cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk and outcomes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia among patients admitted with and without MRSA nares colonization

Background The risk of nosocomial methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in patients with nasal colonization on admission is 3-fold higher than in patients who are not colonized. Limited data on this question have been reported for methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA). Methods This is an observational cohort study of patients admitted to a tertiary care medical center from October 1, 2007-September 30, 2013, who underwent active screening for nasal colonization with MRSA . Results There were 29,371 patients who underwent screening for nasal MRSA colonization; 3,262 (11%) were colonized with MRSA. There were 32 cases of MRSA bacteremia among colonized patients, for an incidence of 1%. Thirteen cases of bacteremia occurred in non–MRSA-colonized patients, for an incidence of 0.05%. The odds of developing MRSA bacteremia for patients who were nasally colonized with MRSA compared with those who were not colonized were 19.89. There was no difference between colonized and noncolonized subjects with bacteremia in all-cause mortality at 30 days or 1 year. Conclusions In a setting with active screening for MRSA, the risk of MRSA bacteremia is 19.89-fold higher among colonized than noncolonized patients.
The Differentiation of the Paratyphoid Enteritidis GroupIX. Strains From Various Mammalian Hosts

Bacteria of this group have been reported most frequently in connection with human and with porcine infections, but more or less specialized members of the group are also associated with certain pathologic conditions in other mammals. Infectious abortion of mares, a similar disease of guinea-pigs, "pseudotuberculosis" of guinea-pigs, septicemia and infectious diarrhea of calves and mouse typhoid are among the more definitely described mammalian paratyphoid infections. A number of epidemics of diarrheal diseases in white rats 1 and in rabbits 2 have also been reported. Equine Strains.?Organisms of the paratyphoid enteritidis group occurring in outbreaks of abortion in mares were apparently first described by Theobald Smith in 1893 (Pennsylvania) and later by Lignieres (France and Argentine, 1897), Good (Kentucky, 1911), van Heelsbergen and de Jong (Holland, 1912-1914), Meyer and Boerner, (Pennsylvania, 1913), Schofield (Canada, 1914), Murray (Iowa, 1919), Kii, Sato, Nakamura, Taguchi (Japan, 1923), and others.3 These organisms are substantially identical according to most observers.4 The name B. abortivus equinus (later corrected to B. abortivo-equinus) was given to this bacillus by Good and Corbett (April 26, 1913),5 and appears to have priority, although the name B. abortusequi (properly abortusequi) proposed by Meyer and Boerner (July 18, 1913),6 about the same time has come into more general use. The equine type is not recognized as a distinct member of the group by Winslow, Kligler and Rothberg in
Survey of the infectious status of Clonorchis sinensis in urban population of Nanning City

Objective To understand the infectious status of Clonorchis sinensis in urban population of Nanning City. Methods Sera and stool samples were collected from the clinic patients and from field surveys in the communities. Indirect ELISA was used for detecting the specific antibody in sera while the modified formalin - ether sedimentation technique was applied for examining helminth eggs from feces. Results The infection rate of Clonorchis sinensis in 1 388 persons from the urban area in Nanning was 45.68%. The infection rate in the male was 53.01 %.which is higher than that in the female (24.58%). The infection rate in the age groups of below 30 years old increased with increase of age. The infection rates varied in different occupations, being highest in private laborers (72.31%) and followed by workers (60.77%) and the infection rate was the lowest in students (1.99%). The infection rate in outpatients was 61.66%, significantly higher than that of the population in the community. The infection rates in persons with, without and unknown history of eating raw fish were 58.83% 、1.88% and 32.77% showing significant difference. No significant differences were observed between ELISA and Formaline ether sedimentation technique in detection of the infection. Conclusion Clonorchiasis is highly endemic and is now the major parasitic disease in Nanning City. Thus effective control measures be taken.
Radiosurgery for Spinal Intramedullary Arteriovenous Malformations: A Literature Review.

Introduction Intramedullary spinal cord arteriovenous malformations (SCAVMs) comprise only 3 to 4% of spinal cord pathologies and are often not amenable to total resection due to extensive involvement with spinal cord parenchyma and multiple arterial feeding vessels. Methods A electronic database search from 1966 to February 28, 2014, was conducted for relevant articles using the keywords and Medical Subject Headings strings spinal arteriovenous malformation, spinal radiosurgery, spinal vascular malformation, and radiosurgery for vascular lesions. Target outcomes measures were nidus obliteration, neurologic improvement, and complication rate. Results Four retrospective articles containing a total of 30 patients were identified that described patients with SCAVMs presenting with symptomatic intramedullary or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Eighteen patients underwent treatment with CyberKnife with dosages ranging from 21 to 40 Gy (or a maximum biological equivalent dose of 58 Gy for early treatment effect) (Accuray, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, United States), 10 with a linear accelerator and real-time respiratory tracking ranging from 32 to 40 Gy, and 2 patients with external-beam radiotherapy receiving 45 Gy and 50 Gy, respectively. The mean time for clinical follow-up was 43.5 months (range: 27.9–60 months). There were no cases of spinal cord hemorrhage after radiosurgery. Nor were there any cases of neurologic worsening or signs and symptoms of neuropathic pain or myelitis. A total of 29 of the 30 patients obtained follow-up.
Progression of Poly-tobacco Product Use Patterns in Adolescents

