cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influenza A Virus Surveillance in Waterfowl in Missouri, USA, 2005-2013

SUMMARY Missouri, United States, is located within the Mississippi Migratory Bird Flyway where wild waterfowl stop to feed and rest during migration and, weather permitting, to overwinter. Historically, Missouri has experienced sporadic influenza A virus (IAV) outbreaks in poultry and commercial swine. The introduction of IAVs from wild, migratory waterfowl is one possible source for the IAV, IAV genomic segments, or both involved in these outbreaks in key agricultural species. During 2005 through 2013, 3984 cloacal swabs were collected from hunter-harvested waterfowl in Missouri as part of an active IAV surveillance effort. Twenty-four avian species were represented in the sample population and 108 (2.7%) of the samples tested positive for IAV recovery. These IAV isolates represented 12 HA and nine NA subtypes and at least 27 distinct HA–NA combinations. An H14 IAV isolate recovered in Missouri during the sample period provided evidence for further establishment of the H14 subtype in North American wild ...
Cook and Thomas, LLC: Balancing Auditor Liability, Client Confidentiality, and the Public Interest

ABSTRACT: In this case students are asked to assume the role of Alex Trifold, CPA, an audit partner for the public accounting firm, Cook and Thomas, LLC, who holds going concern information about an audit client that may impact other entities audited by Cook and Thomas. The case study illustrates how adherence to auditing standards may place auditors in a difficult situation when balancing the auditor's risk of litigation, the clients' rights to confidentiality, and the auditor's duty to the public. Additionally, the case provides exposure to prior litigation cases against auditors with unfavorable outcomes when auditors chose to protect their client's confidentiality, and, conversely, in cases where auditors chose to protect the greater public interest. The case requires students to engage in critical thinking by providing their viewpoints as to the optimal balance of limiting auditor liability, adhering to client confidentiality requirements, and simultaneously serving the public interest. The case stud...
Diffusion in Metals

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the advances in the understanding of diffusion in metals, with appreciable emphasis on the experimental as well as the theoretical accomplishments. The theory of diffusion has followed two main approaches: (1) the more general thermodynamic approach in which the diffusing material is treated as a continuous medium and the atomic nature of the jump process is ignored, (2) The kinetic approach where a physical description is considered in terms of atomic defect movements. The kinetic approach is adopted in this chapter although thermodynamic equations are discussed, where necessary, to show the relationship between the two approaches. The theoretical and experimental results for self-diffusion in pure crystals, impurity diffusion in pure crystals, effects of solute additions on self-diffusion, diffusion in concentrated alloys, diffusion in an electrical gradient, diffusion in a chemical concentration gradient, and diffusion in a thermal gradient are presented in the chapter.
Ultrasensitive Detection of Shigella Species in Blood and Stool.

A modified immunosensing system with voltage-controlled signal amplification was used to detect Shigella in stool and blood matrixes at the single-digit CFU level. Inactivated Shigella was spiked in these matrixes and detected directly. The detection was completed in 78 min. Detection limits of 21 CFU/mL and 18 CFU/mL were achieved in stool and blood, respectively, corresponding to 2–7 CFUs immobilized on the detecting electrode. The outcome of the detection of extremely low bacterium concentration, i.e., below 100 CFU/mL, blood samples show a random nature. An analysis of the detection probabilities indicates the correlation between the sample volume and the success of detection and suggests that sample volume is critical for ultrasensitive detection of bacteria. The calculated detection limit is qualitatively in agreement with the empirically determined detection limit. The demonstrated ultrasensitive detection of Shigella on the single-digit CFU level suggests the feasibility of the direct detection of...
Mannitol in Plants, Fungi, and Plant-Fungal Interactions.

Although the presence of mannitol in organisms as diverse as plants and fungi clearly suggests that this compound has important roles, our understanding of fungal mannitol metabolism and its interaction with mannitol metabolism in plants is far from complete. Despite recent inroads into understanding the importance of mannitol and its metabolic roles in salt, osmotic, and oxidative stress tolerance in plants and fungi, our current understanding of exactly how mannitol protects against reactive oxygen is also still incomplete. In this opinion, we propose a new model of the interface between mannitol metabolism in plants and fungi and how it impacts plant–pathogen interactions.
How are necrotic cells recognized by their predators

