cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anaphylaxis and Its Management

Although mast cells and anaphylaxis were discovered near the turn of the nineteenth century, the relationship between this cell type to anaphylaxis only occurred decades later. Anaphylaxis is a clinical event occurring when mast cells and/or basophils are activated to secrete mediators with vasoactive, smooth muscle spasmogenic activities, often through a pathway involving allergen, IgE, and high-affinity IgE receptors on the surfaces of these cells, but sometimes through non-immunologic direct activators of these cells or because of genetic disorders that increase the activatability of these cells. Clinical and laboratory parameters are used to increase the precision with which anaphylaxis is diagnosed, and an increasing variety of interventions are designed to mitigate acute anaphylaxis or to prevent future episodes of anaphylaxis. However, unmet needs remain, particularly with better diagnostic tests and treatments of this condition, as well as a more complete understanding of what determines anaphylactic severity.
What Is Social Capital

Many of us begin and end our day with browsing our phones for messages, or scrolling through the “feeds” on our various social media accounts. We have memberships to a number of “networks” related to our families, work, hobbies, faith, and service. In our highs and lows, the members of these networks can be relied upon for support, condolences, or congratulations; and we offer these freely in return. Networks are not new—researchers have long understood the value of interpersonal connections in democratic societies. Our reciprocal relationships are part of the larger societal “glue” that we call social capital. Social capital is one of many forms of capital. Capital, generally, is a resource that is going to help you get acquire the things that help you survive; or will improve your life; or just make you happy. Social capital can reach far and wide: it can occur within our own networks (bonding), or across groups (bridging), and on different levels of society. Mutual support and trust develop in a society with social capital. In fact, most definitions of social capital emphasize the greater good, and point to these four themes: trust, reciprocity, collective action, and networking. The end result of social capital is the potential increase in each individual’s physical health and social–emotional well-being, as well as potential increases in civic engagement and employment in the community in which they are a part; both can contribute to a healthier and most effectively functioning society.
An LQR theory for systems with asymmetric saturating actuators

This paper presents an LQR-based method, referred to as A-SLQR, for systems with asymmetric (i.e., non-odd) saturating actuators. The development is based on a technique referred to as stochastic linearization, which approximates the saturation function by an equivalent gain and an equivalent bias. The equations for computing the gain and bias are presented, and their properties are explored. Using the stochastically linearized system, the A-SLQR problem is formulated as an optimization problem, and is solved using the Lagrange multiplier method. The solution is shown to consist of the usual Lyapunov and Riccati equations, coupled with additional equations that account for the equivalent gain and bias. The efficacy of the developed technique is illustrated through a detailed numerical example, where it is shown that the technique outperforms the standard LQR because saturation is taken into account directly at the design stage.
Ohio solid organ transplantation consortium criteria for liver transplantation in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

Ohio solid organ transplantation consortium criteria for liver transplantation in patients with alcoholic liver disease
High‐angular resolution diffusion imaging tractography of cerebellar pathways from newborns to young adults

Introduction Many neurologic and psychiatric disorders are thought to be due to, or result in, developmental errors in neuronal cerebellar connectivity. In this connectivity analysis, we studied the developmental time-course of cerebellar peduncle pathways in pediatric and young adult subjects. Methods A cohort of 80 subjects, newborns to young adults, was studied on a 3T MR system with 30 diffusion-weighted measurements with high-angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) tractography. Results Qualitative and quantitative results were analyzed for age-based variation. In subjects of all ages, the superior cerebellar peduncle pathway (SCP) and two distinct subpathways of the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), as described in previous ex vivo studies, were identified in vivo with this technique: pathways between the rostral pons and inferior-lateral cerebellum (MCPcog), associated predominantly with higher cognitive function, and pathways between the caudal pons and superior-medial cerebellum (MCPmot), associated predominantly with motor function. Discussion Our findings showed that the inferior cerebellar peduncle pathway (ICP), involved primarily in proprioception and balance appears to have a later onset followed by more rapid development than that exhibited in other tracts. We hope that this study may provide an initial point of reference for future studies of normal and pathologic development of cerebellar connectivity.
Inhibition and Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus in a Sorbate/Modified Atmosphere Combination System.

The combined effect of potassium sorbate, atmosphere composition and medium pH on viability of Staphylococcus aureus FDA S-6 was studied. Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) containing 0.0, 0.5, 1.5 or 2.5% potassium sorbate was adjusted to pH 6.5, 6.0 or 5.5. S. aureus was exposed as a surface culture on the TSA and incubation was in a 100, 60 or 20% CO2 atmosphere; vacuum or air control. Modest inactivation of S. aureus was achieved in the absence of potassium sorbate at pH 5.5, when exposure was in a 100% CO2 atmosphere. In the presence of potassium sorbate, all atmospheres were inhibitory, with increased inactivation occurring at higher concentrations of sorbate and lower pH. Synergistic antimicrobial activity was optimal at pH 5.5 in the 1.5% sorbate/100% CO2 treatment.
¿De qué hablamos cuando hablamos de internacionalización universitaria argentina en los documentos oficiales? Aportes desde el análisis del discurso