Introduction Diverse patterns of adolescent use and poly-use of tobacco products other than conventional cigarettes are emerging. Data characterizing common patterns of youth tobacco product use and typical transitions among patterns may inform tobacco control policy and prevention. This study identified common patterns of use and poly-use of five popular tobacco products (i.e., conventional cigarettes, electronic [e-]cigarettes, hookah, blunts, and cigars) and progression among patterns across time among ninth-graders using latent transition analysis (analyses conducted in 2015). Methods Data were from a longitudinal cohort study of ninth-grade students enrolled in ten public high schools in California (N=3,304; 46.6% male; 48.3% Hispanic; mean age, 14.58 [SD=0.40] years), involving a baseline (2013) and 6-month follow-up (2014). Past 6–month any use of the five tobacco products was assessed. Results Poly-use (two or more products) constituted 42% and 50% of tobacco-using teens at baseline and follow-up, respectively. Three common patterns were identified, which reflected successfully greater degrees of low, intermediate, and high diversity of tobacco product use: non-users (baseline prevalence, 0.75; follow-up prevalence, 0.64); e-cigarette/hookah users only (prevalence, 0.21, 0.27); and poly-tobacco product users of all five products (prevalence, 0.04, 0.09). Most typical transitions involved progressing to the next more diverse pattern (non-user→e-cigarette/hookah user [probability=0.13] and e-cigarette/hookah user→poly-tobacco product user [probability=0.19]). Transition from one of the user patterns to non-user status was rare (probability≤0.08). Conclusions Adolescent poly-tobacco use is common. E-cigarette and hookah use may reflect an intermediate pattern of tobacco product use progression along a continuum of poly-product use diversity.
Conductivity Anisotropy in Shale-Free Sandstone

The existence of conductivity anisotropy has implications for formation evaluations using Archie's model for relating formation water saturation to formation resistivity. Bulk anisotropy of sedimentary rocks can arise from the interleaving of rock units having differing electrical properties. For special core analysis, whole core is often selectively plugged in attempting to obtain homogeneous samples in the supposition that measurements taken on homogeneous samples will yield values representing typical reservoir properties. It is an article of faith that heterogeneous rocks composited from components similar to the homogeneous samples will exhibit physical properties predictably intermediate between the properties of the homogeneous samples. This is a reasonable belief that is demonstrably true for certain scalar parameters of the formation, for example porosity. Unfortunately, the direction-dependent properties of the formation do not behave in this intuitive manner. For example, we examine a two-component layered model sandstone for which the values of Archie's porosity exponent m and saturation exponent n for the composite rock have values that are very different from those of the individual components. The exact values of m and n for composite rocks depend not only upon their values of the constituent components but also upon the relative volume fractions of the components, and the orientation at which the conductivity measurements are made. Estimates of m and n in layered rocks based on simple averaging are incorrect. The theoretical results are supported by the general variability in the resistivities of samples having similar porosities in the experiment that determines m, manifest as the commonly observed scatter in the formation resistivity factor-porosity plots, and as anomalously low values of saturation exponents (n 1) often observed in aeolian sand-stones. Neglecting the existence of these effects (as has been, and is still, done) must result in a false sense of the accuracy of formation evaluations, as well as an unwarranted lack of confidence in results from the laboratory when they are in conflict with naive preconceptions of how formation properties should behave in the aggregate. A theoretical understanding of this issue must, at a minimum, improve estimates of uncertainty in formation evaluations. There is a definite (but as yet unrealized) promise that these effects can be accounted for and properly weighted in formation evaluations based upon triaxial induction logging instrument responses.
Response of Biological Systems to Low Doses of Ionizing Radiation

Radiation is ubiquitous in the environment. Biological effects of exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation are subjected to several modulating factors. Two of these, bystander response and adaptive protections, are discussed briefly.
The paradox of phone attachment

Accurate evaluation of people's attachment to phones is crucial to understanding the impact of phone use in everyday life. The Young Adult Attachment to Phone Scale (YAPS) is a concise instrument, representing the first multi-dimensional measure of phone attachment. After item development involving focus groups with young adults and content validity analysis from attachment experts, a preliminary version of the YAPS was administered to 955 participants ages 1829. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 2-dimension structure: Refuge, characterized by feeling safe with the phone and uncomfortable upon separation; and Burden, characterized by relief upon separation from the phone and the perception that it diminishes enjoyment of a given moment. Findings reflect the strong psychometric properties of the YAPS, including reliability, factorial validity and criterion validity with relevant constructs. The YAPS appears promising for future research aimed at understanding the nature of attachment to phones in human behavior. Paradoxical attachment to phones might manifest as attachment anxiety and avoidance.Attachment to Phone Scale (APS) is proposed as a short, concise instrument.Refuge factor corresponds to attachment anxiety, Burden to attachment avoidance.Refuge involves feeling safe with the phone and uncomfortable upon separation.Burden involves feeling pressured by phone and relief upon separation from it.
EFFECT OF CRUDE OIL ON TROUT REPRODUCTION