Necrosis is a type of cell death often caused by cell injury and is linked to human diseases including neuron degeneration, stroke, and cancer. Cells undergoing necrosis are engulfed and degraded by engulfing cells, their predators. The mechanisms by which necrotic cells are recognized and removed remain elusive. Here we comment on our recent findings that reveal new molecular mechanisms of necrotic-cell recognition. Through studying the C. elegans touch neurons undergoing excitotoxic necrosis, we identified a receptor/ligand pair that enables engulfing cells to recognize necrotic neurons. The phagocytic receptor CED-1 is activated through interaction with its ligand phosphatidylserine (PS), exposed on the surface of necrotic cells. Furthermore, against the common belief that necrotic cells have ruptured plasma membrane, we found that necrotic C. elegans touch neurons actively present PS on their outer surfaces while maintaining plasma membrane integrity. We further identified 2 mechanisms governing the presentation of PS, one of which is shared with cells undergoing apoptosis, a "cell suicide" event, whereas the other is unique to necrotic neurons. The influx of Ca(2+), a key necrosis-triggering factor, is implicated in activating a neuronal PS-scramblase for PS exposure. We propose that the mechanisms controlling PS-exposure and necrotic-cell recognition by engulfing cells are likely conserved from worms to humans.
Sensors at ppb sensitivity or better based on multiple line integration spectroscopy techniques

Employing integrated absorption of multiple lines or summation of the absolute values of the wavelength modulation spectroscopy signals, we report sensitivities of ppb for the detection of trace gases.
Analysis on quality management of measles laboratory in Hefei

Objective To analyze the quality management methods and estimate the surveillance ability of measles laboratory.Methods Internal quality control and external quality assessment methods were used for the analysis.The instant method and the L-J quality control chart method were combined together for internal quality control.The external quality assessment included blind serological sample analysis,normal monitored sample review and verification,as well as the on-site assessment.Results During 2009-2011,for internal quality control,analysis of the instant method and the L-J quality control chart method showed that no alarm value and out-of-control value of quality control serum S/CO were found.For external quality assessment,the result of normal monitored sample review and blind sample analysis revealed 100% accuracy.An comprehensive score of 97 was achieved for the on-site assessment including laboratory construction,instrument and equipment,staff status,quality management,document record and normal surveillance status for the consecutive 3 years which was excellent.Conclusions By establishing long-term and stable measures on quality control and deploying comprehensive laboratory quality management,the ability and effect of measles monitor system are both improved.
Observation of Effect of Secondary Trimming of Newborn Umbilical Cords

Objective To observe the effect of secondary trimming of newborn umbilical cords. Methods 560 newborns were equally randomized into two groups. For treatment group, we trimmed and bandaged the cord stumps with routine disinfection 48～72 hours after birth. The control group were only given routine nursing. Results Outcomes in the treatment group were significant different from those in the control group in the respects of umbilical cord oozing, flushing, exfoliating, secretion exudating and healing(P0.01). Conclusion The secondary trimming and bandaging facilitates earlier exfoliation better healing of newborn umbilical cords, and is beneficial to cord nursing, thus reducing incidence of neonatal infection.
Does the distance between tumor and margin in radical prostatectomy specimens correlate with prognosis: relation to tumor location.

Summary The posterior half of the prostate has a smooth well-defined edge unlike anteriorly. Often, tumor extends close to the posterior margin, where it is controversial whether pathologists should measure the distance between the tumor and the margin. There are no published data regarding the significance of a close margin factoring in the anatomical location within the radical prostatectomy (RP). We identified 158 RPs with 39 anterior-predominant carcinomas and 119 cases with posterior-predominant cancer. Distances between the tumor and inked margin were measured with an ocular micrometer. Eighty-seven cases had no progression with a minimum 6-year follow-up (median, 8; range, 6-9). Eighteen cases had progression with a median time to progression of 2 years with all men progressing within 6 years after RP. There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of progression relative to distance of tumor to the posterior margin ( P =.09). The mean distance of tumor to the anterior margin for the cases that progressed was 0.6 mm (median, 0.5 mm; range, 0.05-1.18) compared to 1.9 mm (median, 1.1; range, 0.02-4) for the cases that did not progress ( P =.02). Of 7 cases with anterior-predominant tumors that progressed, 5 had tumor located less than 1 mm from the anterior margin. In conclusion, if cancer is present less than 1 mm from the anterior margin, there is an increased tendency to recur, and this finding should be included in pathology reports. However, close margins posteriorly are not clinically significant and should not be reported.
Characteristics Discriminating Job Satisfied Retail Salespersons

A review of the literature on retail salespersons’ job attitudes–;with a focus on job satisfaction–revealed the neglect of the research in this area, including the specific domain of developing profiles of satisfied salespersons in retail settings.
Factors and Mechanisms Governing Wettability Alteration by Chemically Tuned Waterflooding: A Review