Este trabajo tiene por objetivo contribuir al debate existente en torno a las nociones de internacionalizacion en diversas disciplinas, tomando como punto de partida el Analisis del Discurso, en particular el Analisis Critico del Discurso (FAIRCLOUGH, 2010, WODAK, 2000). A tal fin se plantea el analisis de un discurso institucional, el documento de declaracion de Objetivos y Politicas y Acciones Impulsadas del Programa de Internacionalizacion de la Educacion Superior y Cooperacion Internacional Universitaria (PIESCI) de la Secretaria de Politicas Universitarias (SPU) del Ministerio de Educacion de la Republica Argentina. Los resultados preliminares dan cuenta de marcados posicionamientos conceptuales e ideologicos implicados en los objetivos de internacionalizacion de la institucion que darian cuenta de propositos socio-culturales claramente parciales y de identidades institucionales caracterizadas como receptoras de beneficios institucionales. Estos significados se materializan de manera “opaca” en este documento publico institucional y deben ser puestos en evidencia para constituir lineamientos a seguir por los agentes sociales redactores de politicas universitarias en el area de internalizacion y cooperacion internacional, de maxima relevancia en las instituciones de educacion superior modernas.
FitBit Garden: A Mobile Game Designed to Increase Physical Activity in Children

In this paper, we present the design and deployment of a mobile game titled "FitBit Garden" that encourages children to be physically active by representing the activity levels tracked via a FitBit pedometer in a garden ecosystem. The garden flourishes and grows as children and their parents take positive actions in the real world to improve the child's physical activity. These actions are then manifested into the virtual world via the mobile app. The paper presents the design of the intervention, the methods developed to collect and analyze data and the results of the usability study to determine form, function and acceptability of the intervention.
Strategic Compliance across Public and Private Ownership: Drinking Water in the US

In this paper we build on multiple streams of literature to theorize how firms of different ownership types strategically respond to varied types of regulatory pressure from the government. We then...
Firm geographic proximity and state agency decisions: An analysis of US Defense Contract Awards

While government spending constitutes a major source of many firms’ revenues, we have limited knowledge about how firms may influence government-agency contracting decisions. Drawing upon research ...
Cutaneous Reactions to Traditional Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy

Pediatric oncology patients can present with a variety of cutaneous findings, oftentimes related to administered chemotherapeutic agents. Toxic effects of chemotherapy on the skin, hair, nails, and mucous membranes are common, but not well described in children. Early recognition of cutaneous side effects of chemotherapy both by oncologists and dermatologists can aid in diagnosis and management of these conditions, to allow for complete care of cancer patients. This chapter discusses different classes of chemotherapeutic agents, their mechanisms of action, and their uses in specific malignancies. Acute cutaneous side effects of traditional chemotherapeutic agents are discussed in detail. Radiation therapy is also discussed, as well as its immediate effect on the skin, hair, mucous membranes, and nails and strategies for management.
n-tuple coprime sensor arrays.

Until now, coprime sensor arrays have used two sparsely spaced subarrays to emulate the performance of a single uniform array with many more sensors (generally on the order of the product of each subarrays' number of sensors). This allows for similar results with fewer sensors, or the observation of higher frequencies (above the Nyquist limit) with a similar number of sensors. The theory rests on the cross-referencing (using directional filter banks) or cancellation (using product processing) of the M grating lobes in one subarray's beampattern and N grating lobes in the other, where M and N are coprime integers. Sets of coprime integers can consist of more than two integers, however, and introducing another coprime factor theoretically multiplies observable frequency (or further decreases the number of array elements needed for the same frequency). Any amount, n, of coprime integers and corresponding subarrays may be used. In this work, “n-tuple coprime sensor array” theory is expounded and implemented. ...
Organic pesticide modification of species interactions in annual plant communities

A method is proposed and tested for assessing multispecies responses to three pesticides (atrazine, 2,4-D and malathion). Pesticides were applied at two concentrations, on model plant communities grown in raised beds using soil containing a natural seed bank. Cover by species was monitored over time in nested 10 and 20 cm diameter neighbourhoods around Poa annua and Calandrinia ciliata target plants. All tested compounds modified relative species abundance, altered dominance and simplified the treated communities. Community biomass decreased with atrazine and 2,4-D treatments, but not with malathion. Each chemical altered species interactions for all treated communities, including the identities of interacting species and the timing of interactions. Each target species had its own suite of interacting species that individually changed with chemical treatment. When cover was used as a predictor of neighbour influence, analysis of species interactions using 10 cm neighbourhoods indicated more interactions than using 20 cm neighbourhoods. When biomass was used as the predictor, use of the 20 cm neighbourhoods indicated more interactions. This method of using model plant communities for field toxicity testing is simple, economical and effective. It uses naturally occurring plants while reducing the environmental heterogeneity common in most field studies.
Genomics of Xanthomonas citri and Related Species