Abstract Prudhoe Bay crude oil was incorporated into the diet (1 g oil/kg food) of adult rainbow trout during sexual maturation to assess the effects of long-term petroleum exposure on salmonid fish reproductive success. Parallel control fish received identical rations, except without added petroleum. When the fish reached maturity, six to seven months after initiation of petroleum exposure, a total of 31 test and 10 control crosses were made. Mean survival through hatching was 86% and 90% for test and control eggs, respectively; the difference was non-significant (P = 0.10). Test and control males were virtually identical in fertility. Mean survival from hatching to swim-up fry stage of development was 76% for test and 91% for control fish; again the difference was not significant (P = 0.10). In addition, no gross morphological or histological abnormalities were observed in offspring of petroleum-fed fish. The results of these studies were, therefore, that there was no significant impairment of reproductive success detected from this type of dietary exposure to petroleum.
So How Does Someone Become a Redemptive Manager

This chapter summarizes all of the results of the six findings while also providing recommendations for managers who are interested in acting redemptively on behalf of their workers. There is an inspirational quality to these successful redemption stories. But it takes managers with empathy and courage to do this in the lives of those seemingly troubled and irresponsible employees who work for them. Managers and organizations must realize that all people are fallible and not perfect; all employees need training and nurturing and sometimes directive actions by the manager in order to be successful. This chapter contains a series of ideas for integrating a redemptive approach to management based on each of the individual findings from the research.
Polypharmacotherapy in Institutionalized Epileptic Children

An attempt to minimize polypharmacotherapy, to discontinue the use of phenobarbital, and to assess the relation between drug levels and antiepileptic effect in institutionalized severely retarded children is reported from the Department of Pediatrics, St.
Electromagnetic Formation Flight System Design

Electromagnetic Formation Flight (EMFF) is a proposed method of actuating multiple spacecraft in relative degrees of freedom using electromagnetic forces and reaction wheels. The electromagnetic dipole is created by running current through high temperature superconducting wire. One of the challenges of EMFF is maintaining the cold temperatures necessary for superconducting. The current thermal design uses cryogenic coolers and multilayer insulation. This paper investigates models of the thermal design developed in Matlab and Sinda. The temperature distribution is simulated first using a simplistic 1-D model and then a 3-D model for the coil. The discrete solution procedure involves differencing Laplace’s equations and includes the effects of a material with anisotropic thermal conductivity and multiple layers of insulating material. These results are then compared to experimental data, which are conducted using a copper test article in a vacuum chamber. Work done on the Matlab model to match the experimental environment includes modeling the free-molecular flow and accounting for the variation of parameters as a function of temperature. The Matlab model, Sinda and experimental results correlate well ensuring that the EMFF thermal design will operate successful on a satellite.
L- and C-band airframe shadowing measurements and statistics for a medium-sized aircraft

Airspaces worldwide are becoming more heavily used. This includes the use of unmanned aircraft systems, which is rapidly growing. In order to ensure reliable communication for aircraft, the air-ground channel must be accurately characterized. A significant channel impairment that has not been thoroughly studied is airframe shadowing-obstruction of the line-of-sight signal by the aircraft itself. In this paper, we report on measured results for this shadowing phenomenon in two frequency bands, for a medium-sized aircraft. We present results for two example shadowing events in terms of shadowing depth and duration, and provide distributions of shadowing depth and duration for our entire data set. We show that for both bands, airframe shadowing can be more than 30 dB, and can last for tens of seconds.
Существует ли реальная альтернатива всеобщей избирательной привилегии?Балтийский путь 1992 из ловушки (Is the Taxpayers' Democracy Still Feasible Option? 1992 Experience of Escape from Universal Suffrage)

Russian Abstract: Негативные последствия всеобщей избирательной привилегии ("права") особенно опасны для молодой демократии. На них закрывают глаза не в последнюю очереди в силу убеждения, что любые реально достижимые альтернативы (диктатуры) – намного хуже. Эстония и Латвия в 1990-х годах ввели цензы, не получив никаких заметных негативных эффектов. Эти цензовые ограничения открыли окна возможностей для проведения экономических реформ. Их опыт доказывает принципиальную возможность выхода из ловушки всеобщей избирательной привилегии. English Abstract: Consequences of Universal Suffrage are especially dangerous for new-born Democracy. These consequences are generally ignored because of belief, all feasible alternatives (authoritarian regimes) are even worse. Estonia and Latvia 1990-ties experience of franchise restriction (census imposed) created political opportunities for sound economic policies and not caused detectable negative political outcomes. This experience proves, escape from Universal Suffrage is still feasible option.
Magnetic resonance elastography can monitor changes in medullary stiffness in response to treatment in the swine ischemic kidney

