cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statehood Theory and China’s Taiwan Policy

The Taiwan issue remains the major concern of the Chinese government even though cross-strait tension has been significantly eased. Since Ma Ying-jeou took office in May 2008, great achievements have been made in economic cooperation: flights, ships and postal deliveries may now travel directly from one side to the other without detouring through a third territory; about one thousand mainland tourists are allowed to visit the island each day, up from a trickle in the past; one hundred sectors have been opened up to mainland investors; a memorandum of understanding on financial cooperation has been signed, and a free-trade agreement is being negotiated and is anticipated to be concluded within 2010. Nevertheless, both sides admitted that these are relatively easy steps among the many problems to be tackled. When it comes to the difficult part, such as Taiwan’s international status and removal by mainland China of missiles currently aimed at Taiwan, the Chinese government finds itself in a dilemma. Ma Ying-jeou has repeatedly called on mainland China to withdraw missiles targeting the island. To build mutual trust, removal of the missiles might be the wisest course. However, China has good reason to worry about what could happen in the event that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) returns to power after China removes the missiles. With regard to Taiwan’s international space, China faces the same concern that if greater space is granted to Taiwan, the DPP, once it resumes power, might abuse Taiwan’s international presence to pursue Taiwan’s secession from China.
Aging and learning-specific changes in single-neuron activity in CA1 hippocampus during rabbit trace eyeblink conditioning.

Rabbit trace eyeblink conditioning is a hippocampus-dependent task in which the auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) is separated from the corneal airpuff unconditioned stimulus (US) by a 500-ms empt...
GPCRs of adrenal chromaffin cells & catecholamines: The plot thickens

The circulating catecholamines (CAs) epinephrine (Epi) and norepinephrine (NE) derive from two major sources in the whole organism: the sympathetic nerve endings, which release NE on effector organs, and the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, which are cells that synthesize, store and release Epi (mainly) and NE. All of the Epi in the body and a significant amount of circulating NE derive from the adrenal medulla. The secretion of CAs from adrenal chromaffin cells is regulated in a complex way by a variety of membrane receptors, the vast majority of which are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including adrenergic receptors (ARs), which act as "presynaptic autoreceptors" in this regard. There is a plethora of CA-secretagogue signals acting on these receptors but some of them, most notably the α2ARs, inhibit CA secretion. Over the past few years, however, a few new proteins present in chromaffin cells have been uncovered to participate in CA secretion regulation. Most prominent among these are GRK2 and β-arrestin1, which are known to interact with GPCRs regulating receptor signaling and function. The present review will discuss the molecular and signaling mechanisms by which adrenal chromaffin cell-residing GPCRs and their regulatory proteins modulate CA synthesis and secretion. Particular emphasis will be given to the newly discovered roles of GRK2 and β-arrestins in these processes and particular points of focus for future research will be highlighted, as well.
Preventing Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients Receiving Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs

Severe upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a serious adverse effect of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the elderly are at increased risk of developing this complication. Bleeding episodes can be prevented. Replacing NSAIDs with acetaminophen may be appropriate when a simple analgesic is needed that eliminates the risk of GI bleeding. Using the lowest effective NSAID dose may decrease the incidence and severity of NSAID gastropathy. Histamine H2-receptor antagonists, sucralfate, and misoprostol have been studied for the prevention of NSAID gastropathy, but only misoprostol prevents mucosal injury in both the stomach and duodenum. Patients who have a history of peptic ulcer disease or gastric bleeding from NSAIDs are candidates for prophylactic measures. Although other patients are at risk, no one knows who should receive prophylactic therapy for NSAID gastropathy. Future studies should attempt to define patient populations that warrant prophylactic therapy.
SmAl2.64(4)Ge0.36(4), with the hexagonal Ni3Sn structure type

Single crystals of the title compound, samarium aluminium germanium, were synthesized from the corresponding elements using molten Al metal as a solvent. The structure is isotypic with GdAl2.90Ge0.10, crystallizing in the hexa­gonal Ni3Sn structure type (space group P63/mmc), with two atoms in the asymmetric unit, namely Sm on Wyckoff site 2c and a statistical mixture of Al and Ge on Wyckoff site 6h. Structure refinement from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data result in the stoichiometry SmAl2.64 (4)Ge0.36 (4).
Control of Polyimide Surface Property By Changing The Surface Morphology

The surface properties of polyimide can be changed without altering the bulk properties. The surface layer (around 200 A) of fully cured PMDA-ODA polyimide is chemically modified to polyamic acid which is subsequently imidized at 230 °C for 30 min to give an unordered polyimide surface. This unordered layer seems amorphous since it swells well in NMP. The modified surfaces are analyzed by surface sensitive techniques such as contact angle measurement, XPS, ISS, and external reflectance infrared (ERIR) spectroscopy. Adhesion of polyimides and chromium on the amorphous polyimides is greatly enhanced. Interdiffusion and subsequent mechanical interlocking are the major contributions to the polyimide-polyimide adhesion.
Strategic Control of Transverse Jet Flows