Citrus canker is a devastating disease that affects most commercial citrus varieties. Asiatic type canker is the most widespread and destructive form of citrus canker that is caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (XccA). Multiple variants of XccA including XccAw and XccA* have been reported. Citrus canker is also known to be caused by X. fuscans subsp. aurantifolii (Xau) B and C strains. XccAw, XccA*, XauB, and XauC, unlike XccA, are limited in host range. The complete genome sequence of XccA strain 306 was sequenced in 2002 using Sanger sequencing. With advances in sequencing technologies, other strains associated with citrus canker were also sequenced recently. Currently, draft sequences of XauB and XauC are available. The complete genome of XccAw strain 12879 has been sequenced, whereas XccA* strain 270 is currently being sequenced. Furthermore, the complete genome of another closely related citrus pathogen, X. axonopodis pv. citrumelo strain F1 causing citrus bacterial spot, has also been sequenced. Multilocus sequence phylogenetic analysis of XccA and other xanthomonads indicates that citrus canker pathogens XccA, XccAw, XauB, and XauC form a closely related group. In this review, the following topics were included: an introduction about citrus canker including the origin of citrus canker, its current distribution, economic losses, infection cycle; current understanding of the virulence mechanisms of XccA; genome information of XccA and related species; genome-enabled understanding of X. citri virulence and host specificity; and transcriptomics of X. citri. The advent of next generation sequencing will dramatically promote the genomic study of X. citri and investigation of the virulence mechanisms of X. citri to design innovative strategies to control citrus canker and other bacterial diseases.
Study of the Effect of Interface Enthalpy on Nanocomposite Viscoelasticity

Polymer Nanocomposites (PNC) are a fascinating category of material systems, in which nanoscopic fillers are found to induce remarkable improvements in the properties of the polymeric matrix.[1] This improvement is often determined by the interfacial energetic interactions which dictate the matrix chain mobility, filler dispersion, and distribution. The PNC community has widely studied the glass transition temperature (Tg) with emphasis laid primarily on the effects of confinement on the matrix polymer.[2, 3, 4] Dispersion/flocculation has also received attention in the elastomeric nanocomposite community in relation to the wetting behavior of fillers. [5] A consolidated view of both these phenomena is yet to be presented in terms of the interfacial energetics. In this study we investigate bare or short chain silane modified filler systems, in which enthalpic effects dominate. This is a first step towards understanding the effect of surface energetics on the thermomechanical properties of PNCs, such as the Tg and viscoelasticity. We subsequently seek to develop a predictive model for the same invoking an informatics based approach [6], which employs Materials Quantitative Structure-Property Relationships (MQSPR) coupled with a Finite Element Method, to link disparate length scales, reducing the need for detailed calculations.
Cadherin Combinations Recruit Dendrites of Distinct Retinal Neurons to a Shared Interneuronal Scaffold.

Summary Distinct neuronal types connect in complex ways to generate functional neural circuits. The molecular diversity required to specify this connectivity could be supplied by multigene families of synaptic recognition molecules, but most studies to date have assessed just one or a few members at a time. Here, we analyze roles of cadherins (Cdhs) in formation of retinal circuits comprising eight neuronal types that inform the brain about motion in four directions. We show that at least 15 classical Cdhs are expressed by neurons in these circuits and at least 6 (Cdh6–10 and 18) act individually or in combinations to promote specific connectivity among the cells. They act in part by directing the processes of output neurons and excitatory interneurons to a cellular scaffold formed by inhibitory interneurons. Because Cdhs are expressed combinatorially by many central neurons, similar interactions could be involved in patterning circuits throughout the brain.
Mechanism-based rescue of Munc18-1 dysfunction in varied encephalopathies by chemical chaperones

Heterozygous de novo mutations in the neuronal protein Munc18-1 are linked to epilepsies, intellectual disability, movement disorders, and neurodegeneration. These devastating diseases have a poor prognosis and no known cure, due to lack of understanding of the underlying disease mechanism. To determine how mutations in Munc18-1 cause disease, we use newly generated S. cerevisiae strains, C. elegans models, and conditional Munc18-1 knockout mouse neurons expressing wild-type or mutant Munc18-1, as well as in vitro studies. We find that at least five disease-linked missense mutations of Munc18-1 result in destabilization and aggregation of the mutant protein. Aggregates of mutant Munc18-1 incorporate wild-type Munc18-1, depleting functional Munc18-1 levels beyond hemizygous levels. We demonstrate that the three chemical chaperones 4-phenylbutyrate, sorbitol, and trehalose reverse the deficits caused by mutations in Munc18-1 in vitro and in vivo in multiple models, offering a novel strategy for the treatment of varied encephalopathies.
Primary malignant melanoma of the lung: a case report of a rare tumor and review of the literature

