous outflow from the corpora cavernosa, previously undescribed, permits accurate depiction of the hemodynamics of penile erection. (J. Urol., 138: 663–666, 1987)
The Alpha-1A Adrenergic Receptor in the Rabbit Heart

The alpha-1A-adrenergic receptor (AR) subtype is associated with cardioprotective signaling in the mouse and human heart. The rabbit is useful for cardiac disease modeling, but data on the alpha-1A in the rabbit heart are limited. Our objective was to test for expression and function of the alpha-1A in rabbit heart. By quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qPCR) on mRNA from ventricular myocardium of adult male New Zealand White rabbits, the alpha-1B was 99% of total alpha-1-AR mRNA, with <1% alpha-1A and alpha-1D, whereas alpha-1A mRNA was over 50% of total in brain and liver. Saturation radioligand binding identified ~4 fmol total alpha-1-ARs per mg myocardial protein, with 17% alpha-1A by competition with the selective antagonist 5-methylurapidil. The alpha-1D was not detected by competition with BMY-7378, indicating that 83% of alpha-1-ARs were alpha-1B. In isolated left ventricle and right ventricle, the selective alpha-1A agonist A61603 stimulated a negative inotropic effect, versus a positive inotropic effect with the nonselective alpha-1-agonist phenylephrine and the beta-agonist isoproterenol. Blood pressure assay in conscious rabbits using an indwelling aortic telemeter showed that A61603 by bolus intravenous dosing increased mean arterial pressure by 20 mm Hg at 0.14 μg/kg, 10-fold lower than norepinephrine, and chronic A61603 infusion by iPRECIO programmable micro Infusion pump did not increase BP at 22 μg/kg/d. A myocardial slice model useful in human myocardium and an anthracycline cardiotoxicity model useful in mouse were both problematic in rabbit. We conclude that alpha-1A mRNA is very low in rabbit heart, but the receptor is present by binding and mediates a negative inotropic response. Expression and function of the alpha-1A in rabbit heart differ from mouse and human, but the vasopressor response is similar to mouse.
Anosognosia in Dementia

Progressive decline in memory (and other functions) is the defining feature of late-life dementia but affected individuals are often unaware of this impairment. This article reviews recent research on anosognosia in dementia, including methods of assessing anosognosia, its prevalence and developmental course in dementia, its occurrence in different forms of dementia, neuroimaging findings, and hypothesized component mechanisms. The results suggest that anosognosia is eventually exhibited by nearly all persons with dementia. Its occurrence is robustly associated with common dementia-related pathologies and damage to memory and self-referential brain networks and their interconnections.
Reversibility of Asphaltene Precipitation Using Temperature-Induced Aggregation

In this work, kinetic asphaltene precipitation was investigated using temperature fluctuations. Asphaltene precipitation was previously identified as a fully reversible process by altering the solution pressure or composition but only partially reversible using temperature changes. Slow kinetic asphaltene precipitation plays a critical role in the accurate monitoring of asphaltene precipitation, and previous reversibility studies need to be revisited in light of this phenomenon. Previous studies used a combination of precipitant addition and temperature changes to conclude that precipitated asphaltenes do not fully redissolve when the mixture temperature is changed. Modeling results reveal that precipitated asphaltenes should not be expected to redissolve, regardless of the magnitude of temperature changes, after a precipitant (e.g., dodecane) is added to the mixture. Consequently, this study was designed to isolate the influence of slow kinetics, precipitant addition, and temperature changes on the solub...
Flexible sensor for measurement of skin pressure and temperature in a clinical setting

A flexible, wearable sensor patch for simultaneous monitoring of local skin pressure and temperature is described. Measurement can be collected for a period of time extending over several hours, suitable for monitoring in a clinical setting, for example during surgery, in the home, or in a long-term care facility. Experimental results are presented demonstrating pressure and temperature measurement at multiple locations on an anesthetized animal during a seven hour surgical procedure.
Combined Heart and Kidney Transplantation: A 23-Year Experience.