Low-energy shockwave (SW) therapy attenuates damage in the stenotic kidney (STK) caused by atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS). We hypothesized that magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) would detect attenuation of fibrosis following SW in unilateral ARAS kidneys. Domestic pigs were randomized to control, unilateral ARAS, and ARAS treated with 6 sessions of SW over 3 consecutive weeks (n = 7 each) starting after 3 weeks of ARAS or sham. Four weeks after SW treatment, renal fibrosis was evaluated with MRE in vivo or trichrome staining ex vivo. Blood pressure, single-kidney renal-blood-flow (RBF) and glomerular-filtration-rate (GFR) were assessed. MRE detected increased stiffness in the STK medulla (15.3 ± 2.1 vs. 10.1 ± 0.8 kPa, p < 0.05) that moderately correlated with severity of fibrosis (R2 = 0.501, p < 0.01), but did not identify mild STK cortical or contralateral kidney fibrosis. Trichrome staining showed that medullary fibrosis was increased in ARAS and alleviated by SW (10.4 ± 1.8% vs. 2.9 ± 0.2%, p < 0.01). SW slightly decreased blood pressure and normalized STK RBF and GFR in ARAS. In the contralateral kidney, SW reversed the increase in RBF and GFR. MRE might be a tool for noninvasive monitoring of medullary fibrosis in response to treatment in kidney disease.
Measures of Success: Exploring Student Approaches to Learning Public Health:

The goal of public health education consists of equipping competent future public health professionals with the skills necessary to effectively convert knowledge to meet current and future public h...
Sliding mode control of a shape memory alloy actuated active flexible needle

In medical interventional procedures such as brachytherapy, biopsy and radio-frequency ablation, precise tracking through the preplanned desired trajectory is very essential. This important requirement is critical due to two major reasons: anatomical obstacle avoidance and accurate targeting for avoiding undesired radioactive dose exposure or damage to neighboring tissue and critical organs. Therefore, a precise control of the needling device in the unstructured environment in the presence of external disturbance is required to achieve accurate target reaching in clinical applications. In this paper, a shape memory alloy actuated active flexible needle controlled by an adaptive sliding mode controller is presented. The trajectory tracking performance of the needle is tested while having its actual movement in an artificial tissue phantom by giving various input reference trajectories such as multi-step and sinusoidal. Performance of the adaptive sliding mode controller is compared with that of the proportional, integral and derivative controller and is proved to be the effective method in the presence of the external disturbances.
An eye gaze model for seismic interpretation support

Designing systems to offer support to experts during cognitive intensive tasks at the right time is still a challenging endeavor, despite years of research progress in the area. This paper proposes a gaze model based on eye tracking empirical data to identify when a system should proactively interact with the expert during visual inspection tasks. The gaze model derives from the analyses of a user study where 11 seismic interpreters were asked to perform the visual inspection task of seismic images from known and unknown basins. The eye tracking fixation patterns were triangulated with pupil dilations and thinking-aloud data. Results show that cumulative saccadic distances allow identifying when additional information could be offered to support seismic interpreters, changing the visual search behavior from exploratory to goal-directed.
Aldonic and Uronic Acids

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the function of aldonic and uronic acids. These are intermediates in carbohydrate oxidation and function in the biosynthesis of cellular constituents, and these play a vital role in mammals. According to a recent discovery, uronic acid was found to be an antecedent of L-ascorbic acid in those animals that are capable of producing the vitamin and of L-xylulose, the characteristic urinary sugar in the human genetic disorder essential pentosuria. In studies on a urinary inhibitor of β-glucuronidase, D-glucaric acid was identified and its lactone in urine, and it was demonstrated that the excretion of this saccharic acid is increased by the feeding of D-glucuronolactone. The quantitative significance of this pathway for the disposition of D-glucuronic acid is probably very small.
Performance Improvement with a Hybrid FOCUS-PDCA Methodology

Article-at-a-Glance Background In 1995 a team of three members of the quality improvement (QI) department at Hardin Memorial Hospital, Elizabethtown, Kentucky, constructed a unified, simple system of tools and activities drawing on the foundation of FOCUS-PDCA and integrating it with the Joint Commission Improving Organizational Performance (IOP) function and language. Method The team developed documentation tools and educational activities to support each part of the cycle for improving performance: plan—a planning workshop; design—a hybrid FOCUS-PDCA model; measure and assess—a three-part indicator workshop; and measure, assess, and improve—a redesigned QI report form. To document the entire cycle, the team developed an IOP Notebook and a workshop introducing it. Requirements for process design were established based on the standards. Next, the C phase, traditionally interpreted to clarify the current process by flowcharting, was broadened to include internal and external clarification of the process. Appendix—Using the FOCUS-PDCA hybrid to redesign an antibiogram The hybrid model's hallmark is its flexibility in supporting projects where the need for redesign over improvement is not clear at the outset. In a year-long study in 1995, a "Critter Ridder" Team at Hardin Memorial Hospital used the model to design an innovative antibiogram. In the C phase, customer input was gathered from physicians and a literature search was conducted to identify other antibiogram formats. The team constructed the antibiogram to meet key quality characteristics—accessibility, information, accuracy, timeliness, and layout. Documentation on the IOP Notebook templates demonstrates the team's implementation of the performance improvement standards in its design.
THE EFFECTS OF NAPPING ON NIGHT SHIFT PERFORMANCE