Primary malignant melanoma of the lung (PMML) is a rare malignancy that exhibits aggressive behavior and has a very poor prognosis. We are reporting on a case of PMML in an otherwise healthy 22-yea...
FINANCIAL STRAIN PREDICTS INCIDENT DISABILITY IN OLDER ADULTS IN THE NATIONAL HEALTH AND AGING TRENDS STUDY

Financial strain has been cross-sectionally associated with limitations in self-care activities and mobility. Financial strain may be more readily modified than other measures of socioeconomic status. We tested associations between financial strain and incident disability in a nationally representative sample of adults aged ≥65 years. The National Health and Aging Trends Study annually classified disability based on limitations in mobility (inability to complete the walking speed test), function (unable to walk 3 blocks or 10 stairs, carry 10 pounds, bend over, reach overhead or grasp small objects) and self-care (difficulty dressing, getting around inside the home, getting out of bed, toileting or eating). Baseline (2012) financial strain was classified based on lack of money for housing, utilities, health care, or food. Discrete time survival models tested associations with incident limitations in mobility (n=3434) function (n=2829) and self-care (n=5187) separately (2013 to 2016) among those free of the respective limitation in 2012, adjusting for demographics, income-to-poverty-threshold ratio, education, chronic conditions, BMI, and self-rated health. Baseline sample weights accounted for sampling design and nonresponse. Annual limitation incidence rates ranged 3.0%-6.7% for mobility, 13.4%-23.9% for function, and 12.8%-18.1% for self-care over four years. In adjusted models, financial strain predicted incident limitations in mobility (hazard OR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.09), function (hOR= 1.41, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.97), and self-care (hOR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.52, 2.61). These results show that financial strain predicts disability independent of income in a national sample of older adults. Greater attention should be paid to strategies that may reduce financial strain.
Fractal Properties of Greenland Isolines

The shape of Earth’s surface topography is determined by numerous competing processes that act to either roughen or smoothen the surface. Hence, calculating topographic roughness is a useful technique for understanding the relative importance of these processes. This study analyzes the relative surface roughness of the Greenland Ice Sheet by calculating the fractal dimension of surface elevation isolines. It is shown that the fractal dimension of isolines decreases at higher elevations for nearly all the ice sheet catchments. However, the magnitude of fractality, which represents the relative complexity or roughness of the surface, is spatially variable. Catchments in the central-east of the ice sheet have the highest fractal dimension, and the north catchment has the lowest fractal dimension. Multi-fractality at lower elevations for several catchments is observed including the southeast catchment, indicating that these catchments have variable dominant forcings at different length scales. Exploring the local variation of fractal dimensions shows that the majority of isolines with high fractal dimension are clustered in the central-east region and persist in contours up to 2500 m elevation. However, it is shown that local fractal dimensions are related to surface elevation, bed elevation, and ice thickness. It is also shown that local fractal dimensions are correlated with the ruggedness of basal topography (defined as the difference between the highest and lowest elevation in a window of $$3\times 3$$ pixels on a 150 m grid). This analysis serves as a qualitative approach for investigating the processes that control the geometry of ice caps on other terrestrial planets.
19 Petrous Apex Cholesterol Granulomas

Traditionally, cholesterol granulomas have been treated by drainage and stent placement via an infracochlear route. Modern thinking and experience shows that while proper preoperative diagnosis remains of the utmost important, CGs may require a more extensive approach for definitive management, with at least partial resection of the cyst wall. There remains controversy on the optimal surgical approach to best address these lesions. Understanding the natural history of these lesions is essential to set realistic treatment goals, as watchful observation is usually the best strategy when CGs are discovered incidentally. However, when these lesions become symptomatic, treatment is indicated, and the only definitive treatment is aggressive surgical intervention. In 19.2, we discuss the open transcranial approaches. The endoscopic management of cholesterol granulomas located in the petrous apex has been developed and improved through the last decades. In 19.3, we discuss the three main endoscopic approaches that can be used to treat these lesions: medial transphenoidal approach, medial approach with internal carotid artery lateralization, and transpterygoid infrapetrous approach. This technique offers the possibility of reestablishing a larger and natural drainage pathway into the sinuses while avoiding the potential complications of transtemporal/transcranial approaches.
A Theory of Moral Rights

Despite her fairly rigorous anti-foundationalist stance in her writings on Wittgenstein, in another of her early works, Persons, Rights and Corporations (Werhane 1985), a selection of which is reproduced in this chapter, Werhane endorses a foundational point of view by arguing that human beings, just because they are human, have basic inalienable rights, which cannot be abrogated despite what is often one’s own best intentions. She adopts this acutely Lockean position with regard to a theory of rights not only to defend what she finds the critically important idea that all human beings, just because they are human, have “basic rights,” but also, in order that she may defend the rights of employees against various common law principles, such as the widespread American practice of employment-at-will.
The Fall and Rise of Mid-Century Student Health Activism: Political Repression, McCarthyism, and the Association of Internes and Medical Students (1947-1953)