Abstract Background We report clinical experience with combined heart and kidney transplantation (HKTx) over a 23-year time period. Methods From June 1992 to August 2015, we performed 83 combined HKTx procedures at our institution. We compared the more recent cohort of 53 HKTx recipients (group 2, March 2009 to August 2015) with the initial 30 previously reported HKTx recipients (group 1, June 1992 to February 2009). Pre-operative patient characteristics, peri-operative factors, and post-operative outcomes including survival were examined. Results The baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar, except for a lower incidence of ethanol use and higher pre-operative left-ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac output, and cardiac index in group 2 when compared with group 1 (P = .007, .046, .037, respectively). The pump time was longer in group 2 compared with group 1 (153.30 ± 38.68 vs 129.60 ± 37.60 minutes; P = .007), whereas the graft ischemic time was not significantly different between the groups, with a trend to a longer graft ischemic time in group 2 versus group 1 (195.17 ± 45.06 vs 178.07 ± 52.77 minutes; P = .056, respectively). The lengths of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay were similar between the groups (P = .083 and .39, respectively). In addition, pre-operative and post-operative creatinine levels at peak, discharge, 1 year, and 5 years and the number of people on post-operative dialysis were similar between the groups (P = .37, .75, .54, .87, .56, and P = .139, respectively). Overall survival was not significantly different between groups 2 and 1 for the first 5 years after transplant, with a trend toward higher survival in group 2 (P = .054). Conclusions The most recent cohort of combined heart and kidney transplant recipients had similar ICU and hospital lengths of stay and post-operative creatinine levels at peak, discharge, and 1 and 5 years and a similar number of patients on post-operative dialysis when compared with the initial cohort. Overall survival was not significantly different between the later and earlier groups, with a trend toward higher overall survival at 5 years in the more recent cohort of patients. In selected patients with co-existing heart and kidney failure, combined heart and kidney transplantation is safe to perform and has excellent outcomes.
Long-Term Outcomes of Salvage Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Isolated Lung Recurrence of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Phase II Clinical Trial

Abstract Objectives Our goal was to evaluate stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) as a salvage option for isolated recurrence of NSCLC in the lung parenchyma after definitive treatment of stage I to III disease. Methods Patients who had histologically confirmed, positron emission tomography–staged, isolated NSCLC recurring locally or metastasis in the lung parenchyma (≤3 cm, suitable for SABR) after previous definitive treatment were prospectively enrolled in this trial and treated with volumetric, image-guided SABR to 50 Gy in four fractions. Patients were then followed with computed tomography or positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Primary end points included the pattern of failure after salvage SABR, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). Results Fifty-nine patients with recurrent disease were treated with salvage SABR. The median age was 70 years (range 45–86 years), and the median follow-up time after salvage SABR was 58.3 months. Re-recurrence after salvage SABR developed in 19 patients (32%). Measuring from the date of salvage SABR, the estimated 5-year rates of local, regional, and distant failure were 5.2%, 10.3%, and 22.4%, respectively; the estimated PFS was 46.2% at 3 years and 41.1% at 5 years; and the OS rates were 63.5% at 3 years and 56.5% at 5 years. A high post-SABR neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was found to predict poor survival. Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events developed in three patients (5%). No patient had a grade 4 or 5 event. Conclusion Our study showed that salvage SABR provides excellent 5-year OS, local control, and PFS rates with minimal toxicity for patients with isolated NSCLC recurrence in the lung parenchyma. These results are striking and comparable to historically reported outcomes of patients with primary early-stage NSCLC treated with definitive SABR. SABR appears to be a very effective and safe salvage option for patients with isolated lung parenchyma recurrent disease after definitive treatment and should be considered along with surgery as a potential first-line option for patients with local lung parenchymal recurrent disease.
Thymectomy for Non-thymomatous MG

There continues to be a debate regarding the effectiveness of thymectomy in the treatment of non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG) and, when undertaken, which surgical technique is the procedure of choice. Additionally, critical issues remain unanswered including patient selection, preparation for surgery, timing of surgery, and optimal peri-operative management. The debate persists primarily because of the lack of controlled prospective studies. In addition, analysis has been complicated by the absence, until very recently, of accepted objective definitions of severity of the illness and response to therapy as well as variable patient selection, timing of surgery, type of surgery, and methods of analysis of results. Without resolution of these issues by properly controlled prospective studies, there can be no unequivocal determination of the effectiveness of thymectomy or valid comparison of the various thymectomy techniques. In this review, based on previous analyses (1), attempts will be made to clarify some of the controversial issues concerning thymectomy for non-thymomatousMG andmake limited recommendations based on the best available evidence.
On Locally Optimal Designs for Generalized Linear Models with Group Effects