*† ‡ § This experimental study explores the nature and control of shear layer instabilities associated with the single jet in crossflow or transverse jet, a flowfield widely used in propulsive devices. These studies take advantage of prior experimental findings which suggest that the character of the jet’s nearfield shear layer instabilities can be significantly different for the transverse jet as compared with the free jet, and that the instabilities transition further when the jet-to-crossflow velocity ratio R is reduced below approximately 3.5. The differences in the stability characteristics of the jet in crossflow suggest the necessity of a “two-pronged” approach to the control of transverse jet penetration and spread, depending on the values of R, which is explored in this paper. For the transverse jet where R > 3.5, the instabilities are initiated beyond one diameter of the jet orifice, with a type of spatial evolution that indicates a convectively unstable flow. Such instabilities are affected by even low level sinusoidal forcing of the jet, which can then be used to control jet penetration and spread. For the case where R lies below 3.5, however, there is a rapid initiation of strong, distinct modes and harmonics near the jet exit that do not evolve spatially and are not affected by even strong external sinusoidal forcing of the jet. In this instance, strong jet forcing with a prescribed time scale is required to impact jet behavior. It is demonstrated that when the applied jet forcing waveform is a square wave with a prescribed temporal pulsewidth, significant jet response can be obtained even under globally unstable conditions.
Collaborating on a residency research project

The purpose of pharmacy residency projects is to develop residents’ ability to identify and formulate research questions, develop a project proposal with sound methods, present results to their peers, and prepare a manuscript for publication. Due to limited time and a lack of research experience,
Episodic oral antibiotic use in CF: Discordance between the electronic medical record and self-report

Abstract Background Accurate accounting of antibiotic use is necessary for studies comparing the CF airway microbiota across clinically relevant disease states. While poor adherence to chronic therapies is well described for individuals with CF, use patterns of episodic oral antibiotics are less clear. Methods Eleven individuals with CF completed daily questionnaires regarding antibiotic use for a mean of 458days. Self-report of episodic oral antibiotic use was compared to antibiotic prescription data in the electronic medical record (EMR). Results Self-reported use of episodic oral antibiotics differed from EMR data an average of 8.3% of days per subject. The majority of these discrepancies were due to self-reported use of oral antibiotics outside of the EMR-documented dates of antibiotic prescription. Conclusions Discrepancies exist between self-reported use of episodic oral antibiotics and EMR data that have implications for studies of the CF airway microbiota.
Disconnection Fault Analysis on 10 kV Distribution Lines in Dongguan and its Countermeasures

For Humen Town in Dongguan case,disconnection fault data of 10 kV distribution lines in 2009—2011 has been analyzed,lightning accident and equipment accident are the main explanations of the disconnection faults.According to the distribution characteristics of 10 kV distribution lines in this town,centering on the substation,this town is divided into lightning accident area,equipment accident area,and traffic area and so on.The preventing and rectification measures with special focus and aims are taken to reduce disconnection fault accidents.The results show that with the preventing and rectification measures in 2011,the disconnection faults of 10 kV distribution lines is reducing quite noticeably.
Current State of Institutional Privileging Profiles for Pediatric Procedural Sedation Providers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Providers from a variety of training backgrounds and specialties provide procedural sedation at institutions in the United States. We sought to better understand the privileging patterns and practices for sedation providers. METHODS: Surveys were sent to 56 program directors belonging to the Society for Pediatric Sedation using Research Electronic Data Capture to 56 pediatric sedation programs. The survey was designed to gather information regarding characteristics of their sedation service and the privileging of their sedation providers. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 41 (73%) of 56. Most programs surveyed (81%) said their physicians provided sedation as a part of their primary subspecialty job description, and 17% had physicians whose sole practice was pediatric sedation and no longer practiced in their primary subspecialty. Fifty-one percent of surveyed sedation programs were within freestanding children’s hospitals and 61% receive oversight by the anesthesiology department at their institution. Eighty-one percent of the sedation programs require physicians to undergo special credentialing to provide sedation. Of these, 79% grant privileging through their primary specialty, whereas 39% require separate credentialing through sedation as a stand-alone section. For initial credentialing, requirements included completion of a pediatric sedation orientation and training packet (51% of programs), sedation training during fellowship (59%), and documentation of a specific number of pediatric procedural sedation cases (49%). CONCLUSIONS: In this survey of pediatric sedation programs belonging to the Society for Pediatric Sedation, the process for privileging providers in procedural sedation varies significantly from institution to institution. An opportunity exists to propose privileging standards for providers of pediatric procedural sedation.
Unusual cause of anuria in a transplant patient.

Abstract A case is described of a pregnant renal allograft recipient, near full-term, who presented with a sudden onset of anuria accompanied by azotemia.
Hepatitis C infection: a review.