This study examines how napping affects the performance of night shift air traffic controllers. The performance, mood, sleep quality and sleepiness as a function of napping and time on task during a midnight shift were studied. Sixty air traffic controllers were randomly assigned to a midnight shift napping condition: a long nap of 2 hours, a short nap of 45 minutes or no nap. The subjects worked 3 early morning shifts and rapidly rotated to the midnight shift. During the midnight shift, three test sessions (1 before, 2 after the nap) involving two computer-based tasks were completed. The tasks were the air traffic scenarios test (ATST) and the Bakan vigilance test. In the Bakan test, the long nap was found to be superior, but both nap conditions resulted in better performance. The ATST was found to be less sensitive to differences in napping and to the natural circadian trough. Implications are discussed.
Phylogeny of the climber genus Haumania (Marantaceae) endemic to the tropical lowland rainforest in Central Africa.

The genus Haumania (Marantaceae) consists of three described species of perennial climbers endemic to the tropical lowland rainforest in Central Africa. To unravel their phylogenetic relationship to each other, we used variation among DNA sequences of two nuclear ribosomal (nr) and four plastid (p) markers in five to seven accessions per species sampled across their respective distribution range. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses were applied. All datasets and analyses corroborated the monophyly of the genus. Within the genus, individuals of the species H. danckelmaniana and H. leonardiana were each monophyletic. Individuals of H. liebrechtsiana, however, were paraphyletic. They clustered into two distinct geographic clades (Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo), with the Gabonese clade being most closely related to the individuals of H. danckelmaniana. The latter might be due to introgression in areas of distributional overlap between these two species, as shown in earlier phylogeographic studies. A recent hybridisation event between H. danckelmaniana and H. liebrechtsiana is documented here in a single individual by incongruence in the nr and p dataset. Overall, the study provides support for H. leonardiana being sister to all other species of this genus. To confirm the absence of hybridisation in H. leonardiana further sampling is proposed in the respective areas of distributional overlap with its sister species.
Harmonic analysis of ferroelectric polarization dynamics simulated by a second-order Landau model

By using a second-order time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau model, we simulate the polarization hysteresis behavior of a ferroelectric system subjected to a sinusoidal electric field. We examine polariz...
Full-Scale Performance Evaluations of Innovative and Manufactured Sediment Barrier Practices:

Sediment barriers (SB) are devices typically installed along the perimeters of construction sites to intercept, capture, and contain pollutant discharge. Effective SBs minimize sediment transportat...
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms as Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline in Clinically Normal Older Adults: The Cache County Study.

ABSTRACT Introduction There has been considerable progress in identifying early cognitive and biomarker predictors of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in AD and appear to predict progression after the onset of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Objectives The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between NPS in clinically normal older adults and subsequent cognitive decline in a population-based sample. Methods The Cache County Study on Memory in Aging consists of a population-based sample of 5,092 older adults. We identified 470 clinically normal adults who were followed for an average period of 5.73 years. NPS were evaluated at the baseline clinical assessment using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). NPI domain scores were quantified as the product of frequency X severity in individual NPI domains, and then summed for the NPI-Total. Neuropsychological measures were collected at baseline and at each subsequent follow-up wave. Linear mixed-effects models assessed the association of NPI-Total, NPI-Depression, and NPI-Anxiety scores (obtained at baseline) on longitudinal change in neuropsychological performance, controlling for age, sex, and education. Results Baseline NPI-Total score was associated with a more rapid rate of decline in word list memory, praxis recall, and animal fluency. Baseline NPI-Depression was not associated with later decline on any of the cognitive tests, while baseline NPI-Anxiety was associated with decline in Symbol Digit Modality. Conclusion In conclusion, among clinically normal older adults derived from this population-based study, total burden of NPS was associated with longitudinal cognitive decline. These results add to the evidence that NPS are risk factors for or clinical indicators of preclinical dementia syndrome. Our study was an exploratory study and we did not control for multiple comparisons.
Radiation Hardened High Speed Digitizer

Los Alamos National Laboratory has designed and demonstrated a space-flight quality digitizer board with a CompactPCI interface in the popular 6U form factor. The digitizer board is designed to meet the requirements of missions requiring true space-grade radiation tolerance in geosynchronous orbits. It has four 12-bit input channels, four 8-bit input channels, and can digitize input waveforms at speeds up to 2 giga samples per second. It has a reconfigurable radiation tolerant FPGA for on-orbit waveform processing and a 20 Mbyte memory for waveform storage. This module can capture data from sensors in space and analyze that data on-orbit before sending the resulting information back to Earth. This capability enables high-speed waveforms to be collected in space and analyzed in real-time. Immediate applications include direct conversion software defined radio receivers, radars, transient waveform recorders, and other space-based high fidelity data-capture and analysis applications.
In Vitro Visualization of Ultrasonic Wave Fronts Interacting with Heel Bones Using Refracto-Vibrometry