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques are aimed at improving the recovery efficiency of mature oil fields in secondary and tertiary recovery modes. In particular, chemically tuned waterflooding (CTWF) has been a rising EOR technique toward improving oil recovery from rocks that are difficult to produce due to their initial wetting state, e.g., oil-wet and intermediate-wet. With an increasing oil-wetting affinity of a reservoir rock, extraction of oil becomes more challenging. As such, wettability alteration has been identified as the primary mechanism for oil recovery from oil-wet and intermediate-wet rock types. Recently, researchers have attempted to categorize the factors and mechanisms governing wettability alteration by CTWF. Multiple studies have identified the importance of brine salinity and ion composition on promoting wettability alteration to a more favorable water-wet state. Reservoir temperature, the surface charge of the rock, and the surface active components of crude oil are also reported...
Abstract 34: A MET x MET bispecific antibody that induces receptor degradation potently inhibits the growth of MET-addicted tumor xenografts

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2017; April 1-5, 2017; Washington, DC Aberrant regulation of MET receptor tyrosine kinase signaling is associated with development and progression of various human tumors. Elevated MET signaling during tumorigenesis results from MET amplification, mutation or up-regulation of the ligand, HGF. MET amplification is thought to be a key driver of oncogenesis in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and oesophagogastric malignancies. In addition, mutations resulting in exon 14 deletion of MET have been described as oncogenic drivers in a subset of NSCLC. Both preclinical and recent clinical results indicate that tumors harboring these genetic alterations respond to MET inhibitors, validating MET as a cancer driver. We have developed a novel bispecific antibody that binds to two distinct epitopes on MET. The METxMET bispecific antibody blocks HGF binding and exhibits very low agonist activity (much weaker than either of its parental antibodies). Furthermore, the METxMET bispecific antibody effectively promotes MET degradation, thereby inhibiting ligand-independent signaling in MET-amplified tumor cells. The METxMET bispecific antibody exhibits strong anti-tumor efficacy in xenograft models harboring MET genetic alterations, either completely inhibiting tumor growth (EBC1 MET-amplified NSCLC) or promoting substantial tumor regression (SNU5 MET-amplified gastric cancer, Hs746T MET-amplified/MET exon 14 skip gastric cancer). Analysis of lysates from SNU5 tumors treated with the METxMET bispecific antibody confirms its ability to effectively promote MET degradation in vivo. Finally, the METxMET bispecific antibody strongly inhibits the growth of a glioblastoma xenograft model (U118) driven by autocrine HGF signaling. In summary, we have generated a novel METxMET bispecific antibody that potently inhibits the growth of MET-dependent tumor xenografts. Our data suggest that antibody-mediated MET degradation may be an effective clinical strategy in tumors harboring MET genetic alterations. Citation Format: John DaSilva. A MET x MET bispecific antibody that induces receptor degradation potently inhibits the growth of MET-addicted tumor xenografts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 34. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-34
Human cell lines stably expressing HIV env and tat gene products.

Abstract A DNA fragment containing the tat , rev and env genes of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 was inserted into the retroviral vector pZIP neo AU3. The resulting plasmid p env AU3 was transfected into HeLa and ψCRIP cells. Resulting recombinant retroviruses were used to infect HeLa and Jurkat cells. Immunoprecipitation analysis of stable transformants showed the expression of HIV env glycoproteins gp160, gp120 and gp41. Transactivation assays with a plasmid containing the gene for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase linked to HIV promoter-enhancer sequences demonstrated the expression of functional tat . These cells constitute virus-free tools for functional and structural studies of native env and tat .
Effect of temperature on Flathead Sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) spawning in the southeastern Bering Sea during warm and cold years

Abstract Between 2001 and 2013 the southeastern Bering Sea alternated between multi-year periods of relatively warm (2001–2005) and relatively cold (2007–2013) years. Adult Flathead Sole Hippoglossoides elassodon in the southeastern Bering Sea shift their spatial distribution pattern in relation to bottom water temperature indicating the importance of the thermal environment in determining fish habitat. The objective of this study was to infer Flathead Sole spawning area in the southeastern Bering Sea in May from ichthyoplankton surveys of their eggs using generalized additive models to assess how warm (2002, 2003, and 2005) and cold (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012) years affected the location of their spawning site. Three mechanisms through which temperature could affect egg distribution were investigated: 1) additively, assuming a similar effect of temperature across the spatial domain, 2) as a spatially variable term, assuming that the effect of temperature changes across locations, and 3) as a threshold effect on the spatial distribution of eggs, assuming the distribution of eggs changes abruptly in relation to the annual average temperature. The model including temperature as a spatially variable effect had the smallest AIC score and therefore was chosen as the best fit. This model showed that the effect of temperature on egg density varied across the study area and indicated a northeastward expansion of the spawning site as temperature increased. The area of expansion may correspond with the outer reach of a cold-water mass (called the cold pool) that extends in the Bering Sea middle domain during late spring and summer, and forms as a result of the previous winter ice coverage. Flathead Sole are known to avoid temperatures colder than 2 °C that is also used as the boundary for the cold pool, thus spawning fish may have moved relative to the spatial extent of the cold pool.
Understanding the Warming Process