Hepatitis C, transmitted through body fluid exchange, affects approximately 1.8% of the U.S. population, roughly 3.9 million persons. Transfusion of blood and blood products was once an important source of hepatitis C transmission. Since the initiation of the hepatitis C screening program in 1985, however, injection drug use has become a major route. Hepatitis C is a leading cause of chronic liver disease. In 80% to 85% of those infected with the virus, chronic hepatitis C eventually develops, which can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, with alcohol abuse and coinfection with hepatitis B as additional risk factors. Screening for hepatitis C can be achieved with serologic assays. Molecular assays are helpful in confirming the diagnosis, assessing viral load, and characterizing the genetic nature of the viruses. Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) and a combination of IFN-alpha 2B and ribavirin are therapies available in treatment of hepatitis C, but sustained response to the treatment has been unsatisfactory. Further studies are indicated to obtain more effective therapies for eradication of the disease. Hepatitis C is preventable, and clinicians should use every opportunity possible in their practice to assess those at risk and actively engage them in risk factor reductions.
Long-term monolayer culture of human anterior pituitary cells: functional validation of a method *

This study demonstrates the response of human pituitary cell monolayers to a wide variety of hormonal stimuli. Appropriate release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin (PRL) was used as a verification of cell function. Cells that had been in culture for 20 days, with no hormonal additions, were exposed to LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH) continuously for 14 days. This resulted in an immediate fivefold increase in secretion of LH followed by a depression in LH production over the remaining 10-day period. After an 8-day period without hormonal additions, the same cultures again demonstrated a threefold increase in response to retreatment with LH-RH. In two similar studies, cells that had been in culture for 28 and 31 days were treated with bromocriptine, pergolide, dopamine, or thyrotropin-releasing factor (TRF). TRF elicited an increase of PRL in the medium by nearly double the control values. The addition of dopamine, pergolide, or bromocriptine resulted in a depression of PRL during the treatment period. This study has shown that human pituitary cells maintained in long-term monolayer culture respond predictably to a wide range of hormonal stimuli.
Modern Acting: Stage and Screen

Chapter 11 challenges the idea that actors in the 1930s and 1940s approached stage and screen performances in entirely different ways. Drawing on actors’ oral histories, Lillian Albertson’s Motion Picture Acting, and Josephine Dillon’s Modern Acting: A Guide for Stage, Screen and Radio, the chapter provides additional information about the Modern acting strategies used by leading actors of the period. It also clarifies the minor adjustments required when working in film, which actors compared to modifications they used when performing in different types of theatre spaces. In their view, film acting had nothing to do with personal expression, but instead opened up a new register of expression involving physical and vocal choices suited to the character, the scene, the framing, and the recording conditions.
Directional Filter Banks Forwavelet Decomposition of Images based on the Radon Transform

Directional filter banks offer a useful tool for the decomposition of images in applications where it is necessary to extract features such as edges and textures at different orientations and scales. We introduce an implementation of directional filter banks for the wavelet decomposition of images. The general procedure is similar to the ridgelet transform approach, and it is based on the direct and inverse Radon transforms while relying on angular windowing and ID wavelet transforms in the Radon domain to slice the frequency plane and thus generate the passbands for the 2D filters. The proposed scheme attains increased flexibility in the choices of directions and widths for the passbands, thus allowing different choices of uniform or non-uniform angular sectors in the frequency domain.
Heterozygosity for P2Y12 receptor gene mutation associated with postoperative hemorrhage in a Greater Swiss Mountain dog

A 3-year-old, female Greater Swiss Mountain dog developed a hemoperitoneum following an exploratory laparotomy and ovariohysterectomy. Platelet count, PT, APTT, and plasma von Willebrand factor antigen concentration were within RIs. A buccal mucosal bleeding time (BMBT) was prolonged. Given the probability of a hereditary thrombopathia, the dog was administered desmopressin, fresh platelet transfusions, and aminocaproic acid to control hemorrhage. Subsequently, DNA testing for the P2Y12 receptor gene mutation identified the dog as being a heterozygote (carrier). Further platelet function testing was performed following complete recovery. Results of a repeat BMBT and a point-of-care screening test using the Platelet Function Analyzer-100 (collagen/adenosine-diphosphate [ADP] test cartridge) were within RIs. Flow cytometric studies demonstrated a marked reduction in fibrinogen binding to the dog's platelets in response to ADP - adenosine diphosphate activation. Likewise, turbidimetric aggregometry revealed a complete absence of platelet aggregation in response to ADP. However, there were a normal aggregation response to the platelet agonist convulxin and a mild reduction in amplitude in response to γ-thrombin. This is the first report of a dog heterozygous for the P2Y12 receptor gene mutation exhibiting a bleeding tendency and having evidence of impaired platelet function in vitro in response to ADP activation. Given that the mutant allele for the P2Y12 thrombopathia appears to be widespread in the Greater Swiss Mountain dog breed, veterinarians need to be aware that both homozygotes and heterozygotes for this platelet receptor mutation are at risk of developing life-threatening bleeding following trauma or surgery.
Chapter 7 – Dysferlinopathies