Ultrasonic measurements of the heel bone (calcaneus) are used commonly for osteoporosis screening. Pulses emitted by an ultrasound transducer are incident on the calcaneus, and the transmitted wave fronts are detected with a separate transducer. In the current study, full field videos were obtained using refracto-vibrometry of ultrasonic pulses interacting human calcaneus samples in an in vitro environment. Pulses were emitted by a 500 kHz Panametrics V303 transducer. The measurement beam from a Polytec PSV-400 scanning laser Doppler vibrometer laser was directed through a water tank towards a stationary retroreflective surface. Acoustic wave fronts (density variations) which pass through the measurement laser cause variations in the integrated optical path length. The time-varying signals detected by the vibrometer at numerous scan points were used to determine the time evolution of ultrasonic wave fronts. The resulting videos enable visualization of the propagating wave fronts and the backscattered and transmitted wave fronts. These videos enable direct investigation of wave front distortion due to reflection, refraction and diffraction effectsUltrasonic measurements of the heel bone (calcaneus) are used commonly for osteoporosis screening. Pulses emitted by an ultrasound transducer are incident on the calcaneus, and the transmitted wave fronts are detected with a separate transducer. In the current study, full field videos were obtained using refracto-vibrometry of ultrasonic pulses interacting human calcaneus samples in an in vitro environment. Pulses were emitted by a 500 kHz Panametrics V303 transducer. The measurement beam from a Polytec PSV-400 scanning laser Doppler vibrometer laser was directed through a water tank towards a stationary retroreflective surface. Acoustic wave fronts (density variations) which pass through the measurement laser cause variations in the integrated optical path length. The time-varying signals detected by the vibrometer at numerous scan points were used to determine the time evolution of ultrasonic wave fronts. The resulting videos enable visualization of the propagating wave fronts and the backscattered and ...
New anti-angiogenesis agents: review of the clinical experience with carboxyamido-triazole (CAI), thalidomide, TNP-470 and interleukin-12.

Angiogenesis was postulated to be a critical prognostic factor and therapeutic focus for malignancy more than two decades ago. Recent studies indicate quantitative assessments of microvessel count to be an independent prognostic variable for disease-free and overall survival in a wide variety of tumors, and that angiogenesis may be a feasible target against which to intervene pharmacologically. Several new and old agents have been found to have anti-angiogenic activity and have reached clinical trial. This review will focus on four agents under investigation in the US: carboxyamido-triazole (CAI), thalidomide, TNP-470 and interleukin (IL)-12. CAI, originally identified for its anti-invasive capacity, has been shown to inhibit tumor and endothelial cell proliferation by inhibition of calcium uptake. It is administered orally, is generally well tolerated, and has been shown to induce disease stabilization and occasional reductions in tumor mass. Thalidomide was shown to inhibit growth factor-induced neovessel formation, a process that can also explain its earlier devastating clinical toxicity. It is administered orally, and is currently in phase II clinical trials for prostate cancer, glioblastoma multiforme and breast cancer. TNP-470 is a fumagillin analog that has been shown in in vivo models to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis at concentrations that are cytostatic to endothelial cells and tumor cells. Lastly, IL-12 may exert its anti-angiogenic effects through activation of interferon-γ to up-regulate interferon-inducible protein-10, an anti-angiogenic cytokine. Phase I clinical trials of IL-12 have shown disease stabilization in several tumor types in response to s.c. administration or using genetically engineered IL-12-expressing patient fibroblasts. These promising new agents join the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors as important new drugs in the anti-cancer armamentarium.
Using Web-Based GIS to Assess Students' Geospatial Knowledge of Hurricanes and Spatial Habits of Mind.

Geospatial weather data is readily available to learners. However, the interpretation and understanding of this data requires the utilization of geospatial thinking skills. This study examined the ...
Thresholds in feminist geography: Difference, methodology, representation: JOHN Paul JONES III, HEIDI J. NAST & SUSAN M. ROBERTS (eds), 1997 lanham, MD & oxford, rowman and littlefield 428 pp., £85.00/US$132.00 hardback, £23.95/US$34.95 eBook ISBN 978-0-8476-8436-6 hardback, 978-1-4616-4622-8 eBook

Thresholds in Feminist Geography is a vital tool for understanding some of the key themes and trends in the field in the late twentieth century. The edited volume, organized and compiled by John Pa...
Combination Treatment with Antigen-Specific Dual-Sized Microparticle System Plus Anti-CD3 Immunotherapy Fails to Synergize to Improve Late-Stage Type 1 Diabetes Prevention in Nonobese Diabetic Mice