Generalized linear models with group effects are commonly used in scientific studies. However, there appear to be no results for selecting optimal designs. In this paper, we identify the structure of locally optimal designs, provide a general strategy to determine the design points and the corresponding weights for optimal designs, and present theoretical results for the special case of D-optimality. The results can be applied to many commonly studied models, including the logistic, probit, and loglinear models. The design region can be restricted or unrestricted, and the results can also be applied for a multi-stage approach.
Adeno-associated Virus Vectors for Gene Therapy of the Hematopoietic System

Over the past 30 years, bone marrow transplantation has come to be accepted as standard curative therapy for many pathophysiologic conditions (Forman et al. 1994) including malignancies (Brenner et al. 1993) and metabolic diseases (Blaese 1993). Thus, the reconstitution of the hematopoietic system with normal allogeneic cells capable of providing long term engraftment with disease-free, physiologically functional cells has been used to treat various inherited diseases including severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID), lysosomal storage disorders and various hemoglobinopathies. However, difficulties in acquisition of histocompatible marrow cells for transplantation and onset of graft vs host disease has led to the continued search for better therapeutic strategies. Meanwhile, the delineation of the genetic bases of many inherited diseases and the subsequent isolation of appropriate wild-type genes promoted the feasibility of disease correction at the DNA level. To this end, much effort has focussed upon the development of both the identification of genetic strategies as well as efficient methods of delivery of therapeutic genes to appropriate target cells.
Chemical Compositions and Sugar Profiles of Consumed Chestnut Cultivars in the Marmara Region, Turkey

In this study, the chemical compositions and sugar profiles of seventeen local cultivars and two foreign chestnut hybrids, grown in the Marmara Region, Turkey, were examined. The results showed that chestnut hybrids and cultivars have 58.12-69.83 total carbohydrates, 10.59-22.38 total sugars, 2.41-3.41 invert sugar, 6.15-12.44 total protein, 2.09-4.36 ash and 0.87-2.61 total fat values (g 100 g -1 dry matter basis). It was determined that chestnut cultivars generally have over 50% water content and higher starch content (40.99-53.16 g 100 g -1 ). The sucrose contents of the cultivars were higher than the other sugars. Sucrose, glucose and fructose contents were 10.77-21.66, 0.33-1.13, and 0.15-0.79, respectively (g 100 g -1 dry matter basis). These results stated that chestnuts have rich nutritive substances for human nutrition and health.
Learning and using knowledge about what other people do and don't know despite amnesia.

Abstract Successful communication requires keeping track of what other people do and do not know, and how this differs from our own knowledge. Here we ask how knowledge of what others know is stored in memory. We take a neuropsychological approach, comparing healthy adults to patients with severe declarative memory impairment (amnesia). We evaluate whether this memory impairment disrupts the ability to successfully acquire and use knowledge about what other people know when communicating with them. We tested participants in a referential communication task in which the participants described a series of abstract “tangram” images for a partner. Participants then repeated the task with the same partner or a new partner. Findings show that much like healthy individuals, individuals with amnesia successfully tailored their communicative language to the knowledge shared with their conversational partner—their common ground. They produced brief descriptions of the tangram images for the familiar partner and provided more descriptive, longer expressions for the new partner. These findings demonstrate remarkable sparing in amnesia of the acquisition and use of partner-specific knowledge that underlies common ground, and have important implications for understanding the memory systems that support conversational language.
Peyote and Ghouls in the Night: Justice Scalia's Religion Clause Minimalism

The late Justice Antonin Scalia held a minimalist view of the religion clauses: the Free Exercise Clause does not protect against neutral laws of general applicability, and the Establishment Clause prohibits neither longstanding traditional practices nor legislative acts with a plausible secular purpose. In both free exercise and establishment cases, Scalia resisted judicial second-guessing of legislative judgments unless he saw an explicit singling out of religious practice. Yet Scalia had an uneven influence on religion clause jurisprudence. When it came to the Free Exercise Clause, he played a pivotal role in shaping a doctrinal framework that has arguably created more tensions than it has resolved. In contrast, when it came to the Establishment Clause, he failed to influence his colleagues to alter a doctrinal framework that arguably remains less coherent than it would have been under his proposed alternative. The net result is the worst of both worlds: a Court that followed Scalia into a murky free exercise experiment and ignored his pleas to clarify its understanding of establishment. This Article explores Justice Scalia’s religion clause minimalism in six opinions. It then considers three difficulties raised by his approach: one theoretical, one doctrinal, and one normative. The theoretical difficulty is that Scalia’s minimalism made him less likely to help religious minorities that he believed worth protecting. The doctrinal difficulty is that his minimalism makes it difficult to justify the Court’s protections for religious institutions. The normative difficulty — for those who favor strong religious liberty protections — is that his minimalism makes it hard to require that discretionary public funding include religious beneficiaries.
Chapter 15 – Pseudoxanthoma elasticum