Dysferlin is a sarcolemmal protein that plays an important role in patching defects in skeletal membrane by regulating vesicle fusion with the sarcolemma. Mutations in the dysferlin gene can lead to a variety of clinical phenotypes. Affected individuals usually present with early involvement of the posterior calf muscles (Miyoshi myopathy) in their teens or early twenties, but can present with proximal greater than distal weakness similar to other limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD2B), with anterior tibial weakness, an axial myopathy (e.g., rigid spine syndrome or hyperkyphosis resembling bent spine syndrome), or any combination of the above. Muscle biopsies may be quite inflammatory, often resulting in a misdiagnosis as polymyositis. Unfortunately, there are no medical therapies available at this time.
Internet of Vehicles and Autonomous Connected Car - Privacy and Security Issues

In the Intelligent Vehicle Grid, the car is becoming a formidable sensor platform, absorbing information from the environment, from other cars (and from the driver) and feeding it to other cars and infrastructure to assist in safe navigation, pollution control and traffic management. The Vehicle Grid essentially becomes an Internet of Things (IOT), which we call Internet of Vehicles (IOV), capable to make its own decisions about driving customers to their destinations. Like other important IOT examples (e.g., smart buildings), the Internet of Vehicles will not merely upload data to the Internet using V2I. It will also use V2V communications between peers to complement on board sensor inputs and provide safe and efficient navigation. In this paper, we first describe several vehicular applications that leverage V2V and V2I. Communications with infrastructure and with other vehicles, however, can create privacy and security violations. In the second part of the paper we address these issues and more specifically focus on the need to guarantee location privacy to mobile users. We argue on the importance of creating public, open "smart city" data repositories for the research community and propose privacy preserving techniques for the anonymous uploading of urban sensor data from vehicles.
Continuity in critical network infrastructures: Accounting for nodal disruptions

Since the attacks of September 11 2001, there has been a renewed interest in identifying, protecting and maintaining the functionality of critical infrastructure systems in the United States and abroad. However, because these systems are relatively complex, many difficulties have emerged when attempting to differentiate between elements of the infrastructure that are “critical” and those that are not. In an effort to resolve this issue, the U.S. government has released several important reports detailing the specific infrastructures and assets considered critical to national security, governance, public health, and the economy (White House 2003). Table 10.1 displays the key sectors and assets outlined in the National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets (Strategy).
Chapter Nine - Competition in Health Care Markets1

This chapter reviews the literature devoted to studying markets for health care services and health insurance. There has been tremendous growth and progress in this field. A tremendous amount of new research has been done since the publication of the first volume of this Handbook. In addition, there has been increasing development and use of frontier industrial organization methods. We begin by examining research on the determinants of market structure, considering both static and dynamic models. We then model the strategic determination of prices between health insurers and providers where insurers market their products to consumers based, in part, on the quality and breadth of their provider network. We then review the large empirical literature on the strategic determination of hospital prices through the lens of this model. Variation in the quality of health care clearly can have large welfare consequences. We therefore also describe the theoretical and empirical literature on the impact of market structure on quality of health care. The chapter then moves on to consider competition in health insurance markets and physician services markets. We conclude by considering vertical restraints and monopsony power.
CARDIAC SARCOIDOSIS PRESENTING WITH SYNCOPE AND RAPIDLY PROGRESSIVE ATRIOVENTRICULAR BLOCK

A definite diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is rather challenging and early recognition of CS is imperative to prevent death from fatal arrhythmia. A 50-year-old man presented with recurrent exertional syncope. Physical exam was normal. EKG showed sinus rhythm with LBBB (Figure 1). Nuclear
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Colorectal Cancer Survival in African American and Caucasian Patients

Background: Compared with Caucasian Americans (CAs), African Americans (AAs) with colorectal cancer have poorer survival, especially younger-age patients. A robust lymphocytic reaction within colorectal cancers is strongly associated with better survival, but whether immune response impacts the disparity in colorectal cancer survival is unknown.Methods: The study population was comprised of 211 histologically confirmed colorectal cancers at the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC; 159 CAs and 52 AAs) diagnosed between Jan 01, 2000, and June 30, 2013. We constructed a lymphocyte score based on blinded pathologic assessment of the four different types of lymphocytic reactions. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the association between the lymphocyte score and risk of death by race.Results: Colorectal cancers in AAs (vs. CAs) had a stronger lymphocytic reaction at diagnosis. A high lymphocyte score (vs. the lowest) was associated with better survival in AAs [HR 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.04-0.99] and CAs (HR 0.47; 95% CI, 0.15-1.45). AAs with no lymphocytic reaction (vs. other categories) had poor survival HR 4.48 (1.58-12.7) whereas no difference was observed in CAs. The risk of death in AAs (vs. CA) was more pronounced in younger patients (HR 2.92; 95% CI, 1.18-7.22) compared with older (HR 1.20; 95% CI, 0.54-2.67), especially those with lymphocytic poor colorectal cancers.Conclusions: The lymphocytic reaction in tumor impacted the racial disparity in survival.Impact: Our results confirm the importance of the lymphocytic score on survival and highlight the need to fully characterize the immune environment of colorectal cancers by race. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(7); 755-61. ©2018 AACR.
Low-Cost, High-Precision DAC Design Based on Ordered Element Matching

Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is one of the circuits with increasing demands on high-accuracy requirements. However, the cost of existing high-precision DACs is high and difficult to reduce because implementation hardly benefits from the scaling of digital circuits. In this paper, a low-cost, high-precision DAC structure based on ordered element matching (OEM) theory was proposed and its design methodology is discussed. It achieves high matching accuracy by applying the OEM calibration to the resistors in unary weighted segments and calibrating the gain error between different segments by small calibration DAC. A MATLAB behavioral model of a 20-bit R-2R DAC is built, and the statistical results show that the proposed DAC structure can achieve the same accuracy in less than 1/62 resistor area compared with state of the art.
Active Damping of Oscillations in the Trans-Rotary Magnetic Gear

This paper investigates the use of active damping for suppressing transient oscillations in the trans-rotary magnetic gear (TROMAG). As a type of magnetic gear, TROMAG suffers from a low stiffness. When used in applications such as backpack energy harvesting or wave energy conversion, low stiffness of TROMAG could result in long-lasting oscillations in the system response to sinusoidal excitations. It is shown here that active damping, realized through feedback from the rotor speed, can effectively suppress such oscillations.
Secure State Estimation with Cumulative Message Authentication

With network-based attacks, such as Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks, the attacker can inject false data to force a closed-loop system into any undesired state, unless even intermittently integrity of delivered sensor measurements is enforced. Yet, the use of standard cryptographic techniques that ensure data integrity, such as Message Authentication Codes (MACs), introduces significant communication and computation overhead. Thus, in this work we explore the use of cumulative MACs that significantly reduce network overhead. We consider systems with Kalman filter-based state estimators and sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) intrusion detectors. We show that strong estimation guarantees under MitM attacks can be obtained even with intermittent use of a single cumulative MAC that is added to appropriate sensor measurements transmitted over the network. We present a design-time methodology to evaluate the effects of any given cumulative integrity enforcement policy on reachable state-estimation errors for any type of stealthy attacks; this provides a base for design of cumulative enforcement policies with desired performance guarantees even in the presence of MitM attacks. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of our approach on an automated steering control.
Enhancing the Microservices Architecture for the Internet of Things

Collecting data from smart Internet of Things (IoT) devices is becoming an increasingly essential part of many of the existing industrial applications. The importance of this data collection relies on the fact that it can uncover valuable insights and enable smarter, faster decision making. This enables organizations to quickly adapt to changes in the workflows, reduce downtime and expand the production capacity and enhance the overall operating efficiency. The problem, however, is that many of these Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications can considerably be influenced by the composition of RESTFul APIs and the microservices architecture they integrate. In addition, IIoT applications do not take into consideration the dynamism of service-based environments and requirements. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to consider the Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics of RESTful APIs and microservices particularly that these properties may fluctuate during their lifecycle. In this paper, we introduce a quality-aware microservices’ architecture that continuously monitors the behavior of these services in delivering the required functionality. This paper presents experimental validation results and analysis of the presented ideas.
Effect of mannose modified chitosan on uptake of nanoparticles by macrophages

This report provided a new method to prepare and evaluate mannose-modified chitosan-coated lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) nanoparticles, and to investigate their effects on macrophage toxicity and macrophage uptake. The PLGA nanoparticles loaded with ovalbumin (OVA) were prepared by double emulsion method. The size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were determined by laser granulometry after mannose-modified chitosan coating. The nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The appearance of the form, the BCA method to determine the OVA content, calculate the drug loading and release. The OVA nanoparticles labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) were co-incubated with macrophages (RAW 264. 7), cell viability was determined by MTT assay, and uptake was examined by fluorescence microscopy. Results The size and {zeta} potential of OVA-PLGA nanoparticles increased with the increase of chitosan coating concentration (P 0.05), but it significantly promoted macrophage uptake by FITC-OVA-PLGA nanoparticles (P < 0.05).
STRUTTURA E FUNZIONAMENTO DEI MECCANISMI DI RESPONSABILITÀ INDIPENDENTE (IAMS)