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathophysiology, while incompletely understood, has in part been attributed to aberrant presentation of self-antigen plus proinflammatory costimulation by professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Therapies targeting dendritic cells (DCs) offer an avenue to restore antigen-specific tolerance by promoting presentation of self-antigen in an anti-inflammatory or suppressive context. Here, we describe a subcutaneously administered, dual-sized biodegradable microparticle (MP) platform that includes phagocytosable (∼1 μm) and nonphagocytosable (∼30 μm) MPs to deliver pro-tolerogenic factors both intra- and extracellularly, as well as the T1D-associated autoantigen, insulin, to DCs for amelioration of autoimmunity. This MP platform resulted in increased recruitment of DCs, suppressive skewing of DC phenotype with diminished expression of CD86 and MHC-II, increased regulatory T cell (Treg) frequency, and upregulated expression of the checkpoint inhibitor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) on T cells. When administered concomitantly with anti-CD3 antibody, which provides transient T cell depletion while preserving Treg populations, in 12-week-old nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, regulatory immune populations persisted out to 20 weeks of age; however, combination anti-CD3 and dual-sized MP (dMP) therapy failed to synergistically inhibit diabetes onset.
A Comprehensive Review of the Covalent Immobilization of Biomolecules onto Electrospun Nanofibers

Biomolecule immobilization has attracted the attention of various fields such as fine chemistry and biomedicine for their use in several applications such as wastewater, immunosensors, biofuels, et cetera. The performance of immobilized biomolecules depends on the substrate and the immobilization method utilized. Electrospun nanofibers act as an excellent substrate for immobilization due to their large surface area to volume ratio and interconnectivity. While biomolecules can be immobilized using adsorption and encapsulation, covalent immobilization offers a way to permanently fix the material to the fiber surface resulting in high efficiency, good specificity, and excellent stability. This review aims to highlight the various covalent immobilization techniques being utilized and their benefits and drawbacks. These methods typically fall into two categories: (1) direct immobilization and (2) use of crosslinkers. Direct immobilization techniques are usually simple and utilize the strong electrophilic functional groups on the nanofiber. While crosslinkers are used as an intermediary between the nanofiber substrate and the biomolecule, with some crosslinkers being present in the final product and others simply facilitating the reactions. We aim to provide an explanation of each immobilization technique, biomolecules commonly paired with said technique and the benefit of immobilization over the free biomolecule.
Demonstrating Spectrally Efficient Asynchronous Coexistence for Machine Type Communication: A Software Defined Radio Approach

A software defined radio (SDR) approach to demonstrate the coexistence in Machine Type Communication (MTC) scenarios is presented. MTC in recent years has gained significant attention with its inclusion in the 5G business model. Spectrally efficient asynchronous communication is a key enabler in situations involving MTC. Past research has shown that some modifications to baseline cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) can achieve better out-of-band (OOB) suppression and enable asynchronous coexistence. Inspired by this research, we provide a real world example of coexistence using SDR. We demonstrate the ability to asynchronously transmitting waveforms in adjacent channels with very narrow guard bands in between, and still be able to receive and demodulate them with low error vector magnitude (EVM) and low bit error rate (BER) that are comparable to the baseline CP-OFDM that uses synchronous communication.
Religious Identity in a Proximate Social Structure: Mothers, Fathers, and the Religious Socialization of Their Children