Common narratives about the mid-century American medical profession's stunning rise forget a key element: political repression. During the 1940s and 1950s, the American Medical Association (AMA) and its allies sought to eliminate those who questioned American medicine's status quo, in particular opposition to national health insurance (NHI) and condoning of racism within its ranks. One casualty was the Association for Internes and Medical Students (AIMS), which into the 1940s, was the most prominent vehicle for medical student and trainee political organizing in the United Status. This article tells the story of its rapid demise in the era of McCarthyism at the hands of an AMA campaign to besmirch AIMS's name, and in the process, destroy it.
Can Combination MEK and Akt Inhibition Slay the Giant Congenital Nevus

The clinical management of large and giant congenital melanocytic nevi (lgCMN) relies heavily upon iterative surgical procedures. In this issue Rouille et al. (2019) use lgCMN explants and a newly developed patient-derived xenograft model to show that the local administration of MEK and Akt inhibitors limits the lgCMN proliferative potential. These findings, along with emerging reports, support continued investigation of targeted therapies in lgCMN.
Praying for Inclusion: Gay Men’s Experiences on Religious College Campuses

Research on sexual minorities’ religious experiences largely focuses on faith-based challenges/supports, family dynamics, and identity conflicts – yet, there is limited research studying how these ...
New benzene dimers: an MRMP2 study

The reaction energies of one cis-fused and four new trans-fused benzene dimers have been studied with state-specific multi-reference Moller-Plesset perturbation theory of the second order (MRMP2) based on reference CASSCF(12,12) wavefunctions. The cis-fused dimer 1, the product of symmetry-allowed [4 + 2] cycloaddition process, has been previously characterized experimentally and theoretically and, in this study, was used as reference. Dimer 1 lies 45 kcal/mol above two isolated benzene molecules, and its retro-dimerization activation energy is ~ 8 kcal/mol. In contrast, the [4 + 2] formation of trans-fused dimer 2 is symmetry-forbidden with an energetic driving force (Erel) of 57.6 kcal/mol. An activation barrier for corresponding retro-dimerization calculated to be 31.0 kcal/mol. The thermal [2 + 2] formation of dimers 3 and 4 are also symmetry-forbidden. They have been calculated to be 79.0 kcal/mol and 105.1 kcal/mol higher in energy than two isolated benzene molecules, respectively. However, the activation energies of 23.2 and 20.5 kcal/mol could allow for kinetic persistence of these compounds. Dimer 5 is the only symmetry-allowed [2 + 2] cycloaddition product. With Erel of 67.5 kcal/mol and Ea for retro-dimerization reaction of 19.2 kcal/mol, it shows high similarity with the symmetry-forbidden dimers. The wave function for each of the dimers at their local minimum geometry contains greater than 80% of the configuration $$\sigma^{4} \pi^{8} \sigma^{*0} \pi^{*0}$$. The transition state for the retro-dimerization of 1 (1TS) also contains more than 80% of the closed-shell configuration $$\sigma^{4} \pi^{8} \sigma^{*0} \pi^{*0}$$. For 2TS–5TS systems, the wavefunctions exhibit significant biradical character (20%, 20%, 14% and 26%, respectively).
Challenges of Living in Colonias Near the U.S.-Mexico Border

Colonias are unincorporated housing developments found throughout the U.S.-Mexico border region, particularly prevalent within the Rio Grande Valley. They have poor infrastructure including limited access to clean water, unpaved roads, and lack of access to many public services like sewage treatment, garbage collection, and …
Quantitative analysis of workplace morale in academic librarians and the impact of direct supervisors on workplace morale.

Abstract Many studies have attempted to measure the workplace morale of academic librarians through related variables such as job satisfaction. Other studies have taken a qualitative or phenomenological approach to understanding workplace morale. This exploratory study has two objectives: (1) to quantitatively measure the workplace morale of academic librarians to set an initial baseline measure for future research and (2) to analyze the variables that impact academic librarian morale with an emphasis on the variables that academic library supervisors directly influence. Findings suggest the workplace morale of academic librarians is predicted by several variables within a supervisor's influence including feedback, work autonomy, and supervisor qualities such as communication, transparency, and empowering subordinates. Outside of a small negative relationship to age and work experience, demographics were largely found to not be a predictor of workplace morale. This study also evaluated workplace morale as a predictor of turnover intention in academic librarians. There was a strong statistically significant negative correlation between workplace morale and the turnover intention of academic librarians.
Generation and Transmission Expansion Planning Towards a 100% Renewable Future