Greenhouse gases form a thick blanket around the Earth to regulate the loss of energy into space, thereby keeping the Earth warm enough for the survival of living beings. However, during the past three centuries the uncontrolled and unregulated emission of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, ozone and other long-lived industrial gases such as CFCs, HFCs and PFCs have changed the global energy balance. This has resulted in warming of the Earth, and the current estimates are that a temperature increase of 4 °C may lead to disastrous and irreversible changes. Carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the largest source of GHGs that are being released due to deforestation, land diversion, burning of coal and petroleum, soil erosion and water pollution. As a consequence, large quantities of carbon stored in living and dead vegetation, soil organic matter, as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon in oceans, have been liberated into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane with serious impact on global climate. Increase in nitrogen in the atmosphere due to extensive use of fertilizers and combustion processes, loss of blue-green algae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria has further aggravated the warming process.
Loss of HGF/c-met signaling pathway accelerates early stages of DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis

362 Met, the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor, is important for regulation of both normal and invasive growth. Inappropriate activation of c-Met signaling has been found in most types of solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To examine both positive and negative impact of HGF/c-Met signaling on hepatocarcinogenesis, we used a conditional knockout mouse model developed in our laboratory. In these mice, exon16, essential for c-Met function, was deleted in postnatal hepatocytes by crossing the c-met fl/fl mice with Alb-Cre transgenic mice with. Liver tumors were induced by treating a two-week old male mice with a single dose of 10 μg/g body of N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN). Mice of three genotypes were used in this study: c-met fl/fl,Cre; wt/wt, Cre; and c-met fl/fl. Unexpectedly, the lack of c-Met signaling accelerated rather than delayed HCC appearance. Laser microdisection and PCR analysis confirmed that tumors from c-Met-/- mice retained the c-met deleted allele. C-Met -/- HCCs appeared more rapidly than Alb-Cre control yet the tumor burden was comparable by 7 months after DEN treatment in mice of both genotypes. On contrary, c-met fl/fl mice exhibited a markedly delayed course of HCC disease as compared to either c-met fl/fl, Alb-Cre or wt/wt, Cre-Alb mice indicating that Cre-recombinase contributes to neoplastic development. The early HCC onset was associated with a higher rate of cell proliferation in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions which surpassed that in surrounding parenchyma as compared to Alb-Cre controls. The increased proliferative response was accompanied by a stronger induction of TNF alpha and AFP. Livers from c-Met-/- mice also displayed a slight increase in genomic instability as detected by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. By 7 months, c-Met-/- tumors were vascular despite decreased expression of Egr1, and showed a frequent up-regulation of Erk1/2 and STAT3. The results suggest that the intact HGF/c-Met signaling may function as a tumor suppressor during early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis and that alternative signaling pathways may compensate for the lack of c-Met signaling during HCC progression.
Game Changers: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the Economic, Social, and Political Factors Impacting Black Fatherhood and Family Formation

ABSTRACTFamily has always been one of the strongest institutions in the African American community. However, over the past 30 years, massive changes have occurred within the structure of African Am...
Teaching Academic Vocabulary to Sixth-Grade Students With Disabilities:

Adolescents with disabilities have great difficulty with academic content in middle school, and their teachers have difficulty teaching them to understand and use academic language. We taught teach...
Microvariation in the have yet to construction

Abstract The have yet to construction, exemplified by sentences such as John has yet to visit his grandmother, is widespread across dialects of English. However, recent studies have revealed that behind this apparent unity, there is significant variation in the syntactic properties of the have yet to construction. Speakers vary with respect to (i) the status of have as an auxiliary or main verb, (ii) the status of negation tests, and (iii) the status of a variety of related yet to constructions. The goal of this paper is to sort out the microsyntax of have yet to across speakers, in the face of contradictory empirical claims and mutually incompatible proposals in the existing literature. We develop an analysis based in part on two wide-scale surveys we have conducted. With respect to have, we show that speakers who can treat it as a main verb can also treat it as an auxiliary, but not necessarily vice-versa. We propose that the variation in this case has to do with where the perfect features are introduced in the clause. With respect to negation, we find that speakers do not treat all the negation tests the same, forcing us to contend with the question of how these tests work. We propose that for most speakers, only the embedded clause is syntactically negative. Negation tests split according to whether they must target the matrix clause, or whether they can target an embedded clause as well. In some cases, the tests reveal the same sentence to be both affirmative and negative, as we expect: the matrix clause is syntactically affirmative, but the embedded clause, which hosts the lexical content, is syntactically negative.
Dissipation of Acetaminophen, Atrazine, Carbamazepine, and Sulfamethoxazole in Water Mediated by Acorus gramineus and Canna hybrida ‘Orange Punch’