The inclusion, in the 1990s, of the so-called "independent accountability mechanisms" (IAMs) in international organisations has several origins. A seminal work of the World Bank in 1991 focused on the need to make governments accountable to their citizens as a condition for the greatest success of the projects promoted by the Bank itself. While the bulk of the activity arising from such mechanisms consisted of responding to complaints about government services, it in turn fuelled citizens' expectations regarding the responsiveness of public organizations. The idea that an individual who felt his or her human rights had been violated could have recourse to an international body was a substantial innovation. It is also relevant that international institutions value the fact that they "open" their operations so that complaints can be made and answered. Finally, international accountability, after 25 years of experience, can benefit from the modernisation of systems: the opportunities offered by new technologies, for example, are rapidly closing the gap in much of the world.
A Half Century of Promise and Progress

Nations are dynamic entities that are constantly changing in response to the needs of often expanding populations (Ghose, 2013; United Nations Population Division, 2018). They also change or realign existing systems in response to the complex social, economic, political, technological, and environmental needs that emerge with increased frequency and seriousness (Central Intelligence Agency, 2018; World Bank, 2018). Issues of emigration, immigration, and diversity-related social conflict also impact the capacity of nations to perform their varied functions. Though quite diverse with respect to geographic size, population characteristics, type of polity, and economic system, nations share a variety of features and functions. Ranked in order by their relative importance, the most unifying characteristics of state functions are (1) recognition of their political sovereignty by other nations; (2) a coherent set of principles that guides their interactions with other sovereign states; (3) a defensible set of secure geopolitical borders; (4) the administration of justice within a system of laws to which, optimally, the governed have assented (e.g., via a written constitution and an independent judiciary); (5) the provision of a range of “public goods” designed to meet the collective needs of their populations (e.g., the creation of monetary and banking systems, road-building and other transportation networks, the development of communications infrastructure, and the provision of at least limited health, education, and related human services); (6) special public and private initiatives designed to meet the income security and related needs of their most vulnerable inhabitants, e.g., children, the elderly, persons with chronic illnesses or disabilities, unemployed persons, families with large numbers of children (Estes & Zhou, 2014); and (7) a commitment to promoting the general well-being of the society as a whole (Estes & Sirgy, 2017a; Helliwell, Layard, & Sachs, 2017).
Unemployment and the Relationship between Borderline Personality Pathology and Health.

Abstract Evidence suggests that employment may buffer against the negative health outcomes associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The purpose of the current analyses was to examine unemployment and the BPD-health relationship prospectively. Participants were 1536 older adults in a longitudinal study of health and aging, with repeated measures of physical health, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. We measured BPD features using multiple sources at baseline, and used principal components analysis to obtain latent scores. Multilevel models indicated that unemployment experiences did not moderate the prospective relationship between BPD features and physical health or life satisfaction, but did strengthen the positive relationship between BPD features and depressive symptoms. These findings provide insight into mechanisms of recovery for individuals with BPD.
Perspectives and Solutions from Clinical Trainees and Mentors Regarding Ethical Challenges During Global Health Experiences.

Background: Clinical trainees face challenges throughout short-term experiences in global health (STEGH) that are not routinely addressed. Objectives: Describe common professional and ethical dilemmas faced by clinical trainees and identify gaps and solutions for pre, during, and post-STEGH training and mentoring. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study among trainees and mentors involved in global health. The study utilized focus groups with trainees (November–December 2015) and online surveys of trainees, in-country and stateside faculty mentors (October 2016–April 2017). Results: 85% (17/20) of students reported feeling prepared for their STEGH; however, 59% (23/39) of faculty felt students were unprepared. A majority of both students (90%) and faculty (77%) stated students would likely experience an ethical dilemma during STEGH. Major themes relating to meaningful global health work were elucidated: personal and inter-professional skills; interpersonal networks and collaboration; and awareness of power dynamics and bias. Conclusions: The most common challenges faced by trainees during STEGH related to leadership, bias, ethics and interprofessional collaboration. Redirecting trainee energies from a focus on ‘doing’ and deliv­erables to attitudes (e.g., humility, professionalism) that cultivate personal and professional growth will help create lifelong global health learners and leaders.
Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant for Atrial Fibrillation in Obese Patients

Four non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are approved for use to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, data are limited regarding the use of NOACs in the obese population. This manuscript summarizes current concepts regarding obesity in patients with AF and reviews in depth the data on the efficacy and safety of NOACs in obese patients with AF. The Pubmed database was searched for relevant articles. When evaluating obese patients with AF, weight loss is important to reduce disease burden. Recent analyses of the four NOAC versus warfarin trials (RE-LY, ROCKET-AF, ARISTOTLE, and ENGAGE AF-TIMI 48) stratified by body mass index (BMI) demonstrate preserved efficacy with NOACs versus warfarin in obese patients, with similar risk of major bleeding. Although the data are limited in class III obese patients (body mass index ≥40kg/m2), the efficacy and safety of apixaban or edoxaban appears to be similar to warfarin in patients with BMI 40-50kg/m2. In conclusion, these new data should be considered in updated guidelines, which currently provide limited, and sometimes conflicting recommendations regarding the use of NOACs in obese patients, particularly in severely obese patients.
Polymyositis Presenting as Rhabdomyolysis After the Initiation of Omeprazole.

Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome with a wide range of presentations; it results in muscle necrosis and release of intracellular muscle contents into the circulation. Inflammatory myopathies are a rare cause of rhabdomyolysis. We present a case of a 46-year-old male with a two-week history of progressively worsening diffuse muscle pain after he had been prescribed omeprazole one month prior. A creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevation was noted, which persisted despite treatment with IV fluids, sodium bicarbonate, and close correction of electrolytes. Further workup, including autoimmune and infectious etiologies, was notable for elevated antinuclear antibodies (ANA), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Furthermore, a muscle biopsy showed evidence of endomysial inflammatory cells, consistent with a diagnosis of polymyositis. Steroids were initiated with significant improvement in symptoms and a decrease in CPK levels. The patient was discharged on a tapering dose of steroids and, on follow-up with the rheumatologist, transitioned to methotrexate with control of symptoms. In patients with rhabdomyolysis who do not respond to first-line therapy, obtaining a detailed medication history and screening with ANA and ESR are encouraged. Given the link between medication and autoimmune disease, clinicians should consider autoimmune myopathy in the differential for cases with persistently elevated creatine kinase. Prompt diagnosis with early initiation of immunosuppressive medication may improve outcomes and avoid complications associated with untreated rhabdomyolysis or polymyositis.
Survival Benefit of Aspirin in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: There is no clear consensus on the use of aspirin (ASA) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) due to its reported interaction with other cardio-prudent medications. The aim was to evaluate the effect of ASA on all-cause mortality and the frequency of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with CHF using meta-analysis, as well as to study the potential variables interacting with this effect. Methods: Eligible studies were identified via a PubMed search, the “related article” feature and a manual search of references. Studies were included if they had a study population with CHF of any etiology, compared ASA to no ASA or placebo, and reported one or both of the following outcomes: 1) all-cause mortality and 2) the frequency of hospitalization for heart failure. Data were extracted and verified. We used the inverse variance method in a random-effects model to combine effect sizes. Results: A total of 14 studies with a combined study population of 64,550 patients were included in the final analysis. All-cause mortality was found to be significantly lower in patients who were taking ASA (P = 0.003). When examining the use of ASA, no significant difference was found in the frequency of hospitalization for heart failure. ASA use was demonstrated to be more beneficial against mortality in studies with a larger percentage of patients on nitrates (P = 0.008) and oral anticoagulants (P = 0.04). A significantly lower rate of hospitalization for heart failure was observed in patients who used oral anticoagulants and ASA concurrently (P = 0.02). Conclusions: ASA may have beneficial effects on mortality in patients with heart failure of all etiologies. J Clin Med Res. 2021;13(1):38-47 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr4389
Anomalous Diffusion in Associative Networks of High-Sticker-Density Polymers

Recent experiments on self-diffusion in associative networks have shown superdiffusive scaling hypothesized to originate from molecular diffusive mechanisms, which include walking and hopping of th...
MultiWalk: A Framework to Generate Node Embeddings Based on an Ensemble of Walk Methods.

Graph embeddings are low dimensional representations of nodes, edges or whole graphs. Such representations allow for data in a network format to be used along with machine learning models for a variety of tasks (e.g., node classification), where using a similarity matrix would be impractical. In recent years, many methods for graph embedding generation have been created based on the idea of random walks. We propose MultiWalk, a framework that uses an ensemble of these methods to generate the embeddings. Our experiments show that the proposed framework, using an ensemble composed of two state-of-the-art methods, can generate embeddings that perform better in classification tasks than each method in isolation.
Overnight Consolidation of Speech Sounds Predicts Decoding Ability in Skilled Adult Readers