This paper proposes a novel modeling framework and decomposition-based solution strategy combining stochastic programming (SP) and robust optimization (RO) to deal with multiplex uncertainties in coordinated mid- and long-term power system planning. The problem is formulated as a multi-year generation and transmission planning problem from an independent system operator (ISO)'s perspective to minimize both expansion and operational costs under binary and continuous uncertainties, i.e., system component contingency and load/generation variation. N-k contingencies are captured in RO using the reformulated contingency criteria, while the load/generation uncertainty is considered in SP embedded with RO using operating scenarios generated from the historical data with spatiotemporal correlations. The original hybrid model is highly intractable, but the intractability can be relieved by the proposed decomposition strategy based on the column-and-constraint generation and L- shaped algorithms. We apply our model to perform long-term system planning under extremely high renewable penetration and investigate the case of 100% renewables in long-term planning. Numerical experiments on multi-scale test systems verify the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Upper Colorado River Basin 20th century droughts under 21st century warming: Plausible scenarios for the future

Abstract This study builds on a collaboration with a water resource management community of practice in the Upper Colorado River Basin to develop scenarios of future drought and assess impacts on water supply reliability. Water managers are concerned with the impacts of warming on water year streamflow, but uncertainties in projections of climate make the application of these projections to planning a challenge. Instead, water managers considered a plausible scenario for future drought to be historical droughts to which warming is added. We used a simple statistical model of water year streamflow with temperatures increased by 1 °C to 4 °C, and then examined reductions in flow and runoff efficiency (RE) with each degree of warming for the six droughts defined in the observed streamflow record. In order to place these results into a management context, we employed an existing framework for system reliability, and in particular, a vulnerability assessment for water delivery metrics. Using modeled streamflow resulting from 1 °C to 4 °C warming, we found vulnerable condition thresholds for the two water delivery metrics assessed, Upper Basin Shortage and Lees Ferry Deficit, were crossed relatively infrequently at +1 °C, but with a substantially increased frequency under additional warming. Results are more relevant to resource management because the impacts of warming on Upper Colorado River streamflow were assessed in the context of management metrics and vulnerability thresholds, in collaboration with members of the water management community of practice.
A Review of Novel Agents and Clinical Considerations in Patients With ATTR Cardiac Amyloidosis.

ABSTRACT Transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is a multisystem disease caused by organ deposition of amyloid fibrils derived from the misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of current treatment regimens and summarize important considerations for each agent. A literature search was performed with the PubMed database for articles published through October 2020. Search criteria included therapies available on the market and investigational therapies used for ATTR amyloidosis treatment. Both prospective clinical trials and retrospective studies have been included in this review. Available therapies discussed in this review article are tafamidis, diflunisal, patisiran, and inotersen. Tafamidis is FDA approved for treatment of wild-type ATTR (ATTRwt) and hereditary ATTR (ATTRv) cardiomyopathy, and patisiran and inotersen are FDA approved for ATTRv polyneuropathy. Diflunisal does not have an FDA-labeled indication for amyloidosis but has been studied in ATTRv polyneuropathy and ATTRwt cardiomyopathy. Investigational therapies include a TTR stabilizer, AG10; 2 antifibril agents, PRX004 and doxycycline/tauroursodeoxycholic acid; and 2 gene silencers, vutrisiran and AKCEA-TTR-LRx; and clinical trials are ongoing. ATTR amyloidosis treatment selection is based on subtype and presence of cardiac or neurological manifestations. Additional considerations such as side effects, monitoring, and administration are outlined in this review.
The Association of Readmission Reduction Activities with Primary Care Practice Readmission Rates

A great deal of research has focused on how hospitals influence readmission rates. While hospitals play a vital role in reducing readmissions, a significant portion of the work also falls to primary care practices. Despite this critical role of primary care, little empirical evidence has shown what primary care characteristics or activities are associated with reductions in hospital admissions. To examine the relationship between practices’ readmission reduction activities and their readmission rates. A retrospective study of 1,788 practices who responded to the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (fielded 2017–2018) and 415,663 hospital admissions for Medicare beneficiaries attributed to those practices from 2016 100% Medicare claims data. We constructed mixed-effects logistic regression models to estimate practice-level readmission rates and a linear regression model to evaluate the association between practices’ readmission rates with their number of readmission reduction activities. Standardized composite score, ranging from 0 to 1, representing the number of a practice’s readmission reduction capabilities. The composite score was composed of 12 unique capabilities identified in the literature as being significantly associated with lower readmission rates (e.g., presence of care manager, medication reconciliation, shared-decision making, etc.). Practices’ readmission rates for attributed Medicare beneficiaries. Routinely engaging in more readmission reduction activities was significantly associated (P < .05) with lower readmission rates. On average, practices experienced a 0.05 percentage point decrease in readmission rates for each additional activity. Average risk-standardized readmission rates for practices performing 10 or more of the 12 activities in our composite measure were a full percentage point lower than risk-standardized readmission rates for practices engaging in none of the activities. Primary care practices that engaged in more readmission reduction activities had lower readmission rates. These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that engaging in multiple activities, rather than any single activity, is associated with decreased readmissions.
Injectable Nanoporous Microgels Generate Vascularized Constructs and Support Bone Regeneration in Critical-sized Defects