The pharmaceuticals acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole, and carbamazepine, and herbicide atrazine are among the most highly manufactured compounds in the world and are frequently detected in the aquatic environment. Much uncertainty exists regarding the impacts of the pharmaceuticals on non-target aquatic resources, while more is known about atrazine. Reduction of residues of each chemical in surface water will reduce the exposures that organisms experience in the surface water environment, thus reducing unknown risks. This project evaluated the potential use of two aquatic plant species (Acorus gramineus and Canna hybrida ‘Orange Punch’) for reducing concentrations of the chemicals in water. Concentrations of each contaminant in solution were reduced in the presence of the plants after 14 days of exposure, in (acetaminophen 64–100%, atrazine 32–51%, carbamazepine 26–49%, sulfamethoxazole 41–60%). Results indicate that these plants have potential for reducing concentrations of these chemicals in surface water, but that plant- and chemical-specific properties prevent making generalizations regarding the extent and pathways for dissipation.
My Brother Slaves: Friendship, Masculinity, and Resistance in the Antebellum South

When Deborah Gray White asked “where are the women” in the annals of slavery scholarship, she responded to this glaring omission by researching slavery through a gendered lens to illuminate the uni...
Along the Road to Quality in Cancer Care

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States as well as a significant driver of healthcare cost. Compared to the considerable focus on evidence-based decision-making in cancer, which has led to notable progress in understanding cancer prevention and treatment, the area of quality of cancer care has been relatively understudied. The 1999 report of the Institute of Medicine National Cancer Policy Board Ensuring the Quality of Cancer Care highlighted the gaps in the field and framed the improvements necessary for improving the quality of cancer care. A number of national entities initiated efforts in this area, including the National Cancer Institute, the National Quality Forum, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This chapter provides an overview of some of those initiatives, including the National Initiative for Cancer Care Quality, the Oncology Demonstration Projects, and the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative. These initiatives have contributed to significant progress in further defining quality care goals, researching quantifiable quality measures, and formulating care models to better improve quality. This chapter also highlights gaps in the current state, including challenges in care delivery for vulnerable populations, the need for further high-quality data in the study of cancer care quality, and a lack of a centralized database to fuel the field of cancer care quality improvement.
Estimates of residual dairy manure nitrogen availability using various techniques.

It is common practice to repeatedly apply dairy manure to the same fields. To accurately assess the total plant availability of manure nutrients, it is necessary to account for the nutrients remaining in soil from previous manure applications. A field experiment studying manure nitrogen (N) uptake by corn (Zea mays L.) was conducted from 1998 to 2003 on a Plano silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, mesic, Typic Argiudolls). Plots received two rates of semisolid manure either every year, every 2 yr, or every 3 yr to estimate first-, second-, and third-year dairy manure N residuals. Residual manure N availability was estimated from single and multiple manure applications using (i) the fertilizer N equivalence method, (ii) the apparent recovery (difference) method, (iii) relative effectiveness method, and (iv) recovery of 15 N-labeled manure. Second-year availabilities after a single manure application using the fertilizer equivalence, difference, and relative effectiveness methods were estimated to be 12, 8, and 4% of total manure N applications, respectively. Estimates of third-year availability by these methods were 3, 1, and 5%, respectively. Measurement of 15 N recovered from labeled manure was 6 and 2% in the second and third year, respectively. Fertilizer equivalence, difference, and relative effectiveness methods showed great year to year variability, reducing the confidence in the residual manure N availability estimates by these methods, but using 15 N-labeled manures reduced variability substantially. Based on this and other studies, we suggest that second- and third-year residual N availability from a single application of semisolid dairy manure would be 9 to 12%, and 3 to 5% of the original manure N application, respectively.
Differential Uptake of Telehealth for Prenatal Care in a Large New York City Academic Obstetrical Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, telehealth was rapidly implemented for obstetric patients. Though telehealth for prenatal care is safe and effective, significant concerns exist regarding equity in access among low-income populations. We performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating utilization of telehealth for prenatal care in a large academic practice in New York City, comparing women with public and private insurance. We found that patients with public insurance were less likely to have at least one telehealth visit than women with private insurance (60.9 vs. 87.3%, p Key Points
Crosslinking mass spectrometry: A link between structural biology and systems biology