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is characterized by elastic tissue fragmentation and calcification. The deterioration of elastic fibers leads to characteristic yellowish papules and plaques (pseudoxanthomas) and retinal angioid streaks. Although these findings may begin in childhood, the diagnosis is typically not made until the second or third decade after the skin and retinal findings become more prominent. Cerebrovascular complications include brain infarction due to narrowing and occlusion of cerebral arteries and aneurysm formation. Intracranial hemorrhage can occur in the absence of aneurysm, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage is common. Peripheral arterial vascular disease can lead to intermittent leg claudication. A skin biopsy often demonstrates calcified elastic fibers, even in a mildly affected area of skin. The inheritance is autosomal recessive, although heterozygotes may exhibit some features of the disease. PXE is due to mutation of the ABCC6 gene on chromosome 16. There is no treatment, but certain lifestyle modifications may limit the complications. The potential for retinal hemorrhage has led to recommendations for limitations of contact sports or other activities that might facilitate eye trauma. Other recommendations include maintaining a normal lipid profile, avoidance of aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, and limiting dietary calcium intake.
The Influence of Citizenship Norms and Media Use on Different Modes of Political Participation in the US

Studies demonstrate that citizenship norms and media use are important predictors of political behavior. However, it remains unclear how norms and patterns of media use influence different modes of...
Effects of soot by-product from the synthesis of engineered metallofullerene nanomaterials on terrestrial invertebrates.

The synthesis of carbon-based nanomaterials is often inefficient, generating large amounts of soot with metals as waste by-product. Currently, there are no specific regulations for disposal of engineered nanomaterials or the waste by-products resulting from their synthesis, so it is presumed that by-products are disposed of in the same way as the parent (bulk) materials. We studied the terrestrial toxicity of soot from gadolinium metallofullerene nanomanufacturing on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and isopods (Porcellio scaber). The metallofullerene soot consisted of carbon particle agglomerates in the nanometer and submicrometer ranges (1-100 and 101-999 nm, respectively), with metals used during nanomanufacturing detectable on the particles. Despite high metal concentrations (>100 000 mg/kg) in the soot, only a relatively small amount of metals leached out of a spiked field soil, suggesting only moderate mobility. Seven- and 14-d exposures in field soil demonstrated that the soot was only toxic to earthworms at high concentrations (>10 000 mg/kg); however, earthworms avoided spiked soils at lower concentrations (as low as 500 mg/kg) and at lower soil pH. The presence of soot in food and soil did not cause isopod avoidance. These data demonstrate that metallofullerene soot from nanomanufacturing may only be toxic to earthworms at high concentrations representative of improper disposal or accidental spills. However, our results indicate that terrestrial invertebrates may avoid soils contaminated with soot at sublethal concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;9999:1-12. Published 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work, and as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
AI-MHC: an allele-integrated deep learning framework for improving Class I & Class II HLA-binding predictions

Motivation: The immune system has potential to present a wide variety of peptides to itself as a means of surveillance for pathogenic invaders. This means of surveillances allows the immune system to detect peptides derives from bacterial, viral, and even oncologic sources. However, given the breadth of the epitope repertoire, in order to study immune responses to these epitopes, investigators have relied on in-silico prediction algorithms to help narrow down the list of candidate epitopes, and current methods still have much in the way of improvement. Results: We present Allele-Integrated MHC (AI-MHC), a deep learning architecture with improved performance over the current state-of-the-art algorithms in human Class I and Class II MHC binding prediction. Our architecture utilizes a convolutional neural network that improves prediction accuracy by 1) allowing one neural network to be trained on all peptides for all alleles of a given class of MHC molecules by making the allele an input to the net and 2) introducing a global max pooling operation with an optimized kernel size that allows the architecture to achieve translational invariance in MHC-peptide binding analysis, making it suitable for sequence analytics where a frame of interest needs to be learned in a longer, variable length sequence. We assess AI-MHC against internal independent test sets and compare against all algorithms in the IEDB automated server benchmarks, demonstrating our algorithm achieves state-of-the-art for both Class I and Class II prediction. Availability and Implementation: AI-MHC can be used via web interface at baras.pathology.jhu.edu/AI-MHC Contact: jsidhom1@jhmi.edu