Large and aberrant bone fractures require ossification and concomitant vascularization for proper healing. Evidence indicates that osteogenesis and vessel growth are coupled in bone fractures. Although the synergistic role of endothelial cells has been recognized, vascularizing large bone grafts remains a challenge and has apprehended the clinical translation of engineered bone constructs. Here, we describe a facile method to fabricate vascularized constructs using chitosan and gelatin-based microgels that promote osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) while supporting endothelial sprouting and network formation. The microgels are enzymatically degradable and had a high hydration rate with a volume swelling ratio of ≈560% and a polymer density of ≈430 mg/cm3, which is comparable to that of native skeletal tissues. AFM indentation of the surface showed an average Youngs modulus of 189 kPa falling in a range that is conducive to both osteogenesis and vasculogenesis. The osteogenic microgel containing chitosan, gelatin, and hydroxyapatite, mimicking the bone matrix, supported robust attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of MSC. On the other hand, the vasculogenic microgels containing only gelatin, enriched endothelial phenotype and enabled vascular networks formation when embedded in 3D matrices. Combining the two types of microgels created a hybrid construct that sustained the functions of both osteogenic and vasculogenic microgels and enhanced one another in some instances. Using a murine model, we also show that the osteogenic microgels regenerate bone in a critical-sized defect with ~65% defect closure by week 12. These multifunctional microgels can be administered minimally invasively and can conformally fill large bone defects. This work lays the foundation to establish principles of designing multiphasic scaffolds with tissue-specific biophysical and biochemical properties for regenerating vascularized and interfacial tissues.
Adenoviral and Transgenic Approaches for the Conditional Deletion of Genes from Mammary Tissue

Over the past decade the tools of gene targeting have permitted an unparalleled insight into genetic pathways that control mammary development and tumorigenesis in the mouse. However, the role of many genes in development and disease remains elusive, since their deletion from the mouse genome is either lethal for the mouse or does not mimic human disease progression. Thus, targeting gene deletions or modifications precisely to mammary epithelial cells during distinct time windows is a promising approach to establish high-fidelity mouse models for the study of development and disease.
The Effect of Sputtering on Stress Distributions in Plasma-Facing Components

Stress histories in bonded duplex structures subject to creep and surface erosion are explored using the finite element method. Erosion is simulated by reducing the elastic modulus of the appropria...
Condensed thymine films at the mercury/water interface: Part IV. Stochastic measurements

Abstract The rate of growth of condensed thymine films has been measured in single-nucleation experiments as a function of electrode potential. Although the nucleation is clearly stochastic, direct stochastic measurements of its rate have proven to be elusive.
Chapter 6 Crosstalk Between Growth Hormone and Insulin Signaling

Abstract Growth Hormone (GH) is a major growth‐promoting and metabolic regulatory hormone. Interaction of GH with its cell surface GH receptor (GHR) causes activation of the GHR‐associated cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase, JAK2, and activation of several signaling pathways, including the STATs, ERK1/2, and PI3K pathways. Insulin is also a key hormone regulating metabolism and growth. Insulin binding to the insulin receptor (IR) results in phosphorylation/activation of the IR, and activates the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways. Due to their important roles in growth and metabolism, GH and insulin can functionally interact with each other, regulating cellular metabolism. In addition, recent data suggests that GH and insulin can directly interact by signaling crosstalk. Insulin regulation of GH signaling depends on the duration of exposure to insulin. Transient insulin exposure enhances GH‐induced activation of MEK/ERK pathway through post‐GHR mechanisms, whereas prolonged insulin exposure inhibits GH‐induced signaling at both receptor and postreceptor levels. Chronic excessive GH interferes with insulin's activation of the IR/IRS/PI3K pathway and several proteins are involved in the mechanisms underlying GH‐induced insulin resistance.
Generating Surface Models of Population Using Dasymetric Mapping

Abstract Aggregated demographic datasets are associated with analytical and cartographic problems due to the arbitrary nature of areal unit partitioning. This article describes a methodology for generating a surface-based representation of population that mitigates these problems. This methodology uses dasymetric mapping and incorporates areal weighting and empirical sampling techniques to assess the relationship between categorical ancillary data and population distribution. As a demonstration, a 100-meter-resolution population surface is generated from U.S. Census block group data for the southeast Pennsylvania region. Remote-sensing-derived urban land-cover data serve as ancillary data in the dasymetric mapping. ∗The author would like to thank Cory Eicher and Alan MacEacren for many helpful conversations regarding dasymetric mapping and Barbara Buttenfield for her constructive comments on a previous draft of this article.
The Legitimacy of the United States Supreme Court in a Polarized Polity