Protein structure underpins functional roles in all biological processes; therefore, improved understanding of protein structures is of fundamental importance in nearly all biological and biomedical research areas. Traditional techniques such as X-ray crystallography and more recently, cryo-EM, can reveal structural features on isolated proteins/protein complexes at atomic resolution level and have become indispensable tools for structural biology. Crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS), on the other hand, is an emerging technique capable of capturing transient and dynamic information on protein interactions and assemblies in their native environment. The combination of XL-MS with traditional techniques holds potential for bridging the gap between structural biology and systems biology approaches. Such a combination will enable visualization of protein structures and interactions within the crowded macromolecular environment in living systems that can dramatically increase understanding of biological functions. In this review, we first discuss general strategies of XL-MS and then survey recent examples to show how qualitative and quantitative XL-MS studies can be integrated with available protein structural data to better understand biological function at systems level.
Crossing the rubicon: Exploring different peri – Operative fluid resuscitation strategies in traumatic extremity free tissue transfer- a retrospective case control study

Abstract Introduction Free tissue transfer has added to the plastic surgeon's armamentarium and has afforded patients more chances towards limb salvage in recent decades following severe trauma. Venous congestion is a common occurrence, can be the result of several reasons and has devastating results in patients' outcomes. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of restrictive fluid administration. We hypothesized that a restrictive fluid administration in the intra – operative period would be associated with a lower incidence of venous congestion in patients undergoing free flap reconstruction of traumatic defects of the extremities. Methods All patients undergoing a perforator free flap soft tissue reconstruction of traumatic defects of the extremities, from 2005 to 2019 were retrospectively identified. Patient's demographics, comorbidities and technical aspects of the operation were extracted. The study population was divided in two groups based on the amount of fluids administered (restrictive: Results A total of 75 patients were identified. Out of these, 24 patients had clinically significant venous congestion. Fluid administration strategy [AOR (95% CI): 1.53 (1.22, 1.92)], use of the superficial venous system [0.03 (0.01, 0.26)], operative time [1.98 (1.97, 1.99)] and age>50 [5.60 (1.10, 28.52)]. A cut – off analysis identified 6 ml/kg/hr as the cut off point for fluid administration. Liberal fluid administration (≥6 ml/kg/hr) was independently associated with a higher incidence of venous congestion and return to the OR for flap debridement, both overall and after exclusion of anastomotic revisions. Conclusions Venous congestion in free flap reconstruction following traumatic defects of the extremities remains high. Several factors are associated with congestion. Liberal fluid administration ≥6 ml/kg/hr is independently associated with this complications and should be avoided when possible.
Controlling Public Dissent Through Media: State Coverage on Administrative Lawsuits in China

Why would an authoritarian leadership publicize information about citizen resistance against the state? This paper explains the media coverage on administrative lawsuits in China as an authoritarian leadership’s co-optation and repression strategy towards its potential regime challengers within the society. By comparing the media-covered administrative trials with the entirety of over 1.1 million administrative court decisions published between 2014 and 2018, this paper finds that cases with less politically sensitive topics and government-losing results are made highly visible to the public. Through this, the central leadership demonstrates that within the permissible level of challenge against the state, the regime left room for discussion. On the other hand, cases with highly sensitive topics are underrepresented in the media. When such cases are covered, it is to show that any further challenges will not be tolerated. As such, the central leadership is preserving the authoritarian nature of the nominally democratic institution, namely the administrative litigation system.
Acoustic mapping by picosecond ultrasonics for elastic property measurement: Experimental demonstration on a TRISO fuel compact

Abstract Picosecond ultrasonics has been demonstrated on a tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel compact to measure the elastic properties of each compact layer. This technique utilizes an ultrashort pump laser pulse to excite vibrations in a gold transducer film covering the surface of each component and a second probe laser pulse to record the resulting acoustic strain induced change in optical reflectance. From the damping of this film vibration, the acoustic reflection coefficient, which couples the elastic properties of the transducer film and the sample, can be obtained, enabling a calculation of the sample's acoustic velocity and elastic modulus. Results obtained from this method are consistent with known values of elastic moduli, namely that the SiC coating is the stiffest component of the compact while the carbonaceous matrix is the most compliant. Nanoindentation was conducted as a benchmark technique on the same sample and shows satisfactory agreement with the results of picosecond ultrasonics. Compared to other methods like nanoindentation, picosecond ultrasonics is multimodal with a capability of measuring several key properties simultaneously and has potentials to be coupled into optical fibers for remote sensing. Thus, these demonstration measurements reveal the methodology to be a promising candidate for in-situ and high-throughput optical characterizations of nuclear materials.
The Adaptive Process in Early Infancy A Research Odyssey