How do parents pass on who they are—their beliefs and values, norms and habits, and the social groups with which they identify—to their children? This complex process, called socialization, is a route by which parents, family members, friends, and others in the family’s community influence children’s identity development, including the development of their religious identities. This research novelly integrates socialization processes into identity theory, illustrating intergenerational transmission of identity, using the religious identity as an example. The study uses a clustered sample of resident mothers, fathers, and their adolescent children to investigate the connections between parents’ and children’s religious identities. Models estimate the influence of mothers’ and fathers’ religious identity prominence (the affective value parents place on their religious identities) and salience (the likelihood of enacting the religious identity across situations, religious and otherwise) and their behavior in the religious identity on those of their children. Reverse paths from children’s religious identities to those of their parents are also estimated. Findings suggest that mothers’ religious identities have a strong influence on those of their children but the influence of fathers’ religious identities are more limited. Finally, children’s religious identities have limited influence on those of their parents.
First-in-Human Phase 1 Study of Veliparib, a PARP-1/2 Inhibitor, with Gemcitabine and Radiotherapy in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Background: Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) has a dismal prognosis with current treatment modalities and one-third of patients die from local progression of disease. Preclinical studies with orthotopic PC demonstrated dramatic synergy between radiotherapy (RT) and the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1/2 inhibitor (PARPi), veliparib. We conducted a phase I trial of gemcitabine, radiotherapy and dose-escalated veliparib in LAPC. Methods: This was a single institution investigator-initiated open-label, single-arm phase 1 clinical trial (NCT01908478). Weekly gemcitabine with daily IMRT and veliparib dose escalated using a Bayesian adaptive design were administered in treatment naive LA or borderline resectable PC. The primary end point was identification of the MTD. Secondary endpoints included efficacy, characterization of PAR levels using ELISA, DDR alterations with targeted next generation sequencing and transcriptome analysis, tumor mutation burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) status. Findings: Thirty patients were enrolled. The MTD of veliparib was 40 mg BID with gemcitabine 400 mg/m2 and RT (36 Gy/15 fractions). Sixteen DLTs were identified in 12 patients. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events included lymphopenia (96%) and anemia (36%). Median OS for all patients was 15 months. Median OS for DDR pathway gene altered and intact cases was 19 months (95% CI: 6.2-27.2) and 14 months (95% CI: 10.0-21.8), respectively. There were no significant associations between levels of PAR, TMB, or MSI with outcomes. The DDR transcripts PARP3 and RBX1 significantly correlated with OS. Interpretation: This is the first report of a PARPi-chemoradiotherapy combination in PC. The regimen was safe, tolerable at the RP2D, and clinically active as an upfront treatment strategy in patients biologically unselected by upfront chemotherapy. Expression of the DDR transcripts, PARP3 and RBX1, were associated with OS suggesting validation in a follow up phase 2 study. Clinical Trial Number: (NCT01908478) Funding Statement: Phase One Foundation; National Institutes of Health [1R01CA188480-01A1, P01 CA098912]. Veliparib was provided by Abbvie. Declaration of Interests: RT has served as an advisor for Astra Zeneca. SJK has served as a consultant/advisor for Lilly Oncology, Astellas, and Boston Biomedical, and is on the speaker bureau for Foundation Medicine, Inc. All remaining authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The authors state that the study is "institutional review board approved".
Revision of South American stiletto fly genus Argolepida Metz & Irwin (Diptera: Therevidae: Therevinae)

The stiletto fly genus Argolepida Metz & Irwin, 2003 is revised. Members of this genus are diminutive, yet distinctive, flies restricted to southern South America. Argolepida rivulosa (Krober, 1928) is redescribed and seven new species are described and figured. A key to species is presented.
THREE LOW-PRESSURE SPALL THRESHOLDS IN COPPER

Measured values of the three low-pressure spall thresholds in copper plate are presented. The two lower thresholds are original with this program. However, the incipient spall threshold or beginning of tensile damage corresponds rather closely in magnitude to the dynamic elastic yield strength of copper in compression. The complete spall threshold corresponds to the value determined by Rinehart for copper. Thresholds are presented in terms of pressure and pulse- width, and the effect of varying the pulsewidth with a given pressure is shown. The experimental methods, including properties of the compressed-air gun, are discussed since they are applicable to most metals and many nonmetels. (auth)
The utility of venous lactate to triage injured patients in the trauma center.

Abstract Background: Field triage criteria for trauma patients results in over-triage rates of 30% to 50% to achieve under-triage rates of 10%. This large number of patients may stress trauma center resources. Elevated arterial lactate (ALAC) levels have been shown to be a marker of serious injury but the need for arterial sampling limits the utility of the determination. The goal of this study was: 1) to determine the correlation between venous lactate (VLAC) and ALAC; 2) to determine whether VLAC could identify those patients with serious injuries; and 3) to compare an elevated VLAC level against standard triage criteria (STC) in their ability to identify major injury. Study Design: Arterial and venous samples for blood gas and lactate analyses were obtained in 375 patients within 10 minutes of patient arrival to the trauma center. Arterial and venous samples were drawn within 2 minutes of each other, placed on ice, and analyzed within 10 minutes of sampling. The location of sampling was left to physician discretion. Data collected included injury mechanism, demographics, admission vital signs, emergency department disposition, length of stay, and injury severity scores (ISS). Admission to the ICU, need for emergency operation, length of stay, and death were noted. Emergency medical service staff were queried to determine which standard triage criteria (STC) were fulfilled. Results: The mean ALAC was 3.11 mmol/L (SD 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.67 to 3.55) and mean VLAC was 3.43 mmol/L (SD 3.41, 95% CI 2.96 to 3.90). There was no significant difference between ALAC and VLAC. The correlation between ALAC and VLAC was 0.94 (95% CI 0.94 to 0.96, p=0.0001). An elevated VLAC predicted moderate to severe injury and there was a significant association between an increased lactate and maximum Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) of 4 and 5 (ANOVA, F=8.26, p 2 days. In comparison with STC, a VLAC ≥ 2 mmol/L decreased under-triage in patients with ISS ≥ 13 by one half (11% versus 24%) for patients with ISS ≥ 13 and decreased over-triage by 28% (46% versus 64%). These data were most pronounced for patients injured in motor vehicle collisions. Conclusions: VLAC is an excellent approximation for ALAC. A VLAC ≥ 2 mmol/L appears to predict an ISS ≥ 13, the need for ICU resources, and prolonged hospital stays. VLAC was significantly better than STC in all patients and was most useful in victims of blunt trauma, especially motor vehicle collisions.