Phonological representations are important for reading. In the current work, we examine the relationship between speech-perceptual memory encoding and consolidation to reading ability in skilled ad...
An Auxiliary Medical Education: Learning Through the Evolution of a Medical Student-Founded Not-for-Profit Organization in Response to the COVID-19 Era Personal Protective Equipment Shortage.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical students were removed from clinical duties and had their education put on hold. Some found novel ways to join efforts to respond to the pandemic. Georgetown University School of Medicine medical students created Medical Supply Drive (MSD or MedSupplyDrive), a 501(c)(3), on March 17, 2020, in response to the national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). This article reviews the formation of a national response to the pandemic, the methods employed to distribute PPE, and the results of MSD's work from March 17, 2020, through June 20, 2020. A focus was placed on equitable distribution, both within local regions and on the national scale by distinguishing COVID-19 hotspots, including Native American reservations. As of June 20, over half a million items were donated, with 1,001 deliveries made to 423 hospitals, 182 clinics, 175 long-term care facilities, 25 homeless shelters, 32 public health departments, and 164 other facilities. From 46 states and the District of Columbia, 1,514 individuals volunteered, and 202 signed up as regional coordinators. MSD formed 2 international organizations, MedSupplyDrive UK and MedSupplyDrive Scotland, and established U.S.-based partnerships with 19 different PPE and aid organizations. MSD gained local, national, and international media attention with over 45 interviews conducted about the organization. While the pandemic temporarily disrupted formal medical education, MSD empowered medical students to actively learn about the needs of their communities and organize ways to address them, while incorporating these values into their professional identities. The 3-step framework this organization employed also provides a potential model for future disaster relief efforts in times of crisis. MSD hopes to motivate budding physicians to collaborate and play an active role in tackling public health inequities outside hospitals and within the communities students will one day serve.
Use of Pressure-Measuring Insoles to Characterize Gait Parameters in Simulated Reduced-Gravity Conditions

Prior researchers have observed the effect of simulated reduced-gravity exercise. However, the extent to which lower-body positive-pressure treadmill (LBPPT) walking alters kinematic gait characteristics is not well understood. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of LBPPT walking on selected gait parameters in simulated reduced-gravity conditions. Twenty-nine college-aged volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants wore pressure-measuring insoles (Medilogic GmBH, Schonefeld, Germany) and completed three 3.5-min walking trials on the LBPPT (AlterG, Inc., Fremont, CA, USA) at 100% (normal gravity) as well as reduced-gravity conditions of 40% and 20% body weight (BW). The resulting insole data were analyzed to calculate center of pressure (COP) variables: COP path length and width and stance time. The results showed that 100% BW condition was significantly different from both the 40% and 20% BW conditions, p < 0.05. There were no significant differences observed between the 40% and 20% BW conditions for COP path length and width. Conversely, stance time significantly differed between the 40% and 20% BW conditions. The findings of this study may prove beneficial for clinicians as they develop rehabilitation strategies to effectively unload the individual's body weight to perform safe exercises.
Radiation dosimetry of a clinical prototype dedicated cone-beam breast CT system with offset detector

Purpose A clinical-prototype, dedicated, cone-beam breast computed tomography (CBBCT) system with offset detector is undergoing clinical evaluation at our institution. This study is to estimate the normalized glandular dose coefficients ( DgN CT ) that provide air kerma-to-mean glandular dose conversion factors using Monte Carlo simulations. Materials and methods The clinical prototype CBBCT system uses 49 kV x-ray spectrum with 1.39 mm 1st half-value layer thickness. Monte Carlo simulations (GATE, version 8) were performed with semi-ellipsoidal, homogeneous breasts of various fibroglandular weight fractions ( f g = 0.01 , 0.15 , 0.5 , 1 ) , chest wall diameters ( d = 8 , 10 , 14 , 18 , 20 cm), and chest wall to nipple length ( l = 0.75 d ), aligned with the axis of rotation (AOR) located at 65 cm from the focal spot to determine the DgN CT . Three geometries were considered - 40 × 30 -cm detector with no offset that served as reference and corresponds to a clinical CBBCT system, 30 × 30 -cm detector with 5 cm offset, and a 30 × 30 -cm detector with 10 cm offset. Results For 5 cm lateral offset, the DgN CT ranged 0.177 - 0.574 mGy/mGy and reduction in DgN CT with respect to reference geometry was observed only for 18 cm ( 6.4 % ± 0.23 % ) and 20 cm ( 9.6 % ± 0.22 % ) diameter breasts. For the 10 cm lateral offset, the DgN CT ranged 0.221 - 0.581 mGy/mGy and reduction in DgN CT was observed for all breast diameters. The reduction in DgN CT was 1.4 % ± 0.48 % , 7.1 % ± 0.13 % , 17.5 % ± 0.19 % , 25.1 % ± 0.15 % , and 27.7 % ± 0.08 % for 8, 10, 14, 18, and 20 cm diameter breasts, respectively. For a given breast diameter, the reduction in DgN CT with offset-detector geometries was not dependent on f g . Numerical fits of DgN CT d , l , f g were generated for each geometry. Conclusion The DgN CT and the numerical fit, D g N CT d , l , f g would be of benefit for current CBBCT systems using the reference geometry and for future generations using offset-detector geometry. There exists a potential for radiation dose reduction with offset-detector geometry, provided the same technique factors as the reference geometry are used, and the image quality is clinically acceptable.
Doctoral-Level Graduates in Professional, Technical, and Scientific Communication 1995-2000: A Profile.

Reports the results of survey research profiling 1995–2000 doctoral graduates in professional, technical, and scientific communication. Explores implications for recent graduates, prospective doctoral students, faculty, and administrators in the field.