The inclination of a clinician to become involved in systematically organized, investigative work is rare, and the path leading in that direction is never obvious. Such an inclination develops during a lifetime of personal and educational experience. It is accompanied by many false starts, incompleted projects, exploratory dabblings, and flirtations before the event or series of events that only in retrospect can be recognized as the beginnings of a project destined to occupy the bulk of an investigator’s time, talent, and creative resources for years to come. In this sense research is very much like a love affair. It may be very short-lived or it may become a lifelong passion, not without its disruptions and moments of desperation. In what follows I shall tell the story of what has become my own research passion, including sidelights and attitudes that have not found expression in publications up to this time.
Continuum Fluid Models for Plasma Etching Reactor Control

In this paper, a novel implicit implementation of the ENO-Roe scheme is presented. For the particular example considered here (a fluid plasma model), cpu time requirements for the implicit scheme were found to be as much as three orders of magnitude less than that for the explicit scheme. This indicates that implicit implementation may be critical for solution of multi-dimensional problems with reasonable computer resources. These simulation results allow the computation of steady-state gains between variables that affect and are affected by the plasma presence.
Brain Injury in the Context of Tauopathies

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common form of head injury and is a leading cause of death worldwide. Due to the vast variability in the types and severity of trauma, the cellular consequences of head injury are not completely understood. The development of reliable models of TBI will aid in understanding the molecular consequences of head trauma, and they will assist in identifying biological surrogate markers of the degree of damage and prognosis. In doing so, effective therapeutic strategies can be applied. Current in vivo experimental models yield important information, but they too have a significant amount of variation. The goal of this review is to re-evaluate the use of these in vivo models of TBI and assess whether they correlate with the consequence of TBI in humans from the perspective of tau, an axonal microtubule-stabilizing protein. We present and discuss the current models of traumatic head injury, and we focus on those that assess changes in tau. We evaluate reports of TBI in humans that measured changes in tau and that were detectable in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, and as a pathological consequence in brain tissue.
Trusted multiplexing of cryptographic protocols

We present an analysis that determines when it is possible to multiplex a pair of cryptographic protocols. We present a transformation that improves the coverage of this analysis on common protocol formulations. We discuss the gap between the merely possible and the pragmatic through an optimization that informs a multiplexer. We also address the security ramifications of trusting external parties for this task and evaluate our work on a large repository of cryptographic protocols. We have verified this work using the Coq proof assistant.
Food Flavor and Nutritional Characteristics Alter Dynamics of Food Preference in Lambs

We addressed two questions involving food preference. First, we determined how a food's flavor and nutritional characteristics affected preference. In three trials, we offered lambs isonitrogenous foods differing in energy (trial 1, 90% TDN; trial 2, 100% TDN; trial 3, 110% TDN); each food was offered in apple and maple flavors. We hypothesized that preference for apple- or maple-flavored food would decrease with increasing duration of exposure (1, 2, or 4 d), and we speculated that the change in preference would intensify when food contained inadequate or excessive levels of energy. After eating food in one flavor, lambs preferred the alternative flavor, even after only a 1-d exposure, and preference for the alternative flavor was greater when the food had inadequate or excessive energy (P < .05). The second experiment determined whether eating a food with rapidly or slowly digestible sources of energy in the morning affected lambs' food preferences in the evening. We speculated that lambs fed rapidly digestible food in the morning may prefer a slowly digestible food in the afternoon because slowly digestible food better maintains nutrient status throughout the night or because preference for the rapidly digestible food decreases after exposure in the morning. We offered lambs isonitrogenous and isocaloric foods, that differed in rates of digestion, in apple and maple flavors. Lambs fed rapidly digestible food in the morning preferred slowly digestible food in the alternative flavor in the evening. However, lambs fed slowly digestible food in either flavor in the morning preferred slowly digestible food in both flavors in the evening (P < .05). These results show that lambs' preferences change as a result of food ingestion, and the degree of change in preference depends on the nutritional characteristics of the food. These findings further suggest food intake might be increased by providing a variety of foods to livestock on rangelands, pastures, or in confinement.
The use of prior information in linear regression

This paper considers the incorporation of previously obtained data with present data from the model Y=Xp+e wnere e~N(o.e) and b N(b,V) to construct an estimate for the present value of cs. The estimator deiived from combining these two sets or data Is biased, hence its mean square error is compared with the covariance matrix of the Gauss-Markov estimator using only present data. The probability that the combined data yields a better estimator is evaluated. For special cases, che optimal design procedures are presented for obtaining both sets of data.
John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008)

The deep insights and far-reaching speculations of a theoretical physicist inspired generations of students.
Potential solutions for benchmarking issues