Conventional political science wisdom holds that contemporary American politics is characterized by deep and profound partisan and ideological divisions. Unanswered is the question of whether those divisions have spilled over into threats to the legitimacy of the United States Supreme Court. Since the Court is often intimately involved in making policy in many policy areas that divide Americans, including the contested 2000 presidential election, it is reasonable to hypothesize that loyalty toward the institution depends upon policy and/or ideological agreement and partisanship. Using data stretching from 1987 through 2005, the analysis reveals that Court support has not declined. Nor is it connected to partisan and ideological identifications. Instead, support is embedded within a larger set of relatively stable democratic values. Institutional legitimacy may not be obdurate, but it does not seem to be caught up in the divisiveness that characterizes so much of American politics - at least not at present.
Investigating programmable floating-gate digital-to-analog converter as single element or element arrays

This approach analogous to the classical scaled transistor DAC techniques, where we scale our transistors by programming each transistor's floating-gate charge instead of adjusting W/L ratios. The programable DAC allows great accuracy by eliminating any device mismatch that would otherwise impact a DACs performance. We investigate the feasibility of this approach by making experimental measurements from fabricated floating-gate DAC circuits. The resulting structure requires minimal IC area, since it only uses a minimum or nearly minimum size transistor and a capacitor per bit of resolution.
Reflections of a Former Dean

This short essay, solicited by Aspatore Books for inclusion in the book Law School Leadership Strategies, recaps some of my thoughts on leaving the deanship after eight years as a dean. Aspatore put the chapter together based on questions that it asked me.
The medium/the message: corporal punishment, an empirical critique.

Before formally responding to Dr Graziano9s article, it seems prudent to familiarize the reader with certain contextual elements pertinent to the conference, Dr Graziano9s paper, and my critique. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) invited a group of nationally known researchers and scholars to take an objective look at the empirical literature on the short- and long-term consequences of corporal punishment. Both the invitation to attend and the preconference materials made it clear that the conference was dedicated to objectivity, rather than an emotional debate. Consequently, any conclusions coming out of the conference were to be data-driven. Although such a commitment to empiricism is a commendable value, many reasonable professionals also hold the opinion that culture and experience shape the realities that individuals both perceive and attend to. All the reviews of the relevant literature on discipline and corporal punishment are shaped by the experiential and cultural baggage of the reviewers. The present author is not excepted. Although personal musings are not often instructive in scholarly discourse, if the reader will bear with me, I would like to share a brief bit of personal experience and cultural background that may provide additional context for considering Dr Graziano9s article, my critique, and the conference in question. In graduate school I was profoundly impacted by reading a philosophy of science book by Thomas S. Kuhn called The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962).1 Succinctly, it is Kuhn9s thesis that science does not progress in the logical positivistic manner that we usually talk about.
Effects of Spinal Cord Asphyxiation

Publisher Summary Asphyxiation of the spinal cord arrests reflex activity and produces potential and impedance changes within minutes. These changes are readily reversible on reoxygenation of the tissue. Longer periods of asphyxiation cause death of nerve cells resulting in permanent functional alterations. The effects of asphyxiation on the spinal cord are divided in acute and chronic ones. Acute asphyxiation of the spinal cord causes negativity of the gray matter with respect to an indifferent electrode. The latency of these changes is quite short (about 10 seconds) and they are quickly reversible on reoxygenation of the cord. The impedance change is caused by the transport of electrolytes from an extracellular space into cellular elements of the cord. The transport is caused by an increase in ion permeability of the cellular membrane; creating Donnan forces responsible for the electrolyte movements. The increased ion permeability of the dendritic membrane, which results in the depolarization of the cellular elements involved, may also account for the asphyxia1 potential.
“Pro Peccatis Patrum Puniri”: A Moral and Legal Problem of the Inquisition

The first letter in Pope Innocent III's register of his second year was Vergentis in senium, a letter which he sent to the city of Viterbo in March, 1199. The decretal reflected Innocent's growing concern with heresy in the papal states and established new and more stringent penalties for those who rejected or subverted the Christian faith. In Vergentis, perhaps following the Roman lawyer Placentinus, Innocent imposed the traditional spiritual punishment of excommunication on heretics, equated heresy with lese majesty, and applied to convicted heretics the sanctions for treason in Roman law: complete confiscation of goods, even disinheriting innocent children. The punishment was fitting, Innocent observed, because a heretic injured celestial majesty, a crime far more heinous than any offense committed against temporal authority. Since the heretics in Viterbo continued to demand his attention later in his pontificate, we do not know how effective Innocent's decree was, but Vergentis did establish a precedent for papal action throughout Christendom. In order to root out all vestiges of heresy, Innocent extended the provisions of the decretal from the heretics themselves to their “supporters, defenders, and harborers.” The decretal marked the first firm step of his increasingly grim policy to use all of the resources of the church to extirpate heresy from Christian lands. The step from Viterbo to the Albigensian crusade was a short one. And, since heresy was an ecclesiastical crime, both laymen and clerics who were accused of heresy had their cases heard in ecclesiastical courts, giving lawyers another item to add to the list of cases in which the pope could exercise jurisdiction in the secular world.