The lack of standardized metrics for assessing the capabilities of many automation tools requires that evaluation procedures be executed by a user to assess functional capabilities and performance of the product. While benchmarks are typically conducted when choosing a supplier, evaluation/ regression tests are also often performed on new releases from an existing supplier. The variables that influence a benchmark process can include test case design, user expertise, hardware platforms, data interpretation, etc. A benchmark test case that represents the user's application is critical. The numerous variables and opportunities for misinterpretation can make a standardized test bench suite difficult to achieve. Cooperative testing by broadbased and niche suppliers of bundled products is one area that can reduce user evaluation cycles. Strong customer supplier working relationships can also be one key to reducing the amount of the effort required for benchmarks.
MVDR based all-pole modeling: properties, enhancements, and comparisons

In this paper, we present several features of minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) based all-pole filters which are suitable for modeling all types of speech. In particular, we demonstrate how the MVDR all-pole spectrum, based upon time-domain correlations, can provide high quality spectral envelope modeling of voiced speech. Simulation results are included showing that the MVDR all-pole spectrum's modeling of voiced speech harmonics improves as the model order increases, leading to a monotonically decreasing spectral distortion. Furthermore, we show how the MVDR all-pole envelope can be enhanced by using forward-backward linear prediction. In addition, low order (10-14) MVDR based all-pole filters are examined and compared with other all-pole spectral envelopes. The reduced order MVDR all-pole spectrum is shown to compare favorably with linear prediction (LP) and LP cubic spline spectral envelopes in terms of spectral modeling and complexity.
Multiple ruptures for Long Valley microearthquakes: a link to volcanic tremor?

Despite several episodes of ground deformation and intense seismic activity starting in 1978, the Long Valley, California, volcanic area has not produced clearly recognized volcanic tremor. Instead, a variety of atypical microearthquakes have been recorded during these episodes, including events dominated by low-frequency (long-period) or mixed high and low-frequency (hybrid) signals. During a 1997 episode, a number of unusual microearthquakes occurred within a temporary 40-station seismic network surrounding the Casa Diablo area, allowing the events to be precisely located and analyzed as a function of azimuth, offset, and source characteristics. Eight prime examples lie within two, 7 km-deep clusters of seismicity separated by about 1 km, with four events in each cluster. Empirical Green's function deconvolution shows that these events are composed of two to three sub-events, the sub-events consisting of ordinary (single rupture, double-couple) microearthquakes. The delay times between the sub-events are constant within each cluster, equaling 0.092 s in one and 0.06 s in the other. Events from other clusters show similar delays. The signal interference produced by the closely spaced sub-events gives rise to modulated, delay-dependent source spectra. The regularity of the delays suggests that the sub-events are being triggered by a fixed length and/or time scale process, an example being the length/inflation rate of a magmatic or hydrothermal flow structure. With continued action of the triggering process, the sub-events could proliferate and evolve into observable volcanic tremors at Mammoth.
Transient elastography for assessment of fibrosis in paediatric liver disease

The prognosis and management of chronic liver diseases in children largely depend on the extent and progression of liver fibrosis, which is often the most important predictor of disease outcome, and thus influences the indication for potential therapy. Unfortunately, liver biopsy continues to be the gold standard for the staging and grading of fibrosis. Liver biopsy is an invasive and painful technique with several limitations. These limitations have led to the development of alternative noninvasive methods for the accurate assessment of fibrosis and for the maintenance of an acceptable risk/benefit ratio. In the last decades, transient elastography (TE) has received increasing consideration as a means of evaluating disease progression in paediatric chronic liver disease. TE is an accurate and reproducible methodology for identifying subjects without fibrosis or significant fibrosis, or with advanced fibrosis. In this review, we provide an outline of liver fibrosis in paediatric liver diseases, including fibrogenesis, and noninvasive techniques for the diagnosis and follow-up of fibrosis, and then focus on the characteristics of TE and on its strength in the assessment of liver fibrosis, paying particular attention to studies conducted in children.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Coordination Chemistry of a New Geometrically Hindered Trifunctional Ligand, 4,5-Bis(diphenylphosphino)-sym-octahydroacridine N,P,P‘-Trioxide

The ligand 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-sym-octahydroacridine N,P,P‘-trioxide (10) was obtained from a multistep synthesis and characterized by spectroscopic methods, and two crystal forms were examined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The coordination behavior of the trifunctional ligand toward La(NO3)3 and Nd(NO3)3 was examined, and the molecular structures of the complexes La(10)(NO3)3·MeOH and Nd(10)(NO3)3·MeOH were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The molecules form chains along the z axis in which the ligand bonds in a bidentate mode to one La(NO3)3 or Nd(NO3)3 by using the N−O and one of the PO donor centers. The second PO donor group in the ligand bridge bonds to a second La(10)(NO3)3 or Nd(10)(NO3)3 unit. The coordination behavior of 10 contrasts with that of the related but structurally more flexible trifunctional ligand 2,6-bis[(diphenylphosphino)methyl]pyridine N,P,P‘-trioxide, which acts as a tridentate ligand toward f-element ions.